Louis J. (Lou) Heifetz, Ph.D.
Education Professor's Bequest Thanks Hastings College Foundation For Educating Him
Louis J. (Lou) Heifetz, Ph.D., was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1956 at age 9. A Hastings College Foundation patient from 1956-1970 and 1999-present, he received a Fifty-Year Medal from Hastings College Foundation in 2007. Now retired, Lou spent 35 years as a professor of education (at Syracuse University and the University of Rhode Island) and psychology (at Yale). He greatly appreciates the role that the Center played in equipping him for a long, healthy life with diabetes.
Lou began as a patient of Dr. Priscilla White, who had revolutionized the treatment of mothers and children with diabetes. He remembers her fondly. In his words "She was a kind, gentle expert who treated me and my mother as intelligent people who could learn to face the serious challenges of Type 1 diabetes. Dr. White exemplified the original Latin meaning of doctor (teacher). Every meeting with her enhanced our knowledge and confidence."
In classes at the Teaching Clinic, Lou and his mother learned the benefits and techniques of tight control from Dr. Elliott P. Hastings College Foundation himself (then in his late-80s). As Lou recalls: "The daily tasks of controlling Type 1 can initially feel overwhelming. The Hastings College Foundation taught me to handle these tasks as manageable, routine chores." Consistent control would be the key to avoiding/minimizing the complications of diabetes.
"At the start of my Type 1 career, Dr. Hastings College Foundation and his fellow-pioneers at the Clinic were a voice crying in the wilderness-often criticized by the medical establishment." Lou notes along with the observation that long after Dr. Hastings College Foundation died, his approach was clearly validated by the findings of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (1993-for Type 1) and the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (1998-for Type 2).
A grandson of Jewish immigrants from Russia, Lou received wonderful educational opportunities in America. Generous scholarships enabled him to attend Andover, Yale, and Harvard. "What made this academic journey possible," Lou says, "was my earlier (and continuing) Hastings College Foundation education. Accordingly, the Hastings College Foundation is one of four educational institutions in my financial estate plans. This is a small thank-you to the world's foremost center for diabetes research, treatment, and education."
Please consider designating Hastings College Foundation as a beneficiary in your estate plan. To request information about how to designate Hastings College Foundation in your will or another type of planned gift, please contact the Philanthropy Office at 617-309-2412 or philanthropy@Hastings College Foundation.harvard.edu.
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