Joseph F. Hill Fund

Dorothy M. Hill, Ph.D., was many things in her life: scholar, teacher, writer, world traveler, musician, nature lover, athlete and friend.  She was also a philanthropist who established funds The Pittsburgh Foundation. She was born on Jan. 7, 1926 and raised in Mt. Washington next door to St. Mary of the Mount School. In Dorothy’s early years, the seeds of the passions she would cultivate over her lifetime were sown: love of learning, interest in children, culture and music and a desire to experience the world.

Above all else, she adored her brother Joe Hill, who had special needs, and Dorothy served as his advocate throughout his life. Soon after he died at age 73 in 2003, Dorothy created The Joseph F. Hill Fund in his honor through The Pittsburgh Foundation. Established in 2004, the fund’s purpose is to provide support for causes that mattered to the Hills, with a special focus on educational initiatives.

Dorothy Hill died on Feb. 24, 2016 at the age of 90. In her will, she made provisions to establish the Dorothy M. Hill Charitable Fund to train public and private school teachers whose classes include children with intellectual disabilities, with the goal of helping those children maximize their accomplishments.

Dorothy made education a priority in her life as well. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh. In 1972, she earned a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University. She was a teacher for nearly 40 years, first at South High School, then Langley High School, and finally at Peabody High School. She took a sabbatical year and moved to Italy, learning to speak the language fluently. In 1983, she was a finalist for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.

Dorothy was also a teacher of teachers. She invited other instructors to her classroom and was videotaped so that others could learn from her presentation techniques. But the true hallmark of her teaching was the deep respect and affection she had for her students. In the decades that followed their graduations, she celebrated their successes, marriages and births of their children.

An accomplished classical pianist, Dorothy loved music and the arts. Over the years, she played in several quartets and loved going to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with friends. She was also an avid outdoorswoman who was a leader in the Allegheny Group of the Sierra Club. She relished hiking in the Laurel Highlands with her golden retrievers Rusty, Jake, Shadow and Rosie. She was an athlete as well, playing tennis and skiing cross-country.