"Elise Lenora Wolff was born in New York City on July 16, 1935. She attended elementary schools P.S. 28 and P.S. 117, and William H. Taft High School in the Bronx, New York. In August of 1953, Elise enrolled at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and graduated in the Spring of 1957 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Elise embarked upon her teaching career as a third grade teacher in Fairfield, Connecticut, at the Nathan Hale Elementary School in the Fall of 1957. The following year, she moved to Westchester, New York, where she enjoyed a variety of teaching experiences.

oral history interviewer 1978