Torrance, CA (June 13, 2015): Last night the Bishop Montgomery community lost a great friend when former teacher and administrator Dorothy Pittelkau died at Little Company of Mary Hospital in San Pedro.
From 1980 - 1994, Dorothy served in many capacities at Bishop Montgomery. She was hired in 1980 to teach algebra and serve as the Dean of Discipline; two years later, in 1982, Dorothy was named Vice Principal. She spent the next 13 years at Bishop Montgomery in this capacity and she had a tremendous impact on the faculty, staff, and students. In February of 1988, she even served as interim Principal for the remainder of the school year.
In 1994, Dorothy left BMHS to become a regional supervisor in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' Department of Catholic Schools and a few years later, was promoted to Associate Superintendent of Secondary Schools. In this role, she was responsible for overseeing all 26 high schools in the archdiocese, including BMHS. She retired from the archdiocese after 14 years, but she was not finished serving BMHS.
In 2008, Dorothy found herself back on the Bishop campus where she served in many roles for the next few years, including Assessment Coordinator, New Teacher Mentor, and Math Department Chairperson. In all, Dorothy served 16 years at BMHS and dedicated her professional life to Catholic education. She was inducted into the BMHS Hall of Fame in 2011.
"It is an understatement to say that she was a gifted and talented educator and administrator who was deeply dedicated to Catholic education," said BMHS Principal Rosemary Libbon. "Dorothy was my mentor, but most of all she was my friend and what she taught me is immeasurable. This was true for so many. She taught and guided so, so many teachers and administrators. She was also a great friend to so many."
We ask the entire Bishop community to keep Dorothy's family in your prayers and to pray for the repose of her soul. We will post information about any services as we receive the information.