Edith Levy Elsas, 96: Helped found The Lovett School

Eva Edwards Lovett knew she had to have like-minded donors and supporters for the Lovett School to prosper.

She found them in the likes of Edith and Herbert Elsas. He was a Harvard-educated lawyer; she  had entered Wellesley College at 16 and graduated four years later as a Phi Beta Kappa. These Atlantans believed and invested in progressive education.

"They were sort of private-school oriented, if you will," said a son, Alan Elsas of Atlanta. "My mother knew Eva Edwards Lovett was a fine educator. She always said Mrs. Lovett would have been proud of what the Lovett School became."

Fontaine Draper, a family friend and Lovett graduate, said Mrs. Elsas supported the Lovett school in various ways.

"She was instrumental in keeping the school going, especially during the war," Mrs. Draper said. "She was probably one of the first presidents of what was called the Mother's Club. She was definitely involved in those early days."

On Dec. 24, Edith Levy Elsas died of natural causes at her home in Atlanta. She was 96. A funeral and private burial have been held. H.M. Patterson & Son, Spring Hill chapel, handled arrangements.

Born in New York,  she married Herbert Rothchild Elsas during her senior year at Wellesley. The couple moved to Atlanta, his hometown, in 1935 and he became a senior partner of the law firm Sutherland, Asbill and Brennan. He died in 1995.

Through the years, Mrs. Elsas contributed to numerous civic causes. She was a pioneer in the development of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the High Museum of Art, the Atlanta YMCA, The Temple, the National Council for Jewish Women, the Westminster Schools and other organizations.

"I would say she was an achiever and she cared about many, many different causes," her son said. "That was in her DNA."

In 1940, the family moved to Paces Ferry Road where they lived minutes from "Little Lovett," precursor to the Lovett School. At the time, the school on West Wesley Road served preschoolers to seventh-graders. Classes were small; some teachers taught two grade levels in the same classroom.

"Mom always thought of  the Lovett School as Little Lovett  in her heart," her son said. "She still thought of it as that small school that her two little boys attended.  Back then, it was almost like private tutoring, with no more than 10 or 11 people in each class."

Edith and Herbert Elsas bought 20 acres of property off Paces Ferry Road and gave plots to their sons. Alan Elsas built a house in his parent's backyard, a move that allowed his boys to literally run through the woods to grandmother's house.