A. Michael DeSisto

11/01/2003

A. Michael DeSisto, 64, founder of DeSisto School, died Saturday afternoon at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston after suffering a stroke. He had undergone a kidney transplant at the hospital on Tuesday. Born in Boston on May 29, 1939, son of Albert and Mary Gorman DeSisto, he attended parochial schools in West Roxbury and was a 1957 graduate of Cathedral High School in Boston. He attended St. John's Seminary in Brighton for two years and received a bachelor of arts degree in history and government from Stonehill College in North Easton in 1962. He also received advanced training in various modalities, including Gestalt psychology and Pesso Boyden System psychomotor therapy. For more than five decades, Mr. DeSisto dedicated his life to challenging and defying conventional wisdom about "troubled" adolescents. As the director of the Lake Grove School on Long Island, he developed techniques for reaching struggling teenagers. In 1978, with the help and financial support of students' parents, he founded DeSisto School on the campus of the former Stockbridge School. He incorporated performing and culinary arts, academics, residential life, therapy and family involvement into a community. His innovative approach gained national acclaim. Mr. DeSisto wrote a book, "Decoding Your Teenager," in 1991. He appeared on numerous television and radio talk shows over the years and was an accomplished speaker. He and his wife, Margie Charles Bullock, were married Aug. 27, 1983. Besides his wife, he leaves a sister, Jacqueline DeSisto of Stockbridge. FUNERAL NOTICE -- The life of A. Michael DeSisto exemplified the spirit of commitment, fearlessness, struggle, generosity and love. He will be greatly missed. Friends may call at ROCHE FUNERAL HOME, 120 Main St., Lenox, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 4 to 7. Burial will be private and at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make donations in Michael's memory to the A. Michael DeSisto Memorial Scholarship Fund in care of the funeral home.

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