Remembering Judith Speyer

Judy served PCD with extraordinary dedication from 1970 to 2001. A pioneering force in the establishment of the modern arts department at Country Day, she helped lay the foundation for the vibrant, full-school arts program we know today – one that is integrated throughout all grades and thoughtfully coordinated with our performing arts. Her legacy is visible every day in the creative life of the school.

For generations of students, Judy’s art studios in Lund and later in Metcalf were havens – welcoming spaces where students from across the school found voice and expression through painting, drawing, and pottery. She held her students to high standards, always paired with boundless encouragement and a deep belief in their individual efforts and talents. Judy believed profoundly in the power of the arts as a force for personal expression and social good, and her students are deeply grateful for the time, care, and inspiration she gave them.

Many cherished traditions at PCD can be traced directly to Judy’s vision. Today’s World Culture Day has its roots in her Arts Day, established in the 1990s as a way to celebrate the arts at Country Day and to bring the community together through creativity and shared experience.

Judy lived a life as rich and varied as the lessons she taught. A native of New York City, she held degrees from McGill University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Before joining PCD, she served as a campus chaplain at Brown University and was a Freedom Rider during the Civil Rights Movement – experiences she later recounted for PCD students in assemblies following her retirement. Following PCD she became a student of Tai Chi, an outgrowth of her commitment to Buddhism, and also served for many years as a docent at the RISD Museum. An accomplished painter and multimedia artist herself, Judy was ever the teacher; when asked about her own art, she characteristically replied, “My students are my art.”

Fiercely independent and strong-willed, yet deeply humble, Judy was inducted into PCD’s inaugural Knights of Distinction Society in 2024. Reflecting then with genuine astonishment on her career, she said simply, “I must have made a difference.” There is no doubt that she did.

Providence Country Day School honors the life and legacy of this faculty icon, and we will miss her dearly. Her impact endures in our students, our program, and our community. A private service will be held in the Memorial Grove at Swan Point Cemetery. Information about an on-campus event to recognize and celebrate Judy’s impact on the PCD community will be shared in the near future.