Stephanie Shirley was an expert in the art of helping others. In her youth she devoted herself to another of her great passions, mathematics, and later excelled in the field of technology—an industry where she had to fight fiercely against discrimination from the outset of her career. With an audacious character, she challenged gender barriers and, in the early 1960s, founded her successful and innovative software company. Dedicated to philanthropy, at 91 years of age her life story remains a testament to resilience and gender equality, marked by personal struggles and victories.
Vera Buchtal was born on September 16, 1933, on a cold autumn afternoon in Vienna. This little girl, who in time would shine as a businesswoman and philanthropist under the name Stephanie Shirley, could not have imagined the enormity of the challenges life would place before her. Her family was Jewish, and the times were those of interwar Europe. As the shadow of Nazism spread across the continent, young Vera, along with thousands of children, was sent to England in 1939 via the Kindertransport—a train that saved her from certain death.
In England, she was adopted by a British family and took on her new name: Stephanie. Yet in her deepest memories, the long solitary journey and the trauma of separation from her parents gave her early life a profound note of nostalgia that, over the years, would harden into a resilient and determined temperament, helping her forge her destiny.
Mathematics, her great passion
From a very young age, Stephanie showed exceptional talent for mathematics. Logic and numbers emerged in her life as a true passion, so much so that in her youth she dedicated herself fervently to her studies and graduated with honors.
However, when Stephanie tried to find work in her field, being a woman became an almost insurmountable barrier. The world of technology—still in its infancy—as well as business and finance in the mid-20th century were domains controlled almost exclusively by men. Frustrated but determined at least to be granted an interview, Stephanie devised a strategy. She began signing her job application letters, “by mistake,” as “Steve.” Suddenly, as though by some trick, doors opened wide for her. Stephanie, “by mistake,” finally secured interviews and, with them, the chance to demonstrate her worth, drive, and talent.
Stephanie’s professional life continued as she had envisioned: full of challenges and obstacles, yet always advancing. In the 1980s she founded Freelance Programmers, a successful technology company focused on employing women, which would later go public. However, her personal life demanded the greatest share of her resilience. Her son Giles was diagnosed with severe autism, and Stephanie’s long-dreamed life took a sharp and unexpected 360-degree turn. Motivated by her child’s condition, she devoted herself to philanthropy in the field of autism, founding Prior’s Court School in 1999, which went on to change the lives of thousands of children.
A bridge to a better quality of life for many children
Her greatest philanthropic project—the founding of Prior’s Court School, a school for children on the autism spectrum—transformed her life. The initiative brought her immense fulfillment and lasting joy, simply from being able to help thousands of children reach their full potential.
“When I became the mother of a little boy with special needs, I felt completely overwhelmed. Many nights I cried alone, not knowing how to help my son, how to ensure he had a full and happy life within his condition. Later I realized I wasn’t the only one. That’s how Prior’s Court School was born—my most important challenge and my greatest achievement, which today stands as my life’s legacy,” Stephanie reflects at her vital 91 years.
Stephanie Shirley’s story encompasses far more than recognition or statistics. Every milestone she achieved in business and every philanthropic effort bears the invaluable imprint of her commitment to gender equality and to the well-being of people with autism. Stephanie Shirley, who once had to assume the name “Steve” to navigate the sexism of her time, left an indelible mark on today’s world. Her story shines as a beacon of hope, a call to persist in the face of adversity, and a reminder of the transformative power of inclusion and innovation.
