IMPORTANT DATES

SAD SHARING
POSTED 4/23/14
     Roy Horne, who retired from Ross HS in 1995, passed away on April 22. Roy was a beloved and talented music teacher. He touched the lives of so many students and colleagues....He surely left his footprint here and his legacy will be the students who he inspired to became teachers and musicians in their own right.
      Roy (Roland) died peacefully at home. As many of you know, Roy has been ill since the beginning of the year. After many trips to the ER and numerous hospital stays, his family finally brought him home on April 4th. He was so happy to be in familiar surroundings where family and friends could visit. Roy never complained and they did everything they could to make him comfortable and loved during his final days. We will all miss his wonderful smile and quiet charm.
      A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at Gutterman's in Woodbury, NY on Friday, April 25 at 2:00. The family will sit Shiva at 51 Abbot Lane, Hicksville after the conclusion of the service and on the following days: Saturday evening (7-9), Sunday (2-5 &7-9) and Monday (2-5).

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ROBS SCHOLARHIP FUND NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
POSTED 3/21/13
     Each year ROBS gives out scholarships to several Brentwood HS seniors who plan on pursuing careers in the field of education. The scholarships we present are: the Jack Zuckerman Award for $1000, the Lilian Kelly Award for $750 and two or three ROBS Scholarship Awards each for $750.
     We rely on contributions to this scholarship fund and ask that you help us in maintaining this worthwhile program. If you would like to make a contribution, please send a check to Marge Kirchner, Treasurer. Her address can be found on the Executive Board page of this site. Make the check out to ROBS with "scholarship fund" on the memo line.
     Thank you for your generosity and continued support.

SAD SHARING
POSTED 4/22/14
     Sadly, Alan Lazarus, the former Director of Funded Programs, has passed away. The funeral arrangements are as follows:
Wed., April 23rd - 2:00 PM Funeral Service at Temple B'nai Torah
2900 Jerusalem Avenue
Wantagh, NY
     Shiva will be observed at the home of Alan & Linda: 2964 Bayside Court
Wantagh, NY 11793
Wed, April 23rd (after funeral service and burial) until 10:00 P.M.
Thurs., April 24th - 2:00-5:00 & 7:00-!0:00
Fri., April 25th - 2:00-5:00 (only)
Sat., April 26th - 7:00-10:00 (only)
Sun., April 27th - 1:00-5:00 & 7:00-10:00

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Social Justice Efforts Critical to Union's Mission
Published in NYSUT United: A Union of Professionals, Sept/Oct 2013

     In helping educators plan ahead, NYSUT has provided a selection of social justice events and resources for each month of the school year. The following are those listed for the month of April:

   

Why did we do it?
     What was our purpose in taking on such an open ended “History Project”; the one for which we’ve evolved a script of questions with corresponding answers from over one hundred and fifty dedicated volunteers for nearly two decades?
      We couldn’t answer the question in ‘94 when people would ask “What are you going to do with the interviews?” All we could say was that for educational and informational purposes we had better document our record or lose any chance to preserve innumerable poignant accounts, humorous stories and touching tales told to us by exemplary educators and dedicated public servants, who shortly and for reasons unknown might soon be leaving our Brentwood for good.
     We decided to let time sort out the details as we commenced making appointments to ask questions and simply listen. Listen we did as this project evolved saving for subsequent generations the very essence of what it means to have been an educator or employed in a large student centered public school system during the latter half of the twentieth century. Brentwood remains an exemplar to all the others; a diverse microcosm and accurate reflection of the approximately one hundred and twenty seven neighboring school districts on Long Island and the thousands across this country. We’ve accomplished something here, something we can all be proud of having been part of, whether we were interviewed or not, ours is a claim of service that few other professionals in the State of New York are positioned to share in a like manner.
     INITIALLY the practice of sitting for an hour with the Subject of our interview and giving them one hundred percent of our focused attention for that period of time seemed a little threatening to many of our friends and former colleagues. So much so in fact that many declined repeated invitations to be interviewed as they left careers behind or retired from full time employ with the District. Despite all assurances that this was not to be about investigative journalism or invading their privacy, they’ve deferred. Until now, almost seventeen years after we began, some say they may finally be ready. We say, “Better late than never”. However, to all those among you who were willing to share openly not only your classroom experiences but personal stories, precious memories from your lives and fondest hopes for the future, we say thanks for allowing us to be able to continue the process of giving as we now are able to share interviews with you, with the community and with countless regional professional educators and researchers through tentative acceptance of ROBS offer of collaboration with The Long Island Studies Institute at Hofstra University.
      You can now enjoy unlimited visits to www.robsny.org/ where you’ll see and hear segments from the History Project Interviews featured here in the ROBS History Project section on the Announcements Page archived each month thereafter for those wishing to return again and again.

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED HISTORY PROJECT
INTERVIEW:

Martin Gerald efron
Social Studies

     Marty efron (he spelled his name with a small e), carried both parent’s fathers names in his own - was born on February 15, 1937 in Flatbush Brooklyn. His mother was Mary Klateman, a lifelong Conservative Republican who was born on NYC’s lower east side of a family from Kiev, Ukraine. They came from a family of Rabbi’s who fled their homeland during a program. Marty’s grandfather was a successful merchant in NYC who lost his life in front of Marty’s mother as he pushed a woman and her child to safety out of the path of a speeding automobile that took his life. Marty described his father as a plumber and a Damon Runyon character.
      The oldest of four, Marty had three sisters and one brother all of whom moved with him to Far Rockaway where he attended PS 42, on Beech 66th St. and then Far Rockaway High School. When the family moved again he attended Babylon Junior/Senior High School and found his passion for teaching. He graduated in 1954 and went to Oneonta where his sister was attending. Once there he met Guy DiPietro. As Social Studies majors they attended many classes together. Arriving in Brentwood in 1961 and by then married to Linda who predeceased him, Marty assumed the role of single parent for seven years becoming both parents to their three children, Nancy, David and Dawn until he met and married Eva (a high school librarian) to whom by the time of the interview he’d been married for seventeen years.
      In Brentwood he met Lenny Sachs, Ray Scheele, Lee Stewart and Gene Hoyt and after several interviews was hired to teach Social Studies at South Junior High for $5,000, - $142 after taxes every two weeks. Brentwood, was a unique community he said and why he stayed until 1992 at which point he retired. Marty continued well beyond active service to do the things he loved. “I got a lot from Brentwood”, he says.” I’m giving back to the community and it’s not about dogma but about people giving of themselves and having fun doing it”. His mission: Maintaining focus, work hard, setting goals, making up your mind and believing it will happen, but above all being honest with yourself”. His advice to new teachers – “The glass is always half full. Live each day as if it’s day one”.
      His interview took place on June 12, 1998. Martin Gerald efron passed away at the age of 63 years on February 11, 2001.

You can also view any of these past interviews by visiting History Project Interview Archives :

The Town Crier" was set up a number of years ago so that the retirees of the Brentwood School District could have an email center to stay in touch. Since I began to send out all sorts of information, retirees from all over the country have sent me their email addresses. Some have asked, "Do you have any idea where so and so is?" Others have sent proud news of their accomplishments, their family news, photos,etc. and sadly, we often get bad news. Many retirees whom I have never met write me to thank me for keeping this connection going, as everyone remembers the Brentwood years with warm feelings.

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