November 16
Executive Board Meeting
10:15 am

December 1
Holiday Luncheon

Events Schedule

Meetings Schedule

SAD SHARING
POSTED 11/2/23
     Joseph Megale passed away at the age of 94 on October 27, 2023. He worked in the Brentwood School District as District Athletic Director and later Assistant Principal. He retired from the district in the late 80's.
    Family will receive visitors at Fairchild Sons Funeral Home, 1201 Franklin Avenue, Garden City, NY on Friday, November 3, 2023 at 2-5pm and 7-10pm, Mass of Christian Burial at St. Thomas the Apostle RC Church, 24 Westminster Road, West Hempstead, NY on Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 10am, Interment at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, NY.
     View Joseph Megale's Obituary and further information on Newsday's Legacy.com.

SAD SHARING
POSTED 11/14//23
     Rose Ann Pupillo passed away on November 9, 2023. She retired from Brentwood North Middle School where she worked as the guidance office secretary. She was very dedicated to her career and was greatly missed when she retired. May she rest in peace.
     Please view Rose Ann's obituary here.

SAD SHARING
POSTED 11/22/23
     Darius C. Vismale, the father of Valerie Vismale, passed away quietly on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. He lived well and over 100 years old. May he rest in peace,
     Valerie retired from Laurel Park Elementary School in 2013 and is currently a member of ROBS serving on the Executive Board in charge of Programs.

Why did we do it?
     What was our purpose in taking on such an open ended “History Project”; for which we evolved a script of questions and got answers from over 150 subjects for two decades?
     We couldn’t answer the question in 1994 when people would ask “What are you going to do with the interviews?” All we could say was that for educational purposes we had to document our record now or lose the chance to preserve so many poignant accounts, funny stories and touching tales told by exemplary educators. We knew these dedicated public servants might shortly, for reasons yet unknown, be leaving Brentwood for good.
     So, we decided to let time sort out the details. We began scheduling appointments. We asked questions and listened saving for generations the essence of what it meant to have been an educator or employed, in this large public school system during the second half of the 20th century. Brentwood remains an exemplar to all others; a diverse microcosm of America reflecting 124 districts on Long Island while simultaneously resembling thousands across the U.S. We’ve accomplished something here to be proud of. Whether we were interviewed or not, ours is a claim of service that few professionals in the State of New York or elsewhere have positioned themselves to share in the way we have.
     INITIALLY the practice of sitting with a subject for an hour and giving them a hundred percent focused attention seemed somewhat daunting to a number of friends and colleagues. So much so in fact that many declined our repeated invitations to speak with us as they left careers or retired from full employment. Despite all assurances that we were not about investigative journalism or invading privacy, they deferred. Now, twenty years after we began, some are saying they may be ready. “Better late than never” we say. However, to all among you who were willing to share not only your classroom experiences and personal stories, but precious memories from your lives along with your fondest hopes for the future, we say “Thanks”. Thanks for allowing us to continue the process by paying it forward as we share these interviews with the Brentwood community and countless professionals and researchers near and far. Through an acceptance of ROBS offer of collaboration with Archivist Dr. Geri Solomon and The Long Island Studies Institute at Hofstra University our History Project lives on in academia as well as in the collection of the Brentwood Public Library, thanks to Director, Thomas A. Tarantowicz.
   You can enjoy unlimited visits to www.robsny.org where you can watch and listen to segments from featured Interviews in the ROBS History Project Section on our Announcements Page each month. Return here to listen and learn again and again.

---

Check Out Member Benefits