John Bligh
- Retired Teacher
George Franz became a paraprofessional in 1976, working at PS 3 in Manhattan, and two years later made the jump to science teacher. He would be an educator for 20 years.
In 1983, George was a founding teacher at The Computer School, a middle school on the Upper West Side, where he and his colleagues were pioneers in computer instruction, developing curricula for students.
George retired in 2007 as a technology director for the city Department of Education, overseeing computer training for teachers and technical support in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
George died in his sleep of cardiac arrest on Dec. 25, 2022, at age 76.
His ex-wife, Elizabeth Shaw, described him as being “on the cutting edge” of helping students use computers in robotics, “telling the computer what to do rather than the other way around.”
Besides the knowledge he imparted in the 1990s as computers became a key component in city public schools, George “was very charming, he was very engaging” in dealing with colleagues, students and their parents, Shaw said.
Theo Tupaz, a fellow science teacher and George’s husband, said George had been recognized by the UFT for his work in the classroom, and 20 years ago received 25 computers for his classes from IBM “because he was ahead of his time.”
One measure of his conscientiousness, Tupaz said, was that after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and the confusion and turmoil created throughout the city, George made sure every child was safely out of his school building before leaving himself.
Linda Moliere was among the teachers George instructed as coordinator of technology for District 3 in Manhattan. “George’s gift was recognizing the skills and talents of a person and encouraging them to go with it,” said Moliere, who was in George’s first class.
The DOE came to the computer age relatively late, she said, as did most of the 10 District 3 teachers who were given “very simple Apple computers that used floppy disks.” The educators in that initial class, Moliere said, were nervous about damaging the computers. “Most of us never even had a personal computer,” she explained. “George was good at eliminating the fear and making us bold about using a computer.”
She was in her first year as a bilingual social studies teacher then, and Moliere recalled a meeting in which technicians and staff developers were speaking in overly technological language. She walked out of the meeting, found George and told him she wasn’t cut out to teach children about computers. He reassured her: “You are an excellent teacher,” he said. “You are going to get that technology and language in two weeks, so go back into that classroom.”
George was right. Moliere was the coordinator of technology at Mott Hall II in Manhattan when she retired.
George had followed in the footsteps of his parents, Fred and Frances Franz, who were teachers in Westbury, L.I. He majored in science at Rochester University, graduating in 1969, and was a member of the renowned YellowJackets chorus, an all-male a cappella group at the school. He interrupted his early teaching career on Long Island to serve in the Peace Corps, creating a science department at an underdeveloped school in the West Indies.
George was described as being social, funny and “a very curious person.” He loved nature and birds.
“He was well-respected in his field,” said Moliere. “We all grew under his leadership.”
In addition to Shaw and Tupaz, George is survived by a daughter, Rachel, and a son, Gregory; a granddaughter, Rosalind; a sister, Kathryn; and four nieces and nephews.
Condolences may be sent to:
Theo Tupaz
321 W. 24th St.
New York, NY 10011
