In Memoriam

It wasn’t unusual to find Tammy Hendriks leading the way for colleagues and students; her “passion for teaching” was evident each day, said her daughter...

As tributes keep pouring in, it seems as if everyone at PS/MS 280, past and present, has a special remembrance of “Mr. B” to share...

Julia Hidalgo, a paraprofessional at PS 811 The Mickey Mantle School, is remembered by colleagues as someone who cared about her students and coworkers at the District 75 school in Manhattan...

Magdelana Ocampo Franco spent 20 years as a bilingual social worker, advocating for children with special needs and their families...

Lewis Kirsch, a beloved Bronx social studies teacher, loved his family, his extended family and friends, his IS 206 family and his Deadhead family, the obsessive fans of The Grateful Dead band. Lew, as he was known, loved life...

Virginia Jackson, who started out as a paraprofessional and later became a teacher in her 40-year-long career in New York City public schools, is remembered for her devotion to her students and as a true lifelong learner...

Rose Mary Infantino, a retired school counselor, was devoted to her students at the now defunct Adlai Stevenson HS in the Bronx. As their college counselor, she helped set them on the path they would follow after high school...

“Her generosity knew no bounds.” That's how Chapter Leader Stephanie Sangosse summed up Fatima Schmidt, a 4th-grade teacher at PS 333 in the Hunt’s Point section of the Bronx...

“An educator, mentor and adviser to students and staff alike, Jeffrey Alston was a vibrant part of our community,” said Keith Miller, the UFT chapter leader at the Juan Morel Campos School of the Arts in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. “He loved his job and, most...

Barry Stockman and Robert Thoering didn’t have children, but Stockman said his partner always said he had thousands of children...

“Mrs. K,” as she was affectionately called by her students, was appreciated for her joy and dedication as a paraprofessional at PS 203 in Queens. For her part, all Deborah Korczynski's students were “my kids.”...

Karen Kelly, age 64, was a retired paraprofessional who worked in schools in District 75 in the Bronx. In retirement, she lived in Lakewood, New Jersey...

Alexander Meyers built his life around the strong principles of education and union activism. A UFT member since the union’s birth 60 years ago, he went on strike during his first year of teaching to help the UFT gain recognition and collective bargaining...

Retiree Valerie Fata missed teaching so much she couldn’t stay away from the classroom...

Winston Silvera was a longtime science teacher and chapter leader at Harry S. Truman HS in the Bronx. After work hours, he was a U-rating advocate in the union’s Bronx and then Manhattan borough offices. He retired from teaching in 2003, but continued his...

Carlos N. Torres was a devoted and hard-working attendance teacher who traveled to all the boroughs to reach his students and get them back in school...

Vincio Donato, age 86, was a founding member of the UFT who taught for 35 years, but he was best known in recent years as the longtime director of the union’s Just for Fun department...

Magda Napoleoni was a paraprofessional par excellence at PS 298 in Brooklyn, where she was known for her kindness toward both students and staff and for her dedication as an educator. “She was a shining light who always made people smile,” said coworker...

For more than 25 years, Yvette Vega's title was school secretary. But Yvette “was way more than our school secretary,” said her friend and colleague Tanya Brand...

Diane L. Riegger was union through and through. In a career that spanned 40 years, she worked for various departments of the union and gave her all to each one...

She had style, she had moves, she had a caring character and she had a school community that loved her. Valerie Wilson, a 65-year-old paraprofessional, indeed will be missed by students and staff at the PS 721 Occupational Training Center in Brooklyn...

Jean Geringer could have written a book about all the changes she witnessed from her 1967 debut as a school secretary at James Monroe HS in the Bronx to her next job at Russell Sage JHS in Forest Hills, Queens, until her retirement 30 years later as a...

Elena Gonzalez dedicated her career as a paraprofessional to making sure that students with special needs, especially English language learners, received the quality education they deserved...

Hilda Pacheco was a longtime paraprofessional and UFT paraprofessional representative at the High School for Law and Public Service, part of the George Washington Educational Campus in Manhattan. A UFT member since 2000, she worked at the school for her...