In Memoriam

Sharon Bascom was a kindergarten teacher at PS 306 in Brooklyn and a UFT member for more than 20 years. Although she had just begun teaching at PS 306 before Christmas, “it was as though she had always been there; she was like a member of the school...

One friend summed up Sharon Kaufman this way: “She was a beautiful person, a great friend and a wonderful teacher.” Another said she “always put the children and their families first.” Sharon, 63, a special education teacher at PS 31 in the St. George...

Founding UFT member Irving Barash, 93, taught history and economics at Bayside HS in Queens for more than 30 years. He died on April 6...

Carol King-Grant was only in her fourth year as a 6th-grade special education teacher at Mott Hall Science and Technology Academy in the South Bronx, but her loss will leave a huge void, according to her co-workers...

Anton Updale was a strong believer in giving back to his community and lived that belief every day of his life. For more than 25 years, he was a physical education teacher at IS 34 on Staten Island, where he taught countless students and made a positive...

“Momma Shirl,” as Claudia Shirley was known in her school community, was a consummate educator who believed in her students and was always willing to give of herself to help her colleagues, her students and their parents...

Her students loved her and looked forward each day to her bright and bubbly personality, which lit up the classroom...

Kimarlee Nguyen taught English for six years at The Brooklyn Latin School, reveling in the environment of the academically rigorous specialized public high school with a diverse student body...

David Behrbom was one of those special people who never forgot your name once he met you. “He was a very warm and friendly teacher who always offered a hand to anyone in need,” said Deborah Morgan, the chapter leader at PS 55 in the Bronx, where Behrbom...

Alyssa Pantilieris was affectionately called “Ms. P” by students and colleagues. As she approached her 20th year as a special education teacher, she had established her reputation as a staunch advocate for her students in and out of the classroom...

The staff at P79 in East Harlem is mourning the loss of a very special member of their school community, 91-year-old paraprofessional Rosario Gonzalez...

In an outpouring of love and remembrance, students and parents have been leaving flowers at IS 24 for Sharon Nearby, an ELA teacher at the Staten Island school for 27 years...

Linda Pope was a beloved paraprofessional who worked for 29 years at CS 154 in Harlem. A nurturing mother figure to her students, Pope was loved by all in the school community. She had an associate’s degree in early childhood education and touched many...

When Susan E. Wagner HS opened its doors in 1968, Martin Flanzbaum was part of its original staff. Though his teaching career began at Erasmus Hall HS in Brooklyn, he spent more than two decades at Wagner...

Rulx Dagus loved children. He didn't have any of his own so he channeled that love into his work. “He was a nurturing paraprofessional for our special needs students,” said Mark Maliaros, the chapter leader at P369@P67 in Brooklyn, who also worked with...

As newlyweds 49 years ago, Lincoln and Norma Esbrand taught for two years in a Seventh-day Adventist school in the jungles of Guyana. Dedication to his faith, his wife and teaching defined Lincoln Esbrand from those days forward, until he died at 71 on...

Carmen Manto was a longtime paraprofessional at PS 152 in Woodside, Queens. A devoted wife and mom to three children, she lived most of her life in Queens before moving to Cranford, New Jersey, after she retired in 2008. She was 75...

Steve Littenberg was “extremely competent at what he did and extremely versatile,” said friend and former colleague Douglas Cahill. Their work relationship spanned nearly 20 years, with Steve supervising Cahill at the outset...

Jarrod Sockwell often had a receiving line at his table in the cafeteria at P256@PS43, a District 75 school in Far Rockaway, Queens, where he worked as a paraprofessional in grades 6-8...

Students at IS 61 in Queens will honor their music teacher, Diony Diaz, who inspired others through his passion for music, with a page of tributes in their 2020 school yearbook...

Catharine Kelly taught 1st and 2nd grade at PS 158 on the Upper East Side of Manhattan for more than 30 of her 44 years as an elementary school teacher...

Warm, smiling, engaging and intelligent, she captured the hearts and minds of everyone she encountered in her school community, from the newest student to the longest-serving colleague...

Sandra Vizcaino was the 3rd-grade dual language teacher at PS 9 in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. Always wearing a smile on her face, she was known and appreciated for her nurturing and loving personality and her willingness to go above and...

Joseph Pasquariello was a much beloved language teacher at Tottenville HS on Staten Island for 32 years, with deep and abiding connections to his colleagues and students...