John Bligh
- Retired teacher
- South Bronx HS
Alice Mucha, a retired fine arts teacher and a UFT member for more than 40 years, died of natural causes on Oct. 23. She was 88.
Born in Germany, Alice lived in the Bronx and did her graduate studies at the Teachers College of Columbia University in Manhattan.
Before becoming a teacher, she held various art-related jobs.
For the 13 years before her retirement in 1987, Alice taught at South Bronx HS, which closed in 2005.
David Weissman, her friend and former colleague at South Bronx HS, described Alice as a creative teacher and an educator who cared deeply for her students. She kept in touch with many of them until the day she died, Weissman said.
“They were loyal to her because she was so good with them in the classroom,” he explained. “She listened to them and she didn’t force her opinions on them. And if they needed help, she was there.”
Over the years, Alice and Weissman, a former industrial arts teacher, led their respective classes in collaborative projects.
Alice’s classes would do artwork and Weissman’s printing and publishing classes would “put it together, producing art magazines — interdisciplinary work between graphic arts and art. Then we would have an annual show and cover the entire library with the work we did over the term.”
As a young girl, Alice survived World War II, “and she worked very hard to come here,” Weissman said. “She worked her way through school and worked hard to grow as a person and become an American.”
Weissman and his wife, Natalie, also a retired teacher, were Alice’s close friends. “She had no family,” Weissman said, “so my wife and I and our kids were like family to her.”
A private person, Alice loved rare buttons and made a hobby of collecting them.
Alice has no known survivors.
I am the current steward of a small part of Alice Muchas button collection, it is great to hear these kind words spoken about Alice and her dedication to teaching and being available to students. Thank you for posting this!