Faculty Pictures

Faculty Pictures and related Items

The first picture is from 2003 of Norty Hyman, an exceptional TVCS algebra/geometry/trig teacher, as well as an excellent cross country and track coach from late 60's until the late 80's. He professionally ballroom danced with his wife at the big hotels in the Catskills and across the country during the 50's.
He currently teaches ballroom dancing to high school students in Monticello and it's said those classes are always full, proof of his infectious enthusiasm. Keith Carlson says that although the man did make us do "The Hustle" back in the 70's, but I guess that was less painful than the square dancing in gym class prior to that. Thanks to Joyce (Hall) Rice for the pictures.

Michael O'Donnell

Retired librarian leaves collection to Thrall By BARBARA BEDELL

Staff Writer Michael O'Donnell gave more than his retirement hours to the Middletown Thrall Library. When he died Aug. 27, he left a valued collection of more than 200 books about Ireland, from illuminated manuscripts to many volumes by James Joyce. "This gives Middletown-Thrall the best collection of its kind in the Ramapo Catskill Library System,''
library director Kevin Gallagher said. The donation came as a surprise because few at the library knew of O'Donnell's almost obsessive interest in collecting books. O'Donnell, a former teacher and librarian (from 1956 to 1984) in
Tri-Valley Central School in Grahamsville, will be remembered by many people who visited Middletown Thrall as the friendly and handsome white-haired gentleman who worked the research desk. "It's doubtful that many knew his name,'' said Linda Aumick, chief research librarian, "but they wouldn't forget his impeccable manners and his pleasant manner in finding material." She said he was a little daunted by the computer system. He was a librarian from the old school who knew the Dewey decimal system, used worldwide for categorizing subjects. "When we started cataloguing books and materials on the computer, he was a bulldog at finding things on our shelves,'' she said. "But that wasn't his only gift. He loved research and he was great with students.'' In Grahamsville, high school librarian Ruth McKeon was a high school student when she met O'Donnell. Later she worked with him. "He was very, very Irish and a good man,'' she said. "I don't know if he had a good
life. His beloved wife was ill for a very long time before she died and he was very devoted. The last time I saw him was at a retirement party four years ago. We often wondered where he was and we felt sad when we read the obituary in the paper. But we knew how he loved books and his Irish heritage. I'm pleased to hear that the Middletown library has received his collection.'' "Mike's collection of books of Irish poetry, art, history, literature and works by Irish authors, increases our collection of Irish and Celtic subjects 1,000 percent.''

The volunteers who unpacked the collection Wednesday marveled at its depth and quality. "Look at all these by Joyce,'' said Rhoda Pollack cradling a pile in her left arm and holding up another for her colleagues to see. "Look at this,'' Susan Pfeffer said. "It's dated 1867 and is in remarkable condition. Oh my. And this one's written in Gaelic.'' The donor's family asked that his good books be placed on the library's shelves for others to share. The ordinary ones including paperbacks and duplicates, will be sold through the book store. Rare and valued volumes that the library can't use will be sold on the Internet.