SAD SHARING
POSTED 7/25/25
     Our dear friend and colleague, Maureen Finnegan, passed away on July 24th after a brief illness. Maureen taught at Southwest Elementary School and retired in 2002. She will be greatly missed. Our sincere condolences.
     Visitation will be at Raynor and D'Andrea Funeral Home located at 245 Main Street, West Sayville on Wednesday, July 30th. Viewing is from 2:00-4:00 pm and 7:00-9:00 pm.

SAD SHARING
POSTED 8/16/25
     JoAnn Mazza passed away on August 6, 2025 from cancer. JoAnn was a School Nurse at East Kindergarten for most of her years in Brentwood, as a Professional retiring in 2009. She was also a graduate from Brentwood High School. JoAnn served as negotiating Chair for the nurses. She has two grown children, Michele and Nick and three grandchildren that she adored. She also taught CPR to the coaches, nurses and other Brentwood staff. She was known for her dedication, quiet, mild mannered approach to her job and to the children of Brentwood. Condolences can be sent to Michele Pepey, 41 Newport Beach Blvd, East Moriches, NY 11940. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

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ROBS CARES
POSTED 8/8/25
     Through the kind support of our members, ROBS has been able to continue helping community organizations in need.
     We have made a $100 donation to St. Patrick's Church Hospitality Ministry for back-to-school supplies. Students in need receive school supplies to start the school year, and they are replenished on an as needed basis during the year from the supply kept at the Hospitality Center.
     A $200 donation was made to the American Cancer Society for the NYSUT endorsed Walk for Breast Cancer held at Jones Beach in October 2022.
     We thank our members for helping to make ROBS the caring and charitable organization that it is.

SAD SHARING
POSTED 8/26/25
     It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Mary Ruffino. Mary passed away peacefully on August 22, 2025, at 87 years old. She was an officer of the Brentwood Teachers Association for many years.  She was the chairperson of numerous BTA committees and was most proud of her union activism.  After her retirement, she continued her union work as a member of ROBS.
     Mary was a teacher in Brentwood from 1960 to 1991.  She taught English at Ross High School before moving to the library at the Tenth Grade Center.  
      A simple donation to an animal rescue organization of your choice in Mary’s name would make her smile.
     Visiting and Funeral Arrangements are as follows:  
Wake: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
3:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Joseph A. Weber Funeral Home
231 Hawkins Ave, Lake Ronkonkoma  
Service/Mass: Thursday, August 28, 2025 at 10:00 a.m  
St Joseph’s Catholic Church
45 Church St, Lake Ronkonkoma  
Burial:  Immediately following church service (approx. 11:15 or 11:30 a.m.)   Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
3442 Rt. 112, Coram

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ROBS MEMBERSHIP- JOIN OR RENEW
POSTED 8/12/25
     It's time to renew or join the 2025-26 ROBS annual membership. Please download the following informative welcome letter and the ROBS Membership Form if you would like to join ROBS or renew your membership.
     The annual membership fee is $30, complimentary for those over the age of 80. Checks should be made out to ROBS with "Dues" written on the memo line and sent to Carmen Roldan, 49 Linda Lane, North Babylon, NY 11703.
 
 Welcome Letter and Membership Application 

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Check Out Member Benefits

Why did we do it?
     What was our purpose in taking on such an open ended “History Project”; for which we evolved a script of questions and got answers from over 150 subjects for two decades?
     We couldn’t answer the question in 1994 when people would ask “What are you going to do with the interviews?” All we could say was that for educational purposes we had to document our record now or lose the chance to preserve so many poignant accounts, funny stories and touching tales told by exemplary educators. We knew these dedicated public servants might shortly, for reasons yet unknown, be leaving Brentwood for good.
     So, we decided to let time sort out the details. We began scheduling appointments. We asked questions and listened saving for generations the essence of what it meant to have been an educator or employed, in this large public school system during the second half of the 20th century. Brentwood remains an exemplar to all others; a diverse microcosm of America reflecting 124 districts on Long Island while simultaneously resembling thousands across the U.S. We’ve accomplished something here to be proud of. Whether we were interviewed or not, ours is a claim of service that few professionals in the State of New York or elsewhere have positioned themselves to share in the way we have.
     INITIALLY the practice of sitting with a subject for an hour and giving them a hundred percent focused attention seemed somewhat daunting to a number of friends and colleagues. So much so in fact that many declined our repeated invitations to speak with us as they left careers or retired from full employment. Despite all assurances that we were not about investigative journalism or invading privacy, they deferred. Now, twenty years after we began, some are saying they may be ready. “Better late than never” we say. However, to all among you who were willing to share not only your classroom experiences and personal stories, but precious memories from your lives along with your fondest hopes for the future, we say “Thanks”. Thanks for allowing us to continue the process by paying it forward as we share these interviews with the Brentwood community and countless professionals and researchers near and far. Through an acceptance of ROBS offer of collaboration with Archivist Dr. Geri Solomon and The Long Island Studies Institute at Hofstra University our History Project lives on in academia as well as in the collection of the Brentwood Public Library, thanks to Director, Thomas A. Tarantowicz.
   You can enjoy unlimited visits to www.robsny.org where you can watch and listen to segments from featured Interviews in the ROBS History Project Section on our Announcements Page each month. Return here to listen and learn again and again.

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Complete Team Building Kits
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Rich Edwards
Travels with Rich Edwards