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H'fields BOE president dies
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| | | James Brennan at a recent school board meeting. Photo by Arlene Gross | |
April 29, 2009 | 03:17 PM
James Brennan, an 18-year veteran of the Harborfields Board of Education, died on Friday after a battle with cancer. He was 65.
After an initial diagnosis of cancer of the esophagus in January 2008, Brennan underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments, his wife Robin said.
"This January, he was not well," she said. "By March, it had returned and spread throughout his body actually. He was just in the hospital three weeks now, and that was it."
In February, Brennan's doctors had thought he would survive another year, Robin said. "It wasn't meant to be."
Speaking of her husband's last weeks, she said, "To see him suffer the last two weeks — it wasn't Jim. He was so much bigger than life — doing everything for everyone, and the life of the party. To see him the way he was, it was a blessing... It was very difficult, because it just wasn't him."
Some of his fellow board members expressed their sense of loss.
"Jim was a great guy," said Gary Schoer. "He gave a lot of himself to a lot of people and a lot of himself to the community. He just never asked for anything for himself. He was just a giver."
Maggie Boba said Brennan was like a father to her. "I think he was probably one of the most compassionate, fun loving, tolerant men I have ever met. He loved life. He loved people to death, and he made you a part of his family."
Keenly aware of Boba's sense of humor, Brennan would often play practical jokes on her, she recalled.
"To put that much thought into making me laugh all the time ... His last board meeting, we went upstairs to have coffee and cookies. When I stepped out of the room for a second, he told all the other guys to shut down all the lights and close the blinds, so I would walk back into the pitch black and no one would say a word."
Though he hadn't worked with Brennan very long, Michael Banks, the newest member considered himself fortunate to have worked with him as long as he did. "He truly was a mentor. I was always very impressed by Jim and his passion and his commitment to education, and what he did with the district, and what he did for the kids — always with a focus on the students."
Don Mastroianni considered Brennan a good friend, a fantastic mentor and a truly dedicated and proud colleague.
"This is someone who just a few weeks ago was active in sending us all emails on what was going on with lobbying efforts and so forth.... He's truly one of the good guys."
Though Brennan leaves behind a rich legacy, "that void will always be there, yet his spirit, love, his sense of humor and the wonderful memories that we all have of him will live on with us forever," Mastroianni added.
Nicholas Giuilano called Brennan a great guy. "He was dedicated to all the kids and all the families in our little school district. Jim was always positive, upbeat, optimistic. Some people are cheerful when the chips are down: that's the kind of personality he had....He always saw the silver lining, and always thought the best was yet to come."
"You can't say enough about Jim Brennan," said Superintendent Frank Carasiti. "He's the consummate professional. A class man. I truly feel cheated that I had only known him since last July."
"He's the kind of guy that you just enjoy being around," Carasiti added. "Loved this district much as any board member I have ever worked with loved a district."
Soon after the couple married 38 years ago, the Brennans moved to Greenlawn, and then to Robin Brennan's childhood home in Centerport, in 1994.
"He was a wonderful, wonderful guy," she said. "If he could do anything for anybody, especially the kids, he just did it."
Before retiring in 2003, Brennan served as assistant principal at Glen Cove High School. Previously, he had worked as a college football coach and a high school law and accounting teacher.
Having served as president of the board this last term, Brennan planned to run again, uncontested, in the May election.
As there are no new candidates for the May election, and the deadline to file a petition has passed, the board is researching what they can legally do for succession of Brennan's seat, said district spokesman, Michael Conte.
In addition to his wife, Brennan is survived by a daughter, Allison, 28, and son, Andrew, 23, both of Manhattan, and a sister Judy Giordano of Wading River.
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