Bethlehem Central High School Science Department in 1970 Yearbook

Delmar, NY

Webpage by Clifford Lamere    February 14, 2015

1967-1968 was my first year at Bethlehem Central.  That year was spent teaching Earth Science and Physical Science to ninth graders at the Junior High School.  For the 1969-1970 school year, ninth grade was moved to the high school which made the Junior High School a Middle School. 

The photo below was taken during my first year at the high school.  The flat roof above a chemistry room had sprung a leak.  That explains the sign that I am holding (LEAK, with an upward pointing arrow), the barrel and waste basket which were catching the drips, George Stagnitta holding an umbrella, and the mop held by Miss Dunham. 

The nine male teachers and our science supervisor worked at BCHS until retirement.  Six of the ten are no longer with us.  The two ladies were only in the department a very short time.  It may be difficult for some to interpret the identification by rows in the picture, so I will identify the teachers in four columns from front to back.  If a person is deceased in February 2015, the year of their decease is in parentheses following their name.

Column 1:  Roger Quackenbush, Andrew Joachim (2013), Bruce Wadsworth (2013), Thomas Watthews (2013)

Column 2:  Norman Shartzer, Miss Dunham, Glenn Snider (2006)

Column 3:  Clifford Lamere, Warren Kullman (science supervisor, 2000)

Column 4:  Thomas Cunningham, George Stagnitta (2013), Mrs. Moxham

Earl Cleaves (1996) and Richard Hughes (2002), both teachers of Physics, were absent from the photo.  Of the 12 male members of the science department in 1970, eight are now deceased.  I have no information about the female members.

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Note:  The last three teachers in the first row (Andrew Joachim, Bruce Wadsworth, Thomas Watthews - biology teachers) all got together with a fourth man each year to paddle two canoes along the Raquette River in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.  In 2013, Tom died first (March) and had a private funeral.  Following Andy's burial (July), we gathered at the American Legion hall where Andy had been the commander.  Having not seen Bruce for 22 years, I spoke with him there for about an hour.  He told me that all three of his canoeing partners had died that year (2013).  Twenty-five days later, he died in August.  George Stagnitta, chemistry teacher, also died that year (March).  2013 was a very poor year for BCHS science teachers.

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