Howie Gleich BTHS Chapter Leader Passes Away after 29 years of service

Dan Baldwin is the current chapter leader of Brooklyn Tech High School.

Howie Gleich was a teacher for 33 years. He taught at Brooklyn Tech for the last 29 years. For 25 of those years, he served as Brooklyn Tech’s chapter leader, and in that capacity supported educators at the school, most notably during the last few contentious years when several educators were under attack from the former principal, Lee McCaskill. Howie’s impact as an educator was as substantial as was his impact as a union leader. Howie was responsible for establishing the BioMedical Major at Brooklyn Tech. Prior to that, Advanced Placement Biology and any other biology classes were considered academic electives for those going on to college.

It’s ironic, isn’t it? The things by which we measure a man while he’s alive, count for very little once he’s passed away. Once a man is gone, we don’t talk about what he had; we talk about who he was. We don’t talk about the wealth that he created; we talk about the memories that he forged. We talk about emotions. We talk about love.

On Monday, June 19th, I received a call from Randy Asher. He said it was an emergency. When I arrived at his office, he told me that Howie Gleich had passed away at 1:00 o’clock that afternoon. Later, I would learn that Howie had suffered a heart attack on the evening of his arrival in Florida (the Friday before), had been operated on, but had slipped in and out of consciousness over the next several days, only to eventually pass away three days later.

My first reaction was shock. How could this be? Numbness turned to disbelief and even anger. This was more than tragic, it was cruel. The man had yet to enjoy a single day of his retirement. These days and the years that followed were supposed to be a new beginning for Howie. And now, suddenly this was the end.

But, as human nature would have it, I suppose, I began to look for a way to consider Howie’s passing in somewhat of a positive light. Here’s what occurred to me.

I’m sure that Howie’s wife, Charlotte, will always remember Howie’s retirement party. When she thinks about all of Howie’s friends and colleagues (many of whom were retired and gone from the school) who went out of their way to attend that party and to relate their fond memories of Howie, she can only come to one conclusion … my husband was an enormous success in his life. My husband was not only respected, he was loved.

When Howie’s family remembers all the people who showed up on the first night of Howie’s showing at the Weinstein Funeral Home, their hearts must swell with pride. Again, we saw a gathering of friends and colleagues both new and of long-standing. Bob Black, Howie’s life-long friend, was there. Howie was a man who held on to his friends, even though time and circumstance might have physically separated them. That says a lot about the man. Union officials, too, attended, including Randi Weingarten, the president of the union. Howie was a man who was respected.

When Howie’s family remembers the moving, graceful, and heartfelt eulogy delivered by Rabbi Kass at Howie’s funeral service, they will remember, too, that this man, whom they loved, was loved in turn by so many whose lives he touched.

On the websites dedicated to Brooklyn Tech, we are already seeing an outpouring of remembrance, grief, and affection from the students of this man who was, before all else, an educator.

Somewhere there is a fishing pole that is sitting unused. Maybe it will never be used. It was our gift to Howie upon his retirement. Charlotte loves to fish, and we were hoping that in his retirement Howie would become a fisherman, too. But in truth, Howie had always been a fisherman, and had long ago netted a prize catch … an enduring (and glowing!) reputation. And our love.

The Brooklyn tech community extends their deepest condolences to Howie Gleich’s family.

The Gleich family has established the Howard Gleich Scholarship for students in the BioMedical Major who wish to do research, or who hope to take college courses while still at Brooklyn Tech. Donations to the Howard Gleich Scholarship fund can be made through the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Association, whose office is located at Brooklyn Tech, 29 Ft. Greene Place, Brooklyn NY 11217.

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