Gerald E. Kuroghlian, “Dr. K”, 76, Died; Decorated and Celebrated Westport Educator for 43 Years
ObituaryGerald E Kuroghlian Ph.D. of Fairfield passed away on Nov. 17, 2021.
The life of Gerald (Jerry) Kuroghlian traveled the roads of learning and teaching. Born in Bridgeport on April 15, 1945, to his first educators, Stephen and Eva Shankman Kuroghlian, Jerry was introduced to a world of reading and educational travel. Weekly family Sunday trips to his grandmother in New York City were followed by visits to museums, zoos, Central Park and church concerts.
Jerry was mentally nurtured by excellent teachers at The McKinley School and Andrew Warde High School. Jerry continued his love of learning at the University of Virginia, where he received his B.A. in English. His favorite memory at Virginia was to watch the sun rise while sitting on the roof of the Rotunda. He earned an M.A. in American Studies from Fairfield University and his Ph.D. in Curricular Studies from the University of Illinois.
Dr. K, as he was known by his adoring students, relished the 43 years he taught at Staples High School, as a member of a stellar staff. He loved the classroom that contained programs from the hundreds of plays he attended with his classes and the students who daily enriched and confirmed his vocation. In 2004, Kuroghlian was named the Westport Teacher of the Year and in 2005 was the runner-up as Connecticut Teacher of the Year. Upon retiring in 2009, Jerry taught English as a Second Language to the hard-working women of the Mercy Learning Center and served as a college counselor and writing coach at Kolbe Cathedral High School, where 100 percent of the senior class annually went on to higher education. He gained knowledge from those he taught. Dr. K also supervised student teachers receiving a Master's in English Education for Sacred Heart University. After teaching Homer's The Odyssey for four decades, his retirement trip following the path of Odysseus was the penultimate voyage of his life. Dr. K was active in professional organizations as a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Kappa Delta Pi and Phi Delta Kappa, from which he received the 1991 Educator of the Year award.
He was the president of the Connecticut Council of Teachers of English as well as Exhibit Chair of the New England Council of Teachers of English, which honored him with the Charles Swain Thomas award. Kuroghlian served as the New England representative to the National Council of teachers of English. Kuroghlian served as the New England representative of the National Council of Teachers of English as Chair of the 50 States Affiliates of NCTE. Dr. K also served as the NCTE's Resolutions Chair for over 20 years. He was secretary, treasurer and vice president of the Westport Education Association. The Sportsmen of Westport honored him with the 2006 Citizenship Award for his work with the Westport youth. Dr. Kuroghlian served on several committees for Fairfield education, including the building committee for Andrew Warde and Fairfield Ludlowe high schools. He and his wife were solid supporters of Fairfield public schools. As an active member of First Church Congregational, Dr. Kuroghlian participated willingly on the outreach and annual book sale activities of the church. Jerry's sister Shelley, two years his junior, served as a lifelong mentor, supporter and critic. The true love and joy of his life, whom he married in 1978 after a 10-year courtship, was his wife, Ellen Rea Green, whose love transcends death. They shared a passion for music, theater, travel and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, where they resided each summer.
Jerry is survived by his wife Ellen, sister Shelley and nephew Kent Green of Boulder, CO, as well as many Kuroghlian and Shankman cousins and their families. "Uncle Jerry" will be remembered by the children of his life; longtime friends, now deceased, John and Jim Lehaney; niece Erin (Bryan) Lehaney Myers and "nephews" Jim and Christopher (Amy) Lehaney; "niece" Michelle (Sabri) Khessibi; and "nephew" John Lehaney, as well as many grandnephews and nieces. He also leaves a legacy of thousands of students whom he loved for their willingness to learn and make a better world. As Geoffrey Chaucer noted, "Gladly did he learn and gladly teach."
Calling hours will be held from 4-8 p.m. Friday at Lesko & Polke Funeral Home, 1209 Post Road, in Fairfield Center and a Memorial Service will take place at First Church Congregational, 148 Beach Road, Fairfield, on Saturday at 2 p.m. Face masks are required for church service.
Contributions can be made to the newly established Dr. K Humanitarian Award via the Staples Tuition Grants program (https://staplestuitiongrants.org/awards/) (https://www.mercylearningcenter.org/give-now/) and to the Mercy Learning Center of Bridgeport.
For travel directions or to sign his guest register, please visit www.LeskoPolkeFuneralHome.com
Sandra Gusky Krakoff, 83, Died; First Generation College Graduate, Westport YMCA Champion
Obituary On Friday, November 5, 2021, Sandra Gusky Krakoff of Palm Beach, FL and Boston, MA passed quietly just after sunset surrounded by her three children.
She will always be remembered for her fierce independence, her courage, strength, and force of will which she always used to lift up those in need. Born November 27, 1937 to Jack and Helen Recht Gusky in Pittsburgh, PA, she met the love of her life, Robert L. Krakoff, at Taylor Allderdice High School. Sandy was truly a pioneer of her generation regularly breaking glass ceilings in both her professional and personal life.
Sandy received a Bachelor degree in Journalism and Advertising from the Pennsylvania State University in 1958. She was the first in her family to attend college. Graduating in just 3 years, she married Robert Krakoff upon graduation. She always sought to uphold the great Jewish tradition of tikkun olam, "repairing the world." Her legacy began with the support and advancement of her family, children, and grandchildren. She always strove to better the lives of others with her investment in community and her commitment to fighting the scourge of cancer.
Her drive to constantly improve oneself was central to her life, but she also embraced the beauty of the world around her. She not only studied art and design at Penn State, but Sandy stood out as a true style icon and arbiter of taste. She exemplified a life of: "if you can dream it, you can be it." In her 50 years with Bob Krakoff, she built a partnership, family, and career that spanned the heyday of motor city to traveling the world with Trans World Airlines. A supporter of the arts and collector, Sandy supported the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, FL.
Supporting her husband Bob through Harvard Business School ('59), she began her long string of professional firsts working as an office assistant for one of the world's earliest mainframe companies in Boston. While raising three children in Fairfield County, CT in her position as Director of Public Relations for the local YMCA, she secured the building of a community pool that became the centerpiece of the Westport, CT community and was enjoyed by her own grandson some 25 years later. After receiving a Certificate in Personnel Administration from Fairfield University, she was tapped to become the Managing Director of Katherine Gibbs School in Norwalk, CT in 1983. Sandy managed to uplift a minor secretarial program for women from low-income backgrounds to a noted professional school.
Her success led her upon relocation to Boston in 1986 to the firm, Alan R. Stone, Esq., as senior attorney placement consultant. She built a renowned, professional practice for paralegal placement. Sandra was listed as a noteworthy personnel consultant by Marquis Who's Who. Alan R. Stone was successfully sold in 1999, whereupon Sandy was able to launch serious advances in her philanthropic work.
Sandy redefined the philanthropic landscape by not only leading by example but leveraging the power of community and relationships. As a consequence, she was honored by many organizations over the years, from the Big Sisters of Boston to 2017 Woman of the Year for the Greater Palm Beach Jewish Women's Foundation. Some of her most notable work besides orchestrating galas for the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association was the founding and co-founding respectively of chapters in Palm Beach and Boston of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. She was also a member of the Board of the MorseLife Health System in West Palm Beach, FL. Most recently, she has been a member of the executive leadership council for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Institute.
Sandy is survived by her three children (Roger, Hope, and Reed) and seven grandchildren (Alexandra, Justin, Helen, Sophie, Lily, Oscar, and Maude). Her Yorkie rescue, Bijou, will miss her greatly. A public memorial service in her honor was held on Friday, November 12 at Temple Israel of Boston. A memorial service in Palm Beach, Florida is scheduled for January 29, 2022.
Please honor Sandy by contributing to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) or the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI)
Frank Migliarese, 88, Died; Staples Grad, Army Vet, Beloved Downtown Haircutter
Frank Migliarese passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, November 3, 2021. Frank was a lifelong resident of Westport/Norwalk, CT. With a youthful spirit and a loving family, he lived until his 88th year.
Frank was predeceased by his mother, Florence Migliarese; father, Basil Migliarese; sister, Marion Frazier and sister-in-law, Joan Migliarese. He was survived by his brother, John "Shiney" Migliarese, former spouse, Carol Russo Migliarese, 6 nieces and nephews: Deena DeMartino, Janet Hartigan, Kathy Cassidy, Colleen Migliarese, John Migliarese and Marc Migliarese and several great nieces and nephews
Frank graduated from Staples High School and following his graduation, he joined the Army and served our country. Upon returning to his beloved Westport, CT, Frank decided to enroll in the Sassoon Academy in NYC. Once he received his license, he embarked on his journey in cosmetology. With his haircutting skills and a charming personality, he won the hearts of many and quickly built a career in the salon setting. He later opened his own shop in downtown Westport, Salon Coiffeur. It was here that Frank made his mark in the world of beauty. Because of the love he had for his customers, Frank worked well into his 80's. When Frank was not at the salon, you could find him at Compo Beach, which remained his special place the rest of his life. Coming from an Italian heritage, Frank was family oriented, warm, personable, well dressed, understanding, and had a great sense of humor.
He will be missed by many.
Family and friends are invited to attend a funeral on Wednesday, November 17, 2021 meeting directly at Assumption Church, 98 Riverside Ave. Westport, CT at 10:00 a.m. for a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will be private. The family will receive friends in the Harding Funeral Home 210 Post Road East, Westport, CT on Tuesday, November 16, 2021 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Condolences for Frank, in lieu of flowers, may be made online at www.hardingfuneral.com
Mary Kate Adams, 87, Died; Former Westporter, St. Luke’s Prayer Shawl Creator
Mary Kate Adams, age 87, passed away peacefully in Kansas City, MO on Nov. 9, 2021. Mary Kate was the loving wife of the deceased Charles S. Adams of Blue Point, NY, and wife of second husband, Jerome Hughes, of Kansas City. Mary Kate was born on June 16, 1934, in Patchogue, NY to Kathleen (Rowse) and Elmer tenHoopen. She spent her youth in her beloved South Patchogue home on South Ocean Avenue, graduating from Seton Hall High School in 1952. Mary Kate studied at Farmingdale State College and Suffolk Community College and worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory and in the Patchogue-Medford Public School system as an adult assistant for a child with cerebral palsy.
Mary Kate loved the Great South Bay and the ocean, and on one of her many trips to Davis Park, Fire Island, she met Charles “Bud” Adams, whom she married in 1956 at St. Francis de Sales Church in Patchogue. Mary Kate always wanted a big family, and her wish came true with the births of her seven children, whom she raised with unconditional love, patience, and devotion.
Mary Kate was a devout Catholic and lived her life as the embodiment of her faith. She served Communion to the homebound as a Eucharistic Minister at St. Francis de Sales, knitted shawls for the ill as part of the Prayer Shawl group at St. Luke Catholic Church in Westport, CT, and provided spiritual support as a hospice care volunteer. Outside of church, she loved to entertain, cook, and open her home to friends and family no matter the occasion.
Mary Kate lived her retirement years with her husband Charles in Shepherdstown, WV, Frankford, DE, and Westport, CT. She moved to Herndon, VA after Charles passed in 2019. Throughout the many places she called home, her beautiful spirit, kindness, generosity, and hospitality bore dozens of lifelong friends who cherished her like family.
In 2021, Mary Kate reconnected with her childhood friend and Seton Hall classmate, Jerome Hughes, originally of Patchogue, and the two were happily married on September 10, 2021, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Herndon, VA, surrounded by family.
Mary Kate was preceded in death by her first husband of 62 years, Charles S. Adams, and her two siblings, Christine Terry and Jon tenHoopen. She is survived by her second husband Jerome Hughes, her children Sean (Trisha) Adams, Hope (Dennis) Cohen, Charles S. (Georgia) Adams Jr., Kathleen (William) McVicar, Glenn (JoAnn) Adams, Mary Kate (John) Brangaccio, and Elizabeth Adams Mohan, and by her grandchildren Brendan (Katie) Adams, Joshua (Lindsay) Adams, Nathan Cohen, Abigail Cohen, Barrett Adams, Elena Adams, Ian (Emily) McVicar, Emma McVicar, Olivia Adams, Elias Adams, Luke Brangaccio, Natalie Brangaccio, Madison Mohan, Emerson Mohan, and great-grandchildren Diana Adams, Aiden Adams, Waverly Adams, and Harrison Adams.
A memorial Mass will be held on Saturday, January 8, at 10 am, at St. Francis de Sales Church in Patchogue, followed by inurnment at Blue Point Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Francis de Sales Church at https://www.stfrancispatchogue.com/, St. Luke Catholic Church at https://www.saintlukewestport.org/ or the Hospice Foundation of America at https://hospicefoundation.org/.