Finley Principal’s Landscaping Initiative is Accomplished
When John Amato was named principal of J. Taylor Finley Middle School last year one of his planned initiatives was to improve the appearance of the area in front of the building. Now, a year later, the mission has been accomplished.
“The mere mention of the project set the cause in motion and today our front area is a source of pride for staff and the community,” Mr. Amato said.
The improvements came about as the result of the hard work and generosity of several individuals, most notably Finley parent Rick Fiordelisi, who donated all of the materials, plants, shrubs, bushes and even a tree. Mr. Fiordelisi also provided labor from his company to complement that of parents Dave Brown, Michael Plant and Dan Reilly and several students.
“I am pleased to have such fine and dedicated parents such as these at Finley,” Mr. Amato said. “The staff cannot say enough about how the school looks. It truly makes one feel special just walking into the building.”
Finley opened in September 1965. It was built on 20 acres of land and named after a legendary figure in district history. After teaching math and physics at Huntington High School for one year, J. Taylor Finley was named principal of Woodbury Avenue Elementary School (which is now a condominium complex) for the 1930 school year. In 1939, he became principal of Lincoln Elementary School (now an apartment complex) on East 9th Street in Huntington Station, across the street from St. Hugh of Lincoln Church. He worked as principal of both schools until October 15, 1943 when he was named principal of Robert K. Toaz Junior High School (now the site of Mahanaim School).
Mr. Finley stayed on as principal of Toaz through the 1954 school year. At that time he was elevated to assistant superintendent of schools and was named superintendent of schools in 1957, a position he held until his retirement on June 30, 1963.
The Huntington Board of Education voted December 8, 1964 to officially name the district’s new junior high school on Greenlawn Road after Mr. Finley in recognition of his 34 years of service to the schools and community. “The Board of Education and all of your friends here in Huntington send their best regards,” Superintendent Charles T. St. Clair wrote in a December 9 letter to Mr. Finley informing him of the school board’s action.
Mrs. Finley passed away in April 1974 and Mr. Finley died October 3, 1975. He is buried in the family plot at Pompton Plains Reform Church Cemetery in New Jersey.
Finley Middle School’s recent sprucing up has the building looking better than ever.
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