Former Huntington Administrator Chris Vagts Passes Away
Christopher Vagts, who served stints as a principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent in the Huntington School District, passed away June 29. He was 85 and residing in Lanconia, New Hampshire.
Mr. Vagts came to Huntington as principal of Robert K. Toaz Junior High School on July 1, 1963, a post he held for four years. He was named acting superintendent on July 1, 1967 and given a five year contract as superintendent on January 17, 1968. He submitted his resignation from that position in July 1968, but stayed on until his successor, William Keough assumed the job on January 15, 1969. Mr. Vagts then served in various central office positions for the next 12 years, retiring as assistant superintendent for instruction on August 30, 1981. At the time of his retirement, he was the Suffolk County historian.
“Chris Vagts gave many years of dedicated service to the young people of our district and this community will always be grateful for his efforts,” current Huntington Superintendent John J. Finello said.
Prior to coming to Huntington, Mr. Vagts, who graduated from Andrew Jackson High School in Queens in 1940, taught science and math at Joan of Arc Junior High School (JHS 118) in Manhattan for four years and then served as assistant principal of the school from 1951 to 1957. He left that position to become director of education for the Esso Standard Oil Company, guiding an 18-state educational program and directing 14 field offices. During this time he also supervised secondary student teachers for Hunter College. In 1961 he changed jobs again, becoming principal of Jonas E. Salk Junior High School in Levittown. After a couple of years there, he came to Huntington.
Mr. Vagts, whose hobbies included reading, writing, photography and sailing, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry at Queens College in 1947. He obtained a Master of Arts in science education at New York University the following year and later completed all the course requirements for a Ph.D. at NYU.
Christopher Richard Vagts was born August 11, 1923. A World War II veteran, he served in the U.S. Army from June 1943 to March 1946 as a technical instructor in the European and Pacific theaters, teaching electricity, basic electronics, map reading, weapons, first aid and orientation courses.
Known as an innovative educator, during his career Mr. Vagts developed an experimental science-math program for gifted children in cooperation with various federal agencies and non-profit organizations, an experimental horticulture program for ninth graders who were identified as potential drop-outs, trained over 100 student teachers from 10 colleges over a 12-year period and authored and produced dozens of booklets, filmstrips, films and charts for schools on modern math, economics, social studies, science and English.
Mr. Vagts also served as an educational consultant to U.S. Steel Corp., IBM, Edison Electric Institute and the American Petroleum Institute. He was an industrial training writer and consultant for Bell Telephone, Pan American World Airways and IBM. He even coached a junior high school basketball team for three years early in his career.
Mr. Vagts’ extensive travels included visits across the United States, Asia, Europe, Canada and the Caribbean. A gifted writer, he developed brochures, guides, bulletins, newsletters and articles for the schools and districts where he worked. Among the many books he penned were several pictorial histories including “Huntington at the Turn of the Century,” “Huntington in Our Time” and “Suffolk County: A Pictorial History.”
During his Huntington career, Mr. Vagts, his wife, Virginia and their three children, Laura, Chris and Karin resided at 48 Huntington Bay Road. He was an Eagle Scout and later served as chairman of the Troop 114 committee of the Boys Scouts of America in Huntington.
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