Huntington Legend Emory Bromsted Passes Away
Emory Bromsted was a hands-on principal who wasn't shy about exercising his authority. He was a longtime fixture in the Huntington School District, where he taught special education and later served as principal of two junior high schools. There was never any doubt he was in charge of his building.
A Huntington resident for more than three decades, Mr. Bromsted passed away at Cortland Regional Hospital. He was 90 years old. Legions of former students and retired teachers still have vivid memories of the administrator.
Born and raised in Oakfield, New York, a quiet community located between Rochester and Buffalo, five minutes north of New York State Thruway exit 48 (about 45 minutes south of Niagara Falls), Mr. Bromsted earned an undergraduate degree at Geneseo State Teachers College. He obtained a master's degree at Columbia University.
Mr. Bromsted's teaching career began in the tiny Village of DeRuyter, located about 20 miles northeast of Cortland. He moved to Huntington in 1941 after Superintendent Raymond C. Burdick hired him to work at the newly opened Robert K. Toaz Junior High School as special education teacher.
After 16 years of teaching and serving as an attendance officer and assistant principal, Mr. Bromsted took over as Toaz principal from Dr. Chester Wilhem in 1957. A year later he oversaw the mid-year transition of freshmen to the new high school building that opened in November 1958.
When the renovated former high school building on Main Street was set to reopen in 1961 as Robert L. Simpson Junior High School, Mr. Bromsted was named the new school's principal, a post he held through June 1975 when he retired. Simpson was closed one year later and sold to the town, which converted it into the current town hall building.
Following his retirement as principal, Mr. Bromsted and his wife, Jane, who taught social studies at Walt Whitman High School and authored a textbook used throughout the state, moved to Jekyll Island, Georgia. There they enjoyed an active life, entertaining many friends around their swimming pool, playing tennis, biking and walking on the beach and taking cruises to ports of call around the world. The two retired teachers were also literary volunteers in Georgia, teaching adults how to read.
Mrs. Bromsted passed away in January 2000 at Southeast Georgia Regional Medical Center. The Bromsted's were married for 49 years.
Mr. Bromsted moved back to the central New York area in 2006 to be near family members. During the past few years, the retired Huntington principal enjoyed working on The New York Times' crossword puzzles and talking to former students and faculty members. His family said that he continued to display a sharp wit and wonderful sense of humor.
Survivors include Mr. Bromsted's daughter, Jennifer and son-in-law, Michael Dick and a cherished granddaughter, Emily. Mr. Bromsted requested there be no visitation or calling hours. A graveside service is planned for this summer. Donations in his memory can be made to the American Heart Association or a local school scholarship fund of the donor's choice.