Dr. Michael V. Santopolo dies at 89

Dr. Michael V. Santopolo, the former superintendent of the Hewlett-Woodmere School District who was responsible for building the George W. Hewlett High School, the Woodmere Middle School, and the Odgen Elementary School died on Saturday, Oct. 16. He was 89 years old.

Dr. Santopolo, who grew up in Richmond Hill, Queens, attended John Adams High School. He then went on to Queens College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was the valedictorian of the class of 1942.

After college, he served from 1942-‘46 in the U.S. Army in China, Burma and India. He was made an officer in 1944 and received the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal for his service. When he was home on leave in 1945 he married Mildred Cleary, who he had known since his days at Queens College.

Upon returning home in 1946, he began working as a sixth grade teacher in the Hewlett-Woodmere public schools. Since suits were scarce because of the war effort, he taught for the first week of classes wearing his army uniform.

Soon after, Dr. Santopolo and his wife moved to Hewlett and had a son, John, in 1949. During that time, Dr. Santopolo became the assistant superintendent of the school district and enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Columbia University’s Teachers College where he received his doctorate in curriculum development. In 1954, he was made superintendent of the Hewlett-Woodmere School District, and had the distinction of being the youngest school superintendent on all of Long Island.

In that position, he changed the face of School District 14. In addition to spearheading the construction of three new schools, he also sold the property that formerly housed Woodmere Middle School South to a condominium company so that it could be returned to the tax rolls.

“He made great changes in the community and was loved and cherished by so many for so many years. All members of the faculty and all children are certainly better off as a result of Dr. Santopolo’s service,” said Lawrence Franklin, a former president of the Hewlett-Woodmere school board who worked with Dr. Santopolo.

When he retired, Dr. Santopolo moved to East Hampton, but his dedication to students and the education system didn’t end there. He was a member of The Springs school board and served as interim superintendent when the need arose. He was also a member of the East End Retired Teachers Association and ran for public office.

In addition, he loved fishing on his boat, the Mimsy, named after his wife, who died in 1999. He was the dock master for the Clearwater Beach Marina, the editor of the Power Squadron newsletter, “The Ensign”, and he enjoyed gardening. He made his own pasta sauces and, going back to his family’s Italian roots, grew tomatoes, basil, garlic and fig trees is his garden.

The son of two Italian immigrants who barely spoke English, Dr. Michael V. Santopolo lived the American dream.

He is survived by his son, Dr. John Santopolo, his daughter-in-law Beth Santopolo, and his grandchildren Drs. Alison and Benjamin May, Jill Santopolo, and Suzanne Santopolo.

Funeral services were held at the Boulevard Park West Funeral Home on Tuesday and internment was at the Veteran’s National Cemetery in Farmingdale. Donations can be made in Dr. Santopolo’s name to the Michael V. Santopolo Scholarship Fund through the Hewlett-Woodmere School District’s business office.