Abby Baggini ’18: Goodbyes will be said at the end of this academic year to four devoted faculty members. Hank Albrycht, Carol Tassoni, Bill Gallagher, and Dr. Sue Rubin will all say their farewells in May, leaving a very special mark on the student body and the EA community.
Hank Albrycht, who teaches woodworking, mechanical drawing, and architectural drafting, will be retiring after 42 years at EA. In these past years, he has seen everything from EA’s first females enroll and graduate, to the addition of the Devon Campus, and the move to Newtown Square. After his retirement, Albyrcht will be volunteering at Habitat Restore, a company that refurbishes old furniture and sells it at cheaper prices. This will allow him to still be involved in woodworking. Throughout his many years at EA, Albrycht has taught countless students what it looks like to be truly passionate about something. One of his Foundations of Arts students commented, “He is a dedicated and insightful teacher. You know he really loves what he does.”
Photo Courtesy of Mark Tassoni
Carol Tassoni will be leaving Episcopal after serving in the administration office for 33 years. Colleague Holly Johnston stressed Tassoni’s school-wide impact, saying, “The school would not run without her. She has such great energy, and even when someone asks something ridiculous from her, she always nods with a smile and is willing to help them out.” Tassoni reflected on her time at EA, “It’s an awesome environment. Everybody has just been great. I came here to help my kids out through college, never thinking I would stay her for 33 years. I just loved it so much I had to stay.”
Bill Gallagher will be retiring after 10 years of coaching and teaching Spanish. Having always been passionate and involved with football, he came to EA for an opportunity to coach in the Inter-ac League. In addition to coaching, Gallagher teaches Spanish in the Upper School and took up coaching Middle School basketball and baseball. Justin Hershey ’18, coached by Gallagher on his Middle School Basketball team, noted, “He really knows a lot about sports, and he always made sure that we worked hard.” After retirement, Gallagher plans to still be involved in EA athletics, adding, “I’ll be a weekend warrior. I’ll be watching the Friday night football games and Saturday games, here and all around the league.”
Photo Courtesy of Mark Tassoni
Lastly, Sue Rubin, who has spent 28 years teaching Upper School Chemistry, will be leaving as well. For Rubin, the biggest thing that she has learned is the importance of staying positive. She explained, “Chemistry can be ugly for the kids, but if you try to make it a positive experience, kids will be willing to work. I can get anyone through it, they just have to be willing to work for it.” Her positivity has been impactful, as Science Department colleague Cheryl Mitchell shared, “I can always count on Dr. Rubin’s…words of wisdom when I need advice. She taught me to knit, she taught me to laugh wherever and whenever possible, and more importantly, she models that compassion and kindness are life’s most important lessons to master.” Connor Martin ’14, Rubin’s former advisee, wished, “Congratulations to an absolutely incredible woman and role model on a well deserved retirement!” After retirement, Rubin plans on spending more time with her family, and volunteering with the Special Olympics and the Wounded Warriors Project.
After their years of dedication, the EA community is grateful for their time here and all that they have done for their students and fellow faculty. EA wishes them all the best in their retirement.