Longtime GHS headmaster John Bird dies in Florida

The country was at war and civil unrest was common, yet former educators still fondly recall John Bird's 11-year tenure as headmaster of Greenwich High School the "golden age of teaching."

"Creativity was a big thing," said Roy Blomster, 73, of Sanbornville, N.H., a retired teacher who headed the school's art department during the 1970s. "My friends, when they talk about it, it was like the golden era. It was never like that again after he was gone because people wanted to control things a little more."




John Nauman Bird, who served as headmaster from 1969 to 1980, died at his Fort Myers, Fla., home on June 30. He was 80 and suffered from ALS, a terminal neurological disorder commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Bird, who led the move from the old high school at what is now Town Hall to the larger new building on Hillside Road during the 1970s, championed the concept of giving students more freedom while expecting responsible behavior in return.

This idea of "freedom with responsibility," which became the school's mantra, was seen as novel yet risky, particularly in light of the Vietnam War and civil protests at other schools. But while the times may have been tumultuous, Bird kept those tensions from consuming GHS, primarily by engaging students and inviting their input, educators said.

"I came from another school where the kids were antsy, rebellious, challenging on everything," said Joan Lowe, a retired English teacher and school counselor. "Never with John Bird because he really respected kids and he really believed in freedom with responsibility. Around us there were kids who were sitting in, wanting creativity. At Greenwich High School, he encouraged creativity. He really encouraged respect."

During Bird's tenure, he implemented the concept of organizing students and staff around "houses," and instead of assigning students to study hall during free periods, Bird gave them the ability to congregate in the school's 1-acre student center.

"Each one would like to see different ways of looking at life and education and I think he gave us a lot of ways of trying new things and if we were successful, he would help us to continue and continue working in that manner," said Shirle Jankowich, of Old Greenwich, a retired art teacher. "He was just open about what we were doing. He moved around the school quite frequently so he knew what was happening."

While Bird welcomed student involvement at the school, he endeared himself to the staff by being open to their new ideas. Some teachers said they did their best work under his leadership.

"I always thought it was the golden age for both students and teachers," math teacher and swim coach Terry Lowe said. "It was certainly an exciting time to be an educator."

Lowe began the high school's now wildly successful water polo program during Bird's tenure. At the time, Lowe said the athletic department head did not support sponsoring what he believed to be another swimming program at the high school. But Bird encouraged Lowe to pursue the idea.

"He would just say, 'Branch out and do it,' " Lowe said. "As a result it developed into a true varsity program."

Blomster told a similar story of Bird encouraging him to build a darkroom after hearing students lament the lack of photography classes and a darkroom. Bird gave Blomster some money to buy a stainless steel sink and plywood to build a counter for a darkroom.

"From the seat of our pants, we got this thing going," Blomster said, crediting Bird's encouragement. "He was a special kind of person."

Bird was born in Hellertown, Pa., on Oct. 19, 1926. He graduated from Lafayette College and studied at Rutgers University and the University of Connecticut. He was a second lieutenant in the infantry during World War II, and married Claire Briggs of Trenton, N.J., and had three children.

Bird played professional baseball with the Washington Senators as a catcher before he decided to pursue teaching, his wife said.

"He just felt that he didn't have what he called a good arm to continue with baseball," Claire Bird said. "He had already had his teaching degree, which enabled him to step right into the classroom."

Bird worked first as a history and government teacher before becoming principal of Gilmore Fisher School in Ewing Township, N.J. Greenwich's then-superintendent, William J. Edgar, recruited Bird to town, hiring him as principal of Eastern Junior High School in 1965.

"It was very clear that he was being developed as the new headmaster while he was at Eastern," Terry Lowe said of Bird.

Bird's daughter, Valerie Streuli, a Norwalk resident who now teaches music at Central Middle School, said she remembers attending Eastern when her father was principal. One of his innovations at the school was the creation of a principal advisory board consisting of parents and students from all walks of life.

"It was something the students were really psyched about," she said.

After retiring as headmaster in 1980, Bird taught for several years at the junior high level, including teaching ninth-grade government at Central at the same time Streuli did.

Bird and his wife later retired to Florida but didn't stay put for long, traveling to six continents, missing only Antarctica, Claire Bird said. He also was active as an elder at the Presbyterian Church, singing in the choir, and enjoyed playing bridge and golf.

In addition to his wife and daughter, he is survived by a son, Christopher Bird, of California and a sister, Shirley Gad, of Fort Myers. He is predeceased by his eldest son, Jeffrey.

A memorial service will be held Aug. 18 at 4 p.m. at First Congregational Church on the Green at Park and Lewis streets in Norwalk. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The ALS Association Florida Chapter, 3242 Parkside Center Circle, Tampa, FL 33619-0907 or Hope Hospice, 9470 HealthPark Circle, Fort Myers, FL 33908.