Tom Sobol, ex-Scarsdale schools chief, dies

Tom Sobol, former Scarsdale schools superintendent and state education commissioner, has died. He was 83.

A revered educator whose career included stints of teaching and administration, Sobol died Thursday at his home in Scarsdale, where he had been bedridden for more than five years, said his wife of 42 years, Harriet. Sobol had been suffering from Parkinson's disease and a vascular malformation in his spinal cord, she said.

Sobol's illnesses, as destructive as they were, could not stop him from influencing education and the educators he taught. He wrote his memoir, "My Life In School," in 2010 and 2011 using one finger to type on a keyboard, according to Harriet Sobol, who said her husband was a wonderful, articulate writer who was blessed with charisma.

"He was a very unusual man in that he was extremely modest," she said. "He knew his role was important, but he never felt important."

Sobol's importance was felt by students, teachers, parents, and administrators at all levels of the education system. Judith Johnson, the Lower Hudson Valley's representative on the state Board of Regents, called Sobol "a brilliant educator who served our state with amazing tenacity and distinction as Commissioner of Education."

"After leaving that office he continued to stand on the right side of social justice and equity for all children," she said in a statement Thursday night. "Tom's voice will be missed, but not his spirit, his value system and his passion for nurturing the human spirit. It will continue to fuel me."

Minneapolis-born and Boston-raised, the Harvard graduate started his education career as a teacher at Newton High School in Massachusetts, following three years in the Army.

Sobol worked administrative jobs in Bedford and Great Neck, Long Island, before settling in Scarsdale, where he served as the school district's superintendent from 1971 to 1987.

The next leap for Sobol took him to Albany, where he served as state education commissioner for seven years. He followed that gig with a return to the classroom as a professor at Columbia University's Teachers College.

"He was a very, very beloved professor down at Teachers College," Harriet Sobol said. "He was always popular with teachers."

Harriet Sobol said her husband believed in the critical role of administrators, that education should have "top down support for bottom up reform."

Above all, though, he said his purpose was always to take care of the children of New York, she said.

"He's like Yoda," Joshua Mandel, Ossining High School principal, said in 2013. "Tom was — is — a beacon of hope."

Harriet Sobol said she is planning services for her husband and expects to hold something in New York City.

In addition to his wife, Harriet, Tom Sobol's survivors include his sons, Tommy Sobol and Michael Sobol; his daughter, Sandy Sobol; Harriet's sons, Jeff Langsam and Greg Langsam; Harriet's daughter, Jenny Langsam; his eight grandchildren; and Harriet's two grandchildren.

Gary Stern contributed to this report.

Twitter: @MattSpillane