"Consummate professional"
Guilderland school community mourns Westcott, teacher of teachers



Dale Carlton Westcott was a teacher who inspired his students as well as his colleagues.
"Dale was serious but he had a wonderful sense of humor," said Judith Rothstein, who, like Mr. Westcott, taught for decades in Guilderland schools. "He took kids seriously," she said. "He wasn’t sarcastic. He didn’t make fun of them. He epitomized good teaching."

Mr. Westcott died on Oct. 25, 2005 in Beaufort, S.C., where he and his wife, Barbara, another Guilderland teacher, had recently moved to enjoy their retirement. He was 65.
"He was supervisor for math, science, and technology at the high school," said Gregory Aidala, superintendent of schools for Guilderland. "When Dale retired, he had completed 40 years of service in our district.
"To me," Dr. Aidala went on, "he was the consummate professional — very approachable, always with a positive attitude. People came to him for help. He so willingly gave of his time for students and for his colleagues."
Members of the Guilderland school community held a candlelight vigil for Mr. Westcott on Sept. 30 at Tawasentha Park. Cell phones on stage brought words of encouragement and music to the Westcotts in South Carolina. Mr. Westcott whispered "thank you" from a bedside phone, Tim Horan, a Guilderland teacher and vigil organizer, reported this week.
"He was well liked by the people he supervised," said Arnold Rothstein, another Guilderland teacher who retired as a district administrator. "He was well known and well respected at the State Education Department. He worked effectively with the elementary teachers on science curricula. As a supervisor at the middle school and high school, he oversaw at least three different disciplines."

Mr. Westcott had a passion for science all his life. He was born on April 6, 1940 in Plattsburgh, N.Y., the son of the late Carlton Westcott and Alice Cook. He graduated from the University at Albany in 1962 with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry, then received his master’s degree in physics from Union College in 1965. He earned his doctorate degree in science education from the University of Maryland in 1974.

While he worked for the Guilderland schools from 1962 until his retirement in 2002, he was also an associate professor at the University at Albany.
"He was very student centered," said Dr. Aidala. "He loved physics. He was a life-long learner," said the superintendent.

While his professional life centered on science, his interests were diverse, said the Rothsteins, close personal friends of the Westcotts.

Mr. Westcott was a photographer and, as part of his retirement gift, he was given a trip to the Galapagos islands, Mr. Rothstein said, where he photographed, among other things, the kind of tortoises Charles Darwin studied.
"He was a lover of music — all kinds," said Mrs. Rothstein, noting Mr. Westcott was especially fond of Broadway show tunes. Mr. Rothstein added classical music to the list.

A problem-solver
"I just have such positive memories of him," Dr. Aidala said. "He was very skilled at listening and able to hear what concerns people had. He was an outstanding problem-solver. He always made a good-faith effort."
Giving an example of Mr. Westcott’s problem-solving, Dr. Aidala said, "As a supervisor in math and science at the high school, inevitably situations would arise with parents...People were comfortable coming to him and seeking his involvement. He was willing to listen and investigate. And, he’d come up with a win-win solution."

The Rothsteins spoke similarly of Mr. Westcott’s problem-solving abilities and of the personality that made it possible.
"He was very nice to be around," said Mr. Rothstein.
"Easy going," agreed Mrs. Rothstein.
"I never remember him getting angry about anything," said Mr. Rothstein. "Never. There were some difficult situations at the high school. He was able to keep his cool."
"He was very even tempered," said Mrs. Rothstein. "Very straightforward."

Mr. Westcott had the ability to make difficult topics understandable and to encourage others to work with him. The Rothsteins said he used these qualities to the end.
"Barbara retired in June," said Mrs. Rothstein; Mrs. Westcott had taught at Pine Bush Elementary School. "That’s when they began living in South Carolina...A huge frontal brain tumor was found in mid-August."
"It was a very aggressive tumor," said Mr. Rothstein. "He had two brain operations...In the period before he went really downhill, as he was talking to the doctors about the radiation and chemotherapy program, the doctors were taken aback and amused by his grasp of it...Unfortunately, he was never able to begin it."
"Barbara was telling us," said Mrs. Rothstein, "when he was in the hospital, the nurses afterwards were saying, as he went through his own physical therapy, he let the other patients know how they were improving..."

Her voice trailed off as she described his selflessness in working with other people and how he was always a team player, building confidence in others.
"We are all so saddened by his passing," Dr. Aidala said of staff throughout the district. "He didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of his labor."

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Mr. Westcott is survived by his wife, Barbara J. Westcott, of Beaufort, S.C.; son, Donald, daughter-in-law, Amy, and grandson, Dylan, of Washington, Ill.; sister, Shirley Ryan, of Gramby, Conn.; brother, Keith, and sister-in-law, Rita, of Greenville, S.C.; nieces, nephews, cousins, and a multitude of friends around the country.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, at The First Unitarian Society, 1221 Wendell Ave. in Schenectady.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Guilderland High School Scholarship Fund; send them to: Westcott Scholarship Fund, Guilderland High School, Box 37, Guilderland Center, NY 12085.