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Thomas Puchalsky Obituary
He was born February 20, 1938 in Ware to the late Henry J. and Anne C. (Wilkauski) Puchalsky.
Mr. Puchalsky graduated from Barre High School and earned his bachelor's degree in English from Assumption College in 1959 before receiving his master's degree in English from Assumption several years later.
Mr. Puchalsky was a noted English professor, teaching at both the high school and college levels. He spent 33 years as a full-time faculty member in the English department at Lincoln-Sudbury (Mass.) High School and also was an adjunct professor of English at his alma mater, Assumption College.
He taught at Assumption for 39 years, first part-time before becoming a full-time professor, where his courses in literature and language were some of the most popular offered. Due to declining health, Mr. Puchalsky retired in May of 2006.
At Lincoln-Sudbury, he was honored on the school's "Wall of Recognition" in 2006 for his exceptional service and teaching methods.
Throughout his teaching career, Mr. Puchalsky touched and challenged generations of students, colleagues and family members with his passion for literature, music, language, social reform, religion and politics. Never bowing to the pragmatic, his teachings and course curriculum were innovative, demanding, and sometimes controversial.
As part of the educational experience, he coordinated many student exchange trips to Europe, taught a semester in an Assumption-sponsored program in Florence, Italy, and continually challenged everyone to take responsibility to learn about - and serve - the communities around them.
As a testament to his wonderful teaching abilities and the respect he had for his students, his former students and colleagues kept contact and connections with Mr. Puchalsky throughout their lives.
He leaves a wonderful legacy of love and faith to his family members, as well.
Mr. Puchalsky was a highly-active member of St. Paul's Cathedral parish in Worcester, where he participated on the Music Committee for many years. He was a longtime follower and advocate of Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement, and was a supporter of the Worcester Pastoral Counseling Center.
Mr. Puchalsky leaves six sisters and brothers: Adrienne Andrukonis of Worcester, David H. Puchalsky of Yarmouth, Pauline A. Kowal of Barre, Joseph P. Puchalsky of Athol, Barbara Narcisi of Rutland and Ann Whigham of North Brookfield, and 15 nieces and nephews.
The Puchalsky family wishes to thank the staff at the Jewish Healthcare Center for the wonderful care they provided to Tom during his long illness.
The funeral Mass will be Friday, December 16 at 10 a.m. in St. Paul's Cathedral, 15 Chatham Street, Worcester. The burial is in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Barre, and will be private. There are no calling hours.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sts. Francis and Therese Catholic Worker House, 52 Mason Street, Worcester 01610 or to the Mustard Seed food shelter, 93 Piedmont St, Worcester 01609.
The Athy Memorial Home, 111 Lancaster St., Worcester, is directing arrangements.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Thomas Puchalsky
Sponsored by anonymous.
Chris Johnson
April 13, 2021
It's heartwarming to see the messages posted here from so many people whose lives were touched, or better yet, changed, by crossing paths with Tom Puchalsky. He is one of the greatest teachers I ever had, and definitely my favorite at Lincoln-Sudbury. He really represented everything that is good about the world. He raised his students up, he challenged us, he changed our horizons and perceptions, and he did it with humor and incredible grace. To this day I still remember the great books he introduced us to, Crime & Punishment, Madame Bovary, Germinal, etc. I remember the passion he brought to the classroom, how much he made us love to learn, and how for some of us he showed us the highest ideals of humanity. I wish I had the ability to know him as a human being/adult rather than just as a teacher, but that Tom Puchalsky also sounds like he was an extraordinary friend, comrade, and person. I hope he had a good life and it was a happy one for him. I took 3 classes with him in high school and would have taken more except that I either could not fit one of his classes into my schedule, or when I could he was offering a class I had already taken. At the start of my senior year he thundered (!) near the start of the semester that he did not want any seniors to ask him to write college recommendations because he was simply too busy, and then he so kindly wrote one for me when I sheepishly ignored what he said and asked him to write one for me all the same (and I was told by someone who saw it that it was glowing). I got in to an Ivy League college and I'm convinced that their admissions department had to know that a glowing recommendation from Tom Puchalsky meant something and was the gold standard that had to be taken seriously. As it is, I unexpectedly ran into him leaving a concert at Symphony Hall in Boston somewhere around 2005 and we talked briefly. He of course did not remember me, and while at the time I was a bit saddened by that, I realized almost immediately that it could not be otherwise given all the students he had taught, and how many years had it been since we had last had contact? Yet what stayed with me in that interaction was the absolute kindness in our subsequent brief discussion, how he seemed genuinely caring and wanting to ascertain that one of his former students was living a good and productive life. And it's that kindness that stays with me and the genuine warmth, not that he really didn't remember who I was. What a man. What a teacher. And what a loss for humanity, for all of us who loved him, who were touched by him, and whose lives were changed by him.
Thank you, Tom Puchalsky. To this day you remain one of my lodestars in life.
January 3, 2020
Dear dear dear Professor, will always remember you...D. B.
George Anderson
December 7, 2019
A toast of remembrance and respect of hot mulled wine from the Carpathians in Western Ukraine to the professor who taught me the love of all things Slavic.
October 26, 2014
Deepest sympathies to Mr. Puchalsky's family.....I find it hard to believe he has passed from this place......
Who better than Mr. P to lead one through Dante's Inferno and the Iliad? His Great Books class was a jewel, like entering a sacred space each class period. To run into him in the hallway would take your breath away - here he was, in OUR world - one dared only smile and wave; he was like a great lion on the prowl, constantly seeking intellectual, artistic and spiritual companions.
The voice. The Russian poetry. The inspiration, high standards, passion for all he did, his honesty, the way his mind was able to illuminate or pierce into any issue, he extended a bridge to us innocents, he wanted us to join him on that dazzling side of the world he lived in, if we would but be open enough, brave enough, he was there to extend a hand, brilliance didn't matter in us, he shared his. He was one giant diamond in a constellation of unforgettable teachers/people at LSRHS. He sparkled and burned, the intensity of his energy.
For those of you lucky enough to know him as a colleague, friend and peer - I can only imagine how generous and loving he must have been. Genuine, fascinating, and beautiful is what he was, and will always be in my heart and mind. Thank you doesn't even come close.
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Denise Rossman
March 25, 2014
Incredible passionate lively professor. I woke up today wanting to contact him and discovered this sad news. I will keep TP in my heart forever and promise myself to try to learn what he tried to teach me decades ago. I am very grateful to him.
Susan Schmitz
September 1, 2013
Mr. Puchalsky was one of my favorite teachers--as a Freshman at L-S, he was truly my first "real" teacher. He was the first teacher truly interested in what my classmates and I thought even if it was unconventional or out of the box. We read "Night" by Elie Wiesel and JD Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye". I just searched for Mr. Puchalsky because I'd hoped to write him and let him know that Salinger's sequel to Catcher in The Rye will be released in 2015. Sadly, I've found that he is now gone. Entering Puchalsky's classroom was always magical--one almost felt as if you were in the presence of greatness. Upon entering L-S, suddenly gone were the punitive and practical middle school teachers who you hid your true selves from and in walked one of the masterminds of L-S who helped heal your spirit of all the bad teachers that came before. He always treated us with high respect by addressing us as "Mr.___" or "Miss___". When I worked with community college students, he was one of the teachers integrated into my approach with students. I always sought each kid as an individual of great potential because I remembered how he had approached us and how liberating that was.
George Anderson
January 27, 2013
Mr Puchalsky demonstrated for me the great appreciation of slavic culture. A direct causal link to the greatest part of my life, my half-ukrainian daughter.
A great teacher and a better man.
Brooke Latham
April 25, 2012
Mr Puchalsky was one of my favorite people and greatest influences of my life.
I remember, he once said something to the effect of "You are all ignorant because you are to young to have suffered enough yet!" (with a grin). I thought I understood what he meant then, but at 48, I understand his words much more.
One year a local news channel came to LS to create a school project by doing a news story on our HS. The story potrayed LS as a liberal hippy school who let it's students get away with everything. They then had the nerve to come back to the school's AV room to do a followup on thier "reporting" with some of the students.
When Mr Puchalsky heard, he cancelled our class, went to the AV room and threw the reporters out, with students cheering!
At LS I took any class I could with Mr Puchalsky, just to sit quietly and learn from him.
There are many more stories,as I am sure you all have many more. I thought I would share just a couple.
The world needs more men like him.
My sympathy goes out to his close friends and Family.
Leah Souffrant
March 4, 2012
Tom Puchalsky changed the way we think, changed what it meant to be a student and a reader, and shaped the way I now teach. If any of my students have felt the wild fire of intellectual inspiration in my classroom, they have Tom Puchalsky to thank. The gratitude is endless and enormous.
In sympathy to his family and friends these months later, remembering a man whom I have remembered so often fondly (and often with laughter!) since high school.
Bonnie Porter
January 9, 2012
Mr. P was one in a million and for those of us who were lucky enough to have had him for a teacher, we were lucky enough! I can just hear him reciting poetry to the angels - Heaven will never be the same!
Deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
Doug Miranda
January 8, 2012
Tom, you were a kind and gentle man....a man who loved life..a man who loved his calling. You will surely be missed.
Christian Newton
January 5, 2012
In my education the man is a Titan. Here was a teacher (a vocation quite familiar to me) operating without convention or boundary; he worked without a net. At the time his presence and consciousness were a shock—encountered in a period of youth so devoid of consciousness of self. In conversation you were likely to find yourself examining—even celebrating—the unpleasant truths of human experience. As an instructor and mentor he was a font of advice, correction, caution, and council: how to read, how to write, how to argue, how to live.
KD Maynard
January 1, 2012
Oh my. Tom Puchalsky - clearly one of my all-time favorite teachers. While he fed my love for all kinds of literature, I will always think of him and Zorba the Greek. I sent him a postcard from Kazantzakis' grave in Greece . . . he and Zorba had much in common. He will live on.
Jessica Wecker
December 22, 2011
Mr. Puchalsky was my English teacher 25 years ago and, although it's taken quite a long time, I'm pleased to say that he's finally succeeded in curing me of the habit of saying "like" in-between words. I have very fond memories of his classes and will miss him very much.
Davis Robinson
December 20, 2011
He changed my life. The days when Mr. Puchalsky decided the lesson for the day would be listening to Beethoven's Fifth, or seeing a film like Ashes and Diamonds, opened up a new world to me. Thanks, Tom. I became an artist and a teacher because of you, Bronson, and Mr. Mitchell, a triumvirate of spontaneous, meaning-full educators.
Dan and Della Crawford
December 19, 2011
What a wonderful friend, musician, and teacher and conversationalist. He threw great parties where the wine flowed, the music played, the minds were engaged, and sometimes one realized why Jesus taught us the kingdom of heaven was like a wedding banquet or the banquet of one welcomed home. One night, he even taught Dan how to appreciate opera, and at one in the morning, Tom played a Maria Callas CD that had tears flowing down Dan's cheeks. We love you, brother Tom, rest in peace and party on.
george sharkey
December 18, 2011
A very nice man and a gifted teacher it was a pleasure to have met him
Mary Greene
December 18, 2011
There is nothing I can add to these wonderful, heartfelt sympathies and loving remembrances. The most thrilling part for me was noting that all the tributes are well-written, with scarcely a misspelling or sign of ignorance of good English. Hmmm; that's no coincidence?! I will ask if anyone knows of either Paul Mitchell or Brad Sargent, two of his pals at LSRHS. I do know that Bob Wentworth, another of his cohorts, died some years back. All these teachers were influential and unforgettable (I was taught by them in the mid-'60s), but Tom Puchalsky was first a foremost a character!!! I just loved him.
Craig Kelley
December 17, 2011
I knew Mr. Puchalsky when I was a senior at LSRHS in '71. Despite never having him as a teacher, I could see that he was an energetic teacher with the type of vibrant personality that reaches people. He was very positive and intellectually engaging. My sincerest condolences to the enormous web of people he loved and influenced.
B Maxwell '88
December 17, 2011
Thank you for leading the high school trip to Italy and enriching my experience of the world. You were worried about us on the plane - I still remember the genuine caring and open sharing of your view of the world.
Bill Schechter
December 16, 2011
A poem for Tom.
http://schechsplace.tripod.com/content/POETRY/TALESTOLDOUTOFSCHOOL/ForTomPuchalsky.html
Dan Schirf
December 16, 2011
One of the greatest and most demanding teachers... he always pushed for more, made you think in different ways, and never settled for anything but your best. He will be missed.
Stella Crawford
December 16, 2011
Tommy would love and appreciate the wonderfully expressed commentary from friends and relatives. When we were all young and Tom led the choir at St. Thomas-A-Becket Church, he clued the whole choir in ahead of time(except me) to stop singing at a certain point and thus I gave my first (and last) solo. It was funny. We giggled together as in old times when I visited him at the Salisbury Home. He really was quite distraught that his retirement years hadn't worked out as expected. God love him!.....and all the best to my other cousins, too.
PHIL sutherland
December 16, 2011
WE MISS YOU ALREADY AND WILL REMEMBER YOU FOR A LONG TIME. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR TEACHINGS AND JOIE DE VIVRE!
Kate King (Andrews)
December 15, 2011
Wow! What a great teacher!! He'll truly be missed!
Rossi Family
December 15, 2011
You will always live in our hearts and prayers.
Greg Bedard
December 15, 2011
Just a tremendous teacher and man who will be very missed. You're lucky if you have a handful of teachers impact your lives beyond your school years. He was one of those.
Zack Kushner
December 15, 2011
We were lucky to learn from him, in class and out. A true teacher! I'll read Master and Margarita again to remember him and all he gave me.
Abigail Mansfield Marcaccio
December 15, 2011
Like many who have posted here, I took Russian Literature with Mr. Puchalsky. I think he struggled against adolescent apathy and cultural emptiness, and I imagine that he often felt he couldn't penetrate those. But he did, more than he knew or gave himself credit for. He taught me how to think, how to go after the questions that matter, and to lock horns with them for life. Never mind your grade, it was the questions that mattered. I loved him for that. Like many other students, I have carried his questions and his thoughts with me, and I will continue to keep those alive. I'll always remember The Brothers Karamazov and the Grand Inquisitor's question: Is it better to happy, or to be free? I still worry that I'm too complacently happy, and therefore not free. I remember how one time, in discussing a book we were reading in class, he turned to one of the boys in the class and said “You there, yes, YOU, have you ever been in love? You HAVE? Yes, well, if you were walking with your lover and there was a big mud puddle, would you take off your cape and lay it down over the puddle for her to walk over, would you, WOULD YOU? Hmmmm??… (pause) Mm hmm.” There were priceless pieces of advice, given away in passing: “Life is more fun when you PARTICIPATE”; “We should knock down all the walls in this school and have a big feast and drink wine and dance all afternoon.” Exactly so.
December 15, 2011
Tom was a good friend and a valued colleague during the years we both were teaching at Assumption College. He had an excellent mind and a great enthusiasm for teaching. Though no longer on this earth, he will not soon be forgotten. Fr. Andre Dargis
John Neely
December 15, 2011
Mr. Puchalsky was a force of nature, performing his lectures like a classical drama as he thrust and parried around the room. As a high school junior, his passion verging on mania was awesome and I now appreciate the method behind the madness. His pedagogical dramatics brilliantly (shrewdly) made long-dead writers into an heroic cavalry, battling a long war of attrition against mediocrity, censorship, prudishness, and boredom - the very forces against which teens struggle in the daily soap opera that is high school. Mr. Puchalsky was an exciting and sometimes terrifying teacher and I'll always treasure the hours I spent in the presence of this valiant prince of letters.
Shawn Walker
December 15, 2011
This guy was an AMAZING teacher and man. The fact that he even ATTEMPTED to break out existentialist works to high school juniors is miraculous in itself. So riveting to listen to, so inspiring. He had us deep into Crime and Punishment, Madame Bovary, Bread and Wine...made us think and we LOVED it. What a guy. We were so lucky to have the teachers we had, and the freedom to take what we wanted. Rest in Peace, Mr. Puchalsky. You were the best.
Phil & Nora Breen
December 15, 2011
Mr. Puchalsky was my Latin teacher at Ware High in 1963-64. He was a brilliant and kind man whose thoughts and ideas were ahead of his time. He'll be missed.
Jim Gafney
December 15, 2011
I had him for Latin in Ware High and had to redo after pneumonia and missing a quarter, he was so kind to me, the wise guy in the back of the class. I loved the morning prayer in his home room. Several of us use to hitch hike to Barre and visit with him and his mother. Always kind and professional.
Annette Green
December 15, 2011
Mr.Pulchalsky was a great teacher. He took extra time to help me learn how to be the writer I am today. I am sorry he will not be here to encourage and help more generations of students. He was an exceptional man and teacher. He cared.
Annette Cotton Green LSRH 1980
Nicole Winbourne-Corning
December 15, 2011
Mr. Puchalsky was a miarcle worker. It is truy miraculous when someone is able to teach a love of Russian literature to a self-absorbed 16 year old girl! When Mr. Puchalsky wrote my college recommendation he noted that I had a "certain joie de vivre" but I always knew that I never held a candle to his unique version of it! I've often asked myself if "Mr.P. would be proud of me?" I think that is the true barometer of someone who has touched your life and changed you in ways you don't even recognize. Mr. P, I might be a little late getting to Heaven but I'll be sure to have a sundae for you when I finally do arrive.
Priscilla Whoolery Morais
December 14, 2011
I was a junior in high school when Thomas Pulchalsky was my Russian literature teacher. His teaching style was lively and engaging. "[...] if, indeed, I hold out for the sticky little leaves, I shall love them only remembering you." -Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov. Mr. Puchalsky will be both sorely missed and fondly remembered by all of his students.
David Chupka
December 14, 2011
One of the most influential people in my life. I'll always remember Russian Lit at AC with him, extremely entertaining, witty, funny, and a man who demanded his students to think and search for the truth. An American original for sure, rest in peace my friend. You made a difference in many, many lives.
Jim Rutledge
December 14, 2011
Tom was a wonderful man. I attended his literature classes at Assumption in the 70s and he was a personal friend to many of us. He taught me a lot about life and was always sincerely interested in the well-being of his friends. He will be sorely missed.
Ellen Spencer
December 14, 2011
Thomas Puchalsky was my Russian Literature Professor at Assumption. He tried endlessly to get us to “think” instead of being little lemmings running over the cliff. I have fond memories of drinking vodka at the three decker on Elm street: Maria Callas, Dostoyevsky, and Pasternak. He was one of the best professors I had at Assumption and truly passionate teacher.
Judy Killinger
December 14, 2011
I'm so sorry for your loss. I never met Tom, but he sounds like he was an extraordinary man. I will include him in my prayers. The obituary is beautiful. Dave and Maureen-if there's anything I can do you know where to find me.
Daniel Vecchio
December 14, 2011
I will never forget my time with Tom in Firenze. He was an excellent teacher and friend.
Tom, you will be in my prayers.
Maureen Kilcoyne
December 14, 2011
I have many fond memories of Tom English classes at A.C. I am so sad to hear of his passing. The world has lost a truly wonderful teacher and unique persona.
Dona Kercher
December 14, 2011
How do you fully appreciate that basso profundo with a twinkle of a laugh in it? Tom was truly a Renaissance man. Among many other talents he taught a course in Russian Lit at Assumption C, which sadly also passes with him. I remember him fondly. Peace be to him and his family.
Bonnie Catto
December 14, 2011
I am so sorry to hear that Tom is no longer with us. As a colleague at Assumption (in Classics) I enjoyed many conversations in the halls of Founders with him. The world has lost a true teacher and friend to many.
Emily May
December 14, 2011
Tom was a dear friend of my family's for many years. He and I grew close when he learned that I was an aspiring opera singer, and we spent afternoons at his home listening to old opera recordings, with Tom providing both insight and critique about the music and singers. He believed in me and my singing, which meant so much to me as a young singer, and his approval came to mean as much to me as my own parents'.
Tom was a brilliant, outspoken and charismatic man, who I believe touched the lives of all those he met--I know that I will never forget him. I love you, Tom--may you finally find the peace and rest that you deserve--with a never-ending loop of Callas, Wunderlich and Schwartzkopf to comfort and entertain you.
Elaine Bailey
December 14, 2011
What an incredible teacher he was....I have many memories of his class, he was unique and so inspiring.....I am so sorry for your loss!
Elaine Bailey, LSRHS 77
December 14, 2011
He was one of the most influential people in my appreciation and love for literature. I reread the books he taught often, and laugh about how he would tell us we were being given 'F-' for our poor answers if we hadn't paid attention to the text. He will be missed. -zoe harte, LS 1993
heather hinckley
December 14, 2011
Mr. Pulchasky was a legend...RIP
Dorothy Mead Pitt, Lincoln-Sudbury - 1970
December 14, 2011
I have so many memories of the English wing at L-S, most of which are centered around Tom Puchalsky. I count him as one of 2 or 3 people who influenced my love of singing and music - both have shaped my life in profound ways. There are pieces to which we used to listen that still evoke memories from my years at L-S. As a veteran teacher now myself, many of my views of what makes a good educator were kindled and ignited by experiences and discussions with Tom. He will be missed, but based on the many comments here, his legacy will live on. What a gift he gave to those whose lives he touched.
Susan Mulcahy
December 14, 2011
Mr. Puchalsky's enthusiasm and love for literature has stayed with me since high school. He could light-up a room with the way he read the classics and bring a story to life with his magical voice and mannerisms. But more importantly he made students want to learn--- the most incredible gift a teacher can ever give. Mr. Puchalsky, thank you for touching so many lives.
Sarah Smith
December 14, 2011
Mr. Puchalsky was a huge influence on me, my art and how I teach now. He encouraged me in my artistic pursuits and pushed me to push myself. I'll always be thankful to him for that. As a teacher, I can only hope to command such a presence (I try using his famous "That will suffice." to calm down a class when they first walk in, but I don't have his wonderful voice) and influence so many young people. The world has definitely lost an amazing person.
Liz Verhey Neale
December 14, 2011
Mr. Puchalsky was the most amazing teacher! Funny, fascinating, strong minded, yet kind and patient as well. I will never forget him or his great lessons. ( He was an all time favorite teacher at LSRHS. I took as many of his classes as possible, as did my brother & sister. ) My deepest sympathy & prayers to his family and friends.
Elise Lemire
December 14, 2011
Mr. Puchalsky, I will always love you and miss you. Your classes were magic. Thank you for giving your students a life-long love of literature and this student a profession. LS Class of '82
Abbie White
December 14, 2011
Mr. Puchalsky was one of my favorite teachers at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. He had a beautiful and expressive voice and all that he taught was meaningful and interesting. His teaching made me wanted to pay attention intently to everything he said. I am amazed by how much I learned of his life from reading his obituary this morning and feel honored to have been his student. Mr. Puchalsky has left me a great legacy of being able to understand and appreciate great literature. I share my condolences with his family and companions.
Geoffrey Oehling
December 14, 2011
Tom was an incredible friend and the greatest teacher that I ever had or ever heard of anyone having. In my collection of books, every one that I care about, is connected to Tom. He is in the pages of my life so deeply I cannot remove him if I wanted to. I will miss him deeply and my love and sympathy to those who feel this as well.
December 14, 2011
I had Mr. Puchalsky for two classes in high school, and still have a handwritten list of books he told me were must reads that he sent me off to college with. His love for literature, his unique approach to teaching, and genuine kindness made an indelible impression on me at a time in my life when I needed it most.
Mark Patti, L-S '88
Judy Peatfield
December 14, 2011
Mr. Puchalsky taught the literature course I took at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional HS. At first, I was a bit afraid of him. He wasn't like any other teacher I'd ever had, so intense and passionate. But I soon came to love him, and I learned about more than literature. I learned about the importance of thinking for myself, being brave and speaking up for the truth, of empathizing with people who were different from me. Thank you, Mr. Puchalsky.
Nicki Meade Draves
December 14, 2011
Mr. Puchalsky influenced my love of literature in a profound way. Memories of his class burn bright where most others fade away. He has left an impressive legacy of faih and learning. My warmest prayers are being offered for his family and friends.
Nicki Meade Draves, LS '85
Ellen Kelly Linn
December 14, 2011
Mr. Puchalsky was my English teacher at Lincoln Sudbury many years ago. He had a huge influence over my intellectual and artistic development, introducing me to literature that still resonates in my mind. He was a truly great man and he will be missed by many. All of my sympathy to his family.
Elspeth Slayter
December 14, 2011
Mr. Puchalsky leaves an indelible - and wonderful - image in my mind. I was a student in his Russian literature course in the 1980s. His passion for literature was infectious - even to the usually impervious-to-learning minds of sullen teens that were too cool for school. Since taking up teaching myself, I have always used what I remember of Mr. Puchalsky's approach to teaching- namely his use of humor, his use of self in the classroom and "seizing the moment" when unexpected learning opportunities present themselves as a model for teaching now (inasmuch as this is possible teaching research methods, stats and policy analysis, but it is true). In addition to learning about literature - we learned so much more - how to stage an effective sit-in when the classroom was too cold, for example. How to approach "speaking truth to power" in advocacy situations. How to laugh and love life with literature. As one of the non-superstar students in my class - Mr. Puchalsky was one of the teachers that pushed me to be a better student and a better person by encouraging my creativity and curiosity. May he rest in peace.
Kevin M. F. Platt
December 13, 2011
Tom was a very important teacher and a great friend. He will be missed. With sympathy,
David Gursky
December 13, 2011
Mr. Pulchalsky was my English Literature teacher at Lincoln-Sudbury. His classes (entitled Great Works I and II) expanded my life long love of books and reading to include authors like Sartre and Camus. While he may be gone, he is ANYTHING but forgotten.
David Gursky, LS '78
Johanna Thomsen
December 13, 2011
Words do not do justice to the color, spice, laughter, flavor, music, joy, insight, and gifts that Tom brought into the lives of those he touched. I am honored to have so many great memories, and send my deepest condolences.
Judy Plott
December 13, 2011
Tom was a wonderful friend and a great teacher. Our thoughts are with you.
Judy and Bill Plott
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