Hundreds pay respects to former East Meadow superintendent Robert Dillon

Hundreds gathered at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre last week to pay their respects to Robert Dillon.

The late Nassau BOCES superintendent died July 28, of complications of spinal surgery. He was 72.

Dillon — who lived in both Walden, in Orange County, and Plainview — was appointed to lead the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services in 2015.

During his time with BOCES, Dillon advocated and expanded access to career and technical programs, revitalized the Long Island High School for the Arts, and helped create a mental health consortium, serving all 56 county school districts, parts of Suffolk County, and the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

“After his first full year at BOCES, his passion and dedication for the students, staff and programs were part of every conversation I had,” his son, Chris Dillon, told the packed cathedral.

He followed his father’s footsteps into education, now an assistant superintendent in the Plainview-Old Bethpage school district.

“He was honored to be part of such a great team.”

Dillon grew up in Bayside, Queens, and at one point almost became a Major League Baseball player. The Detroit Tigers drafted him out of Loyola High School, a private Jesuit academy on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Instead, Dillon chose a different path, graduating from St. John’s University in Queens with a doctorate in education.

He began his career as a special education teacher in 1975, and for the next 45 years, would inspire and motivate hundreds of students, teachers, parents and faculty members across New York.

“To this day, he could not only name most of his students from his early years of teaching or retell their success stories,” the younger Dillon said, “he had a steady belief in the potential of every single student he encountered. He was not just the teacher, director, principal or superintendent, he was a cheerleader. A mentor. And a trusted confidant who loved to teach and coach other professionals — including myself — to be the best educator they could be.”

Throughout his career, Dillon served as the superintendent of four school districts — including two on Long Island. He was at one time the superintendent of the former Sugar Loaf school district in Orange County, and the Abbott school district in Westchester County.

Between 1992 and 1999, he was superintendent of the Eastport-South Manor Central School District in Suffolk County, where he helped lead the effort to merge the two districts. He also led the East Meadow school district between 1999 and 2007.

Dillon switched gears after that, leading a program known as Refit, which advocated for adequate funding for public schools across the state.

He also served on the Mid-Hudson School Study Council, which provided more specific advocacy for upstate schools.

Dedicated to fostering the next generation of school leaders, Dillon went back to teach those seeking administrative certification at his alma matter, St. John’s, as well as SUNY-New Paltz, St. John Fisher University in Rochester, and Dowling College in Oakdale.

BOCES is a cooperative of Nassau County’s 56 school districts and their nearly 200,000 students. According to officials with the agency, Dillon left a legacy that will impact students there for decades to come.

“Whether navigating through the Covid-19 pandemic, pushing for increased mental health student support, or innovating numerous programs, he has revitalized, transformed and enhanced educational opportunities for all students,” BOCES representatives stated.

During the funeral Mass at St. Agnes, Dillon was remembered by family, friends, colleagues, supporters and countless others whose lives he touched.

“He taught by example, that there was never a problem, only your solution or plan on how to fix it,” Dillon’s son said. “He understood that failure was a part of life and would never allow that to define him.

Instead, he taught us resilience, showing us that setbacks are sources of strength rather than defeat.

“Never letting them deter his spirit, he proved that true success is not measure by achievement, but by how one navigates through challenges.”

Dillon was laid to rest following the service at the Queen of Peace Cemetery in Old Westbury.

Family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Nassau BOCES Educational Foundation.