By Hector Flores
"He was worshipped and honored," Bingham said. "He was very loyal to all his employees and treated everyone the same. Not that many men have had the honor of having a school named after themselves."
Bingham's fond recollection comes in wake of the news that the beloved superintendent died on Monday, Aug. 15, of heart failure. He was 91.
Dinkelmeyer was born on Aug. 28, 1913, in Queens. He earned a bachelor's in education from Brooklyn College in the spring of 1938. In the fall of 1938, he began working for the North Bellmore School District as a seventh-grade teacher at the Newbridge Road Elementary School, which was the only school in the district at the time. In 1940, he moved to Hempstead and married Marguerite Nichols. The couple settled down in Levittown in 1947.
During World War II, Dinkelmeyer left the North Bellmore district to serve in the Army's anti-aircraft service from October 1942 to February 1946. He was stationed throughout the southern states and Hawaii, serving as 2nd lieutenant, 1st lieutenant and captain.
In September 1946, he returned to the North Bellmore School District, and soon after, the district began its school construction program and built two new schools, Waltoffer and Martin Avenue. In 1947, Dinkelmeyer obtained his master's in educational administration from New York University, specializing in school finance, special education and school construction.
In March 1949, Dinkelmeyer was named the first principal of the Waltoffer School, and in 1952, he was named superintendent of the North Bellmore School District. That same year, Waltoffer was renamed for Dinkelmeyer.
Dinkelmeyer remained superintendent of the North Bellmore School District until he retired in August 1977. During his administration, the North Bellmore School District built three more elementary schools: Saw Mill Road, Park Avenue and Jacob Gunther.
During his retirement, Dinkelmeyer remained active in North Bellmore community and was a member of the Kiwanis Club and the Historical Society of the Bellmores.
His son, John Dinkelmeyer Jr., said his father loved history and was especially interested in the Civil War, railroads and Long Island. "My Dad spent his retirement years traveling extensively though Europe and drove around the United States," John Jr. said.
Clarence Anspake Jr., president of the Historical Society of the Bellmores, said, "Very sad news indeed about the death of John Dinkelmeyer. His friend, Grace Hickey, told us that he came home from the Army on pass with a Jeep and drove it up the steps at the Newbridge Road School to visit her. He was quite a guy and sharp to the end, when you consider the vast number of people he came in contact with as an educator and the influence he had on so many lives. His spirit lives on and will continue to do so for many years to come."
John Dinkelmeyer Sr. was predeceased by his wife, Marguerite, who died in 1991. He is survived by his three sons, John Jr., Kurt and Robert, and his four grandchildren, Jeffrey, Chris, Patricia and Thomas.
Comments? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
