By Jeff Lipton
Ward, who succumbed to the disease last June at the age of 59, was paid the ultimate tribute last Friday when the school, P.S. 177 in Fresh Meadows, was renamed the Robin Sue Ward School for Exceptional Children.
"You have to be a pretty special person to have a school named after you," said Ward's brother, Steven Carl, also an East Meadow resident, after Friday's dedication ceremonies at the school, which drew more than 350 participants.
"She did an incredible job," Carl said. "My sister was the type of person who deserved everything that she got today. She was an incredible woman - you just don't find people like that. She treated students and teachers like family, and my sister gave back."
A driving rainstorm forced the school renaming ceremonies indoors, but that didn't dampen the spirits of those who paid tribute to a woman who was described as an outstanding administrator and mentor.
Ward founded the school in November 1981 and immediately became its first principal, holding the post until she retired in 2003 and moved to Florida. The school, which enrolls students with developmental disabilities from ages 5 to 21, started out with 90 students and now enrolls more than 350 students who are autistic or emotionally handicapped.
"As an administrator, she was the kindest, most caring person," said Phyllis Newman, the school's secretary since it first opened. "The students and staff called her 'Mom.'"
Newman said Ward never turned anyone away who came to her for assistance. "If she could not help the person, she would find someone who could," Newman said. "Her door was always open.
"She was at work every day," Newman added. "Even though she was getting weak and was in constant pain [from multiple sclerosis], she was here every day."
An educator in the New York City public schools for 35 years, Ward was twice named Principal of the Year for her dedication to her job. Many of her staff members went on to become administrators throughout the city.
"She was literally one of a kind," said the school's assistant principal, Wayne Lipman, who started out as a substitute teacher in 1987. "She was the toughest person, man or woman, I've ever met because of her [fight] with her affliction, multiple sclerosis. She never thought about herself. During rain, sleet or snow, and no matter how badly she was feeling, she was at work. Never once did I hear her complain. She never said anything about her pain or discomfort."
Lipman said Ward even apologized to him for not spending much time with him as a mentor, even though her disease was getting the best of her.
As her health began to deteriorate, she went from using a cane to get around to a wheelchair, and then a motorized scooter, but never complained about her illness.
Her brother said she was singlehandedly responsible for bringing the school into prominence. "She set an example for education in the state of New York," he said.
"She used a scooter to get around," Carl said. "But she refused to give up."
Before she founded the school in 1981, Ward served as director of the citywide special education program. She said her greatest thrill was seeing her P.S. 177 students receive high school diplomas and witnessing those who went on to college, exceeding their "wildest expectations."
Attending Friday's ceremonies were State Sen. Frank Padavan, Assemblyman Mark Weprin and Councilman John Lui, as well as Ward's former and present administrators and teachers and District 75 Superintendent Bonnie Brown.
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