Dr. Alexander Taffel (born in

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

, Russia; died January 19, 1997, Riverdale, Bronx) was the second principal of the Bronx High School of Science, a long-time

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

teacher and author of three textbooks in Physics. He is a recipient of the NBC Award for Public Service. He is most famous for his tenure as principal of the Bronx High School of Science, during which he nurtured the institution and its international reputation. He retired in 1978. He died at his home of a stroke.

Early life

Taffel came to New York when he was 3. He graduated from

City College City college may refer to: In the United States * Community college, a type of educational institution sometimes called a ''junior college'' or a ''city college'' in the United States * City College of New York ** 137th Street – City College (IR ...

with a degree in mathematics in 1929 and later received a master's in physics from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and a Ph.D. in science education from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Career

Before becoming a full time administrator, Taffel was a physics teacher who had become the chairman of the science department at James Monroe High School in the Bronx. Later he became principal of

Haaren High School Haaren High School was an American high school located in Midtown Manhattan, New York. The school was noted for its vocational program including classes focusing on internal combustion engines. The facility was constructed in 1903 to house DeWitt ...

in Manhattan.

Principal of the Bronx High School of Science (1958-1978)

Transfer to modern facilities, teacher strike, student strike, 50th anniversary

Legacy

The Alexander Taffel Library at the Bronx High School of Science is named after Dr. Taffel.

References

External links

Memories of a Legend
American school principals Schoolteachers from New York (state) The Bronx High School of Science City College of New York alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni People from Riverdale, Bronx Soviet emigrants to the United States 1997 deaths Year of birth missing 1910s births {{US-academic-administrator-1910s-stub