Saul Bruckner, a beloved educator who led Edward R. Murrow HS from its founding in 1974 until his retirement three decades later, died on May 1 of a heart attack. He was 76.
“He was an iconic guy,” said John Roberts, an assistant principal at Murrow. “You’re not going to find anybody like him. He built and founded a unique institution and the kids who come out of here are very successful.”
A graduate of Erasmus HS and Brooklyn College, Bruckner taught social studies at David A. Boody School for Magnet Studies and served as an assistant principal at John Dewey HS before becoming the principal of Murrow, located on Avenue L off East 17th Street in Midwood.
Bruckner opened Murrow in 1974, creating a school that remains known for its college-like atmosphere where students select their classes and spend free periods as they see fit. As a result of Bruckner’s leadership, Murrow remains home to a national champion chess team, a top business program and a respected magnet program in art, music and theater, which graduated Oscar winner Marisa Tomei.
After retiring in 2004, Bruckner traveled and devoured historical novels in his Mill Basin home. But he never severed his ties to Murrow, attending student productions, most recently “A Chorus Line,” and reminiscing about his three decades as the school’s leader.
“For 30 years, I looked forward to going to work every morning,” he said.
Alumni felt the same way.
“He was a very wonderful man who was greatly concerned about his students and cared deeply about them succeeding in life,” said Gravesend resident Andrea Sodorofsky, who graduated from Murrow in 1999. “He was always there to lend an ear or provide a shoulder to cry on.”
More than 200 people attended Bruckner’s funeral on Monday at Parkside Funeral Home in Marine Park.
“It shows you how many lives he touched,” said Christine Ingordo, an assistant principal at Murrow. “I started here in 1982 and he’s the one who encouraged me to become an assistant principal.”
At the service, Ronald Weiss, who was an assistant vice principal at Murrow for more than 20 years, called Bruckner a “true pioneer in education” and “the wisest man I’ve ever known.”
Bruckner is survived by his wife, Ellen.