Dr. Dennis D. Claire Jr., teacher. After 25 years at Greenport High School, Dennis Claire recently submitted his retirement papers. And then, last week, he stepped into the school superintendent's office with a question. "He wanted to know if I'd be upset if he didn't retire," said Charles Kozora. Instead of "upset," Dr. Kozora said his reaction was more along the lines of "thrilled." He recalled Dr. Claire saying, "I thought long and hard about it, and I'm an English teacher. If I retire, I'll lose part of myself." Dr. Claire planned to rescind his retirement plans this week. "He never got to do it," said Dr. Kozora. Dennis Claire died suddenly on Sunday at the age of 54. He'd taught in Greenport for almost half his life. The news hit the school community hard. "Our school lost a phenomenal teacher, a heart-filled confidant and a brilliant man," wrote Jayme Blasko in the "Untitled" column in today's Suffolk Times. "When he came around, it was like a light switch was turned on," wrote GHS junior Brittany Charters in a tribute on Page 9. Longtime friend Tom Rabbitt, the school's guidance director, said Dennis Claire had "the great ability to have kids believe in themselves. He never gave up on them. Even when they disappointed him by not doing an assignment, he would drop his eyebrows and look at them with that brooding stare that said, 'I believe in you guys. You gotta believe in yourselves.' He had that gift." Another longtime friend and fellow Irishman, social studies chairman Ron McEvoy, recalled Dennis Claire's first St. Patrick's Day at the school, 25 years ago. The new teacher caught a glimpse of Mr. McEvoy dressed as a leprechaun, zooming through the corridors on a ramshackle bicycle. "He assumed I'd started celebrating too soon," said Mr. McEvoy. "So he's trying to catch me, and I'm going faster and faster. He thought I'd lose my job. He didn't know the craziness of Greenport back then. It was typical of his kindness and concern." Dr. Claire was also famous for storytelling. Elementary school teacher Kathy Wallace said he would come downstairs and regale her classes "whenever you asked him." One time, she had a young student who had moved from France, and thought a Claire yarn might make her feel welcome. He offered to tell "Little Red Riding Hood." "But she doesn't speak any English," said Ms. Wallace. "He said, 'Okay, I'll tell it in French first.' And he did all this on his free time." Then there's the legendary tale of "The Boy with the Orange Cheeks." Ms. Wallace outlined the plot, which involved a little boy dropped off at his grandmother's house, which ends up with walls full of holes, but everything is somehow "absolutely perfect" from her perspective. "He told it a little differently each time, but all the kids know it," said Ms. Wallace. "The moral of the story is unconditional love." According to Dr. Kozora, most incoming eighth graders already knew and liked Dr. Claire well because he had been telling stories to them through their elementary years. Among Dr. Claire's many honors, last year's GHS yearbook was dedicated to him. And 12 years earlier he was named The Suffolk Times' Educator of the Year. In the homage that accompanied the latter, the school principal at the time, William Ellwood, recalled sitting in on a Claire class on Dickens's "Great Expectations," and said, "He went beyond 'Great Expectations' to give a lesson on family and peers. He got the class so involved that I wanted to raise my hand and contribute." The current school superintendent said Dr. Claire would come to school "dressed up in cape and mask as Captain Grammar to teach the meaning of homonyms and synonyms." Another time he came as an English lord, complete with pantaloons, and "took students on a mystical tour of London, describing Shakespearean settings, all within the hallowed halls of Greenport School. "He inspired many students to pursue English in college because of his passion for it," said Dr. Kozora. Nine out of 10 students who took his advanced placement classes got college credits, an "inordinately high percentage," he said. In terms Dr. Claire might appreciate, Dr. Kozora said, "He was a man with an extreme pedagogical gift." Dennis D. Claire Jr. was born in Port Jefferson on Aug. 14, 1949, to Dennis and Genevieve (Cooke) Claire Sr. He graduated from Cardinal Farley Military Academy in Rhinecliff, N.Y., in 1967 and Marist College in Poughkeepsie in 1974. He taught at Holy Cross School in Rhinebeck from 1974 to 1977 and worked briefly as a master electrician. He and his wife, Janice (nÉe Larcheveque), moved to Mattituck in 1978, and he began his career at Greenport School. In addition to teaching, he coached football and wrestling through the '80s, started the school's literary magazine, advised the school newspaper staff and created "so many programs," said his son, Dennis III, who has also taught at GHS recently. One program involved teachers who didn't have first-period classes encouraging late or truant students to come to school by going to their homes and knocking on doors. "Not just my dad, but a lot of Greenport teachers are very involved with the community," said Dennis III. "They're very much there for the kids." And that wake-up program was "very much appreciated," he said. Dr. Claire earned a master's degree from C.W. Post in 1990, started work on a doctorate at St. John's University in 1992 and achieved it in 1999. "Most of the '90s was spent commuting back and forth to Queens to get his doctorate," said his son. Dr. Claire is survived by his wife, three sons, Dennis, of Jamesport, and Ryan and Patrick, both of Mattituck; and a sister, Margaret Pisani of Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. Prayer services were held on Wednesday at Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home in Riverhead. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. today, May 27, at St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church in Riverhead. All Greenport School classes, kindergarten through 12th grade, will be canceled to allow students and teachers to attend. According to Dr. Kozora, he would have had to bring in 60 substitute teachers on Thursday to cover for the faculty members attending the funeral. Interment will follow at the church cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Greenport Teachers Association Scholarship Fund.

Suffolk Times 5/27/04.