Christopher Lau Wins Robert K. Toaz Award
More than seven decades after his death, the name of Robert K. Toaz swirled through the air at a Huntington High School event. An award in his honor was presented to Christopher Lau, valedictorian of the Class of 2009, at last week’s senior academic awards night.
Mr. Toaz was the first superintendent of the district, serving from 1906 to 1932. When he was on the scene, the high school was located several miles northeast of its current site at what is now Huntington Town Hall. Yet, while Mr. Toaz is long gone from the school system and community, and largely forgotten to history, the annual academic award allows a new generation to become familiar with one of the district’s legendary figures.
Mr. Lau is headed to University of Pennsylvania in the fall where he intends to study business and finance. He has sparkled across all academic disciplines and as a humanitarian, which has brought him to foreign lands.
A cheerful disposition and all-around pleasantness are both hallmarks of Mr. Lau’s personality. He was accepted into many top-tier colleges, but choice Ivy League UPenn, in part because of its vaunted Wharton School of Business.
The Robert K. Toaz Award was originally presented to the top student at the junior high school bearing his name. That building was located at the intersection of Woodhull and Nassau Roads and its property extended along Spring Road. When Toaz Junior High School closed in 1981, the annual award recipient became the valedictorian of the graduating class. The award presented to Mr. Lau carried a stipend of $100.
“Chris Lau is a genuine person who has accomplished a great deal in four years at Huntington High School,” Superintendent John J. Finello said. “He’s such a hard working and well-spoken young man and all of us in the district are very proud of him.”
Construction on what would later become Robert K. Toaz Junior High School began January 8, 1938. The cornerstone for the structure was laid May 7, 1938. The school cost $748,957.33 to build, equip and landscape. The John H. Eisele Construction Company served as the general contractor. The federal depression era Public Works Administration footed $336,457.33 of the cost with a school bond issue of $412,500 covering the balance.
The building was completed in late November 1938, more than four months ahead of the April 15, 1939 contract deadline. Speedy progress was attributed to good weather conditions. Dedication ceremonies were held August 23, 1939 at 8:30 p.m. The capacity of the building was 1,025 students. A later addition increased the capacity by several hundred. The initial registration was about 800. The first day of school was September 5 with the first bell sounding at 8:30 a.m. Students were dismissed that day at 11 a.m. with regular hours being implemented the next day.
The Toaz building was the first junior high school in Suffolk County. After it was closed, the Huntington School District eventually sold the site to Touro Law School, which operated out of the facility for more than 20 years. Two years ago the Good News Church bought the building and surrounding land after Touro moved to a new facility in Central Islip.
Mr. Lau never attended Toaz and he obviously never met Mr. Toaz, who passed away nearly 75 years ago. But, now the two are linked forever by virtue of the award that goes to the top student in the senior class.
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