Huntington's First Social Worker Passes Away
As the Huntington School District's first social worker, Margaret Crowley blazed a trail that many have since followed. The educator helped countless students and families during her long career and left a lasting impression on her colleagues.
The former Huntington faculty member passed away peacefully on August 9 while surrounded by the family she loved so much. Ms. Crowley was 89. She enjoyed a long and distinguished life marked by many personal and professional achievements.
During her 24 years in the Huntington School District, Ms. Crowley worked with such pioneers as Peter Sepez, Seymour Schpoont and Lester Dubnick. She is remembered in the school district for her professionalism and genuine concern for those she worked with and for her vivacious personality
Margaret May Crowley was born on December 16, 1922 in New York City, the daughter of the late William H. and Margaret B. (Moscovics) Croughan. She was a resident of Weston for the past 17 years, residing in an independent apartment in her son's home.
During her years working in Huntington, Ms. Crowley was known as Marge or Maggie, as she liked to be called by some friends. She graduated from Bishop McDonald High School in Brooklyn, where she met and maintained many friendships for the next seven decades.
Ms. Crowley attended City University of New York-Hunter College, graduating in February 1945 with a Bachelor of Arts in social work. In July 1946 she assumed the position of assistant field director and psychiatric social worker for the eastern area of the American Red Cross. She was based out of Alexandria, Virginia, until June 1953.
During her time with the ARC, Ms. Crowley worked at the Oakland, California and St. Albans, New York Naval Hospitals, as well as at Fort Dix, New Jersey, attending to the needs of U.S. servicemen and women and their families. While in California she studied at the University of Southern California.
After determining her calling, Ms. Crowley pursued a master's degree in social work, graduating from Columbia University in 1951. The following year she married John B. Crowley (the couple divorced in 1975) and began a family, which occupied her time for several years until she joined the Geraldine Pederson-Krag Mental Health Center in Huntington in 1960 as its founding social worker and therapist.
Ms. Crowley was hired as the Huntington School District's first social worker in 1965. She helped legions of students and families until retiring in 1989. During her years in the school system, Ms. Crowley became active in the Associated Teachers of Huntington's, the professional organization of the district's teachers, eventually serving on its executive board. She also became active in the New York School Social Workers Association, serving a term as its president of the statewide organization.
Her daughter, Kathleen Crowley, said Ms. Crowley's many accomplishments "barely scratch the surface" of who her mother "really was." As a child in the Great Depression, Ms. Crowley saw her family reach out to those less fortunate than her own. This passion for helping others undoubtedly influenced her career choice and her involvement as a Guardian Ad Litem in Bridgeport, Connecticut for needy children and families.
Her interest in people sparked Ms. Crowley's desire to travel and see the world. During family vacations in the 1960's and 1970's, she traveled throughout the United States and visited Europe for the first time. She would later return many times to Europe and attended graduate school during the summers of 1977-78 in Lugano, Switzerland as she pursued her doctorate in social work from The International Graduate University (sponsored by the Florida Institute of Technology.)
Ms. Crowley was at her finest and proudest as a lifelong learner adult passenger in the Semester at Sea college programs sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh. She would pack up and be off for four months during each voyage, spending time with dignitaries such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, with whom she co-led a group for students and the Crown Prince of Morocco, among others. Ms. Crowley was happy to counsel the undergraduate students and play the role of grandmother and friend to all. She traveled extensively across the world with Elderhostel and Grand Circle.
Upon her move to Weston, Connecticut, Ms. Crowley became active in the Weston and Westport Senior Centers where she developed many close friendships. She also was an active parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church, serving as a Eucharistic Minister.
Ms. Crowley is survived by her children and their spouses, Kathleen Crowley and William Kerekes of Hempstead, NY, Kevin and Susan Crowley of Weston, CT and Michael and JoAnn Crowley of Black River, NY, as well as five grandchildren, Kieran Kerekes of Hempstead, NY, Brian and Colleen Crowley of Weston, CT and Melissa and Michael Crowley of Black River, NY.
A funeral mass was offered at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Weston on Saturday, August 25 at 11 a.m., followed by a celebration of Ms. Crowley's life at the church's parish center at noon. A private interment will be held on September 1 in Watertown, New York. Donations may be made to the Margaret Crowley Memorial of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a favorite charity of the former Huntington faculty member.