Hommocks Auditorium Renamed in Tribute to Former Principal

by Debbie Manetta, Mamaroneck Schools spokesperson

(October 22, 2008) In a moving tribute to former Hommocks principal Rick North, the Hommocks auditorium was renamed on Friday, October 17 at a special dedication ceremony falling on the 40th anniversary of the middle school. The Richard F. North Auditorium was abuzz with retired Mamaroneck school district teachers, former assistant superintendents and administrators from Mr. North’s tenure, 1980-2001. (See: Obituaries: Richard North.)

Superintendent Paul Fried, School Board member Nancy Pierson, Gloria North and Kelly North were at the unveiling of a portrait of former Hommocks Principal Rick North by Diane Nelson, a Mamaroneck teacher.

“Although I did not know Rick North personally, as I came to the district several years after his retirement, I can tell you that his legacy is one I immediately became aware of when I became superintendent in Mamaroneck,” said Superintendent Dr. Paul R. Fried, who talked about the former principal as an advocate for arts education and the overall well being of the middle school child. “Under Rick’s tenure, he had a vision to construct a state of the art auditorium and here we are this evening, looking back and remembering the leadership role he took to make sure that the space we are in tonight, this place where imagination can take flight, became a reality – and that is what happened in 2002.”

In addition to Dr. Fried, other speakers included retired Hommocks Assistant Principal Mary Lawrence, current Hommocks Principal Dr. Seth Weitzman, current Hommocks Assistant Principal Larry Keane, Board of Education member Nancy Pierson, and former Assistant Superintendent Cal Schlick. North’s family -- his wife Gloria and her daughters, as well as his daughter Kelly -- were in the audience.

Dr. Weitzman listed some of the artists and speakers who have performed in the auditorium since it opened, including a Def Jam poetry troupe, the West Point Band, Brazilian and Chinese dance companies, the Semi-Royal Shakespeare Company and Ruby Bridges, the then eight-year-old African-American girl depicted in Norman Rockwell’s famous painting as she walked to elementary school under the escort of federal marshals. Dr. Weitzman stated, “With more performances like these in the future, I’ll glance at the faces of 600 children in the audience, and I’ll look up at Rick’s portrait, soon to be unveiled, and I’ll know Rick would be pleased.”

Former staff members described their interactions with Mr. North and how fond they were of working with him. A video presentation captured the "essence of Rick North." The Hommocks Singers and Mamaroneck High School String Quartet contributed special performances to the evening.

“The video captured Rick’s qualities of insightfulness, wisdom, thoughtfulness, intellectualism, humor, compassion and empathy,” said Dr. Schlick. “Tonight, as we leave the Rick North Auditorium, let us be grateful to have shared a place in time with a truly grand and truly unforgettable man.”

Dr. Schlick went on to put bring in the audience to tears, as he recited a poem he wrote just after talking to Mr. North for the very last time.

“I’m going to share with you something very personal,” Dr. Schlick began. “In his final days, he called some of us to say goodbye. I was one of those persons…. When we finally completed our conversation, I wrote a poem about the things we had discussed and placed it in my Rick folder. I knew this was the last time I would ever physically converse with him.”

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