VILLAGE OF LIVERPOOL – Frank Sofia was much more than a good teacher. For more than a half century at Liverpool High School, he was an icon. He was an inspiration.
“Frank was all about school spirit,” said his former LHS colleague Joe Riposo who taught music there for three decades. “The classroom was only one aspect, and he taught social studies.”
But Frank understood that extra-curricular activities, student government and athletics were also important parts of the high school experience.
“He started a pep club and was advisor to the student council,” Riposo recalled. “He helped to establish the first senior lounge and organized the homecoming parades. He had a definite impact on many, many students. He made it enjoyable for students to come to school.”
Frank Sofia died Jan. 26, after a convalescence at an assisted-living facility. He was 81 years old.
After spending 35 years in the classroom, he had retired from teaching in 2000, but before long Sofia was asked to return as the LHS stadium coordinator, a position he held for two decades. He also worked tirelessly for the LHS Alumni Association by becoming the go-to person for class reunions, producing a newsletter for graduates called The Smoke Signal and staging an annual alumni dinner dance.
Besides watching sports, he enjoyed cooking, photography and shopping at the Regional Market.
The news of his passing last week triggered an instant outpouring of tributes from Sofia’s former students on social media sites such as the Growing Up in Liverpool Facebook page.
“He was kindness personified,” wrote Debbie Busko Hearne class of ’71.
“Best ever teacher, student supporter and all aound great guy,” wrote Bob Ricks, who added, “I hope he’s buried with a varsity L.”
Hal Wood, class of 1968, recalled a fire-engine red 1966 Pontiac LeMans convertible which Sofia purchased shortly after he began his LHS career in 1965.
“He would lend this gorgeous car to teenagers like me,” Wood wrote. “He even showed us the switch so we could drop the top.”
Mike Barbato, from the class of 1984, remembered how most students referred to Sofia simply as “S.”
“S created a community and tradition at Liverpool High School which was based on kindness, equality and inclusion,” Barbato wrote. “That is difficult to do anywhere but he was able to do that year after year in one of the largest high schools in Central New York.”
Class of ’71 graduate Anthony Joseph – who went on to become an educator himself – called Sofia a “one-of-a-kind gentleman, teacher and human being. His legacy is what future teachers need to aspire to.”
Former student Anne (Wood) Smith put it this way: “Frank Sofia was the epitome of Liverpool High School.”
His faculty colleagues agreed.
Longtime Warriors football coach and athletic director George Mangicaro appreciated the way Sofia handled his job as stadium supervisor.
After the new stadium with its synthetic turf was constructed in 2010, many people wanted to rent the facility in the fall and in the spring.
“He was in charge of scheduling the rentals and supervising all the events from the non-Liverpool athletic activities,” Mangicaro told a reporter. “And he did a tremendous job.”
Sofia was also responsible for supervising the Liverpool Varsity Club which would organize pep rallies, senior banquets and the hall of fame committee.
Former school librarian Susan Kline applauded the way he taught social studies.
“He always brought his students to the library for their government research projects,” Kline remembered. “He made sure every single student had the right materials for his or her project and worked with them to make sure they were successful.”
School board member Nick Blaney, an alumnus of LHS, said he and the board are impressed by the overwhelming number of tributes coming in from the community.
“It’s clear that he touched a a lot of people’s lives,” Blaney said.