Frank McCourt, the author of Angela’s Ashes, the No. 1 New York Times nonfiction best seller, can add another accomplishment to his resume: winning the Pulitzer Prize.
The former New York City English teacher and first-time author was awarded the prize last week for his memoir, which chronicles his impoverished childhood in Ireland.
Although Mr. McCourt taught creative writing at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan for 15 years, he did not begin working on Angela’s Ashes until he retired in 1988.
Mr. McCourt, 66, spoke last week at the Ethnic Pen--Student Writers Conference in Bay Shore, N.Y., where he addressed more than 500 students from 30 local high schools.
The conference, at Bay Shore High School, is an annual gathering of writers of diverse ethnic backgrounds who provide workshops to students.
Mr. McCourt’s appearance two days after the announcement of the Pulitzer Prize was great timing, said Bay Shore Principal Michael Cohen.
President Sandra Feldman of the United Federation of Teachers has earned her sixth straight term as the head of the largest school union local in the country.
Ms. Feldman, 57, has been the president of the New York City union, which has more than 95,000 members, since 1986. She has been mentioned as a possible successor to Albert Shanker, who was the president of the American Federation of Teachers when he died in February.
The Issaquah, Wash., district has named award-winning superintendent Janet Barry as its new chief administrator. Ms. Barry was named the 1996 Superintendent of the Year for her work with the Central Kitsap schools in Silverdale, Wash., where she has been the superintendent for the past four years. She will replace Bill Stewart, who resigned from the 11,754-student Issaquah district last year. ... John Pacheco, the superintendent of the Greeley-Evans School District 6 in Greeley, Colo., has announced his resignation. Mr. Pacheco, a 24-year veteran with the 14,000-student district, was named superintendent in 1994. He will step down at the end of June.
--ADRIENNE D. COLES acoles@epe.org
