George G. Dorsty, 80, passed away on March 10, 2024. He was born in Philadelphia, PA to George and Elean Dorsty, and grew up on the north shore of Long Island, NY. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Lee Dorsty.

George was a Cold War veteran and served for four years in the US Air Force as an Intelligence Analyst. He left the service and relocated from Zweibrucken, Germany to his home of Long Island, NY with daughter Dawn and his first wife, Vera. He returned to college at SUNY Stony Brook in 1966 to complete his B.A. and M.A. degrees, both in English Literature. After receiving his teaching certificate, he taught briefly at Commack H.S., but was quickly selected to be part of the diverse 16-teacher staff at the experimental, student-centered Shoreham-Wading River (SWR) Middle School founded in 1972. George was first and foremost an English Teacher, but he had diverse talent, and was also the founder of the SWR Middle School Theater and SWR Community
Theater Programs. The latter he worked on with his second wife Robin, with whom he had his son, David.

His great love though, was the written word. His first love was Jack Kerouac’s “Dharma Bums” which he read at age 16. He counted Gary Snyder and Jim Harrison, both of whom he met, as early influences. He joked about being a terrible student as a child, saying that he found solace in reading and wandering the woods of Long Island. With his special understanding of the difficulties some students have, he was able to meet students where they were by appreciating their strengths and limitations. He spent his life trying to imbue his students with the same love and appreciation for reading that he enjoyed.

Reading for him was a gift, a means to understanding and exploring nature and humanity. He enjoyed the factual and the fantastical, but he was adamant that all factual reading be done with an eye on challenging assertions and ensuring truth. He also imparted this need for analytical thinking to his students. George retired from public school teaching after twenty-seven years, but the call to teach was too strong. He became an Adjunct English Professor at Suffolk County Community College (NY), and after relocating to Virginia to be near his daughter, taught at Thomas Nelson Community College. After forty-eight years of teaching, his career culminated in 2020, as Adjunct Professor of English at Christopher Newport University where, loved by students, his “Walt Whitman And The Beat Generation” course was always one of the first to fill up.

George was a published poet, preferring the sensibility and deceptive complexity of Japanese Haiku. He published four works of his own, the last being the collection, “the birds sing anyway” in 2019. Many of his haikus were translated and published around the world and he was included in numerous magazines and anthologies, as well as the book, “Lights of City and Sea: An Anthology of Long Island Poetry”.

Left to cherish his memory are his daughter Dawn Dorsty Young (Bill), his son David Thomas Dorsty (Diana), grandchildren Liam and Kira Young, his sister Dale Dorsty and nephew Daniel Powell, his many cousins, and his constant companion–his dog Tricksy. Dawn and David would like to express their eternal gratitude to his steadfast companion Dana Cousins, who took care of him every day and made him laugh. Special thanks to his oldest and dearest friends, Pru Mainor, David Durgin, Graham Everett, his long time teaching partner Len Schutzman, as well as his friend Jim Cornette and so many others who kept him company through daily calls, texts and letters. Many thanks to Patti Hansen at K.A.R.M.A Rescue for giving Tricksy a home. Thanks to his favorite nurse, Torey Hurst, at Riverside Peninsula Cancer Institute – Infusion Center, and all the other talented doctors and nurses who cared for him over the last three years.

At his request, there will be no funeral or memorial service. Memorial donations may be made to Keeshond Affiliated Rescuers of the Mid Atlantic (K.A.R.M.A. Rescue) at https://www.tmcfunding.com/funds/george-g-dorsty/9644/. If you would like to honor his memory, teach a child to read, adopt an animal in need or just simply be kind to a stranger.