Alan Zemser

Alan Zemser, International School Administrator, Teacher of Teachers, Loving Husband and Father, Dies at 80

On November 11, 2021, Alan Zemser, respected international educator, leader, organizer of life’s details, and a man utterly devoted to his family, passed away suddenly after a long illness.

Born in Brooklyn in 1941, he attended Far Rockaway High School in Queens and earned degrees in education from Adelphi University and Boston University. Newly married, he traveled extensively throughout Europe and was a teacher in Holland and Bolivia. By his thirties, he had embarked on a decades-long career in international education far beyond the comforts of the US Northeast. He mastered the unique art of teaching young graduates how to teach, working throughout a network of American Schools in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. He became a school district superintendent in Israel and Spain, where he was admired for challenging conventions and sidelining poor performers. He managed fledgling schools and filled them with creative young teachers. Among co-workers and throughout school hierarchies, he was a respected leader. In Schenectady, New York, where he worked for 30 years, he was a devoted elementary school principal, teacher advocate, union negotiator, and school auditorium emcee.

Alan Zemser is survived by his wife of 58 years, Annette, his children Amy, Rachel, and Robert, brother Gary, and grandchildren Raymond, Ella, Lucy, and Jonah.

For those wishing to celebrate and remember his life in a virtual memorial service, or to leave a condolence message for the family, please visit alanzemser.com.

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