By James McEvoy, Special Writer
LAWRENCE — School officials took time out of the most recent board of education meeting Wednesday to remember a longtime board member and education advocate in Lawrence.
W. Michael Brindle, who served on the Lawrence Township Board of Education for 21 years over seven terms, died July 13 at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton at age 70.
Thomas Eldridge, school business administrator, said he was a graduate student working within the district in 1992 when he first met Mr. Brindle.
“He was part of the reason I wanted to come back here,” Mr. Eldridge said. “I had the pleasure of knowing him all those years.”
Mr. Eldridge said Mr. Brindle was a force that steered the board and often served as its collective conscience.
“Not that we always needed that, but sometimes when emotions get high Mr. Brindle was often the calm voice in the room,” Mr. Eldridge.
One of Mr. Brindle’s best aspects as a member of the board was being able to understand and embrace both the perspective of the Lawrence Township teachers — he was an educator in the Hopewell Valley School District — but also his fellow board members and district administrators,
“He was just a wonderful human being,” Mr. Eldridge added. “I can still hear him walking down the hallway. It’s not gone for me. It wouldn’t surprise me for me to hear his voice — it would be like home.”
Mr. Eldridge said Mr. Brindle’s passing serves as a reminder of the importance of remembering the members of the board has on education in Lawrence
“We will remember you that way and we value that. It was too late to say that to Mr. Brindle, I wish I had, but you’re here know and that’s the way we feel about the people we work with,” he said.
Board President Kevin Van Hise shared similar sentiments and said he owed much to Mr. Brindle for all the advice he gave through the years.
Mr. Van Hise said despite the fact Mr. Brindle no longer served on the board, he was still proud of the district’s commitment particularly to music and the arts.
Mr. Brindle was a longtime music teacher in Hopewell Valley and is survived by his wife of 46 years, Jean Ann Brindle, who also taught in Hopewell. He is also survived by his daughter, Janet Brindle Reddick, his son-in-law Jay Reddick, a sister Victoria Socha and several nieces and nephews, according to his obituary.
