Former Sparrows Point High Principal Wayne Burgemeister Dies

A memorial service will be held Saturday for longtime Baltimore County Public Schools educator and administrator G. Wayne Burgemeister.

Burgemeister, who died March 1, was principal of from 1970 to 1977.

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He started his career as a physical education teacher at Kenwood High School in 1951, according to information supplied by school system spokesman Charles Herndon.

After being drafted into two years of military service in November 1952, Burgemeister returned to Kenwood and resumed his duties as a physical education teacher.

He held a subsequent teaching post at before being promoted to vice principal at Kenwood in 1965.

Sparrows Point welcomed him as its principal in 1970. The Pointers enjoyed Burgemeister's leadership until he was named director of pupil services in 1977.

Appointed as an assistant superintendent in 1979, Burgemeister retired in 1984.

This week, he was remembered fondly by former colleagues and students.

Steve Ponzillo, who started his teaching career at Sparrows Point High in 1969, recalled Burgemeister as a friendly and approachable man who believed in "directly involving community members" in the business of the school.

"He certainly served as a mentor and nurtured young teachers new to the business," Ponzillo said in a phone interview Wednesday. "He was an energetic individual and was always visible in the school."

Many Pointer alumni and former colleagues offered condolences on an online registry created for Burgemeister.

"I had the privilege of being Mr. Burgemeister's secretary at Sparrows Point High," wrote Doris Taylor of Bel Air. "He was such a fine man and so beloved by all. So sorry for your loss."

Sparrows Point High Class of 1978 graduate Nancy Leshko Short in the online guest book recalled her former principal as a man who "was always smiling and friendly."

"I've thought and spoke of Mr. Burgemeister often through the years," wrote Dundalk resident Joanne Boyd, a Class of 1978 graduate. "He was so kind and always willing to lend an ear. He was truly meant to be an educator and mentor. My thoughts and sympathies are with the Burgemeister family. I will always remember him fondly as my principal."

Burgemeister is survived by his wife, Claudenia C. Burgemeister (nee Carmen); daughter Lisa B. Wildasin and her husband Daniel; and two grandchildren, according to a death notice in the Baltimore Sun.

He was preceded in death by sister Eileen Scott.

The memorial service will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1609 Kurtz Ave., Lutherville, MD 21093.

The family requests that those desiring make donations in his memory to the church.