Edward R. Szetela

While attending high school my father passed. Igave up on life and dropped out of school. Six months later Mr.Szetela convince me to come back to kecoughtan high. He was more than a teacher to me. john hildebrand

Judith Patricia Dupre Paranuk

I am very sad to hear of Mr. Szetela's passing. Thank you Debbie for letting us know. I had not seen it in our obituaries. I will try to make the funeral on Friday.

He was a grumpy old bear many of the times I saw him in the halls or in the office (I guess we did drive him crazy!!), but he did have a good heart. He certainly brought to mind many good memories of my KHS days.

I remember him tearing up in the gym, when our class president died unexpectedly, and he had to make the announcement to all of us. I will never forget that day.

May you rest in peace Mr. Z....you will be missed by all of us who went to Kecoughtan.

Thomas Lawson Cline (Stroup, Jr.)

I am sorry to learn of the passing of our KHS principal, Mr. Edward R. Szetela, of Hampton, Va., on April 6 at age 91. His obituary appears in today's "Daily Press," April 9, 2015.

Of my many memories of him, the most dramatic one is from Nov. 22, 1963, when his emotional voice came over the school P.A. to announce that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas. He played a live radio feed so that all the school could learn the details as they unfolded and were reported. After JFK was pronounced dead, all the reporting paused for a moment for the playing of "Hail to the Chief."

Mr. Szetela was later promoted to superintendent of Hampton Public Schools.