Leonard J. Tyl ’50
Leonard J. Tyl, Uncasville, CT, died December 25, 2024.
A Korean War veteran, Len was an accomplished student-athlete during his time at Saint Michael’s and went on to make a real difference in public education as an educator and administrator. The middle school in Montville, CT, is named for him.
Born in West Rutland, VT, Len married Cecile in Burlington in 1951while on leave from his service with the Army and they spent 73 happy years together, raising five children.
His parents emigrated to Vermont from Poland, and Leonard was very proud of his Polish heritage. He graduated from West Rutland High School in 1946 and was the first in his family to attend college. He spent his life serving his communities in education including teaching and administration. After Saint Michael’s he received advanced degrees from the University of Vermont (master’s) and the University of Connecticut (Sixth Year).
From 1950 to 1952, he served in the U.S. Army with the 45th Division during the Korean War. He spent two years in Japan and Korea. Upon discharge as a sergeant, he received the Commendation Medal for meritorious service. Leonard continued to communicate with his “Army buddies” long after he left the service. They often met in different regions of the country for reunions.
Leonard taught in public schools in Vermont and Connecticut for 37 years. His first teaching assignment from 1953 to 1955 was in the Canadian border town, Canaan, VT. He taught a variety of subjects and coached women’s and men’s athletic teams. From 1955 to 1959, he served as the principal of the Marshfield (VT) Public Schools. It was a small school system and as such Leonard administered the grade K-12 school and taught various classes as the need arose.
In 1959 to 1965, he served as the first assistant principal in East Windsor (CT) High School. There he performed many administrative duties which paved the way to further professional advancements. The staff of the school had a saying they used when trying to solve a problem after Leonard left the system: “What would Mr. Tyl do?”
In 1965 he became the principal at Montville (CT) High School. After one year, he became the school system’s first assistant superintendent. Upon the death of the superintendent, Dr. Charles Murphy in 1972, Leonard was appointed as the Montville Public Schools superintendent and served in that capacity for 17 years retiring in 1989.
He established many new programs during his tenure as superintendent including implementing the first computer programming class at the high school. He was honored for his distinguished career by having Montville’s middle school named after him. The Leonard J. Tyl Middle School opened for business in the fall of 1992. Leonard was instrumental in the planning and building of the school even after retirement.
Education was the perfect fit for Leonard’ s personality. He left positive marks on the faculty and staff in all his positions. He was especially proud of his career in Montville where he hired exceptional staff and, with their assistance, initiated many programs which enabled students to be successful in many fields after graduation.
Len was an active member of St. John Catholic Church, Uncasville, and once was named Rotary Citizen of the Year in his community. He was a President’s Medallion supporter of the College.
A son predeceased him. He is survived by his wife of 73 years, Cecile, a son, three daughters and extended family.