Saratoga Springs - Pioneering educator Florence Andresen died on December 25, 2019 with her loving nephew Bill Baumann by her side at Saratoga Hospital in Saratoga Springs, New York.  A lifelong barrier breaker, she was the lone female student in Hofstra's graduate program in school administration in 1959. She became the first female principal of Long Island's Glen Cove High School in 1978 before advancing to district superintendent in 1986, one of the first women in New York State — and among a handful nationwide —to hold that position.

After teaching English for a number of years, Andresen scaled the administrative ladder at the Glen Cove City School District, using the keen intellect, no-nonsense leadership and fierce devotion to students that would become the hallmark of a storied 34-year career.

As principal of Glen Cove High School in the 1970s, she diffused racial tensions that were fanned during student anti-draft protests. Andresen addressed the issues head on, bringing together students and community leaders in a problem-solving summit. This, along with her recruitment of athletes to promote nonviolent conflict resolution, earned Andresen a citation from the Nassau County executive.  Selected chair of a statewide commission to help teachers build conflict-resolution programming, she became one of its most influential ambassadors.

Andresen consulted with pedagogy scholars to develop innovative programs that accommodated different "learning styles" and was an early proponent of team-teaching. She introduced an intra-district high school television system, added a first-of-its-kind adolescent wellness program and established "alternative high school" for at-risk youth.  Among the prominent figures Andresen recruited to speak to Glen Cove students was Dr. James Watson, the Nobel Prize-winning co-discoverer of DNA. Her efforts dramatically reduced the academic failure rate and behavior problems in the district. The gratitude of countless parents was summed up by a speaker at a PTA scholarship event, who said of Andresen: "Her contribution to the education of our children cannot be measured."

Andresen's numerous awards include 1987 Nassau County Woman of the Year; selection as one of Executive Educator magazine's Top 100 School Executives in North America (1984); the Charles F. Kettering Foundation Distinguished Educator Award (1981, 1984, and 1985); the Newsday Distinguished Educator Award (1989); and Long Island University's Distinguished Educator of the Year (1991), in recognition of her contributions as an adjunct professor of educational administration and leadership. In honor of Andresen's extraordinary service, the city of Glen Cove, in collaboration with the school district, renamed a thoroughfare adjacent to the high school "Florence Andresen Way."

After retiring, Andresen moved to Saratoga Springs, New York, where she continued supporting education as a volunteer and philanthropist. Named a Paul Harris Fellow by Saratoga Springs Rotary Club in 1995, she was elected the organization's first female president the following year. She was a founding member of the Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation and served as its longtime VP for fundraising. In 2005, Andresen received the Rotary Lifetime Achievement Award.

A proud alumna of Skidmore College, she served as a trustee, vice president of annual giving on its Alumni Association Board of Directors and chair of the Palamountain Scholarship Benefit.  She was honored by the Alumni Association with an Outstanding Service Award in 2002 and was named trustee emerita in 2008. Along the way, Andresen and several classmates initiated an award-winning renovation of a historic property to create Skidmore's Alumni Memorial Garden. In 2017, she was recognized with the College's Jacki Jung '61 Award for Lifetime Service.

She is survived by nephew Bill Baumann and great-niece Jackie Baumann.

Family and friends are invited to call from Noon to 3 pm on Saturday January 25, 2020 at the William J. Burke & Sons Funeral Home, 628 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. A memorial service is planned for April 18, 2020 at Skidmore College. Burial in the spring will be private.

Memorial contributions can be made the Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation, P.O. Box 4423, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.