Former UFT Secretary Tom Pappas, remembered as a “tough as nails” yet deeply kind educator and union leader whose career spanned decades, died on Feb. 13. He was 93.

Pappas began his career as a substitute teacher in Manhattan’s Washington Heights and was appointed as a full-time teacher in 1959. He was active in the early days of the UFT, including during the union’s founding in 1960 and its historic first teachers’ strike later that year.

He went on to serve in a wide range of leadership roles, including chapter leader at JHS 115 in Manhattan and at John Adams HS in Queens. In 1968, he was appointed District 27 representative in Queens, a position he held until 1975, when he became Queens borough representative. Three years later, he was named assistant to the UFT president.

Pappas was elected and served as UFT assistant secretary from 1991 to 1995 and as secretary from 1995 until his retirement in 2002.

After retiring, Pappas continued his union work, leading the Retired Teachers Chapter from 2002 to 2009 and remaining active as a delegate through 2024.

“Tom Pappas was one of a kind,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew said. “He loved our union and gave his heart and soul to making the lives of our members infinitely better.”

In eulogizing Pappas at a March RTC meeting, LeRoy Barr, the union’s recently retired secretary and director of staff, called him “a leader amongst leaders — someone who can take 100 opinions and walk out of the room with clarity, purpose and focus.”

John Soldini, a retired district representative and former UFT vice president, said Pappas was instrumental in strengthening the union over time.

Pappas helped the UFT grow “not only in its initial years, but especially after his retirement, when he transformed the Retired Teachers Chapter into a powerful political force in New York,” Soldini said.

Soldini added that Pappas avoided “long-winded” speeches, preferring to focus on problem-solving and moving discussions forward.

Anne Goldman, UFT vice president for non-DOE and private sector members, said Pappas mentored her when she joined the union from the nursing field and helped set a tone of professionalism and accountability.

“If he said, ‘Jump,’ you’d say, ‘How high?’ and you’d be proud to do it because you felt you were doing something to make the union stronger,” she said.

Tom Murphy, a former UFT political and legislative director and Retired Teachers Chapter leader, said Pappas balanced a gruff exterior with a warm personality. The two became close after Murphy joined the union’s leadership in 1990.

Murphy recalled giving Pappas a framed image of the pyramid and “all-seeing eye” from a dollar bill.

“To me, it captured Tom’s talent of knowing what was going on everywhere in the union and keeping his finger on it,” he said.

AFT President Randi Weingarten described Pappas on Instagram as a mentor and adviser, calling him “honest, direct and full of kindness and love and tough as nails.”

Retiree Nina Tribble said Pappas mentored her after she narrowly won a chapter leader election early in her career. “This is why I give back,” she said. “This is why I’m there for the ones after me.”

“Everyone who had the privilege of knowing him respected him,” Mulgrew said. “Our union will continue to fight the good fight and to do him proud. He would expect no less.”

Pappas is survived by his wife, Nora, four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

To read Pappas’ full tribute and those of other UFT members, go to the UFT Honors website .