Roy Ehrlick, a former colleague at IS 143 in Manhattan who passed away earlier this fall, was the most selfless person I have ever known. He was a teacher 24 hours a day and available to students 365 days a year.

At his funeral, we were told by his former students, who are now parents themselves, what he did for them besides teaching them in class. He called them at home to quiz them before an exam. He paid for a student to take an exam for Bronx Science because his parents could not afford it.

He even was in their lives when they went to college by sending them care packages of things their parents could not afford.

All of these stories were told by former students and were accompanied by sobs in the audience. Another former student said he felt as if Roy were his real dad.

Roy will be sorely missed.

Samuel Lichter, retired