Condolences for
Michael Hopewell Gurysh

Here I am, another one of Mr. Gurysh's biggest fans. I, too, entered the field of math education due to his influence. He was my junior high school teacher (2 years); he was the BEST teacher I EVER had. I found myself using his corny jokes (eg, "Sanka very much" - mixture word problems) in my own classroom. I even referred back to the meticulous notes I had taken during his classes to present the material in the same way he had. I was very fortunate that he and Ro stayed in touch with me over the years. I witnessed first hand the love for each other within his wonderful family. He will always be in my thoughts and memories. ALWAYS. My condolences to Ro, Mike Jr., Stephanie, and his grandchildren - he adored you and was so proud of you all - and to his brothers.

Melinda Wolff
UD ' 71

Mr. Gurysh was my absolute favorite teacher at Upper Dublin High School and he was the one who turned me from a math dud into a "STEM-lover (Science-Technology-Engineering –Math) for life.

I remember the pivotal moment clearly. The Algebra II class was working independently and I was sitting at a work table ready to pull my hair out yet again over some seemingly impossible problem I thought I'd never be able to solve.

He was walking around the room checking on people and he saw my frustration, looked at my paper, looked at me and said "Come on, Darla. You're smarter than that. Remember to do it like this...." No coddling, no pity talk, no condescension -- Not Mr. Gurysh, not ever! He genuinely believed I could do it, so I believed I could do it.

My grade went from a low 'C' to a high 'A' and I've loved math and computers ever since. I even took extra classes with him over the summer just to learn more and ended up having him again for Trigonometry and Calculus.

I have been a very happy and fulfilled Information Technology executive for the past 25 years and I credit my love for the field in large part to Mr. Gurysh and his way of demystifying math. He was a great man!

Sincere condolences to the Gurysh family, especially Stephanie. I fondly remember competing with her in the triple-jump during Spring Track and Field season, though I use the word “compete” very loosely since Stephanie was literally leaps and bounds ahead of me!

My prayers and blessings go out to you all.

Darla Mitchell Wolfe
UDHS class of 1985

Mr. Gurysh was a phenomenal teacher, he completely reversed my feelings about my intelligence and abilities in math. Until I had him in 9th grade I was convinced I was dumb and just couldn't do math. Not only was I able to learn but excelled in his class earning A's. He kept us interested, entertained, and educated us. I've told my own students about my awesome math teacher in Junior High and said learning can be fun but we have to work at it too. He looks so happy and peaceful in this picture and just like I remember. Prayers to his family and friends. Upper Dublin was lucky to have him for 37 years and the lives of every student was made better for having him as their Teacher.