William Brobst, 72, longtime English teacher in U. Darby

William C. Brobst taught from 1960 until retiring in 1998.
William C. Brobst taught from 1960 until retiring in 1998.
By Walter F. Naedele, Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted: August 04, 2011

William C. Brobst, 72, an English teacher at Upper Darby High School from 1960 until he retired in 1998, died of complications from lung cancer Saturday, July 30, at his home in Upper Darby.

Born in Shenandoah, Schuylkill County, Mr. Brobst graduated from Ringtown (Pa.) High School in 1956. He earned a bachelor's degree in English at Muhlenberg College in Allentown in 1960 and a master's in education at Temple University in 1965.

Mr. Brobst was yearbook adviser at Upper Darby High from 1965 to 1975 and program coordinator for the English department there from 1987 to 1998.

His wife, Diana, said that in the 1970s and 1980s, Mr. Brobst also traveled to the Princeton headquarters of the Educational Testing Service to read and grade student achievement tests.

In 1993 at Cheyney University, he earned a supervisor's certificate, which, his wife said, was a requirement for him to continue as a program coordinator.

For 20 years, she said, he was a member of the committee that recommended applicants to the Mendenhall-Tyson Scholarship Foundation, organized to provide grants to Upper Darby students.

He was an adviser, from 1986 to 1998, to Upper Darby High teams that engaged in academic competitions against teams from Delaware County public and parochial schools.

In January of his retirement year, Upper Darby High named him its Special Person of the Month.

Mr. Brobst's avocation was fishing, which he did for more than 30 years in the lakes of La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve near Val d'Or, Quebec.

In 1983, she said, he caught and mounted a 43-inch, 36-pound Northern pike, which has been a fixture of the household ever since.

Besides his wife of 49 years, Mr. Brobst is survived by a daughter, Stefanie; his stepfather, Roy Fenstermacher; and a sister.

A visitation was set from 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, at the Frank C. Videon Funeral Home, Sproul and Lawrence Roads, Broomall, before an 11 a.m. memorial service there.

Contact staff writer Walter F. Naedele at 215-854-5607 or wnaedele@phillynews.com.

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