School Committee Smokers Voluntarily Adopt Hallway Smoke Breaks to Protect Health of Colleague Charles Saraca-August 21, 1980

The voluntary gesture directly addressed health concerns raised by fellow member Charles C. Saraca, a 62-year-old retired shoe store owner and 75-year local resident who had much of one lung removed due to emphysema and had previously threatened to resign from the committee because indoor secondhand smoke severely compromised his breathing.

“If Charlie is having trouble breathing, we’ll simply take our cigarette breaks outside,” Berkowitz remarked. Saraca, who had arrived at the meeting prepared to defend his health by setting up a portable air purifier and a fan on the table in front of him, was visibly moved and pleasantly surprised when he noticed ashtrays stacked neatly on a side table instead of being used. “I’ve got a few good years left and I don’t want to lose them because of smoking… I appreciated it and commended them,” Saraca said, noting it was the first smoke-free meeting in years.

Just a month prior, the committee’s smoking majority had rejected a formal ban proposed by member Joseph Pentowski. However, without any prior public announcement or formal vote, the four smokers altered their stance. Berkowitz, who had previously maintained she could not endure a meeting without smoking, explained that the group reached the decision organically without prior coordination. The first scheduled break occurred one hour and forty minutes into the session at the suggestion of Chairman William F. Pudsey, allowing the smokers to step outside briefly before resuming business. Pentowski praised the outcome, noting, “Doing things voluntarily is always the best route. Maybe this is a step in the right direction.”

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger