The Golden Thread

Sisler Ph.D., Robert F

At New York University Robert Sisler received his bachelor's degree in 1949, masters in 1950 and Ph.D. in 1962. His doctoral thesis was on Eugenio Maria de Hostos y Bonilla, an Antillean moral philosopher, whose works were in Spanish, the major field of the writer. Robert Sisler taught Spanish in secondary schools in Cranbrook Academy in Michigan, St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Delaware and Blair Academy in New Jersey. Dr. Sisler then taught Spanish for 29 years where his major theme was the understanding of and appreciation for cultural difference. He served for many years also as head of the Department of Foreign Languages, in the Port Jefferson schools on Long Island, NY. Robert Sisler served the Village of Port Jefferson, since its incorporation in 1962, as member and chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, Trustee and deputy Mayor, and finally as Village Historian up to the present time. For the village, Dr. Sisler restored Roe House (1683), owned by a member of George Washington's spy ring. He has written over a couple of hundred newspaper articles on Port Jefferson history as well as a history entitled The Seven Hills of Port and a book on shipbuilding called Those Half Thousand Great Ships Built in Port Jefferson. He has also written a book called Long Island's Contribution to the Development of Radio and Television. As clerk of Peace and Social Action at the Conscience Bay Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) in St. James, Robert Sisler has continued his interest in ethics as started with his doctoral work.. Dr. Sisler married Patricia Hansell, and they have three children and two grandchildren.