Partner Burt Blechman
John T. Marsh (July 27, 1934 - December 12, 2002) was born in Jamestown, NY, the son of the Marion Marsh and Natalie Pantti. He considered himself a nomad since his retirement in 1991. He was a world traveler, having just completed before his death his third voyage with the (100 day) Semester at Sea, a program of the University of Pittsburgh, on which he was not only an adult student, but the University also used him for tutoring in French and assisting in the research library, or especially in the music department. After a career as a juvenile on and off Broadway during his first decade in NYC, Marsh became a 33-year educator with the City of New York retiring from PS 132. For 3 years English as a Second Language was one of his specialties, teaching all ages from kindergarten through college. On several occasions he was “loaned” by the city to the Fullbright Program where he taught for 3 years in N’Djamena, Chad, Africa and 2 summers in Madagascar, as well as 2years in Thessaloniki, Greece, where his influence has resulted in the formation of drama/theatre/film departments at the university. Earlier Marsh had taught teaching skills to students of Brooklyn College (CUNY). At the beginning of his teaching career, he was involved with the deaf and aphasic students and authored a book “Your aphasic child: a practical guide”, published by Chorion Press in 1961. Marsh took a summer job as assistant to Tommy Brent, Producer at Theatre-by-the-Sea in Matunuck, RI in 1968. The next summer he directed “The Fantasticks” and the following summer a series of Sunday Operas at that theatre. He also conducted in NYC’s Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center, and he composed an opera based on the Burt Blechman (Marsh’s 46-year life-partner who pre-deceased him in 1998) novel “How Much” which was performed in Newport, RI.
Marsh was found dead of Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease in his hotel room in Miami Beach, Florida, on December 12, 2002.
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