John De Guardi graduated from New York University with a degree in Art Education and later received his MFA from Columbia Teachers College. He began his teaching career at Hicksville Elementary school where he met his wife Anne.

In 1957, John joined the Bethpage High School Art Department and embarked on his 30-year career as an art teacher and department chair. Under his leadership, the course offerings for students expanded in leaps and bounds to include Puppetry, Photography, Ceramics, and Art History.

A turning point in John’s career came in the summer of 1968 when he led a group of Bethpage High School students on a three-week trip to Europe. This became one of John’s passions throughout his life as he led hundreds of high school students, college students, and fellow parishioners to the great cities and museums of Europe.

John served as the Bethpage High School yearbook advisor and contributed his artistic talents to the sets on many of the school’s theater productions. John retired from Bethpage High School in 1987, but his passion for art and for teaching led him to St. Joseph’s College where he continued to inspire art students for the next twenty years.

The capstone of John’s career came in May of 2000 when he became an ordained Deacon in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Center. Today John’s “art students” are his nine grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and his four children and spouses (Mary and Steve, John and Melanie, Liz and Jay, Christina and David).