BY GREG ERBSTOESSER
                    Press & Sun-Bulletin

                    BINGHAMTON -- Helen M. Foley,  whose name is synonymous locally with
                    famed television writer and actor Rod  Serling -- one of her former students --
                    died early Friday morning at her West  Side apartment.

                    Miss Foley died of cancer, which had been discovered following a stroke
she suffered in September, family members said. She was 90.

                    Relatives and friends described Miss Foley as an icon of teaching with more than four
                    decades in the classroom. She was also remembered as a driving force in promoting the
                    arts and pushing a person to give his or her best.

                    Miss Foley literally taught thousands in her 42-year teaching career in the Binghamton
                    City School District, and she was a permanent influence on many.

                    "Helen Foley was a giant in her field, and her education affected not only her students but
                    generations of people, not only here but the entire country," former Binghamton school
                    Superintendent James Lee said.

                    "She influenced so many writers, including Rod Serling; her death is a real loss," Lee said.

                    In a fitting salute to his mentor and former teacher, Serling even named one of his
                    characters -- a teacher -- Helen Foley, in a Twilight Zone episode that aired in April
                    1960, said longtime friend Larry Kassan, Binghamton High School director of special
                    projects. Kassan also oversees the Helen M. Foley Theatre at Binghamton High, and the
                    Rod Serling Video Festival.

                    Long after she retired, Kassan said, Miss Foley continued to help him with school
and theatrical projects.

                    Gene Grey, former Press & Sun-Bulletin features writer, said Miss Foley was a legend.
                    "She was such a sweet lady," Grey said. He quipped, "I think everybody in Binghamton
                    had her as a teacher."

                    Grey noted that although Miss Foley was strict, she had a talent to "encourage even shy
                    people and those who never thought of performing to being on the stage."

                    Grey said many people considered Miss Foley their role model.

                    David G. Rossie, Press & Sun-Bulletin columnist and associate editor, once was a
                    student of Miss Foley's. He described her as a teacher, a friend and an inspiration.

                    "I guess the number of people who could truthfully say that would fill a good-sized
                    auditorium. Generations of Binghamton children came out of school better than they were
                    going in because of her," Rossie said. "You can't ask for a better testament to a teacher
                    than that."

                    Miss Foley retired in 1979. In 1986, the city school district dedicated its high school
                    auditorium the Helen M. Foley Theatre.

                    Miss Foley also was a founding member of the Rod Serling Foundation, an organization
                    whose focus is to promote Serling's works. Both she and Serling have stars on the
                    Binghamton Walk of Fame to recognize their accomplishments.

                    Miss Foley, who never married, is survived by a sister, Norma Lawson of Binghamton,
                    and a large family of nieces and nephews.

                    The funeral will be private. A memorial service, open to the public, is planned for 10 a.m.
                    Jan. 17 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 9 Leroy St., Binghamton. A reception will
                    follow at the Binghamton Regency Hotel and Conference Center, One Sabro Square.

                    Memorial donations may be made to Broome County Head Start.