U-46 teacher retires after nearly 50 years with district

Walking out the same doors he first entered as a kindergartner, Gordon Whiting bid a final farewell Wednesday to the Elgin school and district where he spent nearly 50 years as a student and a teacher.

Whiting began his journey at Garfield Elementary School in Elgin in the fall of 1961. He retraced his steps on the last day of classes, joining the throngs of eager students rushing to begin their summer break.

His 91-year-old mother, Janet Whiting of Elgin, was there waiting for him, just as she had been the day 5-year-old Whiting started kindergarten.

"She walked me there on the first day," said Whiting, now 60 and living in St. Charles.

Whiting attended Ellis Middle School in Elgin and graduated from Elgin High School in 1974. Earning a bachelor's degree and teaching certificate from Elgin Community College and Northern Illinois University, he worked some odd jobs as a horseshoer, printer and grocery store clerk.

Whiting said he always knew teaching was his calling. In 1981, he began teaching social studies at Abbott Middle School and then Elgin High School for 33 years.

He was inspired to join the profession after seeing his high school history teacher, Jim Wallace, in action. "He just made it so enjoyable. I thought that's what I want to do," Whiting said.

At Elgin High, Whiting is a favorite of students, best known for his Theodore Roosevelt impersonation and the Hawaiian shirts and cargo shorts he wears every day, Principal Jerry Cook said.

"In fact, much of the staff dressed 'like Gordy' today to commemorate his time here at school," Cook said. "He is a fun loving teacher who never forgot that school should be about enjoying learning."

Whiting was among nearly 120 Elgin Area School District U-46 employees - including teachers, bus drivers, coaches, lunch supervisors, secretaries, administrators, and paraprofessionals - who retired Wednesday.

"It's time to move on," he said. "It just went by very rapidly. I had an excellent time here. I was always treated well. I felt at home here."