Educator, grade school forever linked

Ron Gibson may know all there is to know about Naperville Unit District 203, but his former colleagues say it is he who will never be forgotten.

On Thursday, district leaders dedicated Steeple Run Elementary School to Gibson, the retired associate superintendent who is considered the "institutional memory" of the district.

"If you have a question, Ron remembered the history of your school, a particular family, the personal needs of the teacher . . . and he held the link of knowledge that facilitated workable solutions and win-win decisions to support student learning," said Susan Stuckey, principal of Highlands Elementary.

Gibson joined the district in 1966 as a teacher at Lincoln Junior High School. He went on to serve as principal of Beebe Elementary, district personnel director and the first principal of Steeple Run. He also spent 23 years as the district's associate superintendent of elementary education and helped combine the area elementary and high school districts to create District 203.

Gibson retired in 2004, after spending his last year helping orient new Superintendent Alan Leis.

Leis said Thursday that listing all of Gibson's accomplishments would be "too long, too boring and too un-Ron." Instead, he read a passage from "Winnie the Pooh" in which Pooh and Piglet are walking paw in paw though the forest. He said that's how he sees Gibson.

"Sometimes he told you about the secret bridge across the treacherous union or parent river," Leis said. "Sometimes he kicked you in the rear because you just weren't moving fast enough or he'd encourage you to take a higher and more demanding path along the top of the mountains to do something as a leader you didn't know you were capable of doing.

"Sometimes he just listened and sympathized and told you he was sure you'd figure it out in the end. But always he was there to walk beside you and always he was someone you could be sure of."

Gibson's family members and former co-workers and students packed the Steeple Run gym as school leaders unveiled a plaque that will hang in the school that reads, "A dedicated leader in education who has given a lifetime of service to the children of Naperville, a man who has influenced the lives of many."

Janet Carlson, a teacher at Kingsley Elementary, was once a student of Gibson's and felt his influence firsthand. She said he made her feel like she mattered and had high expectations while still making students feel comfortable.

"He was larger than life in my eyes and full of personality," she said. "There was no time for boredom in his class."

Thursday's ceremony also honored Gene Drendel, a longtime colleague and close friend of Gibson. Drendel, former associate superintendent for secondary education, helped orchestrate the school dedication before his death last month.

Gibson shared stories of his time with Drendel, thanked his family and former co-workers and jokingly asked if the school would hang a banner outside reading "Steeple Ron." He said he loved going to work in the district each day.

"I knew if we hire good people they make your job easier and more enjoyable," Gibson said. "That's really the thing that happened with me. Any successes we've had, any achievements we've had, it's happened because of us all working together."