Former Dist. 21chief a pioneer who stood up to criticism

Kenneth Gill loved a good battle.

Back in 1968 he took on busloads of John Birch Society supporters and many in his own community when he defended teaching sex education in Wheeling Township Elementary District 21. Some parents slapped on "Gill's Got To Go" bumper stickers and he waved to them as they drove past.

"He was a pioneer," said Gregg Crocker, the interim principal at Cooper Junior High who started with District 21 in 1974 and worked with Gill. "He wanted kids to learn those concepts in school and not out on the street. He had a number of parents who simply weren't dealing with the topic at all."

Gill, 83, died June 1 at his home in Sturgeon Bay, Wis, where he lived after retiring from District 21 in 1980.

Gill was born in the southern Illinois town of O'Fallon. He served in the Navy in World War II and the Korean War. He received his bachelor's degree from Illinois College, his master's from the University of Illinois and his doctorate in education from Northern Illinois University.

While Gill shepherded District 21, it more than quadrupled in size.

When he began in 1959 there were three schools and 1,100 students. By the time Gill retired there were 17 schools and 6,600 students. Influenced by his blind mother, Gill was instrumental in starting a Braille program for blind students in the district. He also helped start a special education program and before- and after-school day care.

At his retirement, Gill recalled that the toughest period he had in District 21 was when the conservative John Birch Society tried to force out the district's sex education program.

Gill's opponents threatened to take the issue to the U.S. Supreme Court, and famed attorney F. Lee Bailey offered to represent District 21 for free. The lawsuit never materialized.

"The issue wasn't sex education, it was Communism," Gill told a reporter when he retired in 1980. "Their propaganda program was unbelievable.

"The sad part about it was that it affected the education program. We were in the forefront of a lot of issues. Part of that was my fault. I've always been outspoken."

Outspoken for all the right people, Crocker said.

"He was a champion of the underdog," he said. "He was never afraid of going nose-to-nose with someone. He always said the smartest people in the district were the guys in the maintenance department."

In November 1980, the school board named the district's administration center "The Kenneth F. Gill Administration Building" in honor of his 21 years of service.

Gill is survived by his wife, Margaret, daughter, Diane Sawyer of Arlington Heights, son, Michael of Highland Park and four grandchildren.

Cards can be sent to the Gill Family in care of District 21, 999 W. Dundee Road, Wheeling, IL 60090. They will be delivered to Gill's family.