Longtime Hilltoppers coach turning 90 years old in August

Generations of Glenbard West graduates share fond memories of Coach Dick Nordmeyer who lived in Glen Ellyn, taught PE and coached football and softball for 37 years from the 1950s through the 1990s.

Coach Nordmeyer is turning 90 on Thursday, Aug. 6. Whether giving a rousing pre-game speech, leading a pep rally, or taping ankles in the locker room, Coach Nordmeyer impacted many Glenbard West Hilltoppers and he continues to inspire friends, family and neighbors.

After retiring in 1993, Dick and his wife Elaine moved to a 1790s farmhouse in Vermont and are now an active part of a thriving rural community. Although Coach left Glenbard, he continued to share his love of football with the local Fair Haven Slaters high school team. He is still a loyal Bears fan and continues to this day as a season-ticket holder.

Dick and Elaine have enjoyed family time over the years with their children, grandchildren and one great grandson in Vermont. They welcomed the arrival of their first great grandson Ronan in 2022 and they mourned the loss of their oldest son Mike in 2023.

Many students from Glenbard West PE classes remember Nord’s “Friday Cals” of one pushup, one situp and one jumping jack.

Coach is still working out three times a week at Fair Haven Fitness (Elaine reports that he has several girlfriends there.) And always a music lover, Dick ran Concerts on the Green in Castleton, Vermont for 20 years and lent his deep baritone voice to the Green Mountain Barbershop Chorus and the Trillium Hospice Chorus of Rutland.

If you’d like to send birthday wishes, send a card to Richard Nordmeyer, 2699 Monument Hill Rd.-HUB, Castleton, VT 05735.