Remembering Richard Towell

My first year at Collegiate, I spent a lot of time asking myself the question, “What in the world am I doing here?”
Teaching and coaching wasn’t my first post-college gig, you see. For the previous two years, I’d written sports for the News Leader, the local afternoon newspaper that merged in 1992 with the Times-Dispatch.
 
That job had enabled me to travel regularly, cover events, and conduct interviews. Essentially, I went where the action was, met people with compelling stories, and shared those stories with the public. The experience was enjoyable and fulfilling, it was definitely a dream come true, but there was a voice in my head telling me that education, not sports writing, was my true calling.
 
In 1972, Collegiate gave me a chance, and I took a leap of faith. My landing, though, was rougher than I envisioned. My classroom responsibilities that first year included four Boys School English classes (and three preparations, no less), an 8th grade homeroom, and a well-subscribed last-period study hall that met five days per week in a large space with no air-conditioning that has since been partitioned into three separate rooms.
 
The administration was trying to break me, I surmised. Coaching Cub football, basketball, and baseball, even with the inherent challenges, became my happy time.
 
Feeling quite imposed upon, I did a bit of grousing and venting. Thankfully, Richard Towell was always there to listen.
 
Richard was a math teacher and a respected leader among the faculty. To me, he was a font of wisdom. He’d taught long enough to know the ropes, he understood what made kids tick, and I sensed that, though he could be curmudgeonly at times, he had a warm spot in his heart for a rookie teacher who didn’t always know which end was up.
 
Sometimes, I inquired about a particular student. Sometimes, I asked him how I could fix a teaching strategy that had gone awry. More often than not, I expressed frustration and lamented, “I left the newspaper for this! What was I thinking? I’ll never get this school stuff right!”
 
You know, it’s funny. Looking back all these years, I don’t remember many specific details that Richard passed along. I don’t remember pearls of wisdom or any eureka moment. I do remember that he presented the aura of an older brother who would show me the way, keep me in line, and pick me up when I stumbled. I remember that each time we parted company, I felt renewed, validated, and affirmed. Eventually, I knew I’d made the right career move. Truly, his guidance motivated me to “dig down deeper” and figure out how to become a more effective teacher of English and, more important, of kids.
 
Richard served Collegiate from 1963 through 1987, then St. Christopher’s until his retirement in 2012. He passed away August 12 at 81, and in the aftermath, many who knew him and considered him an icon celebrated his life with tributes and reflections.
 
What follows are reminiscences of several Collegiate colleagues who came on board during tenure and for whom Richard Towell – the inimitable Richard Towell – served as a guide and mentor.
 
Richard was the first person I ran into my senior year in college when I interviewed at Collegiate. He was the master teacher. He encouraged me, supported me, and helped me without looking over my shoulder every second. He couldn’t have been a better department head to work for.
     Charlie McFall
 
Richard Towell and Jeannette Welsh were the Boys School brain trust for mathematics. Between them, everybody experienced a wonderful, challenging education. Richard could be a little gruff, but he was a dynamic teacher. He really believed in kids.
     Alex Smith
 
Richard was definitely an influence on us younger teachers. It was clear that he was open to progressive methods, but he had a pretty sound method himself. He definitely based it on relationships with kids. There was a lot of back-and-forth, but everybody ended up on the same page. A lot of people thought of him as kind of contentious, but that was his way of drawing you out to see what you had to say and if you could defend your position. That’s a pretty good methodology.
     Joel Nuckols
 
Richard cared about the math department. He cared about the faculty. He made me the teacher I am. He made me strive to be the best I could be and make kids better than they thought they could be. I went home every night and was never tired, but I was exhausted, and I loved it.
     Betty Hunt
 
Richard’s seriousness of purpose about teaching was crystal clear. He believed in the sanctity of the classroom. He expected you to work hard. He worked hard himself. We all know he didn’t suffer misbehavior. It was a rare kid that didn’t get that.. As crusty as he could be, it was all bluster and there really was a soft heart in there. He was the consummate guy about learning and a Renaissance man in many ways. I learned so much from him. He definitely was impactful.
     Charlie Blair
   
-- Weldon Bradshaw
 
        
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