It is such an honor to be up here today to represent our dad, Mr. Darrell Fitch, as an inductee into the Wildcat Wall of Fame. My name is Charlie Fitch and I am here with my sister Laurie Lasure, her husband Ken Lasure, and my sister Shay Kyes.
Laurie - retired Speech and Language Pathologist in the Somerset School District
Ken - retired Principal in the Spring Valley School District
Shay - Reading Interventionist in the Cadott School District
Charles - Business & Information Technology Teacher in the Fall Creek School District
Julie - Spanish Teacher in the Fall Creek School District
We would like to thank members of the selection committee Mr. Perry, and the Young Samaritans Club. We were extremely impressed with the high school students' competence, preparation, and professionalism as they contacted us about the Wildcat Wall of Fame. We would also like to thank Connie Urfer for nominating our dad and making us aware of the Wildcat Wall of Fame.
Growing up with our father as superintendent of Belleville Schools was very special. Laurie, Shay and I would like to share some school-related memories of our dad:
Comments from Laurie:
My dad had such a big heart! You could always count on him to drop everything to be there in a crisis to offer help and to always be a steady, calming, reassuring presence.
I have great memories of supporting many school and community activities with my family, especially Belleville's 1976 Bicentennial Community Celebration of 125 years. My dad grew an amazing beard for the beard growing contest. (Not growing a beard for the celebration meant paying "a fine".) Our mom sewed Colonial American costumes that our entire family wore in the parade and to the community-wide dance in the high school gym.
It never seemed important to my dad to be recognized for his accomplishments. He valued the Belleville School system and community, and worked tirelessly to promote the success of both. He preferred to help set the stage for others to be recognized for their hard work.
My dad's thirty years in Belleville gave him so many opportunities to give to others and to promote value in the Belleville school system and community.
Comments from Shay:
Shay was very proud that her dad was superintendent when she attended school in Belleville. She definitely used it to her advantage. She and her friends used his private bathroom in both his middle school and high school offices frequently to check their hair and do whatever else girls do. Shay said, "The last 30 years of my dad's life was spent in the community of Belleville. It was a very important and integral part of his life. My father was a pillar in the community because he dedicated his life to creating a community with a strong, successful school district. Another goal of his was to bring people together by establishing a swimming pool as well as a bowling alley, restaurant and softball fields.
My absolute best school memory of my dad was during my high school graduation ceremony in 1986 when Mr. C.H. Hageman was handing out diplomas on stage. When it was my turn, he told my dad to come up to the microphone and handed him my diploma. My dad announced my name, and we gave each other a big hug. It was an emotional moment I will never forget.
In the Belleville Recorder after his death, the headline read "Belleville Schools Chief Was Beloved." Mr. Stiner, Shay's 6th grade teacher quoted, "he showed up at athletic events and at concerts and made his
appearances." "Everybody knew Mr. Fitch because of his stature," says Stiner. "He was about 6' 5", about 240 pounds and a very friendly face - a very friendly face."
Comments from Charlie:
Because my dad was so involved with the school I also became quite involved over the years. He was definitely an influence in my career choice of education. After graduating with a business degree from UW-Whitewater, I started working at the bowling alley. My dad approached my friend Randy and I and said we are really short bus drivers. How about you guys getting your license and filling in around your bowling alley work schedule. I ended up driving a lot of miles including my own am/pm route and many extra-curricular trips and field trips. One of my favorite trips was the annual Chicago Trip with the German Students with Frau Brown (Monika). I also started the annual Noah's Ark trip each summer. I always enjoyed the bus trips during the school year but there wasn't much going on for trips during the summer. remember approaching my dad about taking some students to Noah's Ark because I thought it would be fun. He was all for it and said we needed to tie it into some program at school. He decided to call it an AODA trip and off we went. I enlisted the help of another bus driving friend, Barb Funseth and we volunteered our driving skills. The trip lasted for 30 years. When I moved up to Fall Creek I came back each year to drive. The last few years I gave up my bus license and simply met the Belleville crew in the Dells with my kids and their friends. I met many students and adults from Belleville through this trip including Ms. Alsteens.
Hanging around the school environment made me realize I wanted to be a teacher. I approached my dad and asked if there was any way I could try teaching summer school. He said there was a need for computer classes and it would work as long as no other teachers applied. I had an awesome summer and decided to go back to UW-Whitewater and earn my teaching degree.
I continued bus driving, coached 6th grade basketball and assisted with high school football - all things to add to my resume.
The school district built the swimming pool and needed someone to manage it. It was a perfect fit for me. There was also a need for a certified teacher to help teach swimming lessons so I spent a few summers at the pool.
Through all of my experiences in Belleville, I met many wonderful people - both young and old. I loved Belleville. Even after I got my teaching job in Fall Creek, I came back and worked summers in Belleville. After my father died, it was different. I came back one more summer and realized it was time to move on. I would not have been a Business and Information Technology teacher for 31 years without the influence of my dad and the experiences I had at the Belleville School District .
My siblings and I would like to share some of our thoughts for the soon to be Class of 2023 graduates of BHS. Follow Your Dreams and Passions in life. As you strive for success, you will i1: t illlllai face some setbacks along the way. You will need clearly defined goals to work towards, and before you take on the future, don't forget to reflect on all you have accomplished. We encourage you to take what you have learned and move forward with confidence. We need our family and friends as pillars of support, especially in difficult times. Having a strong network of supportive family and friends will help guide you to a successful future.
I would like to end with two quotes from co-workers/friends that our dad, Darrell Fitch, worked closely with:
The first quote is from Annette Ruppert, high school and school district secretary. "In the 30 years I worked with Mr. Fitch, I will remember him for his very keen math & business mind, and the ability to be compassionate to his employees' needs, no matter how busy he was." "Even when we were in a great rush to meet report deadlines, he kept his great sense of humor."
The second quote is from Mr. Carl Molter, 2020 Wildcat Wall of Fame Inductee, Science Teacher, Athletic Director, and family friend ''I'm certainly going to miss him. He gave us a bowling alley, he gave us a pool, and he kept the standards of the school up to where they should be. It's going to be hard to replace him, I'm sure of that."
My family and I would like to thank you all again for including us in this day of celebration and for honoring Darrell Fitch through his induction into the Wildcat Wall of Fame. He will always be remembered by us and by the amazing Belleville Community. We would also like to wish good luck in the future to the Class of 2023 and GO WILDCATS!!!
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