Gene Wick

Gene Wick spent nearly 25 years with the School District of Belleville. In 1975, he began teaching Mathematics and coached boys’ varsity basketball until his retirement in 1999.

Mr. Wick taught the spectrum of Math courses at Belleville High School including Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry, and was instrumental in building up the Advanced Placement Calculus program. Many of his students remember his willingness to help them through their struggles, even if that meant meeting with him before or after the school day. Former students would often seek assistance when back home from college. Bart Morrick recalls, “I personally was able to approach him while in college to get a better understanding in the Calculus and Statistics classes I was taking that were required for me to finish my engineering degree.”

Mr. Wick’s dedication and service to Belleville was evident even during his retirement. After his replacement abruptly left the district during the first quarter, he quickly came out of retirement to gauge the students’ performance and moved them successfully through the curriculum for the rest of that semester. Fellow Wildcat Wall-of-Famer and former colleague LeRoy Freitag remarked, “He had a way of making Math fun.”

Mark Wolff, a former student and basketball player, admired Mr. Wick’s confidence, as both a teacher and a coach, which he was able to instill in others. “I remember taking the AP Calculus exam was almost fun because I felt so confident in my abilities; it presented me with an opportunity to show what I had learned.”

As a coach, Gene won three State Line League Conference Championships (1980-81, 1982-83, and 1986-87). His 1986-87 team finished the year 23-1. He coached numerous All-State Line League Conference individual selections and had several players go on to successful collegiate basketball careers.

Mr. Wick helped in other areas of the district as well, including the Letter Club and as an official starter for home track meets. Morrick remembers, “I can still see him with his fishing hat firing the starter’s pistol!” Gene also served as the official starter for many of the Belleville fun-runs during the annual Community Picnic.

Gene and his wife Susan, also a former Art teacher for the district, raised their three children (Scott, Curt, and Andrea) in Belleville.