Ken Trainor’s article about the old days and Whittier School hit home with some of us [Principal looks back at how Oak Park has changed, News, Oct. 20]. When we came to Oak Park, all three of our girls — Joan, Lynn and Karen — went to wonderful Whittier, and my wife later worked there as the school psychologist. The teachers, principals and parents were great and worked together. I was drafted to serve two terms on the school board, which was before Galen Gockel, who was mentioned in the article, came on the school board when middle schools were adopted.
However, in my time most of us opposed the middle school concept and agreed with then principal, Neil Sheehan, as to “good local schools, K-8, no buses, all you do is teach the kids, forget several hundred in a single school, etc.” But, even though time has marched on, I would bet that many of us believe that Neil Sheehan’s opinions still have a lot of validity, and that he does not need to say, “But I’m an old guy. . . Forget it.”
Ward P. Fisher
Oak Park
