Last night, Mr. Russell Fox accepted early retirement from the Highland Community School District. I am sorry to see him leave because in all my years of work, I have never seen a harder worker or a more dedicated individual. Mr. Fox has truly been a treasure for this school district. Over the last 27 years, Mr. Fox has tirelessly worked 18 to 20 hour days commonly, plowing snow at three in the morning, closing the school after an activity at midnight, working on a bus overnight in order to having it running in time for the morning route, checking the building on Saturday and Sunday and being on-call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The money Mr. Fox saved this school district by doing the workload of three people must have run into the millions of dollars. Mr. Fox knew the importance of a clean, safe building. He knew how the building affected the students and how a spotless, sparkling environment could brighten the day and motivate the kids. His efforts helped instill pride in students, teachers and parents alike in their school, in their education and in themselves. I marveled every year at how our district buildings were transformed over the summer with so little time and so few workers, yet every room, every hallway, every closet and office looked almost new for the opening of each school year. A remarkable effort—a remarkable effort, indeed. I cannot remember Mr. Fox ever taking a sick day, except for his hospitalization after a heart attack, which he had on the job at the school. I do not think he ever took a vacation day. No, Mr. Fox worked over and above and far beyond any expectations because he understood the importance of his job and had the drive to do whatever he did to the highest standards. I am only scratching the surface of Mr. Fox’s contributions to the Highland Community School District over the last 27 years. I, for one, appreciated his many sacrifices and his outstanding effort. If you were a student at Highland or a parent of a student at Highland or a patron of the Highland District, I hope the next time you see Mr. Fox that you thank him sincerely, shake his hand and recognize a job well done. Thank you, Mr. Fox. You are that one in a million.
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 16:06:45 +0000
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