Obituaries
Roderick Bickert, Former New Trier Superintendent, Dies at 85
Former colleagues, friends and family say Bickert showed steady leadership during the closing of the Northfield campus in the 1980s due to declining enrollment.
Roderick Bickert, superintendent of New Trier High School who helped guide the district through tough times during the late 1970s and early 1980s, passed away recently at the age of 85, Chicago Tribune reported.
Former colleagues, friends and family say the longtime educator showed steady leadership throughout the closing of the Northfield campus in the 1980s, listening and showing empathy to anyone. Jim Marran, who chaired the social studies department until his retirement in 1993, recalled that Bickert’s greatest strength was his ability as a manager, “he came to the district when we really needed a manager,” Marran told Chicago Tribune.
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