Richard Toppe

Guilford High School

Class of 1969

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First Name	Richard
Last Name	Toppe
Graduation Year	Class of 1969
Gender	Male
City	N/A
State/Province	IL
Country	United States
Occupation	Teacher
Married	Yes
Favorite School Memory	First date with Mary Anne Beattie who later became my wife.
About Me	After graduating from the U of I, I returned to Rockford and worked as a social worker at Rosecrance Home for five years. I began attending Rockford College in 1977 and obtained my teaching certificate. I taught first grade at Welsh School in the Rockford Public Schools. In 1983, I took a teaching position at Brookview School where I have continued to teach in the primary grades. Mary and I have remained living in Rockford, most of the time just two blocks from Mary's childhood home. We enjoyed many years staying in close contact with our parents. And then came that difficult stage that many of you understand; helping aging parents through their last challenging years. Mary and I had our first child when we were 34 and our second when we were 43! Not exactly the plan, but it has turned out to be a perfect arrangement for our family. If all goes well, I will spend my first year of retirement shadowing our son through his senior year of high school, learning what I should have in 1968-69. At least that's what I keep telling him! Finally, I have been fortunate to have maintained my friendships with two great Guilford running teammates, Phil Snoy and Bruce Ross-Shannon. Bruce, Phil, and I have rafted together in the Grand Canyon. Phil and I have cycled in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and many states out east. A wonderful wife and life-lo...(read more)