The Union County journal. [volume] (Marysville, Ohio) 1875-1951, 1947-05-05

When commencement exercises
are held at nearby Dover Local
high school May 19, it will end
SO years of teaching for Supt.
F. G. Bittikofer, former county
superintendent of Crawford coun-
ty and former head of the Marys-
vile schools.
and if l had my life to live
over again, I'd go right back into
the teaching profession" the vet
eran educator declared to EN-,
phasize his love for it.
One might think that, after so
years of it, Fred Bittikofer would
want to retire. After all, he has
devoted nearly all of his 70 years
to starting boys and girls along
the right pathways of life, and
if he were still teaching in Craw-
ford county, some of his pupils
today would be grandchildren of
his first students.
Not Interested In Retiring
But Mr.. Bittikofer is not inter
ested in retiring-not as long as
there is a need for teachers and
he is able to carry on. He plans
one slight concession to his age;
he has relinquished his duties as
superintendent at Dover, where
he has been school head since
1899.
When classes open next fall,
however, he will continue to
serve as a teacher "They need
men teachers, and l have prom
ised the Board l will not let them
down." he declared.
Supt. Bittikofer starter his
teaching career in the Biddle
school, a one-room country school
near Leesville, in Crawford
county. That was for the spring
term in 1895, and he had 80 pup
lis. Every grade from one through
eight was represented.
The then-new recruit to the
teachers ranks was only 18, him
self just out of high school.
Principal at Sulphur Springs
Then followed succession of
one-room schools until 1900, when
he went to Sulphur Springs, in
Crawford county, as high school
principal. This was a three-room
school and it was here that Mr..
Bittikofer had gotten his high
school education.
For three years he stayed at
Sulphur Springs, then moved to
New Washington-still in Craw-
ford county-as superintendent.
"By coincidence, both the
principal and superintendent po-
sitions at New Washington were
open that year," Mr.. Bittikofer re-
calls. Il went there intending to
apply for the principalship, but
decided as l was walking into
the building, I might as well try
for the superintendency while
I'm at it, And l got the job"
He remained at New Washing
ton until 1909.
Working on Degree
During all these years of teach
ing, Mr.. Bittikofer had been going
to summer school at Ohio North
ern university in an effort to
earn his bachelors degree in ed
ucation. In 1909, he went to Tiff
fin as principal of the Heidlel-
berg college Academy, where he
remained for four years.
1t was while at Heidelberg
that he worked out the remaining
Is semester hours needed for
his college degree and became an
alumnus of Heidelberg. Prior
to going to Tiffin, he had taught
at the Wooster college Summer
School for six summers. About
1900 students were enrolled there.
Mrs. Bittikofer was also a mem
Der of the summer school faculty,
teaching basket weaving in the
manual arts department.
Works Toward Life's Goal
Upon completion of his work at
Heidelberg, Mr.. Bittikofer re-
turned to his home county, as
county superintendent. That was
in 1914 and he was finally in a
position to accomplish his life
long ambition-to make high
school education available for
farm boys and girls.
When / went to school, and
until 1914 the one-room schools
were just about all that were
available for farm children" Mr..
Bittikofer points out. Il received
my own high school education by