1926 - 2003
Submitted by Jean (Goettelmann) LaPointe Class of 1959
My uncle, Raymond L. Rusch, was born on April 5, 1926, and was raised in Hicksville.
He went to Nicholai Elementary School and later went to Hicksville Junior/Senior High Schools. He graduated from HHS in June, 1943. In April of that year, just prior to his graduation, his principal, Mabel Farley, had him sworn into the V5 Navy Program. Uncle Ray had taken and passed the Navy's testing requirements for the V5 Program and was the youngest person (17 years old) ever sworn into that program. After the Navy, Uncle Ray went to Syracuse University where he majored in History. He graduated from Syracuse University in January of 1949 - and continued to root for his "Orange Men".
He married his childhood sweetheart, my aunt, Edna Giese (HHS 1945) on April 9, 1950. They had one son, Ray, Jr.
Uncle Ray became a teacher at Hicksville Senior High School in September of 1949. He taught American History and Civics for 13 years until he became Assistant Principal in 1962. After four years of being Assistant Principal, he became Principal of the Hicksville Senior High School in 1966 where he remained for 15 years until he retired in June of 1981. When he retired in 1981, he had been with the Hicksville School District for 32 years.
He loved teaching. He loved his students as his "kids" - and his "kids" loved him back. Uncle Ray could be seen on the sidelines at their football games, or chaperoning their school dances or accompanying them on their Senior Trips.
After retirement, he moved to a golfing community in Orlando, Florida and became an avid golfer as well as getting very involved in the social and political affairs of the community.
