Longtime Ridgewood Educator Richard “Dick” LaRue Has Passed Away

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood blog has learned thru the Ridgewood High School Alumni Association of the passing of beloved teacher, coach and counselor Richard “Dick” LaRue.  Dick’s commitment to education spanned a lifetime.  He began his career at RHS teaching English and Spanish, in addition to coaching soccer and track, from 1953 to 1958.  After almost 20 years away, Dick returned to RHS in 1977 to serve as a guidance counselor until his retirement in 1990.

After learning of Dick’s passing, a Class of 1985 RHS alumnus reached out to Dick’s son, Rick, and relayed the influence Dick had on his life.  The alumnus stated,  “I am not sure how often one can say that a guidance counselor is beloved, but that is how students felt about your dad.  Yes, he made the lives of thousands of people better, including mine.  His impact on the lives of his students (and colleagues) is an incredible legacy in and of itself.”  Rick was touched by his statement and said RHS meant so much to his Dad and their family.

Obituary:

Richard “Dick” LaRue, a local high school educator for four decades, died on November 17 in Mission Viejo, California. He was 94.

LaRue opened and closed his Bergen County career at Ridgewood High School, starting as a Spanish and English teacher from 1953 to 1958. He also coached the boys’ soccer and track teams, taking the former to the Division IV state finals three years in a row, winning in 1957. He returned to RHS in 1977 as a Counselor, after stints as Counselor and Director of Guidance at Glen Rock HS (1958-70), during which time he was named NJC Coach of the Year in 1961, and as Director of Guidance at Ramsey HS (1973-77). He also served in posts in St. Petersburg, Florida to broaden his expertise (e.g., in admissions at now Eckerd College). He retired from county service in 1990.

In “retirement” he was an admissions counselor at Centenary College (now University) in Hackettstown, NJ, before relocating in 1991 to Cary, NC, where he was an honored volunteer in the guidance offices and as assistant track coach at Cary HS and Apex HS. In 2009 he moved to Mission Viejo, CA.

LaRue was born on May 1, 1929, in Somerville, NJ and grew up in Verona. He attended Bucknell University, where he double majored in English and Spanish. In 1950 he married fellow Bucknellian and Ridgewood resident Barbara Planz, also born in 1929. He earned his M.A. in Education from the University of California at Berkeley in 1953.

His interests beyond family and work included tennis, bridge, reading, rock collecting and Mark Twain, whom he would portray for schools and community groups.

Survivors include “Bobbie,” his wife of 73 years (Mission Viejo, CA); three children, Debra Hohener (Santa Ana, CA), Terri Erb (Prescott, AZ), and Richard “Rick” LaRue, Jr. (Silver Spring, MD); two children-in-law; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dick’s honor can be made to the educational charity of your choice.

 

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