Gene Ricci

Our Teachers

A long over due collection of tribute pages to the individuals who accepted the challenge of educating us.

Mr. Gene Ricci

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Paul McCubbin:

He used to give the guys a swat on the back of the head with his ring. It was a badge of honor to be hit in this way and be called a made up word of his: guytudy.

He taught us how to count in binary in 1971 in 6th grade Math Class at Willard School. He prefaced that lecture by saying he wasn’t sure what it was going to be used for in the real world. Little did we know that binary would become the basis for the Internet and our digital age. He passed away in 1978.

Chris Keys:

The most influential teacher in my life! I still talk about how he would use that ring to bop me on the head. Remember the plant club where we learned to do plant cuttings and had a mini greenhouse in the classroom?

Jack Zerbe:

OMG…I remember him in that hat!!!! GREAT guy, amazing teacher. He used to call the back-handed ring routine a “love tap.” And yes, the plant club! How the hell did he ever convince the school to let him do that?!

Lisa Harfst:

I remember him as one of the best teachers I ever had. I also remember that not only the boys got the love taps with his ring. Ouch!

Meg Ferreira:

It sure wasn’t only the boys… I was included in that club. Ouch is right!

Fulton Lovin:

Mr. Ricci was the guy everyone wanted for 6th grade….maybe because those geraniums smelled soooooo good…I remember we did a graft of a tall plant with a short one and watched the root systems develop in the plastic bag on the side of the stem…… He was also pretty strict if you were on safety patrol swinging your flag like a baseball bat….felt the ring a few times….but when ever I smell geraniums now….boom…he pops into my head along with our great 6th grade class.