RIVER FALLS — Ron Nelson, an 86-year-old teacher, opted to retire this spring, rounding out a teaching career in River Falls that dates all the way back to 1970. Nelson first interviewed for a job in the River Falls district in 1969.

“We were starting a wrestling program, and I turned them down, because I didn’t know anything about wrestling,” Nelson said. “The superintendent at the time understood, but he said, ‘If you ever decide to leave Rockford, Ill., will you think of River Falls first?”

A year later, there were English and social studies positions open, which were Nelson’s two majors. He took the middle school social studies position and did not look back. He taught for six years in Rockford, then 30 years in River Falls. He then moved down to Crawford County to live on land that he purchased with his brother-in-law and father-in-law in 1991. In 2015, he sold that land back to his brother-in-law and moved back to River Falls.

After a bit of time away, Nelson returned to the school district as a substitute teacher in 2017 up until his final days before retirement this spring.

“I bumped into Mr. Chapin, the principal at the middle school and of course he was a former student of mine,” Nelson said. “I started subbing at the middle school… then I started going over to the high school.”

Nelson taught English at the middle school on May 27 and social studies at the high school on May 29 for his final two days as a sub, a poetic way to go out.

“I’ve always enjoyed our school district. The kids are very respectful,” Nelson said. “I think that why I like River Falls so much is that our community supports education all the way from the community to the school board, to the administration, to the teachers, they are very pro-education.”

Nelson’s teaching philosophy was to never use sarcasm and never belittle a student in front of their peers.
“A teacher has unbelievable power to influence a student, or you can virtually destroy the student by what you would say to them,” Nelson said.

Nelson has been invited to 50th and 25th year class reunions over the past two years, and loves to attend school concerts, plays and sporting events. Most recently, Nelson attended Sectional baseball in Chippewa Falls on June 9. After senior Ethan Jeffers threw a one-hitter, he handed Nelson the game ball as they took a photo together. Nelson is a frequent rider of the basketball team’s bus for road games. Nelson’s wife Jennifer joked that he is like the team mascot, and when he rides with the team to an away game, he is the lucky charm.

“You don’t know how much influence you have upon students,” Nelson said. “They come and tell you that you played a major part in my success in school afterwards. That’s a rewarding thing.”

Nelson met his wife in River Falls, where they went on their first date 52 years ago.

A memory Nelson looks back on frequently was a student that he disciplined years ago. The student later went on to graduate, get married and have children.

“When [the children] got to eighth grade, he came and asked the guidance department if his daughters could be in my [classroom] because of what I had done,” Nelson said. “He said that was the biggest impact that straightened his life out.”

Nelson hopes to spend some time in Crawford County during retirement as well as work on his projects around the house.