1947
Richard
2017
Richard Patrick Dufour
September 23, 1947 — February 8, 2017
Richard (Rick) DuFour, 69, of Forest, died on February 8, 2017 following a long battle with cancer. He was the loving and devoted husband of Rebecca (Becky) Burnette DuFour.
Born Tuesday, September 23, 1947 in Harvey, IL, Rick was a son of Colleen DuFour VanNess and the late William Anthony DuFour, Sr.
In addition to his wife, Rick is survived by his mother, Collen DuFour VanNess, son, Matthew Christopher DuFour and his wife Kristin, daughter, Hannah Treadway and her husband Brandon, two grandsons, Samuel (Sam) Alexander Treadway and Lee Derrick Treadway, sister Valerie DuFour Robinson, a brother William (Bill) A. DuFour Jr. and his wife Jill, a sister Denise DuFour Kimes and her husband Steve, and a host of very special nieces, nephews, in-laws, and great nieces and nephews. Rick is also survived by his lifelong friend and co-author, Robert (Bob) Eaker and his wife Star.
Dr. Rick DuFour was a public school educator in Illinois for 34 years, serving as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. During his 19-year tenure as a leader at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, Stevenson was one of only three schools in the nation to win the United States Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award on four occasions. Stevenson was also the first comprehensive high school designated a New American High School as a model of successful school reform. Rick was named as one of the Top 100 School Administrators in North America by Executive Educator magazine, was presented the Distinguished Scholar Practitioner Award from the University of Illinois, and was the 2004 recipient of the National Staff Development Council’s Distinguished Service Award.
A prolific author and consultant, he was recognized as the leading authority on helping school practitioners implement the Professional Learning Communities at Work™ process in their schools and districts. Over the course of his career, he was the author of numerous books, including the best-selling Professional Learning Communities at Work™, Learning by Doing, and In Praise of American Educators, which he wrote while healing from surgery and beginning his first line of treatments for cancer.
Rick also had many passions outside of his work. He was a natural athlete who lovedplaying basketball and tennis. He was an unwavering fan of Chicago sports teams, particularly the Bulls and the Cubs, and was thrilled to attend the first two playoff games at Wrigley Field during the Cubs historic World Series run in the fall of 2016. Just like the other members of the DuFour family, Rick loved music and had no qualms about singing and dancing in front of a crowd.
Rick’s legacy now lives on in the lives of his loving family, dear friends and colleagues, countless educators he inspired, and all of the students whose lives they continue to touch.
A celebration of Rick’s life will be conducted at Snidow Chapel on the campus of Lynchburg College on Sunday, April 2nd, 2017 at 2:00 pm. Following the celebration, a reception will be held in the Hall Campus Center Memorial Ballroom.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to either Stand Up to Cancer, “a groundbreaking initiative created to accelerate innovative, collaborative cancer research that will get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now,” https://www.standup2cancer.org P.O. Box 843721, Los Angeles, CA 90084-3721, or the DuFour Award, an award established by Rick’s dear friend Jeff Jones, CEO of Solution Tree, in memory of Rick and honoring exemplary schools. For more information, go to: https://www.solutiontree.com/awards Checks can be made payable to “DuFour Award” c/o Solution Tree 555 N. Morton Street Bloomington, IN 47404.
Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family.
Born Tuesday, September 23, 1947 in Harvey, IL, Rick was a son of Colleen DuFour VanNess and the late William Anthony DuFour, Sr.
In addition to his wife, Rick is survived by his mother, Collen DuFour VanNess, son, Matthew Christopher DuFour and his wife Kristin, daughter, Hannah Treadway and her husband Brandon, two grandsons, Samuel (Sam) Alexander Treadway and Lee Derrick Treadway, sister Valerie DuFour Robinson, a brother William (Bill) A. DuFour Jr. and his wife Jill, a sister Denise DuFour Kimes and her husband Steve, and a host of very special nieces, nephews, in-laws, and great nieces and nephews. Rick is also survived by his lifelong friend and co-author, Robert (Bob) Eaker and his wife Star.
Dr. Rick DuFour was a public school educator in Illinois for 34 years, serving as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. During his 19-year tenure as a leader at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, Stevenson was one of only three schools in the nation to win the United States Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award on four occasions. Stevenson was also the first comprehensive high school designated a New American High School as a model of successful school reform. Rick was named as one of the Top 100 School Administrators in North America by Executive Educator magazine, was presented the Distinguished Scholar Practitioner Award from the University of Illinois, and was the 2004 recipient of the National Staff Development Council’s Distinguished Service Award.
A prolific author and consultant, he was recognized as the leading authority on helping school practitioners implement the Professional Learning Communities at Work™ process in their schools and districts. Over the course of his career, he was the author of numerous books, including the best-selling Professional Learning Communities at Work™, Learning by Doing, and In Praise of American Educators, which he wrote while healing from surgery and beginning his first line of treatments for cancer.
Rick also had many passions outside of his work. He was a natural athlete who lovedplaying basketball and tennis. He was an unwavering fan of Chicago sports teams, particularly the Bulls and the Cubs, and was thrilled to attend the first two playoff games at Wrigley Field during the Cubs historic World Series run in the fall of 2016. Just like the other members of the DuFour family, Rick loved music and had no qualms about singing and dancing in front of a crowd.
Rick’s legacy now lives on in the lives of his loving family, dear friends and colleagues, countless educators he inspired, and all of the students whose lives they continue to touch.
A celebration of Rick’s life will be conducted at Snidow Chapel on the campus of Lynchburg College on Sunday, April 2nd, 2017 at 2:00 pm. Following the celebration, a reception will be held in the Hall Campus Center Memorial Ballroom.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to either Stand Up to Cancer, “a groundbreaking initiative created to accelerate innovative, collaborative cancer research that will get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now,” https://www.standup2cancer.org P.O. Box 843721, Los Angeles, CA 90084-3721, or the DuFour Award, an award established by Rick’s dear friend Jeff Jones, CEO of Solution Tree, in memory of Rick and honoring exemplary schools. For more information, go to: https://www.solutiontree.com/awards Checks can be made payable to “DuFour Award” c/o Solution Tree 555 N. Morton Street Bloomington, IN 47404.
Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Richard Patrick Dufour, please visit our flower store.
Guestbook
Visits: 165
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors