| Jack L Riehl |
 RIEHL, Jack LondonAge 88 of Old Hickory, TN, passed away Tuesday, September 28, 2010. Preceded by his parents, Walter A. and Caroline Hetlage Riehl. Survived by his wife of 24 years, Carol Lefmann Riehl; daughters, Carol Ann Riehl and Nancy Riehl; son, Douglas Riehl; granddaughters, Ambre Riehl Tiggs and Sable Helvie; great granddaughter, Azura Tiggs; a host of beloved family members and friends. Mr. Riehl was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII and Korea. He taught English for 33 years at Normandy High School in St. Louis. He was a member of Grace United Methodist Church in Mt. Juliet and recently published a book of poetry, Heart and Soul. A Memorial Service will be conducted 11 a.m. Saturday, October 9, 2010 at Grace United Methodist Church, 2905 N. Mt. Juliet Road, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122, with Dr. Ron Brown officiating. Visitation with the family 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. Saturday. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Alive Hospice, Inc., 1718 Patterson Street, Nashville, TN 37203; or the American Heart Association , 1818 Patterson Street, Nashville, TN 37203. Condolences may be offered at www.hermitagefh.com. HERMITAGE FUNERAL HOME AND MEMORIAL GARDENS, 535 Shute Lane, Old Hickory, TN 37138; (615) 889-0361.
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MR. JACK RIEHL, celebrated English teacher at Normandy High for more than three decades, died September 28, 2010, at the age of 88. An extraordinary personality, he kept his classes lively and engaging but always challenging. He was famous for the first day of the school year notifying his students they were in for an extraordinary experience with an eye-opener stunt (more on that later). Part of the nationally-known English Department faculty in the 1950s, he like all his fellow teachers was a distinct individual, an endlessly imaginative instructor and a creative, out-of-the-box curriculum developer. English teachers at other schools often said if they wanted to see what was being practiced at the top of the list, they would "look to Normandy High." Jack Riehl was born in tiny Godfrey, Illinois, across the river from St. Louis. His full name was Jack London Riehl. His father had bought a ticket to a ringside seat for a boxing match and discovered the famed author Jack London had bought the same seat. They sat together and enjoyed the fight. Mr. Riehl came to Normandy after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. He later was brought back into service for the Korean conflict, then returned to Normandy. He retired in the 1980s and married Carol Lefmann, Normandy Class of1953. They moved to Old Hickory, Tennessee, where they lived a quarter of a century. Jack was active in church programs, including a vegetable garden project. He eventually published a book of poetry, "Heart and Soul,”and he wrote a song recorded by Jim Ed Brown of the famous country trio The Browns. ·-"Jack was always very active," remembers Jim Christian, president of the Class of 1960. "He competed in the Senior Olympics for many years and played competitive tennis all his life. He was an outdoors man who loved to hunt and mostly fish. "My brother Doug (Class of 1958) and another teacher from the Junior High and I played a tennis foursome for many years before he met his wife Carol and moved to Nashville, where he lived." Judy Ebbinghaus Kurtz, Class of 1958, said, "My earliest recollection of him was as a substitute in a math class (4-6) at Garfield School. That would be around 1948 or 1949. I remember the story he told about when he was in the Army-which at the time must have been fairly recently. "It was the gag about the sergeant who tells the private to dig a fox hole 6x6x4. When finished the private says, 'Sarge, what do I do now?,’and the sergeant says, 'Fill it up.' "Then we were supposed to compute the area of the hole." Jack Crider, the outstanding athlete and eventually prominent coach from the Class of 1955 remembered, "The first time I met him I was at McKinley grade school. He was teaching and coaching archery at Camp Viking. My cousin Joe Strasser and I bought bows and made our own arrows, taught by Mr. Riehl. I remember on the first day of class in high school he would leap from the floor onto the top of his desk to get your attention."
June Mueller Banta, Student Council president, Normandy Courier editor-in-chief and Saga Queen of 1952, said, "So sorry to hear about Mr. Riehl. You are right about our inspiring classes in the English Department at Normandy. There is so much publicity now about u.S. schools. We feel blessed with our Normandy school experience; every teacher is a positive memory." Learning of Mr. Riehl's passing, many former faculty members remembered looking forward to picnics at Mr. Riehl's get-away home at Evergreen Lake. Alumni Association President Vickie Myers Selvidge, Class of 1972, said, "I had Mr. Riehl for a study hall my senior year. Ithought he was the nicest man. I wish he could have seen the Camp Viking article in this issue of the Alumni Courier. What a nice tribute to him." Past Alumni Association President Judy Perkins, Class of 1955, said, "He was such a nice man. I suppose we should not be surprised, but still Ican't fathom that we are so many years from these memories. God bless him." For a time in the 1950s Mr. Riehl served as faculty adviser to Normandy High's active Bible Club.
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Vito Paul Cipponeri, Jr. Vito Cipponeri
What can I say about Mr. Riehl,
Mr. Riehl was the only teacher I ever had that made my class interesting. He had a way of making you comfortable in class. He made class fun. Telling antidotes as class went on.
Mr. Riehl taught me to "read a book". The first book I ever read was Call of the Wild for a class project.
Until we meet I didn't care for reading, but Mr. Riehl taught me how reading could be fun. Since 1967 I enjoy reading books.
Thank you Mr. Riehl for teaching me how to read.
He showed interest in his students.
Vito P. Cipponeri Jr.
Class of 67