Distinguished Person of Honor

(June 3, 1943 —           )

From teacher in the 1960s to school district superintendent in the 1990s, Ron always believed in putting children first. He joined the Olathe School District in 1965 as a Spanish teacher and moved into a leadership role four years later as assistant principal and another four as principal. His track through the district led to the Education Center where he was director of personnel, then assistant superintendent before being named superintendent of schools in 1991. During the next decade-plus, Ron was honored as Olathe Citizen of the Year by the Olathe Area Chamber of Commerce, Kansas Superintendent of the Year by the Kansas Association of School Administrators, Distinguished Community Service Award by MidAmerica Nazarene University, and Outstanding Service Award by the United School Administrators of Kansas. During his term as superintendent, the district started a senior adult volunteer program and Project HOPE, an alternative education program for students in long-term suspension or expelled from the district. At his retirement in 2005, the district started the Wimmer Student Care Fund to provide financial assistance for students and families in extreme need in order to keep the student in school.