For years, District 211 has prided itself on the fact that many of its teachers started their 211 experiences on the other side of the desk as students.  One of the earliest such examples is Palatine High School Class of 1947 graduate and later Superintendent Dr. Richard C. Kolze. 

As a student, Kolze was active in multiple clubs and activities, including playing on the basketball team, serving as senior class president and being a member of Future Farmers of America. He later attended Northern Illinois University, where he received a degree in industrial arts with a physical education minor. 

Following graduation, Kolze further developed his leadership skills through service in the United States Air Force. Kolze served from 1951 to 1953, quickly reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant.   

In 1954, Kolze completed a master's degree in education administration through the University of Illinois and began his teaching career at Crystal Lake Junior High School.  Three years later, he returned home to Palatine when he was hired as the industrial arts teacher and basketball coach for Palatine High School. 

Kolze would remain at Palatine High School for nearly a decade.  As course and curriculum options continued to grow, he eventually was named the District’s Industrial Arts chair.   

In 1964, Kolze was appointed principal for the recently opened William Fremd High School.  Kolze pursued his doctorate in education administration through Indiana University while overseeing Fremd’s expansion from a freshman/sophomore campus to a four-year school.   

After more than 20 years in District 211, Kolze was named the new assistant superintendent and, one year later, Superintendent -- taking over from Gerald A. McElroy in 1970. 

Kolze served as head of District 211 from 1970 until his retirement in 1990. In that role, he saw the District expand from three schools to five, oversaw the construction of the current Palatine High School, and helped build District 211 into a model for others across Illinois. 

Even in retirement, Kolze stayed active in education, volunteering with the Harper College Educational Foundation Board for many years.  

He passed away in his Palatine home on October 21, 2024 at the age of 94. 

His passing closes a long and storied chapter in the history of District 211; his legacy lives on at Fremd, where the auditorium is named in his honor, and District-wide, with top academic scholars annually receiving the Richard C. Kolze Achievement Award.