Silas Bartsch (May 13, 1926 – October 18, 2001) was an American school administrator who acted as a superintendent in Reedley, California. He was first superintendent of the

Kings Canyon Unified School District Kings Canyon Unified School District comprises mainly Reedley, California area schools, but also those for the town of Orange Cove and the mountain areas ( Dunlap, Miramonte, Squaw Valley, Wonder Valley). The school district was established in ...

. Bartsch was superintendent for five years, then left to begin a career at then Fresno Pacific University.

Early life

Bartsch was born on May 13, 1926 in

Mountain Lake, Minnesota Mountain Lake is a city in Cottonwood County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,104 at the 2010 census. Mountain Lake was initially composed mostly of the 1,800 Low German (or more specifically, Plautdietsch) speaking Mennonite ...

. When he was 14, his family moved to Reedley. He graduated from

Reedley High School Reedley High School was established in 1918 as the first public high school in Reedley, California, and in the Kings Canyon Unified School District. It boasts one of the largest marching bands on the West Coast. Every year, Reedley High hosts a ...

and enlisted in United States Army. Upon discharge, he returned to Reedley and graduated from Reedley College in 1949. He also graduated from Chapman College in Los Angeles, with a major in history and education. He completed a year of post graduate study at

Berkeley Baptist Divinity School Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer t ...

, as well.

Career

In 1952, Bartsch began his teaching career as a fourth grade teacher at Washington School. Bartsch later taught at General Grant School before becoming principal in 1958. In 1961, he was appointed superintendent of Reedley Elementary School District, and in 1965, of the newly formed

. Five years later, he began a new teaching career at Fresno Pacific College, but he remained active in his hometown until his death. He was Professor of Education at Fresno Pacific. Fresno Pacific was initially a religious college, and the Education Department Bartsch lead brought in other students, and more funding. Bartsch became the first Dean of the University's School of Professional Studies.

Death and legacy

Bartsch died on October 18, 2001 in Reedley, California, at the age of 75. In June 2008, a new K-8 school in Kings Canyon Unified School District was named Silas Bartsch School. The campus was opened on October 29, 2008. He and his wife, Nadine, also had the building that housed the Education Department at Fresno Pacific University campus named after them; Bartsch Hall.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartsch, Silas Reedley College alumni California State University, Fresno alumni San Jose State University alumni People from Reedley, California Chapman University alumni Fresno Pacific University 1926 births 2001 deaths People from Mountain Lake, Minnesota Military personnel from Minnesota