Wes Kittleman, Long-Time Greenhill Faculty Member, Passes Away

Charles Wesley (Wes) Kittleman, Jr., a beloved faculty member and administrator from 1961 – 1983, passed away on August 31, 2014 at his home in McAllen, Texas.
 
Wes Kittleman was the heart and soul of Greenhill during the ’60s and ’70s. During his 22-year tenure, he wore many hats, starting as the school’s business manager but quickly finding his calling in the classroom as a math teacher and eventually math department chair. His energy and dedication motivated his students and he frequently spent Saturday mornings tutoring students to ensure that they learned critical math skills.
 
In 1963, Wes started the Greenhill’s boys’ tennis program, helping to broaden the school’s athletics offerings. In 1975, he started the Greenhill Family Tennis Tournament, a community-building event in which students, parents and teachers challenged each other on the courts. The tournament was held annually for fifteen consecutive years.
 
In addition to serving as Director of Admissions and Summer School Director, Wes served as a moral compass for faculty, opening school with talks each year on topics ranging from optimism to love, but always linking them back to the students and the school. “You look for a few people in your life that you really look up to and respect,” said former English teacher Sheryl Ellis in From Humble Beginnings. “His integrity and ethics were just impeccable.”
 
From the classroom to the boardroom, Wes believed in and actively contributed to the Greenhill spirit, whether it was leaving a colleague a handwritten thank you note, or knowing every new student’s first and last name on the first day of school. In 1995, Wes and his wife, former Lower School teacher Jane, were selected as Honorary Alumni by the Alumni Association for their dedication to Greenhill.
 
Wes is survived by his wife of 63 years, Jane, and their sons, Greenhill alumni Wes Kittleman, III ’70, Tom Kittleman ’72, and John Kittleman ’79, and their spouses and grandchildren. A service was held at First United Methodist Church in McAllen on Tuesday, September 2, 2104. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 2558, McAllen, TX 78502. You can learn more about Wes and his life after Greenhill by clicking here.
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