Tamaroa Grade School names library for 33-year teacher Jack Kiselewski

The 117 students and 16 staff members of the Tamaroa Grade School Monday honored the memory of 33-year teacher and cancer victim John "Jack"  Kiselewski who died Aug. 2, 2014 by naming their library for him.

For children of any age--and for many adults--the name Kiselewski is a mouthful, so the library is simply called the Mr. K Library.

It's how they knew him and certainly how they loved him.

He's the 33-year junior high math teacher who gave up countless lunch hours to meet with students and correct their homework in that library.

He's the man who came back even after retiring in 2005 to do the children's Scholastic Book Club orders. In fact, many knew him simply as the "book man."

He's the man who never had a bad thing to say about anyone, whose acts of kindness affected hundreds of people during his teaching career.

Those who live around the school say he taught them math, too, because when the windows were open before the days of air conditioning, his booming voice could be heard throughout the neighborhood.

"Keep your hand on the railing going up the stairs," he told students. And, in the library, "Raise your hand if you want something."

The sum total of what Mr. Kiselewski was about was conveyed to students and staff by eighth grade teacher Cindy Opp, who presented the family with a plaque honoring him. A similar plaque will be placed just inside the door of the library--the Mr. K. Library.

There is no greater love than the love that this school has for this man.

Wife Brenda, son John and daughter Ami all wore Cardinal shirts to the dedication, as did many staff members. He was a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan.

Jack died too early, at the age of 64, from lymphoma in Barnes Jewish Hospital. Their home was in Waltonville. His wife is a teacher, as well, in the Wood Lawn school district.

He taught in Tamaroa from 1972 until his retirement in 2005. He also tutored many of son John and daughter Ami's classmates from Waltonville High School. Jack loved helping his grandchildren with their math homework and was a fixture at their sporting events. In the Waltonville district he worked as an assistant coach and opened the gymnasium on Sunday nights so students could practice basketball. He prepped the softball field and kept the scorebook.

He farmed with his family and his Christian faith inspired family members, students and staff.

He fought hard to beat his cancer. He came to the Tamaroa Grade School on many days when he didn't feel like it to do what he had always done--be a role model.

In a baseball scorebook the "K" stands for a strikeout. The Cardinals have a cancer awareness program which uses a backwards "K" to "strike out cancer." On Monday morning the 117 students and 16 staff members in the school went out onto the playground to form that backwards "K" in his memory.

Wow, what it must be like to know that kind of love. Real. Unconditional. Ever lasting.

Mr. K was tremendous on every level. So were those who planned and carried out Monday's remembrance.