Richard Gottwald pioneered special education program in Harford County

33-year veteran educator inducted into ‘Hall of Fame’

A native of Bethlehem, PA, Richard ‘Dick’ Gottwald started the path to a 33-year career with Harford County Public Schools attending Moravian College and earning a Bachelor’s degree in education, science and English in 1958.

His first day at Moravian College, Dick met his future wife of 51 years, Jane, who attended the school as well. Jane also worked for Harford County Public Schools in special education at various schools in the county for many years.

Upon graduation, Dick heard through a friend that the public school system in Harford County, Maryland was hiring teachers at that time so he applied for a position. He was subsequently selected as an English/Social Studies teacher for Havre de Grace High School, which he taught for two years.

In 1960, Mr. Gottwald was one of the first to lead the new special education program for Harford County, becoming a special education instructor at Havre de Grace High. At the forefront of the growing field of special education in the state, Dick picked up courses at the University of Maryland and Towson University to aid in the development of the special education program for Harford County. There was a strong statewide effort to develop such a program to include standards and guidelines for special education teachers and administrators.

“We had good supervisors who developed programs at the county level and tried many ways to reach the students,” Dick said. “We didn’t know what we needed to know because colleges were still learning. At the same time, more kids were coming into the school with various disabilities.”

Mr. Gottwald, along with a number of his colleagues, held meetings and took courses to learn about areas they were unsure about. Assistants were brought into the special education classes which often had 20 students with about 10-15 different disabilities.

“You really have to reach the students and make them feel as though they have value,” Mr. Gottwald said. He explained that the special needs students were trying to learn without the pressure that could negatively impact them.

After establishing a renowned special education program at the high school, Mr. Gottwald transferred to one of the first middle schools in the state and the only middle school in Harford County at the time, Havre de Grace Middle School in 1967.

“What I will always remember about him was the way he was concerned about his students even after they left the school,” said Mimi Shires, paraeducator at Havre de Grace Middle School. “He continued to assist many of [his students] as adults.” Mimi worked with Mr. Gottwald for nearly thirteen years at the middle school.

During this time, he also devoted much of his time, particularly in the summer, to credit hours for his Master’s degree at Boston College through a program with the Shriver Foundation of America. In 1972, he completed the requirements for the rigorous 60-hour Master’s program in special education.

“[Dick] was like the Pied Piper for his students. He was not only their teacher, but also their advocate,” said Joe Mascari, current principal at Magnolia Middle School who worked with Dick for many years at Havre de Grace Middle School. “He made sure that his students received the same things that other students received. Dick worked with his students, not just on academics, but also how to be good people and productive citizens.”

Sporadically, students and other visitors would join his special education classes at the middle school to observe his teaching methods and obtain information for their own programs and academic knowledge. It was during these years that special education was becoming a specialization and a field of its own within the area of education.

He also served as Athletic Association Director and coordinator for the Book Store. He coached boys track, established the girls track team at the school and assisted with the basketball team. He continued at Havre de Grace Middle School teaching special education until his retirement in 1992.

Known as Dick and Jane, the Gottwalds have two daughters, Karen Malcolm of upstate New York and Nancy Losagio of Pennsylvania. Karen is retired from the Marine Corps and has two daughters of her own, Elle and Kate, both in high school. Nancy runs an entertainment agency with her husband in Bethlehem, PA.

Currently, Dick lives in Havre de Grace and is involved in various community activities including the Elks Lodge and works with the Office of Aging and the Havre de Grace Senior Center. He is on the board for the Susquehanna Museum, the Decoy Museum. He also participates in providing free meals through his church.