photo by: Courtesy of the Weseman family

Randy and Marcia Weseman renewed their wedding vows Nov. 26, 2021. Their whole family — including all four of their children, their son-in-law, their daughter-in-law, three grandsons and a granddaughter — is pictured here.

Family, friends and former colleagues of the late Randy Weseman are mourning the longtime educator and “lifelong learner.”

Weseman, who led the Lawrence and Tonganoxie school districts for many years, died of cancer on Jan. 23 at age 72.

This past week, Lawrence’s current superintendent, Anthony Lewis, praised Weseman’s dedication to education.

“The Lawrence community is truly fortunate that public education was among Randy’s passions,” Lewis said. “He served in several schools and in positions at all levels over more than three decades, building strong relationships throughout the school district and the community. Randy loved Lawrence Public Schools. He meant so much to so many in our school community who will miss his presence. I know that our school family is keeping Randy’s family in our thoughts.”

Weseman, who was born in Garden City in 1949, worked in the Lawrence district for more than 33 years, starting in 1976, when he joined the district as a high school history, economics and government teacher. Over the years he also worked as a coach and in various administrative positions. Eventually he gained the district’s top job of superintendent in 2000, and he retired from that position in 2009. In subsequent years he worked as the superintendent of the Tonganoxie school district.

Marcia Weseman, his wife, said Lawrence was a good fit for Randy, who helped support his single mother while he was still in high school — by playing in a band — and who did two tours in Vietnam when he was in the Air Force. He knew how to tackle difficult topics, Marcia said.

During his time as superintendent, Lawrence Alternative High School closed in 2004 after a 30-year run, and Weseman navigated periods of tight state funding that led to other difficult decisions.

photo by: Photo courtesy of the Weseman family

The late Randy Weseman is pictured here with his family on July 16, 2021, when they brought him home from the hospital to care for him at home. Weseman had been diagnosed with lymphoma.

However, he had a gift for “letting go” of disagreements, Marcia said, in favor of moving forward.

“Just in life in general, he had an amazing capacity for forgiveness,” Marcia said. “Even to forgive people who had no interest in being forgiven. That’s just who he was. I tried hard to learn from him, but I could never get as good at it as he was.”

As superintendent, Weseman’s accomplishments included raising community support to improve facilities and technology; opening Langston Hughes Elementary School; creating the Lawrence Virtual School; implementing full-day kindergarten; and expanding English as a Second Language services, among other programs.

Marcia said Weseman’s advocacy for education extended beyond Lawrence to the entire state. His last professional role was as CFO for the Kansas Association of School Boards.

She described Weseman as a “life-long learner,” which extended beyond his careers to his hobbies. He was determined to teach Marcia how to fly-fish, she said, and how to play the guitar. Weseman was an accomplished musician, having completed a master’s degree in guitar performance with the Berklee College of Music, Boston, on top of the education degrees he earned at the University of Kansas.

Marcia’s not off the hook, at least with the fly-fishing goal. Her brother-in-law and some friends were appointed as an “accountability team” to make sure she follows through.

“We actually, as a family, will be scattering (Randy’s) ashes while fly-fishing in Colorado,” Marcia said.

Weseman made an impact on many outside the family too, Marcia said.

One of the people Weseman mentored, John Heim, now works in Washington, D.C., as the executive director and CEO of the National School Board Association. Their relationship goes back decades — from when Heim student taught in Weseman’s classroom, where he remembers wanting to be a teacher like Weseman, to serving together as assistant principals in Lawrence and later working together at the Kansas Association of School Boards, where Heim was CEO before going to Washington.

“He’s like the Magic Johnson of education,” Heim said of Weseman. “He just kind of made everyone around him better. He could hit the jumper, he could drive the basket, but more importantly he made everyone around him better.”

Another of Weseman’s mentees, 23rd Street Brewery owner Matt Llewellyn, was a former student of Weseman’s who later worked closely with Weseman with the Kiwanis Club and the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence. Weseman played a pivotal role in opening clubs directly in elementary schools in the late 1990s.

Late last year, Weseman made his final public appearance as he was honored at the Kiwanis Club’s Honors Dinner. Though the intent was to recognize him, Weseman turned the evening into an opportunity to praise everyone else involved in the Boys & Girls Club, Llewellyn said.

“He’s one of the best people-persons I know of,” Llewellyn said. “… He knows how to talk to people who disagree with him. He might not necessarily change their mind, but when they leave that conversation, they know that he is a good man.”

Cindy Yulich, who served on the Lawrence school board from 2003 to 2007, said Weseman’s “innate sense for what is best for kids” underpinned all of his decisions.

Yulich said that when Weseman first became sick, his former colleagues started a “kudos board” where they could share their thoughts and memories about him as a show of support.

“He touched more people, and sometimes (they) didn’t even know what he did for them,” Yulich said. “He just was that kind of a guy.”

Marcia said her family is seeking additional memories of Randy from people who knew him, or pieces of advice and other “Randy-isms.” They’ll be shared with his grandchildren, two of whom are on the way, in books about their “Pappy.” You can submit a piece of advice or a memory to the family by emailing randylegacy2022@gmail.com.