Doug Castle Legacy Fund
Doug Castle was a local educator whose 50-year career spanned all aspects of education in Richland County. He had a special place in his heart for the underdog. When he died of brain cancer last year, his family established the Doug Castle Legacy Fund to carry on his work and honor his life. His wife, Liz, and daughter, Beth, want the fund to help in many areas including education, racial equity, and inclusion, mentorship and community building.
“My dad just did so much with his life and was a source of inspiration to so many countless people. What we will miss the most is him of course- and as we can't replicate is him and he meant so much to us, we need to do what we can to honor his life through our work. So in his absence, we hope to organize efforts to carry his legacy of integrity, educational opportunity, and belief in community," said Beth Castle.
An advisory committee is being formed to ensure that any efforts will be ongoing and in touch with what the community needs. The first initiative launched will be Castle Community Conversations in which community members will be invited into a productive dialogue around an issue that needs to be addressed "Doug Castle style" - directly but with fairness and compassion leading to change.
"We are in the process of assessing and talking with those who my dad mentored and worked within education to determine how best to support educational opportunity and community-based mentorship and support as an initiative,"
He began his teaching career in 1965 at John Simpson Junior High School and took an active role in coaching football, basketball, and track.
In 1975 he was named the assistant principal at John Sherman Middle School and in 1979 became the principal at John Simpson Junior High School.
Castle developed an administrative philosophy based on being fair and keeping a sense of humor. He was a staunch believer in disciplining children in a way that would not destroy their dignity or self-respect.
For many years he was the director of the Mansfield Mehock Relays and then the Gorman Wrestling Tournament. From the early 1980s, he worked as a sanctioned official for track and field and volleyball.
Castle retired from Mansfield City Schools in 2000 and then worked as the Galion Middle School principal for the next five years.
Ohio State University Football Coach Jim Tressel hired Castle to work as an Academic Encourager for the young men on the football team. He met with players on campus to make sure they attended class and to help them with life’s obstacles. He loved every minute of the job; he got to stand on the sidelines during games, go into the locker room and attend bowl games.
If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation click https://www.richlandcountyfoundation.org/donate and select the fund, or write a check to the foundation and designate the fund on the memo line.
