A great history teacher, a charachter in itself.. A teacher who believed in anyone.. Passed while in class 1981 or 82. He was my teacher that I'll never forget.
Mr. Cesario holds a special place in my heart. He was a great teacher - but he went above and beyond by helping me cultivate an Italian accent for a monologue I was working on. Sharon Millikan Hale
Mr. Cesario, what a wonderful person and teacher. Mr. C was the first teacher to open my eyes to "culture". He used to take Karen Watts and me to Colorado College for concerts. It was the first time I heard Andre Segovia and a classical guitar, WOW! He was also a great influence in my becoming a teacher. I can only hope that I was able to impact some of my students over my thirty-five years of teaching, as he did me.
Ralph (and that's how he allowed me to address him privately), was probably the greatest teacher HHS ever had. He was a hometown boy who graduated from Cheyenne Mountain High School in 1953, graduated from Colorado State College of Education in Greeley, Colorado (now UNC) in 1957, and started started teaching at HHS in 1958. He taught US History and Civics (US Government) for 23 years with a passion unknown to most students and teachers alike. His descriptions of America's crossroads in history came from his deep readings and understanding of what actually occurred. He had the unique ability to go WAY beyond what was written in the government approved textbooks, and give the real facts...yet without bias. He was one of the only liberals I've ever known that told the truth. And he got away with it BECAUSE it was the truth. His stories were mesmerizing, and he drew many students who would rather sleep into conversation. He was compassionate, yet not a sucker to dumb excuses. He was a gracious man, a scholar and a comedian. Above all though, Ralph was a humanitarian. Ralph died, in his classroom, Wednesday, March 18, 1981. His final words were "Study for the test. We'll see you tomorrow". I was honored to have had him for a teacher. My family was one of those HHS "dynasty" families. Our mom made sure that all of us had him after my brother Pat, Class of '66 was inspired by Mr C. My brothers Mike '68, Shaun '72, Kevin '74, me (Kelly) '79 and Casey '81, all had him as our teacher at mom's direction. We are all richer in character because of him.
I agree with Kelly's comments. I hated history untill I had to take his class. He made it an adventure that I hold dear today. I think of him everytime I grab a book of any kind of history and go into my adventure again. He was one of the greatest story tellers...no mater what the subject.
Mr Cesario was a captivating and motivating teacher. Teachers like Mr Cesario, Mr Moore, Mr Tausan and Mr Gililand all made four years at Harrison very memorable. As a youth I loved history and because of Mr Cesario I still love to research history. I've thought about teaching history when I start my third career.
As a student teacher under Mr. Meigs, Mr Cesario really shone. His was an intellect that layers with experience, and was not contained with rote education. As a full fledged teacher, he never really fit except with his students. His students were anyone within range. So much of the total quality of Harrison directly eminated from him. He taught us to question, and that those questions rarely made friends.
A bright light went out at his passing, but remains as a flicker in all that knew him. A GREAT MAN.
Mr. C was everybody's favorite teacher, including mine! He made me feel like I could be someone worthwhile, at a time in my life in which I had no self-esteem. I love history to this day because of his teaching style. Everyone "woke up" and became part of Mr. C's class, not just bored spectators. RIP and know that you made a great difference to many young people!
Frederick Periquet (1983)
A great history teacher, a charachter in itself.. A teacher who believed in anyone.. Passed while in class 1981 or 82. He was my teacher that I'll never forget.Sharon Millikan (Hale) (1982)
Mr. Cesario holds a special place in my heart. He was a great teacher - but he went above and beyond by helping me cultivate an Italian accent for a monologue I was working on.Sharon Millikan Hale
Janice Riley (Heiman) (1960)
Mr. Cesario, what a wonderful person and teacher. Mr. C was the first teacher to open my eyes to "culture". He used to take Karen Watts and me to Colorado College for concerts. It was the first time I heard Andre Segovia and a classical guitar, WOW! He was also a great influence in my becoming a teacher. I can only hope that I was able to impact some of my students over my thirty-five years of teaching, as he did me.Kelly Parker (1979)
Ralph (and that's how he allowed me to address him privately), was probably the greatest teacher HHS ever had. He was a hometown boy who graduated from Cheyenne Mountain High School in 1953, graduated from Colorado State College of Education in Greeley, Colorado (now UNC) in 1957, and started started teaching at HHS in 1958. He taught US History and Civics (US Government) for 23 years with a passion unknown to most students and teachers alike. His descriptions of America's crossroads in history came from his deep readings and understanding of what actually occurred. He had the unique ability to go WAY beyond what was written in the government approved textbooks, and give the real facts...yet without bias. He was one of the only liberals I've ever known that told the truth. And he got away with it BECAUSE it was the truth. His stories were mesmerizing, and he drew many students who would rather sleep into conversation. He was compassionate, yet not a sucker to dumb excuses. He was a gracious man, a scholar and a comedian. Above all though, Ralph was a humanitarian. Ralph died, in his classroom, Wednesday, March 18, 1981. His final words were "Study for the test. We'll see you tomorrow". I was honored to have had him for a teacher. My family was one of those HHS "dynasty" families. Our mom made sure that all of us had him after my brother Pat, Class of '66 was inspired by Mr C. My brothers Mike '68, Shaun '72, Kevin '74, me (Kelly) '79 and Casey '81, all had him as our teacher at mom's direction. We are all richer in character because of him.
Judy Rae Anderson (Thomas) (1962)
I agree with Kelly's comments. I hated history untill I had to take his class. He made it an adventure that I hold dear today. I think of him everytime I grab a book of any kind of history and go into my adventure again. He was one of the greatest story tellers...no mater what the subject.Brad Benson (1974)
Mr Cesario was a captivating and motivating teacher. Teachers like Mr Cesario, Mr Moore, Mr Tausan and Mr Gililand all made four years at Harrison very memorable. As a youth I loved history and because of Mr Cesario I still love to research history. I've thought about teaching history when I start my third career.
David Barton Johnson (1963)
As a student teacher under Mr. Meigs, Mr Cesario really shone. His was an intellect that layers with experience, and was not contained with rote education. As a full fledged teacher, he never really fit except with his students. His students were anyone within range. So much of the total quality of Harrison directly eminated from him. He taught us to question, and that those questions rarely made friends.A bright light went out at his passing, but remains as a flicker in all that knew him. A GREAT MAN.
Vickie Clark (Byrne) (1972)
Mr. C was everybody's favorite teacher, including mine! He made me feel like I could be someone worthwhile, at a time in my life in which I had no self-esteem. I love history to this day because of his teaching style. Everyone "woke up" and became part of Mr. C's class, not just bored spectators. RIP and know that you made a great difference to many young people!