Kenneth Roellig

Kenneth Roellig grew up in rural Windsor, IL, during the Great Depression, and then served in World War II.  After leaving the Army in 1946, he became one of the millions of ex-GIs who took advantage of the GI Bill to attend college.  He said it “made sense” that he would choose the University of Illinois, and he began his studies in spring 1947 at the Galesburg, IL campus, which had been specifically created to accommodate the large numbers of returning servicemen and the normal crop of high school graduates who wanted higher education.  A dedicated student, Roellig spent about three semesters there before transferring to the main campus in Urbana.  Awed at the number of students compared to Galesburg, he majored in mathematics and minored in science, taking chemistry, physics, and biology.  He recalled staying up with his roommate until midnight to hear the results of the 1948 presidential election on the radio.

After graduating in 1950, he taught mathematics first in Sadorus, IL, and then in Tolono, IL, later becoming principal and superintendent of schools before returning to teaching full-time.  He returned to the University as a graduate student, receiving a master’s degree in 1956, and later also studied for and received an advanced certificate.  He also pioneered an apprentice program with Ironworkers Local 380, which he continued participating in (until 2019) after retiring from teaching in 1982.