Student Parents in Front of Todd School's Travel Coach "Big Bertha"
Title
Student Parents in Front of Todd School's Travel Coach "Big Bertha"
Description
Circa 1940s. Coach Roskie is on the far left.
Affectionately known as “Big Bertha,” the Todd School sleeper buses provided a complete traveling home/school, were used to take students to educational sites throughout North America and to transport students to the Todd winter home in Florida.
The Todd School for Boys (1848–1954) was an independent school located in Woodstock, Illinois founded by Reverend Richard Kimball Todd, a Presbyterian pastor. Under the guidance of Headmaster Noble Hill in the 1920s and Hill’s son Roger in the 1930s, it became known as a progressive school that provided students with a creative educational environment that emphasized practical experience over traditional academics. The main Todd School Campus was located on the northeast corner of the Rt. 47 (Seminary Ave) and Rt. 120 (McHenry Ave.) junction.
Anthony C. Roskie grew up in Rockford, Illinois and attended Rockford High School. After graduating from Lake Forest College outside of Chicago in 1929, he took a position as a coach and teacher at Todd School for Boys, eventually serving as its athletic director. Following his years at Todd and Woodstock Community High School, Roskie became a founder of McHenry County College. Roskie was voted Woodstock Citizen of the Year in 1971. Eleven years later, a pavilion at Woodstock City Park was named in his honor. He died in 1995 at the age of 89.
Affectionately known as “Big Bertha,” the Todd School sleeper buses provided a complete traveling home/school, were used to take students to educational sites throughout North America and to transport students to the Todd winter home in Florida.
The Todd School for Boys (1848–1954) was an independent school located in Woodstock, Illinois founded by Reverend Richard Kimball Todd, a Presbyterian pastor. Under the guidance of Headmaster Noble Hill in the 1920s and Hill’s son Roger in the 1930s, it became known as a progressive school that provided students with a creative educational environment that emphasized practical experience over traditional academics. The main Todd School Campus was located on the northeast corner of the Rt. 47 (Seminary Ave) and Rt. 120 (McHenry Ave.) junction.
Anthony C. Roskie grew up in Rockford, Illinois and attended Rockford High School. After graduating from Lake Forest College outside of Chicago in 1929, he took a position as a coach and teacher at Todd School for Boys, eventually serving as its athletic director. Following his years at Todd and Woodstock Community High School, Roskie became a founder of McHenry County College. Roskie was voted Woodstock Citizen of the Year in 1971. Eleven years later, a pavilion at Woodstock City Park was named in his honor. He died in 1995 at the age of 89.
Source
Caryl Roskie Lemanski Collection
Date
194X
Collection
Citation
“Student Parents in Front of Todd School's Travel Coach "Big Bertha",” Woodstock Public Library Archives, accessed October 11, 2024, https://woodstockpubliclibraryarchives.omeka.net/items/show/540.
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