Remembering a beloved teacher

The Triton community was saddened this week with word of the passing of longtime Triton teacher Craig Anderson.

I first met him shortly after I started writing for the old West Concord Enterprise in 2013. A big part of the newspaper’s coverage involved Triton schools and the Music Department generated its share of news.

We also covered the senior hymn sings at Faith Community Church in West Concord and I don’t think I can recall one where Craig Anderson was not at the piano leading the music.

For the last number of years, minus COVID of course, he would always be sitting at the end of the bleachers in the gymnasium on graduation Sunday as the choir members filled the bleachers to wait for their turn to perform.

And every year I would say to him, “Well, here we are again.” I have thought it will be strange this June when I go to graduation and he is not in his usual place. Little did I know just how strange it will seem.

I interviewed him last spring as he was getting ready for retirement and it was obvious how much he had loved his years here, first at Claremont, and then at Triton when Claremont, Dodge Center, and West Concord merged.

There have been a lot of comments this week about how great a teacher he was and how he had influenced so many of his students and was respected by them and not just the ones who were passionate about music.

Most of us probably can recall a teacher like that who had a big impact on our lives. To them we say “thank you.”

For those of you who want to pay your respects to Craig Anderson, his funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday at, appropriately, Triton High School.