LHS staff share memories of Gwin

Reprinted from the Libertyville Review July 23, 2009
By DANI SCHWEIGERT dschweigert@pioneerlocal.com

When school resumes Aug. 19 at Libertyville High School, the hallways will seem a little emptier, as they will no longer be filled with the boisterous laugh of English teacher Barbara (Barb) Gwin.
Gwin, 50, of Vernon Hills worked at Libertyville for 25 years and died July 14 from complications with diabetes.
"She was so revered at the high school and such a scholarly icon in literature and writing," said Mary Price, a retired Libertyville world history and European history teacher who now teaches at College of Lake County. "When I would receive papers from students who were (Gwin's), they just had a literary flourish that she was able to cultivate."
Price said she and Gwin were friends outside of work and used to catch up during Gwin's son, Matt's, tennis matches. Matt will be a sophomore at Vernon Hills High School this coming school year. Gwin's husband is Jeffrey. Price said Gwin took courses at Northwestern in the summer to keep up and further develop her skills, and she always thought Gwin would have written a book after she retired.
"I feel not only our district has suffered a loss, but the literary world itself," Price said.
Along with being well versed in literature, Gwin also had a genuine interest in people's lives and well-being, Price said. One memory she has of Gwin is when Gwin helped bring two staff members together - the couple are now married.
'Special place'
"I know she has a special place in heaven because she was a great humanitarian," Price said.
She added that Gwin also had an amazing ability to connect with students on a personal level and help them reach their potential.
"Sometimes you have so many papers to grade, and it's tempting to skim through them, but she would stay past 5 p.m. with stacks of papers in front of her, and that's how she would cultivate students' writing skills," Price said.
One of those students was Amanda (Dayton) Nehring, who graduated from Libertyville in 2006. Nehring, 20, had Gwin as her teacher for creative writing her junior year.
"She had a really fun teaching style," Nehring said. "She was teaching creative writing to adolescents, which is a challenge because that age doesn't like to express themselves, but she made her class safe and easy to share."
Nehring said Gwin supported her through her education courses in college and helped her chose her career path. Nehring was debating between becoming a journalist or a teacher, and she now teaches a first- and second-grade bilingual class at Cotton Creek Elementary School in Island Lake.
But more than guiding Nehring through her academic studies, Gwin helped her through her personal life. The year she had Gwin as a teacher for creative writing, Nehring's mother was killed in a car accident. Her mother was a teacher as well.
"We really connected that year," Nehring said. "She was a great support and really went above and beyond being just a teacher."
Nehring stayed in touch with Gwin through the years, and Gwin attended her college graduation party in May, her bridal shower in May, and would have attended her wedding June 13, but had surgery that day.
Nehring said she will always remember Gwin's laugh and how you couldn't help but laugh yourself when you heard it.
"She'll certainly be missed," she said. "Her classroom was kind of tucked away, but everyone knew about her. She really did have a big influence on the school."
Brian Twadell, an English teacher at Libertyville, worked with Gwin for 11 years in the English Department and said he, too, will miss her laugh.
"She was just a vivacious personality," he said. "She was always warm and caring."
Marti Gorun recently retired after 36 years as an English teacher at Libertyville and was friends with Gwin for more than 25 years.
"You would never find anyone who would have anything negative to say about her," Gorun said. "She was a kind soul. She was just the funniest, most entertaining person you would meet.
"What I'll miss most about her is her wonderful laugh. She had a great sense of humor, and she was the best friend you could ask for. She has left a big hole in the hearts of those who knew her."