Keystone High School legend Phil Tuttle is making his departure after spending 46 years as a Keystone Wildcat! For the past 33 years, he was a KHS English Teacher and also served in various positions: Athletic Director, Head Baseball Coach, Head Football Coach, Mentor Teacher, Assistant Coach for three sports, and many other additional supplemental positions! As a student, he began as a kindergartener and ended as a highly-regarded graduate and our 1983 prom king!!
Tuttle states that his fondest memories are so vast that “It is difficult to pinpoint one. I will miss seeing our football players, cheerleaders, band members, fans, and teachers celebrating success in big games and in momentous events. I also fondly remember moving out of the old building into the new one as an exciting experience that I will never forget. I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning during those first few days teaching in this beautiful building.”
Tuttle adds, “I will greatly miss the friendships and relationships that I have been fortunate to forge with my colleagues. I will miss getting to talk to my friends on a daily basis.”
Of his summer and future plans, he states, “I am taking the summer off to recuperate from a crazy year, from learning a new way of teaching (remote) to planning my daughter’s wedding twice, after moving it because of the pandemic. After a relaxing summer, I plan to find some work that doesn’t require me to answer to a bell every 43 minutes!!! Oh…and I want to golf a lot!!”
Gratefully, he thanks the many people in his life who have supported and guided him, in both his professional career and in his personal life. I appreciate “all the people in my life who were early mentors to me in my career: Ted Gordon, Dave Ring, Tom Hlavsa, Al Bell, Randy Fatz, Bruce Bradley, and Jim Davis, just to name a few. And I need to thank my wife, DeNita, for understanding how demanding teaching and coaching is on a person’s time. I want to thank her for the hundreds and thousands of hours listening to me talk about my job when she had her own thoughts and worries about her career.”
KHS Vice Principal Gina Gibson states, “it was an honor to teach with Phil Tuttle. He deserves his place in our history books as a Keystone legend because he has tirelessly dedicated himself to our students, our community, and our staff, giving of himself at every turn. His steadfast, balanced approach and willingness to try whatever comes down the pike has served our students well as he has always been willing to work to create the best environment for those students in his classroom and out on the field. Mr. Tuttle will always be loved and missed, but certainly knows, once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.”
Principal James Kohler reflects Gibson’s sentiments and adds, “Phil Tuttle is what makes Keystone a special place. He embodies the essence of what we are all aiming for in educating young people. He cares deeply for them as people, has extremely high standards for their education, but also has the compassion that is needed for this age group. His legacy will live on through the many lives he has touched throughout his time at Keystone and I count myself as one of the lucky ones to have worked alongside him.”
Congratulations on your retirement Phil! You certainly are and will remain a Keystone legend!