Bill Raddell '68

For nearly 50 years, Bill Raddell has served as a cornerstone to VASJ’s legacy of quality, Catholic education. Undeniably, his impact on the students, faculty and staff of Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School is profound. Acting as the heart and conscience of our community, Bill is always seeking what is faithful to the mission of Jesus Christ, the Gospel, the spirit of the Marianists and Ursulines, and VASJ.

Bill is a 1968 graduate of St. Joseph High School. As a student, he enjoyed getting involved and was active in Service Club, Cinema Club, Sodality and Junior Council on World Affairs. As a student, Bill still cherishes attending the Marianist Leadership Camp in Dayton twice, providing him with a time of great fellowship and real exposure to a dynamic faith community. Bill also had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., for a model UN with the Junior Council on World Affairs, an experience that further opened his eyes to issues he deeply cared about even as a young man.

Reflecting on his time at St. Joseph, Bill acknowledges several teachers who were instrumental in his development. Bro. Bob Hollis brought about an excitement to learn and a lifelong love of cinema. Bro. Tom Corrigan taught a model of note-taking, a seemingly simple lesson that would be the catalyst for growing Bill’s interest in teaching. Jerry Lennon provided Bill with a foundation in literature, leading him to study English later on. And finally, Bro. Mike Cook opened Bill’s eyes to learning about alternative models of education and learning that greatly influenced Bill’s own way of teaching as an educator himself. At the end of his senior year,  Bro. Mike helped Bill to organize an alternative learning experience for a small group of students, an activity that was especially rewarding for the young aspiring teacher.

After graduating high school, Bill attended John Carroll University, where he took part in the JCU Prayer Community and the college’s Social Justice Study Group. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English in 1972 and later continued his education at Loyola University of Chicago, obtaining a master’s of pastoral studies in 1980. Bill returned to his alma mater as a young teacher not much older than his students in 1972. To date, St. Joseph and VASJ have been the only school in which Bill has taught — a measure of his love for and devotion to the Viking community he so deeply loves.

Teaching is Bill’s ministry, and everything he does flows from the heart of his personal calling of Jesus Christ. In an effort to assist the young adults of VASJ with faith formation and a focus on service to others, Bill leads and coordinates many Campus Ministry and Mission activities, including the Kairos Retreat Program, moderating the Pro Life Club and the Peer Ministry Program, and helping with senior service projects like Halloween and Christmas on Campus. In making sure the charisms of the Marianists and Ursulines remain vibrant at VASJ, Bill is the coordinator of Mission Effectiveness at the school. He is also a writer, consultant, editor and series creator for the Center for Learning Publishing Company. He has written textbooks used in the classrooms of VASJ that have been central to promoting faith formation of students in Marianist and Ursuline traditions.  

Outside of the classrooms of VASJ, Bill has taught certification classes for the Diocese of Cleveland. He is also a frequent guest speaker for the National Catholic Educational Association. An honor well-deserved, Bill was named Outstanding Teacher in the March 2006 issue of Ohio Magazine.

While Bill remains proud of his accomplishments as a dedicated educator, it is the family he has created that gives him the deepest sense of pride. Together with his wife, Geri, of over 40 years, the couple has raised four daughters, all of whom attended VASJ. He is the proud grandfather of four grandchildren and enjoys every minute of time spent with them.