School mourns loss of Bob Ralston

Math teacher Bob Ralston passed away Saturday, Sept. 15 after an almost year-long battle with cancer.

After attempting to ease back into his teaching job this year, Ralston’s health began diminishing within the first few days of school, special education teacher Kara Hardesty said.

“He really wanted to get back to school,” Hardesty said. “It became pretty apparent that he wasn’t strong enough to be here.”

Hardesty said she was Ralston’s math student in eighth grade, his colleague since she began teaching and his close friend ever since.

“I aspired to be like him as I was going through college,” Hardesty said. “I definitely wanted to be like him as a teacher, but more as a person.”

Although Ralston was one of the faculty members she was closest to, Hardesty said she would avoid him during staff meetings.

“I couldn’t sit next to him,” Hardesty said. “He would make me laugh so hard and get me in trouble.”

Secretary Paula Hannahs said she has known Ralston for 16 years and that they built a strong friendship.

“He was the best listener I have ever been in contact with,” Hannahs said. “I could tell him anything, and I knew he would give me his honest opinion.”

After Ralston was diagnosed with cancer some time before Thanksgiving of last year, Hannahs said she drove him to West Virginia so that he could spend Christmas with his family.

“He has always been there for me,” Hannahs said. “I’m so glad to have had him in my life. He was a true, genuine friend.”

Librarian Vicki Almos said they enjoyed a strong relationship while traveling with him.

“I respected his principles,” Almos said. “He truly lived by the ‘golden rule,’ and he had friends of all ages because everybody loved and respected him.”

This past July, Ralston had the opportunity to travel to New York City, where he contacted a number of his old students, Hannahs said.

“My son had [Ralston] twice, and he always showed a genuine interest in [my son’s] life,” Hannahs said. “[This summer] he made [his former students] feel that they were the most important people in his life at that moment,” she added.

History teacher Ben Trotter recognized Ralston’s constant dedication to his students.

“Some people can care so much about their students that they can’t see flaws,” Trotter said. “He cared so much that he could see beyond [students’] flaws.”

Senior Brian Farlough said his transition to Bexley as a sophomore was more academically challenging than he had expected and that Ralston helped him adjust.

“I had just moved [to Bexley] and almost flunked out of math,” Farlough said. “He said we were going to slow down until I got [the material].”

In Farlough’s experience, Ralston was willing to do anything to help a student succeed.

“He made you do your work,” Farlough said. “He taught us that eventually, hard work pays off, not just with math, but with life. I guess he was right, because I got an A in the class.”

Trotter said that Ralston’s teaching and support went beyond the classroom and influenced more than just students.

“He accepted me,” Trotter said. “He accepted me with my flaws, but he didn’t accept my flaws. He not only pointed students in the direction of being a person of good character, he modeled it for them.”

After watching Ralston teach for 20 years, Trotter said he believes Ralston has made a notable impression on many students.

“My suspicion is that there are a lot of people who are more caring as individuals because they experienced his caring nature,” Trotter said. “He is going to be profoundly missed.”