The Whispers in the Wind: A Final Message to the Ladue Community

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The Whispers in the Wind: A Final Message to the Ladue Community

Dr. Wipke with students at graduation

It is hard to believe that mid-May is already here. In the world of education, this is the season of caffeine, adrenaline, and the joyful anticipation of seeing our seniors cross the graduation stage. But for me, this May carries a different weight. After seven years serving as your Superintendent and 33 years in education, it is time for me to say my final "thank you" to the Ladue Schools community.
Dr. Wipke at Convocation with his Board of Directors slide

My "Board of Directors"

I often talk about my personal "Board of Directors"—the people I’ve chosen to help guide my life. Looking back on my time here, this community has truly been a part of that board. You have wrapped your arms around me, challenged me, and supported me so that I could be the best version of myself for our students.

To my family—Jennifer, my children, and my grandchildren—thank you for your grace. You were the motivation that kept me going on the long days, and the reason I always looked forward to coming home. Jennifer, you’ve been by my side for 33 years, listening to me "map out" the future of the district even when I should have been present at the dinner table. Our best days are still ahead, and I promise to be a better listener in our next chapter!

The Dirt and the Bloodline

Recently, my daughter Jamison sent me a song called "McArthur." The lyrics hit me with an unexpected force:

My name's John McArthur
and I work this dirt
'Til they lay me down in it in my one good shirt
I kept my family fed with a mule and a plow
I'm a whisper in the wind through the pine trees now

And my bloodline, it bled on this ground
Soon we all find that's where we're bound
And father time don’t leave anyone out
When you pass on, what you gonna pass down?

People often ask why I feel such a deep connection to this district. The truth is: my bloodline is in this dirt. In the late 1800s, my ancestors came here from Germany. My great-great-great-grandfather, Charles Wipke, took a stake in this land. His son, Fred, opened the F.W. Wipke General Mercantile and Saloon at the corner of Lindbergh and Clayton—back when Lindbergh was just a dirt path called Denny Road.

My grandfather, Harold, ran the Shell station on that same corner. And right down Clayton Road, while many of you today satisfy your sweet tooth at Baskin-Robbins, when I drive by that ice cream shop, I remember it as the home of Wipke Realty. I can still picture being a seven-year-old kid rummaging through that basement. And just down the road in the City of Olivette, right where Chevy's Restaurant stands today, is the spot where my dad, Denny Wipke, grew up.

For the last seven years, I haven't just been walking into an office; I’ve been walking the same streets where my ancestors worked to keep their families fed. When I walk the halls of Ladue Horton Watkins High School, I am walking the same halls my father once walked. They’ve been renovated, sure—but the "whispers in the wind" are still there. I am incredibly grateful to the Board of Education for giving me the chance to walk with those whispers and give back to the community that gave my family its start over a century ago.
An old photo of F.W. Wipke


Dr. Wipke with his Ladue Schools theme through the years slide

A Legacy of Hope

We have accomplished so much together over these past seven years. We’ve seen our schools consistently recognized with national rankings, maintained our status as hands-down the best school district in the state, and passed the largest bond issue in Ladue history right in the middle of a global pandemic.

But when people ask what my legacy will be, I don’t think of the brick-and-mortar. I don’t even think about the grueling days of navigating COVID. Instead, that song comes back to me. Quite frankly, I just want to be that "whisper in the wind" that continues to blow through the Ladue School District—a gentle, steady reminder to our community to always Fail Forward, Learn Forward, Live Forward, and Love Forward. My greatest hope is that when times get difficult, you will still hear that wind in the pines, offering hope right when it is needed most.

The Good Old Days

Sticking with the sharing-a-song theme, my son Jacob recently shared a song with me by Sam Barber called "As Time Passes." It says:

"When those Friday Night Lights start to fade
All them good times turn into the good old days
Now I'm just sitting here with all my friends.”

As I prepare for my new adventure in Chicago, the "Friday Night Lights" of high school sports may be fading, but the friendships I have made here will not. I have spent my life "loving what I do" with colleagues who have truly become family.

In the words of my first Board President in the Fox School District, John Laughlin: "It’s never as bad as you think it is... but it’s never as good, either!"

Well, John... looking back at my time in Ladue? I think it was pretty darn good.

Thank you, Ladue. It has been an honor.

Jim Wipke
Superintendent


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