Remembering R-FH's Mr. Math, Bill Kern

You could say that the legacy of a tall, bold order in math teachers has been left to fill with the recent death of former Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School icon William Kern.

Mr. Kern, as everyone at R-FH knew him, died on May 26 at 80 after living out his retirement years in North Carolina.

No matter the distance in time and place, Mr. Kern was just one of those R-FH characters who didn't fade into a distant memory all too easily. He couldn't help making his own indelible mark just by virtue of his appearance alone.

He was tall — very tall. He wore bold, colorful clothing and his mode of dress threaded through to his manner of speaking. There was no cursing, of course, just continual challenge peppered with snipes to, as he saw it, I think, sharpen the sharpest of students' minds.

Even if he didn't teach you, you knew all about the tall man clad in his own twist of 1970s preppy and full of math-centric brain teasers mind-boggling methods, not to mention the apt basketball coach role.

His wife, Nancy, taught math at R-FH as well. She was also a tall one, too, who shared her affinity for math with her husband, but settled into her own niche in local politics as mayor of Fair Haven for a time.

When the dynamic math duo wasn't seen scurrying down the halls, rarely apart, to and from class for decades, they were at home in Fair Haven doing things like offering up math questions in exchange for treats at Halloween — relentlessly in love with teaching and math.

In case you didn't already know it, here's some background on Mr. Kern:

After retirement in 1996, the Kerns moved to Fearrington Village in Pittsboro, NC. "He became a staple on the dog-walking circuit, socializing with everyone he met," his obituary said. "Other interests included golf, cheering on college basketball teams, traveling and enjoying the company of everyone who crossed his path. Bill never knew a stranger. His joy, kind soul, vivaciousness and zest for life will truly be missed."

Born to William and Eleanor Kern, Bill graduated from Neptune High School, Neptune, before earning his undergraduate degree in, of course, math from the College of William and Mary and his master's degree from Colgate University.

Colgate is where he and Nancy met. They married, made Fair Haven their home and had daughter Witney. The rest is R-FH history.

What are some of your favorite memories of Mr. Kern? Tell us in the comments section below. Don't be shy. He wouldn't.