O’Roarke Elementary namesake made extra efforts as educator

Nobody knew longtime Clark County School District educator Thomas J. O'Roarke better than his wife, Shirley.

The couple shared titles as parents and grandparents and had a love affair that spanned more than three decades until Thomas O'Roarke's death in 2003. It was then that Shirley learned things about her husband that she perhaps never would have known.

One teacher and former colleague shared how then-principal O'Roarke wheeled his desk chair to her classroom so she could have a comfortable perch while on doctor's-ordered rest. He brought in a foot stool for a student with dwarfism whose legs dangled under her desk.

He doled out coupons to his staff for him to teach in their place at the last hour of one day.

He made eye contact with everyone. He played games with the kids during lunch period. He was called "hero" a lot.

Shirley knew she'd married a talented, sweet (and handsome, as she said) man, but it wasn't in him to brag.

"He was a very humble man," Shirley said.

Shirley learned the extra tidbits about her husband as she compiled notes and letters of recommendation for a bid to name a school after him. Only about a third of the 70 or so she received made it into the application.

In 2008, O'Roarke Elementary School, 8455 O'Hare Road, opened in honor of the man's award-winning 30-year career in education.

His legacy is all around the school.

Shirley devoted two trophy cases to family photos and memorabilia. Large portraits of O'Roarke hang near the cases and the school entrance.

Shirley volunteers weekly and answers to "Grandma O'Roarke" by those who aren't her grandchildren. She carried on her husband's tradition of dressing as a leprechaun for St. Patrick's Day. The school mascot is the lion, a nod to the O'Roarke family crest in Ireland.

Four of Thomas O'Roarke's grandchildren attend and another graduated from O'Roarke Elementary School.

"Some of them think it's the only school," Shirley O'Roarke said with a laugh. "They think everyone goes to Grandpa's school."

Thomas O'Roarke, or Tom to those close to him, was born in St. Paul, Minn., Aug. 27, 1943. He moved to Southern California and attended Citrus College before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1967, the same year he married his wife.

He spent three years as an appointed special agent with the 82nd Airborne Division.

He returned to California after service and fathered three children with his wife. They moved to Las Vegas in 1975, and O'Roarke began his career with the Clark County School District. At the same time, he pursued a master's degree in education administration from UNLV.

The O'Roarke children were taught in the school system, and daughter Amy is a teacher , too.

O'Roarke served as a teacher, dean of students and administrative aide before working as a principal for 24 years. In 2003, he received the Clark County School District's Excellence in Education Hall of Fame Award. Shirley accepted the award three days before her husband's death.

He was an active member in The Meadows' Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He retired in July 2003 and died that November.

O'Roarke taught at several Clark County School District schools and famously brought with him some of his favorite teachers. Sherrie Bates was among the group that followed O'Roarke.

"He really believed in bringing his veteran teachers in," she said. "He was probably the best man I ever knew and the best principal I ever knew."

Bates said O'Roarke fostered an environment where teachers could excel. He believed they called the shots for what was best for the classroom and "he didn't believe one size fits all," she said.

"He was a teacher's principal," Bates said. "I wish there were more principals like him out there to inspire teachers to do the best they can."

Bates was with O'Roarke throughout his on-and-off again, 12-year battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

He remained humble about his fight, she said.

"He worried about people that worked with him first before he worried about himself," she said.

He holds a place in her heart.

"I still miss him," Bates said.

Bates helped apply for a namesake school with Shirley. They met after school and on weekends to finish the application.

A copy of the application, which is gathered in a binder, is available at the school's front desk. Shirley keeps a copy at her Centennial Hills home, too.

Included in it is a letter she wrote in which she talks about how her husband was a devoted family man who never missed a sporting event or recital. He was an equally loving husband who brought flowers home spontaneously and handmade cards for his wife.

He was a skier and photographer. He made Las Vegas, a town that was supposed to be a short stay for his family, home. He touched many lives.

"The school is an honor , but it's just a building," Shirley said. "I want people to know he was a human being."

Contact Centennial and North Las Vegas View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.