VERMONT SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION

 

 

FREDERICK H. TUTTLE SERVICE AWARD

Vermont Superintendent of the Year

 

HONORING FREDERICK H. TUTTLE

 

Frederick H. Tuttle began his education career in 1959, when, as a recent graduate of Middlebury College, he taught language arts at Lyman C. Hunt Junior High School.  After four years as a teacher, he became the school’s assistant principal and later served the same role at Burlington High School.  In 1970, Mr. Tuttle became the Assistant Superintendent for the South Burlington School District.  He was appointed Superintendent one year later, a position he held for more than 20 years.  Mr. Tuttle died after a heroic battle with cancer on June 7, 1992.  The City of South Burlington renamed its middle school the Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School in his honor.

 

Fred Tuttle was a quiet scholar of English literature and a respected and exemplary administrator.  In a job that involves finance and bureaucracy, Tuttle cared most about people.  He treated everyone with whom he interacted with respect, interest, and attention.  Tuttle helped recruit high-quality, experienced teachers and principals who shared his respect for children.  Under his leadership, the South Burlington School District gained national and state recognition for educational quality.  Mr. Tuttle remained committed to teaching and exemplified excellent leadership.  He was a gentle person and an extraordinary gentleman who rarely gave orders and frequently offered his assistance to others.

 

Mr. Tuttle devoted large amounts of his time to his professional associations and was an active member in the Vermont Superintendents Association, where he served as a Trustee and Secretary.  He was also active in the Champlain Valley Superintendents Association, the American Association of School Administrators, and Phi Delta Kappa.  Mr. Tuttle served as on the Board of Trustees of the Medical Center of Vermont.  Throughout Tuttle’s 33 years as an educator, he was known as an individual who embodied the best of what public education provides to children and to the community.  Frederick H. Tuttle earned the respect and admiration of all who knew him.