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Students hold balloons and observe a moment of silence for Timothy VanDerbosch and Pamela Orr-Sowers, two Eldorado High School teachers who recently died. VanDerbosch died Wednesday morning at University Medical Center after being robbed, beaten and accidentally run over near Washington Avenue and Betty Lane.
Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010 | 11:17 p.m.
Timothy VanDerbosch
Students release balloons before Thursday night's football game between Eldorado High School and Rancho High School in memory of teachers Timothy VanDerbosch and Pamela Orr-Sowers. VanDerbosch was killed Wednesday morning at University Medical Center after being robbed, beaten and accidentally run over near Washington Avenue and Betty Lane.
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Whether they had him for physics, chemistry or just simply said hello to him in the halls, Eldorado High School students said they lost a great teacher and friend with the slaying of Timothy VanDerbosch.
“It wasn’t his time to go. He was barely 50,” sophomore Regina Evans said.
VanDerbosch, a physics and chemistry teacher, was attacked, robbed and left in the street, where he was hit by a car, Wednesday morning while walking to school, a crime that VanDerbosch’s sister, Lori de los Reyes, 47, describes as “senseless.”
“I can’t explain it because it’s not rational,” de los Reyes said from her home in Indianapolis. “I am still in disbelief.”
In response to the tragedy, Eldorado High School planned a “blue-out” — VanDerbosch was known for his affinity for wearing blue shirts to school — for Thursday night’s football game against Rancho High School.
The crowd observed a moment of silence in his memory.
The school also plans to conduct a candlelight vigil at 6 a.m. Monday on the road where VanDerbosch was killed. De los Reyes said she and one of her brothers plans to fly out to participate.
“I think it’s just amazing that the community can do that,” de los Reyes said. “I would have never imagined.”
Minutes before the game, members of Student Council carried blue and pink balloons and handed them out to those in the crowd. After a moment of silence, they released the balloons and cheered in memory of VanDerbosch and another teacher, Pamela Orr-Sowers, who recently died of illness.
Stephen Nelson, a member of the class of 2008, said he was in VanDerbosch’s physics class his senior year. He learned of his former teacher’s death on Wednesday and was in shock.
“He was the only teacher I had who made learning really fun and broke everything down. He wasn’t a bell-to-bell teacher,” Nelson said. “Bad things happen to good people, sometimes.”
Student body President Karli Kuhn, a senior, had VanDerbosch twice — her sophomore year for chemistry and this year for physics. She said she had a bad feeling when she noticed that VanDerbosch hadn’t showed up for first period that day.
“I really learned something every single day in that class. He’s one of my favorite teachers,” Kuhn said. “In the class, he made sure we learned something.”
His students said he made learning a priority and that he was strict and sometimes short-tempered — a trait that his sister laughs about.
“Someone said, ‘Remember how when he gets mad, how red he gets in the face?’” de los Reyes said. “That’s his passion coming out. He really wants the students to learn. You’re gonna learn this, and you’re gonna do well.”
De los Reyes said VanDerbosch, an Indiana native, was smart and always wanted to be a teacher. She said he began teaching in Las Vegas in his early 30s and decided to live nearby so he could walk to school.
“He would walk to school everyday, rain, shine or whatever,” de los Reyes said. “Ever since he got out there, he found his niche and wanted to help his students as much as he can.”
Students and alumni enjoyed reminiscing about VanDerbosch but were upset when speaking about whoever is responsible for his slaying.
“I really don’t think they deserve to live,” Kuhn said. “They took a life of an innocent person; they obviously don’t have any conscience. They obviously don’t care for human life.”
Nelson said he was filled with anger when he heard how his favorite teacher was killed.
“He didn’t deserve that. He didn’t do anything but care about the kids and care about teaching. There’s no reason for it,” Nelson said.
Metro Police said Thursday afternoon that they have received numerous leads in the case but have made no arrests.
Police linked the attack on VanDerbosch, which happened near Washington Avenue and Betty Lane, to at least four violent robberies that occurred within three hours in the northeast valley.
Lt. Lew Roberts said the other victims in the robberies were kicked, punched and one was stabbed, but all are in good condition. The robbers appear to be committing “crimes of opportunity” — targeting people walking alone or sitting at bus stops, he said.
“Basically, these suspects are assaulting people that are minding their business going about their day-to-day routines,” he said.
Their motive, however, is less clear, because they are not netting much from robbing the victims, one of them a homeless person, Roberts said.
“We’re not ruling out the fact that these suspects are doing it just because,” he said.
Police believe two or three Hispanic males and one Hispanic female participated in the robberies, Roberts said. They may have been in a white, four-door Nissan car, he said.
“It is our hope that we will have some arrests that will be made in the near future,” he said.
Discussion: 2 comments so far…
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From time to time we hear fleeting proposals to hold parents of these kind of predator youths responsible for their kid's actions. Nothing comes of that, though. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if we're primarily talking about "single parents" here. (If so, whether dad walked out on mom, or mom walked out on dad -- I don't care. Incarcerate them both, along with junior.)
The ONLY second thoughts I might have, is when worthless mom and/or dad still has other youn'uns at home, who would then become wards of the state. But on the off-chance any of the thugs guilty of this heart-breaking atrocity are the last of their brood, round up the feckless, parents too. I know raising teenagers is tough in this town and in this economy. But I'm raising one myself, and have another pre-teen who challenges me everyday. But my wife and I knuckle-down and dish out tough love because we love our kids. No gangbangers will come out of THIS house. I'm guessing the rest of you can say the same.
So we need to crack down on feckless parents who don't do what it takes to crack down on their own predator children.
The El Dorado students -- and all of us -- have lost so much with the killing of this good man.
Unfortuntely VanDerbosch did not get the memo.
We lost the freedom to walk down current streets a long time ago because we have empowered thugs to do as they please.
Thugs use to fear and respect the police. That is completely gone because our society has placed the handcuffs on the police and not on the bad guys.
Will we ever reclaim that freedom?
It is extremely doubtful.
VanDerbosch must had have a belief that in the goodness of mankind but just did not realize the danger that he was in by walking alone in certain neighborhoods (and perhaps that is now true in all neighborhoods).
VanDerbosch was a good man.
Rest in peace, fellow Hoosier...it is no longer enough to simply be a good person and expect the return from our society...this incident has caused me to decide to buy a gun, learn how to use it, become licensed and carry it with me...I feel there is no other choice...again, rest in peace, Mr. VanDerbosch...
I previously saw this report on tv, you know what I got sick...i mean here's this teacher, walking from him apt to teach science at school. And some punks jump him, beat him, and then gets run over because he was somehow in the street...I don't believe in the death penalty, but who ever did this, if I were a juror I would vote death..this could of been my brother, father, friend, etc...makes me angry about the trash that out there..I carry a gun everytime i'm outside of my house and I would of used if only he had one. just another horrible tragic event..makes me sick..
http://www.themichaelcrookgazette.com/ne...
I wonder if all the victims of these sissys were white or black . Did they attack any other latinos. If not than these attacks should be hate crimes, which carries a stiffer sentence.You never here of a hate crime against whites even though it occurs everyday. Why is that?Where is the info on the other victims?Was this latino bangers targeting other races?It happens everyday but nobody says a word about it being a hate crime. You be damn sure if this was whities that did this it would be all over the news about the poor latinos being robbed by racist whities.