Tacking into the Wind
of the established order
by Dick Vander Woude

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I joined the teachers’ revolution of the 60s, expecting to work for a just and honored profession. Colliding symbiotic values fomented into the experiences that defined my future. The established order asked us to comply and compromise. Idealism required us to accommodate pragmatism while never compromising our passion for justice. Mine is a story about choices. Choices that took me from school teacher to teacher advocate, from the teachings of John Calvin to the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza, from conservative to the progressive/left. A path guided by inculcated values, influenced by social and political events, molded by mentors and interrupted by tragedy. Along the way I met great teachers, organizers, philosophers, policy makers, writers, and presidents. Born into a conservative rural, Iowa family, I was inspired by Bobby Kennedy’s promise of withdrawal from Viet Nam and his passion to fulfill Martin Luther King’s vision of a just society. But Bobby was gone and with him much of the hope he had inspired. Flying away from my safe, predictable life as a teacher near Lake Okoboji, I hoped to embrace a new life as an organizer. Today, as I reflect on life’s lessons, I believe that justice, mercy, and humility should guide the organizer’s mantra: “Educate, Agitate, Organize.”

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Individual lives begin, develop and play out. The old places change. Society moves on. The stories, however, remain. And through them the pulse of the past can sometimes be felt again. As if by some ghostly magic, the sense of how it was, the expectation and wonder return. Dick Vander Woude’s splendid memoir, Tacking Into the Wind, reads in places like the sound of a distant train whistle, a long salute to our shared past. — David Rhodes, author of Driftless and Jewelweed "Dick Vander Woude has written more than just a substantive memoir of his life in education and teacher advocacy. He has spread before the reader a life-long passion for the underdogs in society -- especially public school employees. In doing so, Vander Woude shares his unwavering devotion to the American political process, warts and all, as a vehicle for their liberation. But the story doesn't end there. Dick has candidly assessed his life-long attempt to navigate the cross-currents of professional advocacy with his love and devotion for family. That struggle has been complicated by health issues that are more than significant. This is a good account of a good man, written by that same man." — Don Cameron, author of The Inside Story of the Teacher Revolution in America and Educational conflict in the Sunshine State is the former executive director of the National Education Association (NEA) from 1983 - 2003

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Dick Vander Woude was born in Iowa and spent much of his life representing teachers. In 2007, he retired from the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) where he served as the Director of Communications and Public Relations. While at WEAC he created the critically acclaimed public relations strategy known as Great Schools. (EVERY KID DESERVES A GREAT SCHOOL) Dick began his work in education, teaching US History and Civics near his boyhood home of Okoboji, Iowa. He took his first organizer position, 1968, with the Nevada State Education Association, (NSEA) in Las Vegas and immediately was thrust into a bitter strike. The National Education Association (NEA) then hired him as one of its first regional Government Relations Consultants in 1971. He got the opportunity to work in “interesting times.” The Vietnam War haunted the country. Just as the war ended, the Watergate hearings began. Democrats briefly ruled before the progressive vision was swallowed up by the Reagan revolution. In 1982, Dick returned to Nevada as NSEA’s Executive Director and Lobbyist where he publically fought with casino owners while engaging in his private battle with cancer. He rejoined NEA Government Relations staff in 1988 to develop its state policy initiatives program and play a significant roll in organizing member support for President Clinton. His wife would soon face her own battle with cancer. In 1995, Dick began his work in Wisconsin, just as a Republican governor would begin the drive to privatize education with the first voucher program and sadly watched it reach fever pitch with the election of Scott Walker in 2010. In retirement, Dick and his wife, Cynthia, lived in Madison, with their dog, Abe. When not seated before his computer you might find him protesting at the Capitol, drinking coffee and discussing the perils of politics while aging with his friends, attending a philosophy class with seniors, or working on his photo library. Dick enjoyed cheering for University of Wisconsin basketball, football, and volleyball teams as well as musicals at Madison’s Overture Center, book clubs, Friday night fish, and keeping track of family and friends. Sadly, Dick passed away unexpectedly on March 14th, 2014 at the age of 74. For his next project, Dick had hoped to write short stories inspired by his life as an organizer and had started a mystery novel based on his boyhood adventures in Okoboji. He is survived by his wife Cynthia, his sons Eric and Alec, and his daughter Clare - they are all thankful for the time he took to get his memoirs on paper.

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Dick Vander Woude

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