Where Are They Now?: Bob Conard

Bob Conard has never left teaching or coaching.

He still does both, but in a tutorial role. He tutors chemistry students after school and loves it.

"I still love working with the students and helping them improve themselves," Conard said. "I've been doing it since 2003 when I retired from teaching and I really like it."

Conard had success in the classroom and in cross country. He had a very successful run as the Bulldogs' boys cross country coach and assistant track coach from 1969 to 1984. In cross country, Crown Point won 10 consecutive Lake Suburban Conference titles from 1974 to 1983. Crown Point's Brad Rowe won back-to-back state cross country titles in 1976 and 1977, and Tom Feder was second in 1982. Mike Rawlings won the 880-yard run at the 1978 state track meet.

"I work with kids who are studying for the A.P. (advance placement) exams as well as for college (entrance) tests," Conard said. "I have kids from freshmen to first-year college students. Mainly, they are from the area.

"I have always liked teaching, chemistry and working with students."

Conard ran at Bloomington University High School, which was the lab school for Indiana University. He graduated from Indiana University and got involved with Crown Point's program from Mac Ruby, who was the coach.

"Mac started the program at Crown Point in the 1940s and had built up a nice program," Conard said. "He asked me to get invovled and when he retired, I took over."

He credits the community for his successes in the classroom and the athletic field.

"You have to, because parents were concerned with their sons' and daughters' academics and wanted them to do well," Conard said. "In athletics, the kids bought into what I was teaching and you have to have that. I had a lot of great kids who worked really hard. That is how you have success."

Conard was ahead of his time in the 1970s. He took his runners to a team camp at his parents' farm between Bloomington and Nashville, Ind.

"We cooked our own food, washed our dishes and camped out," Conard said. "We ran the hills and got good workouts in. It wasn't much, but I think we bonded and the kids learned responsibility.

"Plus we had a good time being outdoors."