English instructor, colleague and mentor Rick Dirck passed away on July, 20.
As an adjunct faculty member in the Language Arts Department at San Jose City College from 1996 to 2013, Dirck instructed many courses including basic skills, composition and critical thinking. He was also an English teacher at Silver Creek High School where he had taught for several years prior to teaching at SJCC.
“Those who worked with him remember his wonderful sense of humor and love of music,” Dean of Language Arts Keiko Kimura said. “He will be sorely missed by his SJCC colleagues and students.”
Dirck also worked in the Reading and Writing Center at the Cesar Chavez Library. There he would work with student tutors and provide

individualized support to students seeking assistance with their reading and writing.
“He was a great teacher. He helped me so many times with my papers and gave me great advice on how to be a better student,” said 23-year-old business major Elizabeth Linares.
Shortly following Dirck’s passing, his family hosted a memorial at the Alum Rock Southern Baptist Church on Saturday, July 27.
The church was filled with family members, students and teachers from both SJCC and Silver Creek High School, and friends.
“Rick Dirck was a great teacher and we became friends quick,” said Mark Curran who teaches World and U.S. History at Silver Creek and had worked with Dirck. “He was definitely a gifted teacher who related to his students, and whose impact will never be forgotten.”
Several students took the podium to express the fun times with Dirck and, in some cases, to also express their grief about losing him.
Several of Dirck’s former students, coworkers, friends and family members stuck around after the memorial to remember the good times with Dirck. Longtime friend and fellow coworker, Dan Haley who also teaches English, is one particular teacher who will miss Dirck’s presence on the SJCC campus.
“Dirck was one of the first teachers I would talk to when I started SJCC,” Haley said.
“He had a very easy going, no nonsense attitude about nearly everything, and he was great at camaraderie. He once gave me an idea for my (English) 1B class that I continue to use today.”
Haley is has organized a memorial for Dirck at The Garrett restaurant on Sept. 27 begining at 3 p.m. for everyone who did not get a chance to make it to the memorial on July 27. The Garrett is located at 1777 South Bascom Avenue in Campbell, California.