Augusta Kraak Long, who lived on the North Shore from 1954 until 2001 and was a longtime teacher in the Kenilworth school system, passed away Sunday morning, July 25. She was 83 years old. The cause of death was cardiac arrest. Mrs. Long had taught third grade at Joseph Sears Elementary School in Kenilworth from the fall of 1963 to the end of the school year in 1987. She had been living in Knoxville, TN with her daughter, Pamela Small, since 2001. She is survived by Pam and her other daughter Robin Long; her son, Bob; and her sister, Dorothy Dubourg. Augusta Long became a teacher at Sears after the death of her husband, Bob, in 1961. She was well known to the community during those years as a creative and energetic teacher who cared deeply about her students. Students would often return to visit her years after they had left Joseph Sears, some returning even after they had gone away to college. The esteem with which the community held Mrs. Long was evident by her selection as the Grand Marshall of the Kenilworth Memorial Day Parade in 1987, the year of her retirement. She was the first woman ever to be Grand Marshall, an honor normally reserved for Veterans. Born in New Orleans in 1921, she was one of eight children born to Henry and Berthe Kraak, German immigrants who came to the United States in the early 1900’s. The family founded a floral and nursery business there. She received her education at the Isidore Newman Secondary School in New Orleans and entered Louisana State University at 16 years of age, where she obtained her degree in education in 1941. At first she had wanted to enter medicine, but instead she ended up getting her degree in education with an emphasis in science and math. She met and then married Robert Long from Toledo, OH in 1941. Their first child, Pam, was born in 1943 while Bob Long was overseas in World War II. After the war, Augusta and her family settled in Maumee, OH, just outside of Toledo, but by 1954 had moved to Evanston, IL and eventually to Winnetka, where husband died of cancer in 1961. It was then that Mrs. Long went back to school to obtain additional credits and within two years was teaching full time in Kenilworth. She qualified to teach high school science but when a job opened at Joseph Sears for a third grade teacher she gladly accepted. Both Robin and her son, Bob, attended Joseph Sears, ties that made teaching at Sears a natural for her. As a teacher she was known for both being an innovator and a keeper of traditions. It was often true that parents requested that their children be placed in her 3rd grade class because of her reputation for being firm and fair, with sensitivity to the individual needs of her students. Her co-workers came to respect and love her for her humor and general out going personality and she maintained friendships with them long after she had left the school. In her retirement letter to the Board of Education in Kenilworth, Augusta Long wrote, “I feel truly blessed by being a part of this school and community for so long.” Her many friends and colleagues in the community felt truly blessed to have known and worked with her. She will be missed dearly. A Memorial Service for Mrs. Long will be held at 1 p.m. Wed- nesday, Aug. 18 at Kenilworth Union Church, 211 Kenilworth Ave., Kenilworth, 847-251- 4272. The family of Mrs. Long asks that in place of flowers, anyone interested could make a donation in her name to the Benevolence Programs of the Kenilworth Union Church, 211 Kenilworth Ave., Kenilworth, IL 60043-1242.
