Celebrating 19 Years as Barrington’s Signature Magazine
Celebrating 19 Years as Barrington’s Signature Magazine
On May 7, 2025, Penny Kazmier introduced Don Thompson as the new BADC Citizen of the Year at Barrington’s White House. He attended this annual dinner meeting of the Barrington Area Development Council last year as Penny’s guest. This year, she knew he had been nominated and accepted for the award—but he declined her invitation. Yet somehow Penny persuaded him to attend, and that night, she introduced him as the Citizen of the Year to his friends and colleagues, and many leaders who attended.
Don is a graduate of the Class of 1961 from Barrington High School. He has lived his entire life in Barrington and has unique first-hand knowledge of the school district from its early years. Don applied his keen insights and strategic thinking on what was needed across decades of growth and expansion while holding nearly every leadership job the district had. Don says that Barrington 220 is the “flexible glue” that holds together a district that covers 72 square miles, crosses four counties, and pulls students from a tightly knit group of neighboring villages.
His mom, Frances, was a 1935 graduate of Ela Vernon High School, now Lake Zurich High. Her roots in Barrington started with a job at Barrington Laundry and then the Illinois Bell Telephone office at Main and Ela Streets. She was a phone operator in the days before dial tones, when switchboards were used to connect subscribers. His dad, Don, took college classes at Northwestern University but then World War II hit. He served in the U.S. Army where he was wounded on Okinawa Island in Japan. Later he was shipped to Pearl Harbor and eventually Denver, where he was discharged. Don’s father started his business with a friend after the war, Al Shermer. It was called Business Stationers of Chicago.
After the war, the family moved to a house on Rte. 14 next door to where McDonald’s is today. In 1950, when Don was seven, they moved to a home that his dad built at Russell and Dundee Streets. Don recalls Barrington as a tight-knit community throughout his childhood, and he has personified those generous and insightful qualities and values, giving them back to all in ways we will measure for many years to come.
[An excerpt from Penny Kazmier’s introduction of Don Thompson as BADC’s 2025 Citizen of the Year at Barrington’s White House.]
For many, when his name is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is his professional connection to our Barrington 220 schools, but Don Thompson is so much more than: a former teacher at two of the district’s elementary schools from 1966-1976; associate principal at the original Barrington Middle School, from 1976-1980; principal at Hickory Hill from 1979-1982 (for those of you who may be unfamiliar with Hickory Hill, it eventually became known the district’s former Woodland School); again Barrington Middle School principal from 1982-1992; Prairie Campus principal from 1992-2000; and served the district as an assistant superintendent from 2000-2003.
Don has a long history in Barrington, but what some might not know is: Don is a 1961 BHS graduate, a father of two children raised in Barrington; and the grandfather of four, including three BHS graduates and one BHS freshman.
Don is a friend to many, and a trusted mentor and role model. He likes to think of himself as a golfer, and he has a wonderful sense of humor (I hope so after my golf wise crack). He is a volunteer fixture at the Barrington Brat Tent.
Don is also somewhat of school district a historian…Samantha Scheinman, recent former director of communications at District 220 recalls Don handing her a big binder full of historical photos, documents, postcards, and old newspaper clippings. It was an invaluable collection of Barrington 220 history. Don served on a small committee to plan for the district’s 50th anniversary celebration during the 2023-24 school year.
Don consistently adds value to our community, embodying the qualities of a true leader—trustworthiness, benevolence, and integrity. His selfless dedication to the betterment of others serves as a shining example for us all.
Many think of Don as “Mr. Barrington” as he seems to know everyone and is always willing to say yes to help and never looks for the spotlight. He is truly one-of-a-kind, and you will never find a more passionate Bronco or Filly Fan.
Don was a colleague for over two decades. Our friendship has grown and evolved over four decades. Our relationship started when I came to the school district as HS principal and Don had recently been appointed principal of the Middle School. There was only one back then! Others may write about Don’s lifetime, literally, of engagement with the Barrington community and it has been extensive. There may not be a single committee that has not benefited from Don’s calm, patient, and thoughtful demeanor.
Shortly after my arrival we began to meet for breakfast once a week on Wednesday at the Canteen before work. That practice has continued to this day, albeit the frequency and location has changed. One of Don’s greatest strengths, which is most unusual for one who has lived his entire life in the same village, is his willingness to observe the world around him, reflect on those changes, and then change without changing his core values of steadfastness, patience, strong work ethic, being spiritually grounded, and deeply engaged with people. The change is deliberate and may be observable only when one is with him on a regular basis.
The best example may be in the design of the student populations and the existence of a second middle school. We desperately needed a second middle school for a variety of reasons including the fact that we were essentially determining the members of our athletic teams in 7th grade and children were locked in to group perceptions of what they were at age 12. The robustness of the high school student community and the current prowess of BHS athletics owe much to those decisions. Controversial at the time, but with Don’s steady leadership, a referendum was passed to build a second school, making the middle schools a genuine middle school with grades 6-8.
Even more important was the socio-political decision of which neighborhoods would attend each school. Don and I worked closely on this issue, as well. With his leadership, the district made the courageous decision to balance the two schools, to have similar student demographics with overlapping bus routes, choosing to spend more on transportation to improve the quality of life for all students. To my knowledge there is not a single school district with diverse neighborhoods in the state of Illinois that has made that decision. It is unique.
I have grown to treasure the time that Don and I spend together at breakfast—joined the last several decades by Jim Voris—as we reflect on the past, present, and future. Don is a Barrington treasure.
Don Thompson has always been “ALL IN” for the Barrington community! Don is a lifelong community member who was born and raised in Barrington and spent his entire professional career in Barrington 220 School District. Don raised his family in the community and was fully engaged in all aspects of Barrington. Both of his kids graduated from BHS. His daughter was an elementary teacher in 220 and his son was a Lake County Deputy Sheriff until his recent retirement. He instilled in his children to follow in his footsteps to have careers in public service. Don recently was selected as a Distinguished Alumni of BHS and his plaque hangs in the hallway at Barrington High School.
On a personal level, Don was the first person I ever met from Barrington. He has been a career long mentor and friend to me. He first interviewed me for an assistant principal position at BMS-Station Campus in 1993. He was a huge influence on me and gave me my first opportunity to work in Barrington 220. His guidance and mentorship over the years has been valuable and special to me. After returning as Superintendent Barrington 220 in 2014, I would meet with him periodically to get a pulse on community and district
issues. His counsel was always thoughtful and reflective of his deep understanding and love for the Barrington community.
While leading and serving are often considered to be mutually exclusive qualities, this unique blend of personal traits exists side-by-side in Don R. Thompson. In fact, his willingness to humbly serve the needs of others only complements and enhances his effectiveness as a competent leader. This leadership-through-service style has resulted in the impressive array of awards and commendations that Don has received within the Barrington community and School District 220.
Don’s home church, St. Matthew Lutheran Church, has also been uniquely blessed by his willingness to both serve and lead. During his life-long membership at St. Matthew, he has actively served in many capacities, including multiple terms as president of the Congregation, Elder, and countless boards and committees. A man of deep faith, he has given much of himself to the faith community that he and his family have called “home” for many decades.
A grateful community recognizes his contributions to the quality of life in Barrington by honoring him as “Citizen of the Year.” His leadership and service through the Barrington Area Development Council, the Lions Club, the Barrington High School Alumni Association, and many other civic organizations have caused him to become interwoven into the fabric of the community.
Each of these involvements benefitted from his soft-spoken, insightful, and analytical problem-solving capabilities. Throughout his professional career he was recognized as “educator extraordinaire.” First as a teacher, then as an administrator, he was the ultimate professional, respected and loved by all who had the privilege of serving beside him or following his leadership.
Not to be overlooked is Don’s dry wit and subtle sense of humor. He uses this ability very effectively to lighten things up when
divergent opinions produce tensions in any setting, thus leading and serving also by defusing tension with humor.
We first met when Don served as the principal of Prairie Middle School during my tenure as PTO President. We were both moving into our last two years of service as I was headed to the HS with my youngest and he was heading towards retirement. Don was very welcoming to the PTO, championing our goals for the school and students and always open to new ideas. It was a pleasure to partner with him and easy to become fast friends.
As many of us know, Middle School can be a scary transitional time for both students and parents. Don carried out his leadership responsibilities with common sense and compassion mixed with a little bit of his quirky sense of humor. I remember his Back-to-School night address reassuring parents that their children will no doubt make it on to High School alternately suggesting we put them in a barrel and let them out in a few years to be sure of it. Of course, he was kidding but it did help to ease a little of the anxiety many of us were feeling.
Don has been a lifelong resident of Barrington and as an educator stayed within Barrington 220 where his love of community and educating students remains. We’ve crossed paths many times over the years while working on district referendum committees, the Educational Foundation and the Alumni Association, the latter of which he founded. His commitment to the Barrington community never wavered. Thank you BADC for bestowing him with the most deserved honor of “Citizen of the Year.”
It’s been 25 years since that last year at BMS Prairie. I fondly remember during our final few days the PTO planted a tree on campus in his honor with great pomp and circumstance. During our last time on stage while bidding the staff and students farewell, he played “Oh Donna” and presented me with a Prairie letter jacket (I still have it). He always was and will be a considerate and funny guy!
I’ve had the privilege of knowing Don Thompson since 1986, when I joined the Barrington Lions Club. From the start, Don stood out because of his quiet leadership, steady commitment, and genuine care for this community. Whether organizing scholarship programs, or coordinating the Lions’ retired eyeglass collection, Don approached every effort with purpose and persistence.
His impact hasn’t gone unnoticed. Don received the Melvin Jones Fellowship, the Lions Club’s highest honor, a recognition well earned by years of service. But Don’s influence extends far beyond the Lions. In 2002, when the Barrington Foundation set out to create the Barrington High School Alumni Association, Don was the natural choice to lead the charge. As a proud BHS alum from the Class of ’65, Don invited me—and many others—to help build an organization that would reconnect generations of alumni through technology and shared pride in our hometown.
Thanks to Don’s vision and drive, the Alumni Association remains active and thriving today, with Don serving as a valued board member and its respected past president.
What truly sets Don apart is his rare ability to bridge generations. He listens, relates, and earns trust. Whether it’s from longtime neighbors or the next wave of Barrington grads. That gift makes him not only an effective leader but a cherished member of this community.
Naming Don Thompson Citizen of the Year is more than fitting—it’s a well-deserved acknowledgment of decades spent serving, connecting, and bettering Barrington. I’m proud to call him a colleague and friend—and grateful for the difference he continues to make.
Don Thompson has been a cornerstone of our community for over five decades, exemplifying true leadership and selflessness in all his endeavors. As a former middle school principal, he shaped the lives of countless students, instilling in them the values of integrity, compassion, and perseverance.
His commitment to education and community service extends beyond the classroom, as evidenced by his pivotal role as the founding president of the Barrington High School Alumni Association. Under his guidance, the association has flourished, fostering a strong sense of camaraderie among alumni and contributing significantly to the betterment of our educational institutions.
Don’s dedication to service is further exemplified by his longstanding involvement in the Barrington
Lions Club, where he served as a leader from the mid-1980s till present. Through his tireless efforts, the Barrington Lions Club has made a profound impact on our community, addressing critical needs and improving the lives of those less fortunate.
Personally, Don has been a mentor and a supportive friend to me, guiding me in my own efforts to contribute to our community. His quiet confidence and unwavering commitment to excellence inspire those around him to strive for self-betterment and to help others.
In everything he does, Don consistently adds value to our community, embodying the qualities of a true leader—trustworthiness, benevolence, and integrity. His selfless dedication to the betterment of others serves as a shining example for many of us.
Don receiving the BADC 2025 Citizen of the Year Award is very deserving. He has earned this prestigious recognition with selfless, consistent, and lengthy service to our wonderful Barrington area community.
My association with Don goes back to the 1990s when he and I were members of a suburban middle school principals’ organization. The administrators from several schools met every few months to discuss best practices in the then relatively new concept called “middle school.” Early on, Don was a staunch advocate of middle school education and the movement away from the “junior high” approach to educating 6th through 8th graders. We found that we shared common commitments in this regard. Fortunately, we found that our mutual interests didn’t end there. Together we shared an affinity for small towns, K-12 unit school districts, Andy of “Mayberry,” “Gunsmoke,” and early morning McDonald’s coffee.
With all this in common I suppose it should come as no surprise to folks that Don is one of the main reasons that I came to Barrington from Hinsdale and their middle school. “Prairie Don” has been my trusted colleague, mentor, and close friend for all my 30 years in Barrington. And now that he and I are both retired, I am proud to serve as his sergeant at arms for his daily lecture series at our local McDonalds where the coffee is hot and the conversation is sometimes heated but always served with a cooling tongue in cheek and laughter.
P.S. Don Thompson is distinctive in so many ways, but few know that he can sing “Happy Trails to You” just like Roy Rogers!
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