Christian Peterson
Reporter@riverbendnews.org
On Friday, Dec. 16, RIVEROAK Technical College (RTC) made a Facebook post, announcing the retirement of one of its teachers, Derwin Bass. Bass is a staple of RTC and has been for years. As he moves on to the next part of his life and away from RTC, his hard work and accomplishments will live on in RTC memory.
Bass was born in Naylor, Ga., in 1955. When he was only 11-years-old, his family moved to Live Oak. Bass attended Suwannee High School and graduated in 1973. The spark of his future career started while he was still in high school. Bass worked for his agriculture teacher Doug Fletcher fixing tractors and other farm equipment. During this time, Bass felt his first bit of inspiration for teaching. He cites Fletcher as a major positive influence in his life. Fletcher guided Bass and taught him various skills during their after school working hours.
After graduating, Bass was invited by Walter Boatwright, in 1993, to teach an auto body class at RTC. He accepted the offer after a year, Bass left RTC and went on the road. For four years he traveled doing refractory work. Then, in 1997, Bass was contacted again by RTC. This time asking if he would be interested in helping start a masonry course at the school. Initially, it wasn’t requested that Bass be the main teacher for the class. However, the original teacher hired for the program left and Bass took his place.
From 1997 to 2022, Bass taught masonry at RTC. He worked for a total of 26 years and became one of the most well-liked instructors at the school. He claims the best part about working at RTC is that it feels like working with family. In his reflection, Bass said the biggest challenge he had at RTC was at the beginning of his career. He thought to himself, “what do I do to inspire these kids?” He eventually came to the conclusion to get down to their level and engage with them in ways they would understand. The plan worked wonderfully, and Bass found himself easily identifying with his students. The best memories that Bass has at RTC are two stories similar to one another. First was winning teacher of the year at RTC. Second was being invited to a luncheon by the Masonry Association. He went only expecting to enjoy lunch, however, he was met with a surprise. During the luncheon it was announced that Bass had won Florida Masonry Teacher of the Year.
Now, after his 26 years of teaching Bass has retired. Mary Keen with RTC said, “Derwin Bass has been instrumental in the growth of RIVEROAK Technical College and the success of its programs. We are happy for him in his retirement, but he will be missed immensely.” He has many plans for his future and what he will do with his free time. First and foremost is to enjoy time with his family. He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Esther Bass for 42 years and “dating for 50.” He also looks forward to spending time with his three daughters and their families, Amber Buda her husband John Buda and their two daughters; Shelley Grantham her husband Jacob Grantham their two daughters and one son and Dana Thompson her husband Bradley Thompson and their daughter. Bass also plans to follow some of his other passions, such as, collecting, fixing and building 1955 and 1957 Chevrolet trucks. He also plans on fishing in Steinhatchee on his airboat or taking his family out on the Suwannee River in his riverboat.