Craig Rigg is probably one of those people who wonders where he ever found time to work for a living. My interview with him came at the recommendation of the legendary Bushnell-Prairie City icon Estelene Bodenhamer, a renowned high school English teacher and mentor.
Mrs. Bodenhamer recommended two others for me to interview in the past, Ray Key and Rachel Bliven. Both persons ended up having a list of lifelong accomplishments that were no less than mind-boggling. I knew, before I started, that Mr. Craif Rigg would be no different. A recommendation from Mrs. Bodenhamer does not come easily.
Craig Rigg was born at St. Francis Hospital in 1948 and is a life-long resident in the area. He graduated from Colchester High School in 1966 and began his teaching career in English Composition at Western Illinois University.
His teaching career was interrupted by the Vietnam War and he served in the U.S. Navy from 1971-75. His stint in the Navy involved being stationed on the Pacific Midway Island in the Naval Weather Service Environmental Detachment.
After returning from the service in 1975, Craig resumed his teaching at WIU. He then taught at Plymouth from 1979-1983, LaHarpe from 1983-1994, Colchester from 1994-2003, and from 2003-2015 at the consolidated West Prairie. His teaching ranged from grades 6-12 and encompassed all parts of English, including grammar and literature.
