Original Fermi High School Science Teacher James Cherry Dies

ENFIELD, CT — James Cherry, one of the original science teachers at Enrico Fermi High School who enjoyed an academic career spanning nearly four decades, died Monday in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He was 74.

Cherry taught chemistry at Fermi from the time of the building's opening in 1971 through 2003. He then spent a year in Washington, D.C. as one of 12 national recipients of an Einstein Fellowship. Late in his tenure, he was a finalist for the Connecticut Teacher of the Year award in 2001, served as a consultant on laboratory safety practices for many school districts and taught the Chemical Laboratories course at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Steve Olson, who was Science Department chair for 20 years at Fermi, said Cherry was "innovative and unique" in his approach to teaching.

"He started doing liquid nitrogen demonstrations, and before you knew it, he'd have the whole department involved," Olson said. "He was instrumental in developing Science Night, in which elementary school kids would come in with their parents and discover science. He had very high standards for his students, and a lunched a number of them into prestigious colleges and careers."

Some of Cherry's former students spoke highly of their mentor on various social media outlets.

• "He really made chemistry fun and it was always interesting. He sparked my interest in chemistry and was the main reason on why I pursued chemistry as a career." - Laura Kinnin
• "He had a big influence on me and is a big reason that I studied and work in chemistry." - Tony Pechulis
• "He was the best! He could boil down the complex to simple and made learning fun." - Paula Beaulieu
• "He was a great chemistry teacher. He made the complicated seem simple. Somehow, he made chemistry fun. He inspired some students to pursue chemistry." - Jon LeBlanc

Colleagues and contemporaries of Cherry also reminisced about his teaching methods and relationships with his students.

Candy Aleks, a longtime Fermi faculty member and guidance counselor, simply said, "He was a very good teacher and the kids loved him."

"Jim Cherry was an outstanding teacher who inspired thousands of students," said Fran Rago, who moved to Fermi from Enfield High School in 1971 and taught in the same department with Cherry for more than three decades. "For 33 years, I would walk by his classroom and catch glimpses of his dynamic demonstrations and hear snippets of his interesting lessons. I think what impressed me most, however, was how personable his teaching style was. It often seemed more like an informal conversation with friends than a science lecture. But you would be very wrong to assume that his easy-going style lacked rigor. Most people don't know that when Jim's AP Chemistry students represented Fermi High School in competitions with other schools throughout New England, they beat all the best public schools as well as prep schools. But such unaware people can be forgiven, because this was not the kind of public school news that the newspapers were interested in publishing, despite the fact that Jim would send them a press release each year, indicating that Fermi took first or second place in New England. Jim Cherry was a consummate professional, and it was a privilege for me to have been his colleague for more than three decades."

In addition to teaching, Cherry also coached tennis during the 1970s at Fermi. His obituary, provided by Sanders Funeral Care of Indiana, notes he "was a gifted tennis player with a shelf of trophies."

Lenny Shortz, who took over as coach of the Falcon tennis team in the early 1980s, recalled, "He was a very consistent, keep the ball in play, frustrate you type of player."

Cherry is survived by his wife, Linda, to whom he was married for 52 years. He also leaves his son and daughter-in-law, three grandchildren and three sisters.

A memorial service will take place at a later date. Memories and condolences may be left online at www.sandersfuneralcare.com.

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