Rosie - Crestwood's Favorite Crossing Guard

Photo by KYLE McDANIEL (State Journal archives)

A great figure from my childhood has passed away - Rosie the crossing guard at Crestwood Elementary died of cancer on Saturday. This amazing woman was the crossing guard at Crestwood for 47 years! How many of us she protected and cared for, she always had a smile for us. I can't imagine anyone that would be more fondly remembered than her.

From the State Journal article about her:

Decked in a blaze orange vest with a stop sign in one hand and a cheery demeanor, Hiestand crossed nearly 10,000 children during her career, according to Madison police crossing guard supervisor Patti Knoche.

In 8,500 days of work over five decades, she likely missed fewer than 12 for illness. She never had a driver's license and walked twice each day up the hill on Old Sauk Road.

Everytime I ever drove by Crestwood, I would always look for Rosie and if she was there would honk and wave. A couple of times that I had been back to Madison for a visit I would stop and say hi. Last November when I was home visiting I made sure to pull over and say hi when I saw her, and take a photo with her. I had the opportunity to thank her for how well she took care of me when I was in elementary school, and how much she meant to me and countless others.


Thank you Rosie for being such a wonderful caretaker of so many kids over the last half century. You will surely be missed by many former students, parents and teachers among countless others.

Snapshot from the Past: First Day of Class

First Day of Kindergarten - 1987

Mom took this photo on my first day of school in 1987. I started attending half day kindergarten, and I remember loving it. I don't think I was ever that child who cried when her parents dropped her off at school...I remember being really interested in the big group of kids sitting on the rug in front of the easel.

Also, on a small side note - I LOVED that folder. It was so cool how it was shiny and with all the graphic patterns. So 80s.

Snapshots from the Past - A Walk Down Memory Lane

Taking a little walk down memory lane. It's my high school's ten year reunion this summer. I won't be able to go, as my visit home will be much earlier in the year, but I thought I would post a few of my old school class photos. This one above is Second Grade - 1989-1990 - Twenty years ago! Many of the people that I went to elementary school remained at the same school through high school graduation. Some moved away (I did - moving back after a couple of years), some stayed the whole thirteen years together, eventually graduating from James Madison Memorial.

Second grade was probably my favorite out of all of elementary school. We had an amazing teacher named Mrs. Davidson. She knew how to fly planes (and we got to see hers once)! and in general made class tons of fun. Mrs. Davidson taught us so many things, among one of the gems I remember - you shouldn't go outside without a jacket unless it's 16 degrees Celcius or more. This has come in handy many times now that I am married to a man who grew up with Celcius (if you could believe that being handy). It was her class too that I remember learning how many bones there are in the human body. So many nice memories. Two years after our class she retired and moved to California. I still think about her to this day, and hope she is doing well.


First Grade, 1988-1989


Kindergarten, 1987-1988