A LATIN SCHOOL LEGACY: THE HELLMAN FAMILY
C
ovington Latin School is family to so many
that the Hellmann family created the first scholarship to Covington Latin School in his honor when Richard passed away. His legacy lives on with our students each year when they are awarded the Richard Hellmann Memorial Scholarship.
of those who have attended. It is a home away from home for four, five, or six years that students can attend. Family is Mary Hellmann’s word to describe her time with Covington Latin. She was always familiar with CLS since her brother, Ralph Schuler, graduated in 1945. Mary met her husband, Richard, through mutual friends. Having been in pilot training in World War II, Richard worked at the airport, shuttling people to Lexington and Georgia. He would often give rides to Mary and her friends. With so many pilots returning from the War, Richard decided that he would train as an air traffic controller, where he spent the rest of his career.
Mary has reason to brag about her children. They are all doing amazing things and are impacting their community. While many alumni stay in the area and become leaders in our community, brothers Rick, Don, Thomas, Nick, and Ken have all scattered throughout the world, making a tremendous impact in their fields of studies. RICHARD HELLMAN ‘69 After graduating from Covington Latin in 1969, Richard attended Parks College of Aeronautical Technology at St. Louis University. He served in the Aeronautical Administration for the Air Force during the Vietnam War as a Second Lieutenant. In 1974, Richard graduated from Air Traffic Controller School and served in Thailand, Dover Air Force Base, and Tampa, making him a Captain at 24. He then left the Air Force and worked for the FAA as an air traffic controller at Cincinnati and Paducah. In 1981, Richard left the FAA and taught college in Paducah, and began studying computer programming. After several more moves (51 in total), Richard became the Assistant Vice President of Computers at the insurance firm Chubb & Company.
Richard and Mary had seven children, five boys, and two girls. The Hellmans placed a considerable emphasis on education, and through the influence of Uncles Ralph and Monsignor Donald Hellmann, the boys were destined to attend Covington Latin School. Mary shared how much of an impact she believed the Latin School had on her boys. To Mary, Covington Latin School was a family. She and her husband were very involved and attended all the basketball games. They became friends with CLS families and faculty members, especially Fr. Heile. Mary would recommend the school to anyone who would listen. She only wished that Covington Latin had been coed when her daughters went to high school. Covington Latin School impacted them so much The Leader Spring 2022
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