Lockport High School bids farewell to drafting teacher, coach of 17 state champions

Lockport — In 30 years, the landscape of drafting and design classes has evolved greatly from hand-drawn plans to drafting on 2D computer programs, to full 3D modeling software, but through it all, Lockport Township High School students in the school‘s drafting and design classes have been continuously taught by Jeff Brown.

After coming to LTHS in the fall of 1996, Brown has announced he will be retiring at the end of the 2024-25 school year, following 29 years at the Lockport Township High School District 205 and 36 years as an educator.

“When I first thought about what I wanted to do in eighth grade and freshman year of high school, I wanted to be an architect,” Brown said. “But in high school, I started to look into it and how much schooling was required; I was also a Boy Scout, and I liked working with the younger kids, helping them get their badges, and I played sports, so I thought I could coach. All of it kind of combined and sparked me to go into teaching. I’d say it worked out pretty good.”

Over his time at Lockport, Brown has taught Architecture I & II, Engineering Design I & II, 3D Design Engineering I & II and CAD.

Reflecting on his time at the school, Brown recalled that when he started at District 205, the school had only recently started using computer programs for drafting classes, which he had to master alongside his students.

“When I started, it was all graph paper, and t-squares, and triangles,” he laughed. “That first software was all in 2D, and it was almost slower than trying to do it with a paper and pencil. Now the technology is phenomenal. It’s amazing what we can do with computers in the classroom and how much has changed since I got here. Everything is in 3D now, which is good. It’s the way it should be since we live in a 3D world.”

While he admits he had to adapt to the new technologies as they arose, he noted that “it’s all these students have ever known.”

“It can be hard at first, but once they get the hang of it, they can really just blossom,” he added.

In addition to teaching, Brown has also coached students for Drafting and Design competitions through the Illinois Design Educators Association and helped found the LTHS robotics team in 2010, though he has since handed that program off to other coaches.

“I did robotics for 10 years,” he said. “It was tough to get it started, and it eventually got to be too much when I was trying to spend time with my own kids and support them, but I’m glad they’ve still kept it going!”

While he dropped robotics to get more free time, he has never stopped coaching drafting for IDEA. Over the years, students under his mentorship have brought home 17 state titles, including his son.

“This is a great school,” Brown said. “When I started here, I didn’t have kids, but once I did, I wanted them to go here. They have a lot to offer and I had the privilege to teach my own son in three classes ... They say you aren’t supposed to have favorite students, but that was an exception,” he added with a laugh. “He was a state champion his senior year, which I was very proud of.”

Brown’s students this year gave him a coaching highlight to go out on. On April 12, 15 students competed in eight categories at the IDEA state competition, resulting in a new school record of five championship finishes and three second-place finishes in one year.

“To have five in one year is just phenomenal,” Brown said. “The students were great. They really put in the time and work to prepare, and they earned it. I told them all on the bus, ‘Thank you for sending me out on such a high note.’”

For Brown, he said his legacy isn’t just about the recent graduates or coaching success, it’s also seeing the success of his former students.

“I hear from a lot of former students semi-regularly,” he said. “Several of them have become engineers and architects, and sometimes they come in and help mentor the current students. Four or five others are now teaching the same subject I taught them, and I see them at competitions. It’s a nice cycle, to see that they value what they got while they were here.”

Brown plans to teach part-time at Joliet Junior College next year, and while he is looking forward to a less demanding schedule, he will miss his coworkers at LTHS.

“It’s a good team, and I’m sure we’ll remain friends,” he said. “It’s been a good career.”