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Massaro: Teacher chalking up a fulfilling career

By Gary Massaro, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 23, 2006 at midnight

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ARVADA - John Bucci is retiring from teaching sated but not overly full. Better yet, he's leaving before anyone tells him to get stuffed.

"It's like going to an all-you- can-eat buffet. I'm leaving before I have gone through the line one too many times," he said. "I'm leaving at just the right time, while I'm still able to give 100 percent."

Bucci, 54, has been a business and marketing teacher 31 years, the past 14 at Arvada High School. Before that, he taught 17 years at Alameda High School.

Unlike some who start a career with guns a-blazing then quickly run out of ammunition, Bucci's passion has grown more intense.

"I started to realize that this is what I was supposed to do, that it was a perfect match for me," he said.

He took teaching seriously enough to be state Marketing Teacher of the Year in 1986 and Arvada High's outstanding teacher three years ago.

He didn't know he wanted to be a teacher until his junior year at the University of Northern Colorado. He went back for a master's degree.

At least half of Bucci's roots came from good stock.

His father was from North Denver. But those are not the roots in question, even though they're OK. This is: his mom was a Pueblo native, from Bessemer, in fact.

So here's a small-world moment: Bucci's grandmother, Mary Rukavina, lived next door to my parents. So Bucci and I would play together when his folks came to visit. We lost touch, but another Puebloan and retired educator, John Mulay, called to tell me about Bucci's retirement.

"I'm not counting the days down," Bucci said. "I'm counting the days that I still have left to teach."

So Bucci is about done with teaching, but not golf. He has played since he was a kid.

"I learned when I was in junior high, caddying for my dad," he said.

It's not just the playing. In August, he hosts the Bucci Golf Tournament.

It started as a way to keep connected to high school and college friends.

"So many times, you go your own separate ways after college and never see each other again," he said. "I played golf with a lot of buddies in college and with a lot of my high school friends."

The first year, about 30 showed up. This year, the 28th, Bucci expects 48 players.

And, for the 28th year, he'll donate proceeds to charity, which differs from year to year.

Preparing for the golf tourney is about as busy as Bucci's going to be for a while.

"I'm going to feel what it's like to be retired. Then I'm going to jump back into something. I can't sit around and do nothing," he said. "I do some extra work for the school district - new teacher training. I'll continue to do that."

When Gary Massaro listens, people talk. or 303-892-5271