Richard Arthur Bouton passed away on the morning of November 15th, 2021 in Fort Worth. Richard was born to the late Arthur and Eleanor Bouton (Miller) on July 21st, 1948 in the Panama Canal Zone (Fort Stockton). He grew up primarily in San Antonio, where he developed his curiosity, refined his sense of adventure, and made plenty of mischief – he spoke fondly of his numerous bottle-rocket fights that we’re certain terrorized his neighbors. Richard believed that learning should be a lifelong pursuit, as his childhood hobby of “taking things apart” evolved into his college age interest in learning how things worked (he graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with honors). He embodied that idea, as he inspired countless people whom he educated in classrooms and in myriad less-formal settings to discover their love for learning too. When he met someone new, he made sure they acquired some new area of interest, a historical tidbit, or a different way of looking at things. Richard was a Texan through and through, and loved to welcome people to his home state and to his collection of Longhorn memorabilia. Aside from college football, he found joy in art, history, and music, having recently discovered and delighted in the music of Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen. Richard is survived by his beloved wife of 43 years, Diane, and sons Whitman and John. Both of his sons carry the family middle name Arthur (Richard’s grandfather’s). He was so proud of his children, and his main ambition in life was to support them to become good people. He accomplished what he set out to do. May his memory be a blessing.
23 Responses
We love you dearly Dad. Thank you for all the many positive ways you helped care for us, helped us grow into the people we are today, and showed us love.
Love you much Whit
Dad and I are proud of you
I taught with Richard for one year at McLean 6th Grade. He always made everyone feel worthy of attention, and when he saw me three years later, he remembered exactly the situation I had been in when we last spoke. Every time I’ve listened to Eva Cassidy I have always thought of him. The world is surely a less friendly place without him in it. My condolences to all his family and friends.
Mr. Bouton taught all three of my children -Cole, Cate and Cash.
He was an amazing teacher!!!
They remember his special charms, bagels on Saturday, and the blow torch to name a few.
He was the hardest worker who instilled a good work ethic in all.
He will be missed!
Richard touched so many people throughout his life and truly shared his love of learning with all. I am blessed that our paths crossed and enjoyed working with him.
So grateful for the value you put in to teaching. Thankful for the time you out in to each student 🤍
Richard Bouton leaves behind a remarkable legacy of learning, compassion, dedication, persistence, and resilience. He positively changed the trajectory for thousands of students, including my son, by recognizing their potential and empowering them to see the potential in themselves. Mr. Bouton lived a life that mattered, and his goodness, kindness, and love made the world a better place. Blessings to all know knew and loved him.
Mr Bouton’s influence has lasted long into my late 20s. In 6th grade, he nominated me for all girl’s engineering summer camp at UT Austin, and chose me to be co-captain of our school’s academic team. He regularly encouraged me to be proud of my intelligence, to not be intimidated by the all-boys club that persists in sciences, math, and engineering.
I’m now an employed engineer, married to an engineer, and both of us solve problems everyday that benefit society.
Had it not been for Mr B’s encouragement, I can’t say I would have pursued this path. I am grateful for this man beyond words.
He was such a great man and beloved by so many. This is an incredible loss for our community. He will be missed.
When I think of Richard I remember him driving way out of the way to show me Austin , TX. I remember his pride in his state and his delight in introducing me to the magic that is queso. I think of him when I hear Pat Benatar and when I drive by a well-lit football stadium. His fervor for learning, his kindness, and his fierce love of his family will continue to inspire me. ❤️
Our deepest condolences to the Bouton family. He was a great educator, a visionary that believed in the potential of those young minds. He was kind, always encouraging his students to do their best. I loved seeing him coming to the Tanglewood Fall Carnaval and talking to all his dear alumni who were parents, or the races. Fort Worth surely lost a great educator.
My Son Brandon was a student of Mr. Bouton’s at McLean. He is now a Freshman at OU. Mr. Bouton was a wonderful, caring teacher & a great educator. We will always remember him fondly & I know he will be greatly missed. My prayers for the family🙏
Thank you for your hard work and dedication to your profession. You gave a piece of yourself to every child that had the privilege to be in your class. I know that you made an impact on my daughter’s life.
Our sincerest condolences. He was truly a great man who was not only a teacher but also an educator and a mentor. He had a true servants heart and will be dearly missed. His memory and teachings will live on through his students now and forever more.
May his memory be for a blessing!
I was so sad to hear about the passing of your husband and father. He was a wonderful man who was genuinely kind and had such a gentle soul. He taught both of my sons at McLean 6th, and they adored him! One of my strongest memories was of meet-the-teacher night when all the incoming 6th graders would get to stop by the classrooms. There would always be a line to get into Mr. Bouton’s room, and the kids would jostle to get close to him. Amazing!!!
We also used to see him at the Tanglewood carnival night, and he was famous! All the elementary school kids with older siblings knew who he was, wanted to be in his class and would literally flock to him!
He was a special man and will be missed by many. What a wonderful legacy!
Sincerely,
Kris Johnston (mother of Jake and Parker)
There are few things more precious than a teacher who recognizes and encourages his students’ gifts. Mr. Bouton was just such a teacher. He set my child’s mind free, cheering them on. Now my child wants to be a teacher, too. Thank you for sharing him with us.
He was so special . Because of the way he taught my daughter that math was fun , nothing to fear she’ll be an engineer at A&M next year. Thank you sir. You are a real angel . RIP
Sophia Arora owes her love of math to you
We only met Richard recently, but his impact on my daughter will be felt for years. We’re truly lucky that she got the opportunity to have him teach her; he was such a gifted teacher.
Mr. Bouton was a kind and genuine teacher. He had the greatest impact of my life. As a sixth grader, he allowed me to take an algebra placement test even though I wasn’t a student at McLean 6th. Thanks to his kindness I was on the track to take higher level math courses at McLean Middle School and Paschal high school where I eventually became valedictorian and enrolled at Dartmouth College. I’ve met so many wonderful friends in those classes and I owe it all to Mr. Bouton’s generosity. I sadly was never a part of his class but I will always feel like one of his students. I will miss him dearly and will always regret never being able to see him one last time.
Mr. Bouton was an amazing teacher who taught me and helped me so much in math. I remember when we finished taking the STARR test and he told my class we were going to be doing something super fun, and I thought yay. We may have had a different opinion on what fun was though, because we started doing projects about golden ratios and fractals, but he was an amazing teacher who clearly loved what he did. I wouldn’t be where I am now, in math specifically, if it weren’t for Mr. Bouton.
I’ll never forget the phone call from Mr Bouton the summer before my daughter headed to 6th grade at a new school with a pretty advanced math class on her schedule. She’s smart, but that smart? Mr Bouton called me on a Saturday to assure me she was able. How did he know? He examined 17 data points for every student to gauge their readiness. Amazing! That and his mantra of “I don’t care if you get it today or two days from now” gave so many students the chance to succeed at math. He knew that some students needed more practice, others needed concepts explained a different way and others just needed a little more time. He was the definition of a GREAT teacher. And his legacy is the hundreds of students who have the confidence to do math or anything they choose!
Mr Bouton was a teacher I who I can say without a doubt helped to set me on the path I’m on now. I was in his class in 6th grade at McLean and participated actively in extracurriculars he presided over. He helped to set the foundations of my career in engineering by fostering my curiosity and hunger for a better understanding of any concepts I could get my hands on. When I went through my undergrad at Colorado School of Mines, I carried the same calculator Mr. Bouton taught me to program back in 6th grade. That calculator still sits on my desk in my daily work, so I see the influence he had on my education every day. He will be dearly missed.
Dear Bouton Family,
Richard Bouton helped my son along his path, just like so many others. I remember sitting in my first 6th grade math meeting when Mr. Bouton told us the kids were to bring lots of extra pencils and paper, that they were going to move fast and that we would be amazed. He said there were never any discipline issues in his classes because no one had time for that. He loved teaching them, and because of him, my son John is studying environmental engineering at CU Boulder today. Thank you for sharing his life and many gifts with us.
Kristin Sullivan Whitten
My deepest sympathy is with the Bouton family. I owed my son’s success in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California at Irvine to Mr. Bouton. Kevin was selected in his sixth grade’s Math class in 2010-211 school year at McLean middleschool.
Mr. Bouton not only instilled the love of science to my son and his close friends but also encouraged them work diligently by awarding them stickers, decals, figures, and many other interesting things when they completed bonus problems.
Kevin and his friends continue that hard working attitude toward high school and college. We as parents cannot really say enough to appreciate his dedication to mold and shape successful generations one after another.
May he rest in peace and proud. May God bless all of you!
Love and Respectfully Yours,
Mao Dang