After spending a bit over one year at SLUH, lacrosse coach and geometry teacher Willie Evans will be leaving to work at Honeywell Aerospace to design plane engines.

Evans was hired last spring to replace Dan Schuler, who departed for Cleveland. 

“It was not normal, but it wasn’t anything that wasn’t able to be a smooth transition. Everybody was very welcoming, and everybody was easy to work with,” said Evans.  

“We hired him when Mr. Schuler left, and Mr. Schuler was such a great member of the Math Department, so he had big shoes to fill, but he filled them so well because Mr. Evans is just outstanding,” said fellow math teacher Craig Hinders.  “I think he didn’t just help the Math Department, I think he helped the school, because he gets his students so well.”

One of Evans’ students, sophomore Elijah Odens, enjoyed having Evans as a geometry teacher. 

“His class is nice, actually it’s one of those classes where it’s hard, but knowing that you have him as a teacher, it’s fine” said Odens.

Hinders remembers one of the first times he actually saw Evans, who was coaching lacrosse. 

“In the beginning of the year I remember him being up on the announcing box in the football field, on the megaphone yelling at kids that he sees for horsing around or whatever, and it’s just hilarious because, if you don’t know who he is, it’s just like who is this guy that’s yelling at these students over the megaphone. But that’s just Mr. Evans” said Hinders. 

For Odens, having Evans as teacher and lacrosse coach was a relationship to savor. 

“Coach Evans is one of those teachers that you can go to at any of the hours of the day, because I’m also a lacrosse manager. From an academic perspective, he’s a really good teacher and he’ll communicate with you and help you through most of your daily activities at any time of the day. And then from a sports standpoint, I can contact him anytime, anywhere regardless of whether it’s sports or academics. 

Evans is currently in graduate school at SLU studying mechanical and aerospace engineering. Next year, he will be working with Honeywell Aerospace to design engines for airplanes. 

“My research was more specifically on the turbine section of the engine. So just how the fluid is travelling throughout the engine after the combustion section,” said Evans.

All in all, Evans' presence will be missed by many.

“He’s bound to succeed in whatever he does. He is one of the busiest guys and he’s incredibly smart. And no matter where he goes and what he does, he’s going to do well,” said Hinders. “We’ll see what the future holds, maybe he’ll end up back here again. One can hope,” said Hinders.