Caryl Bugge, first woman to teach high school math in Robbinsdale schools, dies at 84

When administrators in Robbinsdale Area Schools hired Caryl Bugge as the first woman to teach high school math they told her they would bring more women on staff if things worked out.

Things more than worked out. For 29 years, Bugge enthusiastically taught students at Robbinsdale Cooper High School how to solve quadratic equations and was devoted to giving them a quality high school experience.

Bugge coached softball and speech, sewed costumes for musicals, was the yearbook business manager and served as homecoming queen coordinator. Her care and compassion made her a student favorite, former students and colleagues said.

"There were always lines of students waiting to talk to her about math," said Janet Grove, a 1976 Cooper graduate. And "there were always lines, not because they had a math question, but because they had a high school or life question. She had time for everybody."

Bugge died Aug. 21 at St. Therese of New Hope after suffering several health complications in recent years, said longtime friend Debra Filer. Bugge was 84.

Born in Thief River Falls, Minn., Bugge earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Minnesota in 1959. She taught at Folwell Junior High in Minneapolis for five years before moving to Cooper when the school opened in 1964. She was proud being the district's first female high school math teacher and for paving the way for other women to come to Robbinsdale, said former colleague Claude Paradis.

Bugge co-chaired Cooper's math department and taught everything from algebra to accelerated math. She regularly showed up well before the school day to tutor those who needed help. She helped students, even those who struggled with math, find their place, said Jenni Schroeder, a 1983 Cooper graduate.

In 1988, Bugge was one of eight educators named the Minnesota Chamber Outstanding Teacher in Minnesota.

"Caryl was committed to facilitating thousands of students to become the best that they could be," Paradis said. "No one could ever doubt the personal and professional dedication that Caryl had for her students. She modeled going the extra mile."

Bugge returned to Thief River Falls after retiring in 1993 and renovated her family's 1930s home. She was a volunteer math tutor for nursing students at Northland Community and Technical College. She was named a Woman of Honor by the American Association of University Women and was honored with a Friend of Education award from the Thief River Falls Education Association.

Bugge was director and curator of the Peder Engelstad Pioneer Village in Thief River Falls and served as a board member of the Pennington County Historical Society. She was a member of the Thief River Falls Convention and Tourist Bureau and wrote a book called "Thief River Falls and Pennington County."

Bugge enjoyed opera, dance, theater, film and concerts, and often took former students with her. She treasured coins, dishes and tools, including guns for hunting, and delighted in watching tennis and cheering for the Vikings, Filer said. Bugge was an artistic photographer and an extraordinary baker, and was called "The Biscotti Woman" for her inventive varieties, Filer said.