Donald A. Regina ’74
Donald A. Regina, Madison, CT, died March 12, 2024, from cancer.
Born and raised in Hartford, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Wethersfield High School. Don majored in English and American Literature at Saint Michael’s and received his master’s in British and American Literature from the University of Wisconsin.
Don was interviewed at the start of his professional career by the well-known and loved Sr. Kathleen O’Connell OP, who soon became his mentor at Edgewood High School in Madison. This led to a 42-year career in teaching and coaching that began in 1979. Don had a quiet, subtle, and powerful impact on many in the Edgewood community. He taught many courses, including British Literature Honors, Sophomore Survey, American Multicultural Literature, Creative Writing, and Journalism.
Don received the Bassett Foundation Teaching Award, which recognized outstanding teachers in the city of Madison, and a Kohl Teacher Fellowship. He coached Edgewood Cross Country for more than 40 years, honored by the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association for his contributions. He also served as the Envoy student newspaper moderator and ran the Ping Pong Club (with a ping pong table greeting students as they entered his classroom).
He enjoyed being with colleagues, including joining his “lunch bunch” friends and tearing up the courts with the Teacher’s Basketball Association he organized. Don looked forward to Fridays at school not only for the doughnuts but also to share his weekly reflection with teachers and staff. With quiet excitement, Don also greeted students at the Commons door with a school newspaper hot off the press.
In the summers, Don and his friend John Hylkema worked on many carpentry projects together. In his spare time Don enjoyed reading, sitting in the sun on the beach, listening to smooth jazz, and taking ballroom dance lessons at the VFW. He served as a companion with Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Dane County.
Don received letters and visits from teachers and alumni with memories and stories of gratitude. A remarkable educator, he taught the value of hard work and never quitting. At graduation dances in his younger days, Don was known to be the first of the teachers to ‘rip up’ the dance floor. Don always made sure he was dressed to the nines, and he color-coordinated his outfits with his impressive Vans collection. Every year Don looked forward to wearing his tuxedo while teaching his favorite chapter in Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Don’s infamous overhead projector 10-point quizzes often preceded interactive classes full of debate. Former students ask to this day: “How would Don Regina construct this sentence?” Don’s legacy among generations of former students and athletes runs wide and deep.
Don is survived by a son, a brother and extended family.