08/28/2026
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ โ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐
"Rich Scoles was the ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐โ๐ Itasca Waterpark. Hired on January 28, 1972, Rich opened the Waterpark on its very first day, ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฏ, ๐ญ๐ต๐ณ๐ฎ. He was paid $165 per week and led a staff that included seven lifeguards, concession workers, cashiers and even a crossing guard. That first summer, the pool offered public swimming and swim lessons, along with some memorable special events, including โGoldfish Dayโ and โTrout Dayโ at the end of the season.
In 1973, Rich started the Itasca Dolphins Swim Team as part of the DuPage Swim & Dive Conference and helped organize the Itasca Dolphins Swim Team Parents Booster Clubโbeginning a tradition that continues more than 50 years later.
Anyone who spent time at the pool during Richโs years knew there were rulesโand Rich made sure you followed them! He was known for strictly enforcing Illinois Department of Public Health regulations, including the famous ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฝ ๐ฟ๐๐น๐ฒ for anyone with hair below their eyes, required soap showers before entering the pool, no shoes of any kind on the deck, no food, no strollers and plenty more. My, how times have changed!
I had the opportunity to work with Rich from 1994 until he retired as Pool Manager in January 2001. Rich was definitely one to reckon with, but there was a reason: ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐. He spent endless hours at the pool training staff, working with the swim team, teaching and overseeing swim lessons, and making sure the Waterpark was operated the way he believed it should be. The Itasca Waterpark was truly his pride and joy.
During his nearly 30 years as manager, Rich watched the Waterpark grow and change. He was there when the waterslide was installed in the late 1980s and when our current family interactive pool opened in 2000โincluding the monumental change of finally allowing strollers on the pool deck!
Although Rich didnโt come around too often after retiring, I always knew he was keeping an eye on the Itasca Waterpark and what was happening there.
In 2021, when we unveiled our new bathhouse, Rich attended our VIP eventโand, of course, he brought along his ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ผ๐น ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ง-๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐! Then, in 2023, when the Itasca Dolphins Swim Team celebrated its 50th anniversary, we had the opportunity to recognize Rich once again. The District permanently added his name to our Record Board in honor of his nearly 30 years managing the Itasca Waterpark and his role in creating the Dolphins program.
For more than half a century, generations of Itasca families, swimmers, lifeguards and staff have been impacted by something Rich helped build. His standards, his commitment to safety and his dedication to the Waterpark and Dolphins helped create traditions that continue today.
๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ฟ๐๐น๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ.
Thank you, Rich, for everything you did for the Itasca Waterpark, the Itasca Dolphins and our community. Your legacy will always be a part of this special place.
๐ฌ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐น๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ."
- ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป ๐. ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ผ, ๐๐
๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ, ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐
Obituary: https://www.oaksfh.com/obituaries/richard-scoles
