Former Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Don Roberts Has Died

Former Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Don Roberts has died. 

Dr. Roberts was 77 years old and, according to an obituary in the Little Rock newspaper, had suffered in recent years from cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.  According to friends, the funeral will be held next Tuesday in Little Rock.

Dr. Roberts was a native of Arkansas.  The Little Rock School District’s newest school, a 2-year-old, state-of-the-art elementary school for 800 pupils in northwest Little Rock, is named for him.

According to a biography on the Roberts Elementary website, after graduation from Henderson State Teachers College, Dr. Roberts began his teaching career in 1959 as a teacher and coach in Oregon. By the age of 29, he had extended his career to school administration, serving as a principal and a superintendent.

In 1967, Dr. Roberts returned to Arkansas and began his career with the Little Rock School District as Interim Deputy Superintendent and later as Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services and Pupil Services until 1974.

Dr. Roberts also served as the Director of the Arkansas Department of Education from 1979 to 1984. After his tenure in the Fort Worth Independent School District, Dr. Roberts retired. But his retirement was short-lived when two years later he agreed to return to the Little Rock School District to serve as interim superintendent and help guide the superintendent selection process.