A former USD 445 Superintendent has passed away.

Dr. John Battitori passed away on Tuesday in the Girard Medical Center at the age of 86. He played football at Hutchinson Junior College and received honorable mention in the Jayhawk Junior College Conference. After his time at Hutch, he went on to play football at Wichita State University and attended Pittsburg State University, Fort Hays State and Oklahoma State.

Dr. Battitori was a high school principal and superintendent at Coffeyville from 1970 until moving to Girard where he was superintendent from 1988 until 2000. He also served on the executive board of the Kansas State High School Activities Association. The Rosary will be at 6:00pm on Monday at St. Michael Church in Girard where the family will receive friends until 8:00pm.