Linwood L. Roberts, former director of employment for city public schools who earlier had been an elementary school principal and teacher, died Aug. 27 of cancer at his Parkville home. He was 60.
Mr. Roberts, the son of a Talbot County school bus driver and a homemaker, was born and raised in St. Michaels.
After graduating from Robert Moton High School in Easton, he earned a bachelor's degree in 1972 in elementary school education from what is now Morgan State University.
He earned a master's degree in educational administration and supervision in 1980, also from Morgan, and a certificate in school improvement leadership from Goucher College in 1999.
In 1972, Mr. Roberts began his teaching career at Coldstream Elementary School. From 1983 to 1984, he was an education specialist training elementary language arts teachers at school headquarters on North Avenue.
He was assistant principal at Matthew Henson, James McHenry and William Pinderhughes elementary schools from 1984 to 1986, when he was appointed principal of Lyndhurst Elementary School.
Five years later, he was appointed principal of Montebello Elementary School, and a year later was named personnel director for city schools. His responsibilities included overseeing the personnel services staff as well as the recruiting, hiring, promotion, benefits and payroll for the system's more than 12,000 employees.
A 1995 article in The Baltimore Sun regarding Mr. Roberts' hiring practices said that he "preferred a strong mix of veterans and novices" for the city school system, which benefited from "new teachers' energy and openness to fresh ideas, as well as the expertise of teachers who have mastered their subjects."
After stepping down from the personnel department in 1996, Mr. Roberts was appointed executive assistant to the area executive officer, where he oversaw the management of 30 schools from kindergarten through the 12th grade in the school system's southern region.
From 1998 to 1999, he took an educational sabbatical at Goucher College, and after returning was area school improvement coordinator from 1999 to 2002. He later was named executive assistant to the area executive officer and was area school improvement coordinator.
Mr. Roberts spent the remainder of his career as principal of Lockerman-Bundy Elementary School before retiring in 2005.
