Author Archives: Terry Lee Marzell

About Terry Lee Marzell

Terry Lee Marzell holds a bachelor's degree in English from Cal State Fullerton and a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Cal State San Bernardino. She also holds a certificate for Interior Design Level 1 from Mt. San Antonio College. She has been an educator in the Corona Norco Unified School District for more than 30 years.

Felmon Motley: Teacher, Civil Rights activist, and stellar athlete

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Educator, veteran, Civil Rights activist, and stellar athlete Felmon Motley.  Photo Credit: Find a Grave

Many excellent educators are also known for their careers as stellar athletes. One of these was Felmon Motley, a successful football player who was inducted into the Delaware Hall of Fame. He was also a veteran and an activist during the Civil Rights Movement.

Felmon was born on March 18, 1921, in Autaugaville, Alabama. He was raised in Anniston, where he attended Cobb High School. However, in his senior year, he moved to Dayton, Ohio, where he graduated from Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School in 1940.

After his graduation in 1940, Felmon enrolled in Alabama A&M University, where he played for the Alabama A&M Bulldogs as both a lineman and a fullback. In 1942, Felmon transferred to Delaware State College, where he played for the school’s Hornets.

During World War II, Felmon served his country from 1943 to 1945, playing on a military service team at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. While on this team, he played in the 1945 Copper Bowl, scoring the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of the game.

In 1946, Felmon returned to Delaware, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1947. He earned a Master’s degree from there in 1952. After earning his degrees, Felmon accepted a position as an industrial arts teacher at Seaford High. There he became the school’s first African American staff member. In all, his career as a teacher and guidance counselor spanned 37 years in public schools in Seaford, Dover, and Wilmington. He retired in 1984.

During the 1960’s, the former football player became an activist in the Civil Rights Movement, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King and the Rev. Jesse Jackson in Selma, Montgomery, and the 1963 March on Washington.

In addition to his responsibilities in the classroom, Felmon served was the President of the Delaware State Alumni Association from 1963 to 1967. He was a life member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, serving the organization at the national, district and local levels. He was also a 32nd degree Mason.

For his lifelong achievements, Felmon was one of the first inductees into Delaware State University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985. He was also inducted into the State of Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and was one of the first inductees the Delaware State University Alumni Hall of Fame.

This Chalkboard Champion, veteran, Civil Rights activist, and stellar athlete passed away on Aug. 28, 2004, in Milford, Delaware. He was 83 years old. He is interred in Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Bear, Delaware.

Ruby Cole of Texas: One of the founders of the DKG

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Chalkboard Champion Ruby Cole, one of the original founders of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. (Photo credit: DKG)

In 1929, a group of accomplished women educators in Texas got together to create an organization to advance the interests of women teachers. These women, who came from all over the state of Texas, formed the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, an organization for women teachers to work towards improving professional preparation, recognizing women’s work in the teaching profession, and providing scholarships for those needing assistance in advancing their professional expertise. One of these founding women was Ruby Cole.

Not much is known about Ruby’s early life. She was born on December 2, 1885. As a young woman, she enrolled at Sam Houston Institute in Huntsville, Texas. In her sophomore year of college she transferred to Washington College. She completed the requirements for her teaching degree at Southwest Texas State Normal College. In her later years she completed graduate study at the College of the Incarnate Word and at Our Lady of the Lake College in San Antonio, Texas.

Early in her career as an educator, Ruby was active in the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and various women’s clubs. She was a member of the Teachers Retirement Committee of the Texas State Teachers Association, and she served as the Chairperson of the Legislative Committee of Elementary Principals. Because she had earned an excellent reputation in her community, she was invited to be one of the original founders of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society (DKG).

Ruby was very active in Delta Kappa Gamma’s national committees. She served as a member of the Constitution Committee from 1929 to 1930. She also served as  the Chairperson of the Nominations Committee and was a member of the Membership Committee from 1930 to 1931. In addition, Ruby was a member of the Initiation Committee from 1932 to 1935, and she was part of the Legislation Committee from 1936-1938. She also devoted much of her energy to the Retirement Fund for Teachers.

Sadly, this chalkboard champion suffered a heart attack and passed away on November 20, 1940.

To read more about Ruby Cole, click on this link: DKG Founders.

Kathryn Locke-Jones named Maryland’s 2024-2025 State Teacher of the Year

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English/Language Arts teacher Kathryn Locke-Jones has been named the Maryland State teacher of the Year for 2024-2025. (Photo credit: Kathryn Locke-Jones)

There are many dedicated educators working in our nation’s schools who are deserving of accolades. One of them is Kathryn Locke-Jones, a junior high school teacher who has been named Maryland’s State Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025.

Kathryn, who is often called Kat, teaches English/Language Arts to seventh graders at Hampstead Hill Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. In the years she has taught there, she initiated the school’s National History Day program and launched a writing center to support multi-lingual learners. And her efforts have garnered remarkable results. Her students have earned the highest seventh grade score on state assessments for five years in a row. Kat has taught in Baltimore City Public Schools for 12 years.

Kat says she is passionate about creating safe spaces for her students and helping them find their voice so they can tell their stories. She believes that a teacher’s greatest honor is to hand students a pen.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Kat co-founded SL24, a nonprofit foundation to educate, assist, and support students with their mental health. Her work has created a positive impact on more than 90,000 educators. Since 2019, SL24 has raised more than $4 million for mental health education and created Sean’s House, a  free 24/7 mental health safe haven for young adults between the ages 14 and 24. Since its opening in 2020, more than 32,000 people have been served by Sean’s House.

Garnering the State Teacher of the Year award is not the only honor Kat has earned. In 2019 she was named a 2019 Kennedy Leadership Award Winner for Excellence in Teaching, in recognition of having a profound impact with students and communities.

Kat earned her Bachelor’s degree in English Education from the University of Delaware in 2013. She earned her Master’s degree in education from Johns Hopkins University in 2015.