Category Archives: Education

NY PE teacher Betty Lacey coached sports during WWII

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Athletic coach and Physical Education teacher Betty Lacey of Sherwood, New York, one of the very few women in that period who coached both boys’ and girls sports teams. Photo credit: auburn pub.com

Many women make fine athletic coaches, but very few have coached both boys’ and girls’ teams, especially in the 1940’s. One such coach was Betty Lacey, a physical education teacher from Sherwood, New York.

As a young woman, Betty earned her Bachelor’s degree from Sargent College at Boston University in 1944. In 1964, she earned her Master’s degree in Physical Education from Ithaca College in New York.

After her graduation from Boston University, Betty inaugurated her career as an educator when she accepted a position as a physical education teacher at Sherwood Central High School in Sherwood, New York. From 1944 to 1946, while World War II was in full swing which created a serious shortage of manpower, Betty taught and coached both boys’ and girls’ sports teams. This was highly unusual, even for that time. While at Sherwood, Betty coached boys’ football, basketball, and baseball. In addition, she officiated women’s university volleyball and basketball games at institutions across upstate New York and the northeast.

From 1956 to 1981, Betty taught at Auburn High School in New York. While there, the indefatigable educator coached all of the girls’ major athletic teams, including a record-setting field hockey team. Under her leadership, the Auburn teams garnered four consecutive New York State Championship titles in girls’ field hockey.

For her work as an athletic coach, Betty earned many accolades. She was the first woman to be inducted into the New York State Coaches Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into the Auburn High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the Ithaca College Athletic hall of Fame. In addition, Ithaca College Women’s Basketball bestows an annual award in her honor.

Betty Lacey passed away on August 11, 2012. To read more about this amazing Chalkboard Champion, see her obituary at Legacy.com.

Former teacher, labor leader, and Civil Rights worker Dolores Huerta passes away

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Dolores Huerta

Labor leader, Civil Rights worker, and former teacher Dolores Huerta dedicated her life to helping improve the lives of migrant farm workers. She passed away today at the age of 96.

The nation woke up to some very sad news today. Dolores Huerta had passed away at her home in Bakersfield. She was 96.

Like many people around the country, I have heard of the formidable labor leader and Civil Rights worker ever since I was a child in the 1960’s, and my mother declared to the family that we would support the labor strike launched by the United Farmworkers. That year, and for many years after, Dolores worked tirelessly to secure better working conditions for migrant farm workers. But did you know she was also once a teacher?

Dolores was born in Dawson, New Mexico, on April 10, 1930. Raised in Stockton, California, she graduated in 1955 with an AA and her teaching credentials from the College of the Pacific. After her college graduation, she accepted a teaching position in a rural Stockton elementary school. She had been teaching for only a short time when she realized she wanted to devote her energy to migrant farm workers and their families. “I couldn’t stand seeing farm worker children come to class hungry and in need of shoes,” she once explained. “I thought I could do more by organizing their parents than by trying to teach their hungry children.”

After just one year, Dolores resigned from her teaching position, determined to launch a campaign that would fight the numerous economic injustices faced by migrant agricultural workers. Joining forces with the legendary labor leader Cesar Chavez, the intrepid educator helped organize a large-scale strike against the commercial grape growers of the San Joaquin Valley, an effort which raised national awareness of the abysmal treatment of America’s agricultural workers. She also negotiated contracts which led to their improved working conditions. The rest, as they say, is history.

Although there are several fairly good juvenile biographies of this extraordinary woman, there is no definitive adult biography about her. The closest thing to it is A Dolores Huerta Reader edited by Mario T. Garcia. This book includes an informative biographical introduction by the editor, articles and book excerpts written about her, her own writings, transcripts of her speeches, and an interview with Mario Garcia. You can find A Dolores Huerta Reader on amazon. I have also included a chapter about this remarkable teacher in my second book, entitled Chalkboard Heroes.

Rest in peace, Dolores. Your fellow educators will miss you.

Joe Montgomery: Alaskan teacher, US veteran, and politician

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Long-time educator Joe Montgomery of Anchorage, Alaska, also served his country in WWII and two terms in the state House of Representatives. Photo credit: Pubic Domain

Many excellent educators prove themselves successful in the political arena. Joe Montgomery of Anchorage, Alaska, was a fine example of this. This teacher served his community as a member of his state’s House of Representatives.

Joe was born on Jan. 28, 1918 in Floydada, Texas. As a young man, he  had already survived the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. He’d dug sweet potatoes and peanuts, worked in the cotton and hay fields, milked cows, rode horses, and completed daily chores on the old farm.

After his graduation from Floydada High School in 1936, Joe earned his degree at Colorado State University in 1941. After his graduation, he traveled to San Francisco, where he took a job loading freight, earning the princely sum of $1.35 per hour. Then he decided to venture north to Alaska.

Once he arrived in Anchorage, Joe answered a newspaper advertisement asking for qualified individuals to apply for a teaching position. With winter coming on, he secured room and board for $60.00 a month at Mrs. Erickson’s boarding house. There he met his future wife, Ebba. Later, two daughters were born to the couple.

When World War II broke out in Dec., 1941, with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Joe enlisted in the Army Air Force and was selected for flight training. Over the four years of his military career, he flew a total of 35 missions as a B-17 pilot. He was discharged as a First Lieutenant in 1945. Once he returned from the war, Joe operated a successful businessman. For three years he owned a Chrysler Auto Agency, and then he returned to the classroom.

After a number of years in the classroom, Joe also served as a counselor, a principal, and finally as the Superintendent of Anchorage Public Schools, a position he held for seven years. He retired from the teaching profession in 1977, after serving a total of 32 years as an educator.

In 1980, Jose was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives on the Republican ticket. He served there from 1980 to 1984. He was also a member of the Alaska State Board of Education, the Alaska Parole board, the Beverage Control Board, the Pioneers of Alaska, and other civic organizations.

Joe passed away from natural causes on Oct. 5, 2013, in Anchorage. He was 95 years old.

 

MN educator Marilyn Sauer made many contributions to her community

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Teacher and administrator Marilyn Mae Sauer of St. Paul,Minnesota, devoted more than three decades and tireless energy to hr profession and to her community. Photo credit: San Bernardino Sun

Many long-time educators make significant contributions to their communities. One of these is Marilyn Mae Sauer, an tireless elementary school teacher from St. Paul, Minnesota.

Marilyn was born in St. Paul on July 18, 1926. As a young woman, she earned her first Bachelor’s degree at the University of Minnesota in 1948. She earned a second Bachelor’s degree in 1950.

Once she earned her degrees, Marilyn launched her career as an educator at Guttersen Elementary School in St. Paul. Three years later, she moved to Tucson, where she taught third grade at Holy School in the Tucson Public School system.

In 1955, Marilyn relocated again, this time to San Bernardino, California, where she served a total of 32 more years, first as a teacher, then as an administration at both the elementary and middle school levels. In 1970, Marilyn enrolled at the University of Redlands to work towards her Master’s degree in Education.

Once she retired, Marilyn continued to serve in her profession as a part-time supervisor for student teachers and interns. She also served on the Advisory Board of the College of Education at Cal State San Bernardino (CSUSB). In addition, she served hr community as a member of the Board of the Del Rosa Neighborhood Action Group, and on the Board for the Humane Society. As if all that were not enough, Marilyn dedicated 20 years to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Citizens’ Volunteers, and contributed volunteer hours to the San Bernardino Symphony distributing sheet music at Feldheym Library.

The retired educator was also generous with her philanthropy. She bestowed an annual scholarship to a student in the Master’s degree program in School Administration at CSUSB. She also established the Marilyn M. Sauer School Leaders of Tomorrow Fellowship Fund at the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development.

Sadly, this Chalkboard Champion passed away on July 4, 2026, just two weeks shy of her 100th birthday. She was interred at Lakewood Cemetery in Hennepin County in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Maryland teacher Mary Risteau was also an adept politician

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Elementary school teacher Mary Risteau served in both the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland State Senate. Photo: National Women’s History Museum

Many excellent educators have also served their communities in political positions. One of these is Mary Risteau, an elementary school teacher who was elected to both the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland State Senate.

Mary was born April 24, 1890, in Towson, Maryland. As a young girl, she attended Towson High School, where she graduated in 1907. In 1912, she earned her undergraduate degree from Towson University, which at that time was known as Maryland State Normal School. She also completed an advanced course of study in mathematics at Johns Hopkins University in 1917. In 1938, Mary earned her LLB degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law. In 1917, Mary Eliza launched her career as an elementary school teacher in Baltimore County.

Mary Eliza inaugurated her career in politics when she was elected on the Democratic ticket to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1921, just one year after the 19th Amendment granted women with the right to vote. There she represented Hartford County from 1922 through 1926, and again from 1931 through 1935, and yet again from 1951 through 1955, a total of four terms. While in the House, she successfully worked for the establishment of Maryland State Teachers College at Salisbury, and she was appointed to the State Board of Education, where she served for 16 years. She also served on the Committees on Education; Agriculture; Libraries; and Chesapeake Bay and its Tributaries.

Mary also served in the Maryland State Senate from 1935 through 1937. There she represented the 2nd District. While in the Maryland Senate, she became the Chairperson of both the Agriculture and Labor Committees, the Vice Chair of its Education Committee, and a member of the Senate Temperance Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Federal Relations Committee. In addition, she was a strong advocate for women’s rights. In fact, she was a member of both the National Order of Women Legislators and its state affiliate, the Maryland Women’s Legislation Group. Among many other organizations, she held membership in the League of Women Voters.

Sadly, Mary Eliza passed away in Jarretsville, Maryland, on July 24, 1978. She was 88 years old. In 1987, the former teacher was inducted posthumously into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame. Additionally, the Mary E. W. Risteau Multi-services Center in Bel Air, Maryland, was named in her honor.

To read more about Chalkboard Champion Mary Eliza Risteau, click on this link to Maryland’s Women’s Heritage Center.