Elementary teacher and principal Esther Pilster was well-known for community service and her philanthropy. Photo credit: Find a Grave
Many fine educators also become well-known in for their service to the community and for their philanthropy. One of these was Esther Pilster, an elementary school teacher and principal from Omaha, Nebraska.
Esther was born on Nov. 11, 1916, on a farm near Wymore, Nebraska. As a young girl, she graduated from Otoe Consolidated High School in the nearby town of Barneston. She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska, Omaha, and completed her teacher training at Peru State College in 1938.
Esther inaugurated her career as an educator in a one-room school house in rural Gage County. In the 1940s, she taught in schools of Neligh, Seward, and Chadron until she settled in Omaha, where she taught in Omaha public schools. In the 1950s, Esther taught at a highly-acclaimed summer reading clinic for gifted children in Omaha. In 1960, she was elected President of the Nebraska Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, a prestigious professional organization that promotes the professional success of women educators. In 1961, she became the first principal of Boyd Elementary School, and held that positions until her retirement in 1982.
Even after her retirement, Esther was very active. She presented book reviews and programs for professional groups in the Omaha area. She often appeared in costume, donning the personas of the Statue of Liberty, Betsy Ross, and Mother Goose, among others. She even delivered a presentation about the First Ladies of the United States dressed as a White House maid. In 1984, Esterh was selected to serve as a Congressional Senior Intern in Washington, DC.
In 2006, Esther donated her family ranch, which spanned over 3,700 acres of land, towards the creation of the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center at Chadron State College. She made the donation in memory of her husband, Raleigh, who had also been a highly-respected educator. The center promotes teaching agricultural skills and supports a program for agronomy research. Of Welsh descent, Esther was also involved in the Great Plains Welsh Heritage Museum and the Welsh Society of Nebraska.
For her philanthropic work, Esther has earned many accolades. In 1979, she was named “Queen of Keystone,” an honorary title given to notable people in Keystone, North Omaha. In 1997, the city renamed a park the Esther Pilster Park in her honor. In 2006, she garnered a key to the City of Omaha for her years of dedication to the community. And in 2008, she was honored by the Omaha World Herald as an “Outstanding Educator.”
Sadly, this amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away on July 20, 2014. She was 97 years old. She is interred in Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery in Omaha.
