Outstanding educator Mamie Sue Bastian of Houston, Texas.

There are many excellent teachers who work hard to improve the work conditions of their colleagues. One of these was Mamie Sue Bastian, one of the foremost women educators of the state of Texas in the past century.

Mamie was born on November 27, 1874, in Houston, Harris County, Texas. She attended public schools, and then earned her degree at Houston Normal and High School in 1894. She attended college classes during summer sessions, during which time she also traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada.

After she earned her post-secondary degree, Mamie taught in the Houston School District from 1895 to 1922. From 1924 to 1925, she served as principal of Bowie Elementary, and from 1926 to 1940 she served as principal of Crockett Elementary.

In 1929, the former classroom teacher was one of 12 women educators who founded Delta Kappa Gamma, an honorary society that still exists today. The organization promotes the support and professional growth of outstanding women employed at every level of education. Mamie is credited with founding 13 chapters of the organization in Texas, and helping establish six state organizations.

She also served on the Executive Committee of the Texas State Teachers Association in 1919, and she organized and served as president of the Houston Teachers Association. In addition, she formed the Houston Principals Association, she was active in the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, and she was a member of the National Education Association. Furthermore, she served one term as vice president of the Texas State Textbook Board.

Mamie Sue Bastian passed away on February 20, 1946, and was interred in the Houston’s Glenwood Cemetery.