Michigan’s Maxine Berman: English teacher, politician, and women’s health care advocate

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English teacher Maxine Berman of Michigan also served in her state’s House of Representatives. Photo credit: Jewish Historical Society of Michigan

Many talented educators leave the classroom to go on to successful careers in politics. One of these is Maxine Berman, a high school English teacher who was elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives.

Maxine was born on April 17, 1946. She grew up in Oak Park, Michigan, and attended Oak Park High School. After her high school graduation, she enrolled at the University of Michigan. Once she earned her degree, Maxine returned to her alma mater, Oak Park High School, to teach English.

After several years, Maxine left the teaching profession to run for political office. She won election to the Michigan State House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. She served there from 1983 to 1996. During her 14-year political career, the former teacher worked tirelessly as an advocate for women’s rights and other social justice issues. Representative Berman successfully pushed for mammography facilities in Michigan to be accredited, and then lobbied the federal government to require accreditation nationwide. She was a member of the House Bi-Partisan Team, which developed a new strategy for funding pubic schools. She also served on the House Elections Committee, where she created an expedited system for voter registration. Maxine also accepted the post of Chairperson for the Michigan Women’s Campaign Fund, a bi-partisan organization that raises money to assist women who run for political office.

Once Maxine completed her terms in office, she established an advocacy and consulting firm she named Capitol Strategies, Inc. She also became the leader of the Women’s Health Network of Michigan. In 2008, Maxine returned to her roots as a professional educator when she accepted a  position as the Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government at Central Michigan University. She was the first woman to ever be named to the position.

Maxine retired in 2013. Two years later she was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. More about this at www.michiganwomen.org.

Sadly, Maxine Berman succumbed to lung cancer on March 2, 2018. She was 71 when she passed away. She is interred in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

Alaskan teacher Dan Seavey was instrumental in organizing the Iditarod Race

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Alaskan Social Studies teacher Dan Seavey was instrumental in organizing the modern-day Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Photo credit: Seward Community Foundation

Alaskan Social Studies teacher Dan Seavey was instrumental in organizing the modern-day Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Photo credit: Seward Community Foundation

Many outstanding educators have the most unusual personal projects. One of these is Dan Seavey, a high school teacher who is a self-described “hard-core Iditarod junkie.” In fact, he was instrumental in reviving the sport of dog mushing and establishing the modern-day Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Dan Seavey was born and raised in Hamlet Lake, Minnesota. But even as a young boy in his one-room rural school, he read Jack London’s stories which triggered a fascination for the far-off Alaskan Territory.

When he grew to become a young man, Dan enrolled in St. Cloud Teacher’s College (now St. Cloud State University). Once he earned his Bachelor’s degree, he accepted his first position as a social studies teacher and volunteer wrestling coach at the Red Wing Reformatory for Boys in Red Wing, Minnesota. That was in 1962. “I soon came to consider one-on-one rapport with students to be of greater importance than assigned academic duties,” recalled Dan. But even though he enjoyed his job in Red Wing, he never let go of his fascination for The Last Frontier.

Dan’s stint in Red Wing lasted about a year and half. Then he got the news that he’d been offered a teaching job in the newly-formed 49th state. With great excitement, he accepted the position. In 1963, Dan and he wife, Shirley, traveled with their three young children north on the 3,500-mile Alaska Highway—and some of that highway was nothing more than dirt road! They landed in Seward, where the couple established a homestead. There he continued his career in education as a social studies teacher at Seward High School. Dan spent the next 20 years there before he retired. During those years, he established the first outdoor education program on the Kenai Peninsula. He developed the program for his high school students to teach them the skills they needed to survive in the wilderness without the conveniences of home. His program was so successful that one year the senior trip was camping in Denali for a week.

But Dan is probably best known for his involvement with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. “My interest in the historic trail began in 1963 when I was assigned to teach Alaska History.” explained Dan. “I was taken with the trail’s importance to Alaska’s early development and Seward’s vital role in that development,” he continued. As a result, he launched himself into an active role in all aspects of the Itidarod Trail, including helping to inaugurate the first modern-day Itidarod Race in 1973. The tradition continues to this day. He details his experience in his book The First Great Race: Alaska’s 1973 Iditarod available on amazon. With his sons and grandsons, Dan also leads Alaska dogsled tours for tourists, which you can explore on his website at Ididaride Dogsled Tours.

In 2016, Dan was inducted into the Iditarod Hall of Fame for his tireless work as a pioneer and a preservationist for the Iditarod. In addition, he is one of the founders of the Iditarod Trail Blazers, a local nonprofit dedicated to establishing a physical trail from Seward into the Interior.

Trailblazer and NYC English teacher Arlene Stringer

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Former English teacher Arlene Stringer reads to her grandson, Max. Photo credit: New York Post

Many excellent classroom teachers have also served their communities as capable politicians. One of these was Arlene Stringer-Cuevas, a Jewish schoolteacher who also served on the New York City Council.

Arlene was born Sept. 25, 1933. Her first husband was Ronald Stringer, an assistant to New York City Mayor Abraham Beame. When that marriage ended, Arlene raised her two boys in Washington Heights as a single mother. Once she earned her degrees, Arlene taught at a public school in the Bronx. She also instructed courses in English as a Second Language at the local Y.

Like many members of her family, Arlene expressed an interest in politics. She ran for and was elected as the District Leader for her Democratic Party, a trailblazing role she served in from 1969 to 1976. She was elected to the New York City Council, where she served from 1976 to 1977. In fact, she was the first woman to represent Washington Heights. “I used to follow her around to all her meetings,” remembers her son, Scott Stringer. “More than once, she was asked by some man in the room why she wasn’t home with her husband. In signature fashion, she’d respond, ‘I don’t have a husband,’” he continued. “And then she’d outsmart, out-humor, and simply outdo all of them—no matter what they were doing,” he concluded.  Later, Arlene worked for their New York City Human Resources Administration for 16 years, until her retirement in 1994.

In her final years, she was married to the former City Clerk and Deputy Bronx Borough President Carlos Cuevas. The two divided their time between New York City and Puerto Rico. Sadly, Arlene succumbed to Covid-19 on April 3, 2020. She was 86 years old. At the time of her passing, her son Scott Stringer was serving as New York City’s Comptroller.

Texas educator Mabel Grizzard: One of the founders of DKG

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Elementary school teacher Mabel Grizzard of Texas was one of the original founders of DKG. (Photo credit: DKG)

In 1929, a group of accomplished women educators founded 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 International (DKG). The goals of the organization were to advance professional preparation, to recognize women’s work in the teaching profession, and to provide scholarships for those needing help to advance their professional expertise. One of these esteemed founders was Mabel Grizzard of Ellis County.

Mable was born in Waxahachie, Ellis County, on April 2, 1884, the daughter of Henry and Hattie (Youree) Grizzard. As a child, Mabel attended private schools before graduating with honors from Waxahachie public schools. After high school, Mabel earned a degree from the North Texas State Normal School in Denton, where she was a student of Dr. Annie Webb Blanton. Dr. Blanton was later elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and she was the first woman in Texas to be elected to a statewide office. In her later years, Mabel attended Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee, and the University of Denver.

Mabel inaugurated her career as an educator in Bristol School in Ellis County. She also taught in the State Orphans Home in Corsicana, and at a large elementary school in Waxahachie. There she served for 40 years, first as a teacher and then as a principal. During that 40-year period, Mabel took a two-year leave of absence to serve as the elementary supervisor of rural schools in Texas. In the summers, Mabel served as an assistant to State Superintendent Dr. Blanton. She also spent many summers engaged in research and study.

In addition to her classroom and administrative responsibilities, Mabel took an active part in several educational organizations. She served on the Executive Board of the North Texas Division of Elementary Principals. Also, she was president of the Ellis County unit of Texas State Teachers Association. She was active with National Principals of the NEA and the National Society for the Study of Education. As recognition for her hard work, the PTA of her elementary school gifted Mabel with a life membership in the National Congress of Parents and Teachers.

At Dr. Blanton’s invitation, Mabel attended the initial meeting of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society in 1929 in Austin, Texas. She became one of the organization’s founders, and was also instrumental in founding the Alpha Alpha Chapter of DKG located in Ellis County in 1931.

Mabel passed away on July 14, 1968, at the age of 84. She was interred in Hillcrest Burial Park in Waxahachie.

To read more about this amazing chalkboard champion, click on this link DKG Founders.