Ray King worked to help women teachers through DKG Society
Educator Ray King worked to help fellow women teachers gain professional training and support through the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International.
Many talented classroom teachers are also devoted to assisting their colleagues in their efforts to become better educators. One of these was Ray Holden King, a junior high school history teacher from Texas. She worked to provide professional training and support to fellow women teachers through the organization Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG).
Ray was born on July 13, 1888, in Pilot Point, Texas. She was the third child of Joseph and Anna King. As a young girl, Ray attended Pilot Point High School. After her graduation, she enrolled in North Texas State Normal School in Denton, Texas. While there, Ray met Annie Webb Blanton, and the two formed a lasting friendship.
In addition to her courses at North Texas, Ray completed summer school classes at the University of Colorado, Texas Christian University, and the University of California in Berkeley, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree. Because of her impressive scholastic achievements, she was inducted into two honor societies: Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Kappa Alpha. For the next four summers, the young co-ed worked on her Master’s degree at Teachers College of Columbia University in New York City.
Ray inaugurated her career as an educator in Gordon, Texas. After teaching there for one year, she moved to Mineral Wells. The next year, Ray accepted a job in Fort Worth. In Fort Worth Ray initially taught fifth and sixth grades. Later she took a position teaching history to junior high school students. When Central High School was enlarged, she taught history there.
Ray loved to travel. She toured all over the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Along the way she collected a wealth of information which she used to enrich the history classes she taught. Her colleagues respected her so much that she became the Chairperson of the History Department at her school, a position she held until her retirement in 1954.
When Ray, her long-time friend from college, Annie Webb Blanton, and their colleagues founded the Delta Kappa Gamma Society (DKG) in 1929, Ray was elected their treasurer. In this role, she managed expenditures and receipts at both the state and national levels of the organization. She also threw herself into the expansion of the Society. Together with her sister Sue, Ray established the Delta Chapter in Fort Worth on October 29, 1929. They also founded the Beta Phi Chapter in Tarrant County, Texas, in February, 1936.
In addition to this work, Ray participated in many of the organization’s national committees, including the Permanent Fund (1930-1933), Auditing (1931-1934), Achievement Award (1932-1935), Initiation (1930-1933), Legislation (1936-1938), and Equal Opportunities for Women Teachers (1938-1942). During the 1954-1956 biennium, this chalkboard champion represented DKG’s founders on the Administrative Board.
Ray was also active in many of her community’s professional and civic organizations. Among these were the American Association of University Women, the Retired Teachers Association, the Women’s Club, the Fort Worth Civic Music Association, and the Symphony Orchestra. She also nurtured many creative hobbies, including needlepoint, hooking rugs, and cooking.
Ray King passed away on January 24, 1979, in Fort Worth. She is interred at Pilot Point Community Cemetery in Denton County, Texas.
To learn more about the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, click on this link:DKG.
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Marzell’s young adult novel makes great Winter Break reading for everyone
Winter Break is a terrific time to relax and leisure read a pleasant book. I suggest my most recent book, Unleashed! The Dog Park Chronicles, which is now available in both paperback and ebook versions from amazon.comand barnesandnoble.com. This is my first novel for young people. But the volume has also garnered praise from adults who have read it and loved it!
In the book, I have created a charming cast of animal characters and their human companions who live in or visit the local dog park. Each event which takes place holds an essential message about kindness, community, inclusion, and personal responsibility. There are also messages of anti-bullying and anti-prejudice.
In addition, the narrative includes commentary about how young people can appreciate nature, even if they live in a suburban environment. I explore themes related to the migratory patterns of Canada geese, the natural instincts of the animal characters, and the progression of the seasons.
The dog park described in the novel, Vila Borba, really exists! It is located not far from my home in Chino Hills, California. And depicted on the cover of the book are two of my very own pets! The little white terrier mix on the front cover is Kurby, whose rescue story is described in Chapter 4. (In the book the Kurby character is named Bowser.) The elegant black and white tuxedo pictured on the back cover is my own ladycat, Licorice.
This 156-page book would make a terrific book for you and your students to read. If you have already purchased the book, thank you so much! I hope you would consider writing a review of the story on amazon. I am also asking for support to offer an AR (Accelerated Reading) quiz for the book. You could make a request for this at the AR website.
Season’s Greetings, and happy readings!
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Michigan’s Maxine Berman: English teacher, politician, and women’s health care advocate
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.
