Wisconsin’s George Nelson Tremper: Educator extraordinaire

Posted on by

George Nelson Tremper was an outstanding teacher and principal in the early 20th century Kenosha, Wisconsin. Photo credit: Kenosha Unified School District.

Throughout our country’s history, there are many stories of exemplary educators that have also become school leaders in the early 20th century. One of these is George Nelson Tremper, a high school teacher from Kenosha, Wisconsin, who also served his school as an outstanding principal.

George Nelson Tremper was born in Pontiac Michigan on May 30, 1877. He completed his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan in 1901. George was a master of languages, especially Greek, Latin, and German.

George and his wife, Metta, taught for three years in the Philippines. When he returned to the United States, he taught in Franklin, Indiana. Later he became the principal in a high school in Cincinnati, Ohio. During these years, George He also taught at the University of Illinois School of Education. In addition, by 1911 he completed the courses that earned him his Master’s degree.

In 1911 he returned to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he was a teacher and an administrator at Kenosha’s Bradford High School from 1911 until 1944. When George was appointed principal, the school boasted a staff of 13 teachers and 300 students.

In addition to his work as an educator, George served as the President of the Council of the Kenosha Chapter of DeMolay. He was also a commissioner of the Boy Schouts and a member of the Kenosha County Historical Society, President of the Wisconsin Society, and he was active in the Sons of the Revolution. He was County chairman of the Citizens Military Training Corps, he was active in both the Rotary Club and the Elks Club, and he was Chairman of the Kenosha County Civilian Aid Committee.

Alas, this Chalkboard Champion passed away on February 23, 1958. In 1964, a new public high school built in Kenosha was named in his honor. To read more about George, see this article about him published online by communityworldheritage.org.

 

Maria Fearing: Intrepid teacher and missionary of the Congo

Posted on by

Maria Fearing: The intrepid teacher and missionary, born into slavery, who traveled to the Congo to teach at a home for girls. Photo credit: Alabama Department of Archives and History.

There are many stories of dedicated educators who can boast of extraordinary accomplishments. One of these is Maria Fearing, an African American teacher and missionary who was born into slavery but went on to become a beloved teacher in the Congo.

Maria was born on July 26, 1938, on a plantation near Gainesville, Sumter County, Alabama. As a youngster, she was employed as a house servant, spending much of her time with her mistress and the other children. Maria completed the ninth grade, but didn’t really learn to read and write until she was 33 years old.

When the Civil War was won, Maria worked her way through the Freedman’s Bureau School in Talladega, Alabama, to become a teacher. This school is now known as Talladega College. The neophyte educator taught for a number of years in rural schools in Calhoun County in Alabama. But in 1894, at age 56, Maria was inspired to travel to the Congo on the African continent, where for more than 20 years she worked tirelessly as a teacher and Presbyterian missionary. While there, Maria established the Pantops Home for Girls in 1915. Pantops took in girls who had been orphaned and those who had been kidnapped and sold into slavery. The intrepid teacher used trinkets, tools, and even salt to barter for the freedom of these girls. She taught reading, writing, arithmetic, homemaking skills, and gardening in the mission day school, and she worked with the women of the surrounding villages. Her appreciative students nicknamed her “mama wa mputu” (“Mother from Far Away”).

At the age of 78, because of failing health, Maria was encouraged to retire. In 1918, the Southern Presbyterian Church recognized her many years of dedication and hard work by honoring her with the Loving Cup. Maria wasn’t ready to quit working, though. After returning to her native Alabama, she continued to teach, working at a church school in Selma, Alabama. She later returned to Sumter County, where she passed away on May 23, 1937. She was 100 years old.

Maria Fearing, a true Chalkboard Champion, was inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame in 2000. You can read more about this amazing teacher at Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame.

George Washington’s Mt. Vernon: Enjoy a virtual excursion

Posted on by

Author and retired teacher Terry Lee Marzell visits George Washington’s Mt. Vernon estate on a recent trip to the Washington, DC, area. Here she examines the key to the Bastille and a rendering of the historic French building on display in Washington’s mansion. The key was a gift to our nation’s first president from his good friend and fellow Revolutionary War soldier, the Marquis de Lafayette.

As a teacher who loves all things academic, I was happy to be able to travel to George Washington’s Mt. Vernon estate on a recent trip to the Washington, DC, area. A visit to this iconic historical site has long been on my must-do list, and the excursion did not disappoint. I was fortunate to be able to visit the estate in person; however, a virtual excursion plus a wealth of information about our nation’s first president, George Washington, and his home can be found on the website at www.mtvernon.org.

While at the estate, I was able to wander through the downstairs rooms of Washington’s mansion, including the grand and beautifully decorated New Room, the stylish front parlor, the dining room, George Washington’s spacious study, and the downstairs bedchamber, which served as a guest bedroom. Many artifacts belonging to the former president are on display, including the key to the historic French Bastille, a gift from Washington’s good friend and fellow Revolutionary War soldier, the Marquis de Lafayette.

A stroll through the grounds yields an opportunity to view the working parts of the estate, including the detached kitchen, the smokehouse, the gardens, the stables and paddocks, and a slave cabin. Further wanderings take the visitor to the current tomb of George and Martha Washington, the location of their original burial site, and a slave memorial.

An exploration of the museums and education center allows the visitor to learn more about all aspects of Washington’s life, including his childhood and family, his military service to our country, his presidency and political activities, his employment as a surveyor, and his life as a gentleman farmer after he left office.

Your students can explore all of these aspects of George Washington’s estate, and more. To view the mansion, from a bird’s eye floor plan to a room-by-room virtual tour, instruct them to click on this link to the mansion. Students can learn more about the burial sites and memorials on the estate if they click on the link tombs and memorials. They can click on this link to examine the exhibits in the museums and the education center. Enjoy!

Teacher Lucy Tootell served in Rhode Island House of Reps

Posted on by

Elementary and junior high school teacher Lucy Tootell served in the Rhode Island House of Representatives. Photo credit: Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.

There are many fine classroom educators who have also served their communities in a variety of capacities. Some have even gone on to make excellent politicians. One of these is Lucy Tootell, an elementary and junior high school teacher who also served in the Rhode Island House of Representatives.

Lucy was born November 27, 1911, in Jacksonville, Illinois. Her mother was a former dramatics arts director at Rhode Island State College, now known as the University of Rhode Island. Her father was Roy Willard Rawlings, the last Republican Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives. She was two years old when her family moved to the state of Rhode Island. When she became a teenager, Lucy attended South Kingstown High School for three years, but she graduated with honors from Westerly High School in 1929.

After her high school graduation, Lucy earned her Bachelor’s degree, with honors, from Rhode Island College of Education in 1933. She inaugurated her career as an educator at Roger Williams Junior High School, and later taught at the Richmond Elementary School. Later Lucy attended law school at Boston University. She also attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City during the summer of 1934, and Northwestern University, where she was offered the directorship of their renowned children’s theater.

The indefatigable educator served her community in many capacities. She served as the curator and archivist of the Kingston Little Rest Museum. She was instrumental in establishing and organizing the Pettaquamscutt Historical Society, the Richmond Historical Society, and the  the Charlestown Historical Society. In addition, she was a lecturer and an author of many local history publications, books, and slide shows. Lucy also served as Council Commissioner of the Rhode Island Girl Scout Organization. In 1970, she was elected to the Richmond School Committee and, in 1972, was elected on the Republican ticket to the Rhode Island House of Representatives from Chariho District #52, where she served from 1973 until 1977.

For her tireless work on behalf of Rhode Island, Lucy was named “Woman of the Year” by the Chariho Business and Professional Women’s Club in 1974.She also garnered the “John Nicholas Brown Award,” from The League of RI Historical Societies in 1982.
In 1997, in recognition of her distinguished achievements in the field of and preservation of history, Lucy earned an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Rhode Island. In 2013, she was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on January 5, 2010. To read more about Lucy Tootell, see this post on the website for the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.