Educator Cornelius Salisbury earned renown as a painter

Posted on by

Educator Cornelius Salisbury is well-known for his paintings of Utah landscapes, pioneer homes, and historical figures of the Old West.

Many fine educators have distinguished themselves in fields outside of education. One of these is Cornelius Salisbury, a public school teacher from Salt Lake City, Utah, who has also earned renown as an artist.

Cornelius was born on December 31, 1882, in Richfield in central Utah. He earned his college degrees at the University of Utah and at Brigham Young University. He also refined his artistic skills extensive, training at the Art Students League of New York, the Pratt Institute of New York City, the Broadmoor Art Academy in Colorado Springs, and the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington, DC.

Cornelius earned fame as a painter of landscapes of his native state, pioneer homes, and historical figures from the Old West. He served as the president of Associated Utah Artists, and was a member of the Utah Historical Society.

Cornelius taught school in Salt Lake City until 1943. He taught at Lewis Junior High in Ogden from 1920 to 1924, at Jordan Junior High from 1925 to 1927, and at West High School from 1928 to 1943. He is so highly respected in Utah that his work is on display at many public school throughout the state. Some of his pieces also hang in the Springville Museum of Art.

This amazing educator passed away on Oct. 9, 1970, in Salt Lake City. He was 87 years old. He is interred at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, Millcreek, Salt Lake, Utah. To read more about this amazing educator, click on this link to his biography compiled by the University of Utah.

First-year kindergarten teacher Blake Fingalsen garners prestigious award

Posted on by

I just love to tell stories about remarkable teachers who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is kindergarten teacher Blake Fingalsen of Kansas. Blake has just been named the 2020 Horizon Award Winner by the Kansas State Department of Education. Blake teaches at Rhein Benninghoven Elementary School.

The Horizon Award program is designed to identify and recognize talented first-year educators at both the elementary and secondary levels. Here’s an inspirational video about this remarkable teacher.

Alaska’s Lyda Green: Educator and State Senator

Posted on by

Alaska’s Lyda Green: Educator and State Senator.

Many fine educators also make excellent politicians. An example of this is Lyda Green, a high school teacher from Alaska who has also been elected to her State Senate.

Lyda was born October 16, 1938, in Livingston, Texas. As a young girl, she attended Brazosport High School in Freeport, Texas. She graduated in 1956. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, in 1959. She earned a Slingerland Language Arts Certification from the University of Alaska, Anchorage, in 1988.

Once she completed her education, Lyda accepted a position as a teacher at West High School. She worked there from 1963 to 1964. In 1991, she accepted a position as an instructor’s assistant at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. She also served as an adjunct instructor at Matanuska Susitna Community College from 1991 to 1993. In addition, Lyda served as a member of the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education (1991-1994). She was named by the Alaska Department of Education to serve on their special Education Regulations Task Force (1993-1994). Later she owned her own tutoring business she called The Study.

In 1994, the former educator was elected to the Alaska State Senate on the Republican ticket. She represented the Matanuska Susitna Borough until 2009 for four terms. From 2007 to 2008 she served as the Senate President. Now 81, Lyda lives in Wasilla with her husband, Curtis.

To read more about Lyda Green, see this link from the Alaska State Senate.