Educator Braulio Alonso: Teacher, US veteran, and first Hispanic president of the NEA

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Educator Braulio Alonso

Educator Braulio Alonso” Teacher, US veteran, and first Hispanic president of the NEA

There are many valiant American veterans who have also served in the classroom. One such American hero is Braulio Alonso. This distinguished educator and World War II veteran can boast numerous accomplishments during his lifetime.

Braulio was born the son of impoverished cigar makes in Ybor City, Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, on December 16, 1916. Braulio graduated in 1935 from Hillsborough High School, the valedictorian of his class. He was also the valedictorian of his college class when he graduated from the University of Tampa in 1939.

Braulio began his teaching career as an instructor of physics and chemistry courses at Henry B. Plant High School in Tampa, but when World War II erupted, this chalkboard hero enlisted in the United States Army in 1941. He was immediately sent to officer candidate school, and later he became part of the 85th Infantry Division in North Africa. The former classroom teacher was promoted to Battery Commander for the 328th Artillery Battalion, taking an active part in the Italian campaign. He was among the first Allied soldiers to liberate Rome. By the time he was discharged from the service, Braulio had earned a Bronze Star with Cluster and a Purple Heart.

When the war was won, Braulio resumed his career as an educator. He was named the director of Adult Education and headed an on-the-job training program for returning veterans. He also taught classes and served as a principal at several schools, including West Tampa Junior High, Jefferson High School, and C. Leon King High School.

Always intent upon improving the quality of education, Braulio became the president of his local teachers’ union. He eventually was selected the president of the Florida Education Association, where he led the drive to integrate the organization. In 1967, he was elected the president of the National Education Association (NEA), the first Hispanic to hold that office. While NEA president, Braulio worked to persuade teacher organizations throughout Europe to join with the NEA for an international conference to combat racism, anti-Semitism and apartheid. He served as the secretary of that joint effort. In 1966 he became an international figure when he was asked to mediate a dispute among teacher organizations and the Bolivian government. This was the first of many missions Braulio undertook to mediate disputes, including efforts in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Brazil, the Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Ghana.

This remarkable chalkboard hero passed away of natural causes in 2010. He will be missed, but certainly not forgotten. To read more about him, see this online article published by the NEA.

Teachers: Marilyn Appelbaum offers Inspiration for You

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Marilyn AppelbaumHere is an inspirational quote for teachers by Marilyn Appelbaum. Marilyn is a respected therapist, consultant for schools, and former director of educational centers and private schools. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and Master’s degrees in Psychology and Education. In addition, she has served as the Executive Director of the National Center for Child Care Professionals and the National Center for Montessori Education.

Marilyn has published several books aimed at helping teachers and parents work more effectively with kids. Among her books are How to Handle Hard to Handle Students, How to Handle Hard to Handle Parents, and How to Talk to Kids So They Listen.

You can learn more about Marilyn Appelbaum at her website, ATI Seminars.

Todd Gerhart: Head football coach, physical education teacher, and former NFL player

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Todd Gerhart

Todd Gerhart, football coach and physical education teacher

There are many examples of talented athletes who have distinguished themselves as coaches and teachers after they have concluded their careers in sports. One of these is former NFL football player Todd Gerhart, who became a football coach and physical education teacher in Norco, California.

Todd, who was born on December 8, 1962, attended Norco High School in Norco, California. At 5’11” and 235 pounds, he made a great choice as a running back. Following his high school graduation, Todd enrolled at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). He played football for the Titans from 1981 to 1984. Once he graduated from CSUF, Todd was drafted by the Denver Gold of the United States Football League (USFL). He also played in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Minnesota Vikings and did a very brief stint with the Houston Oilers.

When he retired from professional football, Todd returned to his alma mater when he accepted a position as a physical education teacher and Head Football Coach at Norco High School. During his tenure, which lasted nine years from 2004 to 2012, the Cougars posted a combined record of 85-28. Two times in three years, the Norco team advanced to the CIF championship, and they won the title in 2005 and 2006. Currently, Todd teaches physical education at Auburndale Junior High School in Corona, California.

To read more about this amazing educator, read the article at CNS Sports entitled Gerhart Juggles Fatherhood, Coaching and Heisman Hoopla.

 

Baltimore teacher and activist Henrietta Szold: She helped save thousands of Jewish teens from the Nazis

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Henrietta Szold

Baltimore teacher and activist Henrietta Szold at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, circa 1920.

I love to tell stories about exceptional educators who have made significant contributions to the world community. One of these is Henrietta Szold, a Baltimore teacher and activist who worked tirelessly with an organization that helped save thousands of Jewish children from the Nazis.

Henrietta was born on December 21, 1860, in Baltimore, Maryland, the eldest of eight daughters. Her mother was Sophie (Scharr) Szold, and her father was Benjamin Szold, a local respected rabbi. As a young girl, she attended Western Female High School, where she graduated in 1877.
After her high school graduation, Henrietta taught courses in French, German, botany, and mathematics at Miss Adam’s School and Mrs. McCulloch’s School at Glencoe. She taught in these schools for 15 years. When Henrietta saw a need to educate newly-arrived immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe, she urged the Hebrew Literary Society to sponsor a program to teach them English. As a result, the first evening adult classes in Baltimore were established. This was the beginning of adult education in the city, and the program became a model for adult education in other American cities. Henrietta also taught courses in history and Bible studies for adults at Oheb Shalom Religious School.
In addition to her classroom duties, Henrietta served as her father’s literary secretary for many years. She became the secretary of the editorial board of the Jewish Publication Society (JPS), a position she held until 1916. She translated works, wrote articles, edited manuscripts, and oversaw the publication schedule. In 1899 she was instrumental in producing the first American Jewish Year Book, of which she was sole editor from 1904 to 1908. She also collaborated on the compilation of the Jewish Encyclopedia.

Henrietta is probably best known, however, for founding the international volunteer organization known as Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America. With the Nazis rise to power in Germany, Henrietta recognized the extreme danger the party presented to European Jews. In 1932, a plan called Youth Aliyah was developed to send German Jewish Adolescents to Palestine to complete their education. Youth Aliyah was able to save between 22,000 and 30,000 Jewish youths from World War II death camps.

Sadly, Henrietta passed away from complications from pneumonia on February 13, 1945, in Jerusalem, Israel, at the age of 84. She is buried in the Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Following her death, Israel issued a coin and a stamp in her memory, the first American woman to be featured on Israeli currency. Inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2007, Henrietta Szold is truly a chalkboard champion. You can read more about this remarkable teacher in the Jewish Virtual Library.org.

English teacher W. E. Blackhurst records West Virginia’s old-time timber industry

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Throughout American history, there are times when a talented educator will earn acclaim as an author and social commentator. Warren Elmer Blackhurst of West Virginia is just such an educator. His novels and nonfiction pieces record the old-time timber industry that flourished in West Virginia at the turn of the 20th century. In his day, he was also known as a conservationist and expert on local wildlife.

W. E. Blackhurst

W. E. Blackhurst, West Virginia educator and author

W. E. Blackhurst was born in Arbovale, Pocahontas County, West Virginia, on October 10, 1904. He was the seventh of eleven children born to Reverend Harry and Lula (Burner) Blackhurst. As a young boy, Warren attended Green Bank High School. Following his high school graduation, he earned his bachelor’s degree at Glenville State Teachers College.

Once he earned his degree, Warren returned to Green Bank High School, where he taught English and Latin from 1932 to 1964. His career as an educator spanned a total of 32 years. In addition, Warren developed and taught the state’s first class in environmental conservation. Every year, as part of the course, he supervised his seniors in planting five acres of seedlings in the Monongahela National Forest.

All his life, Warren collected and wrote stories West Virginia’s early days in the logging industry, conservation, and local wildlife. His work was published in many magazines and newspapers. He also published several novels retold stories of his home town of Cass and the history of the timber boom years in the Greenbrier Valley. The most acclaimed of his novels is Riders of the Flood (1954), which has been reworked into an outdoor play and is performed annually. Warren also wrote Sawdust In Your Eyes (1963), Of Men and A Mighty Mountain (1965), and Mixed Harvest (1970). A collection of poetry and prose entitled Afterglow was published posthumously in 1972. 

Warren passed away on October 5, 1970, in Cass, West Virginia. To learn more about this chalkboard champion, consult West Virginia Encyclopedia.