Retired PE teacher and coach Judith Ford Nash of Illinois enjoyed fame as Miss America 1969. Photo credit: Dispatch Argus.

Many fine classroom teachers have earned fame in areas outside of education. One of these is Judith Ford Nash, a physical education teacher and coach who was crowned Miss America in 1969.

Judith was born on December 26, 1949, in Iowa City, Iowa, although she was raised in Belvidere, Illinois. As a student at Belvedere High School, young Judith already demonstrated talent in gymnastics and athletics. In 1965, at the age of 15, she became a member of the US trampoline team and traveled to Vienna, Austria, to take part in an international exhibition. She was also a member of her school’s cheerleading squad.

While still a teenager, Judith won her first pageant title: Miss Illinois County Fair. During those years, she was also named Miss Illinois Teenager. In 1968, she garnered the title of Miss Boone County. That same year, she went on to capture the title of Miss Illinois. At the time, she was working as a lifeguard at the city public pool and also as a swimming instructor. In 1969, Judith represented Illinois as a contestant in the Miss American Pageant. By then, she had earned a reputation as a world-class trampolinist, and she used her skills on the trampoline for her performance in the talent portion of the competition. She is the only Miss America contestant ever to compete using the trampoline.

After completing her freshman year of college at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, Judith completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at the University of Illinois, Ubana-Champaign. Later she earned a Master’s degree from the Western Illinois University.

After college, Judith spent eight years as a member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, having been appointed by Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. In 1990 she moved to Geneseo, Illinois, where she taught elementary school physical education. She also coached high school girls’ golf and middle school basketball and track for nearly 20 years. During that time, Judith remembers, her students relished having a celebrity as a teacher and coach. “My golfers liked to tell their opponents, ‘You may have beaten us, but our coach was Miss America,'” she says, laughing.

You can read more about this amazing educator and athlete at Northwest Quarterly.

The indefatigable Bob Olivera: reading specialist, physical education teacher, coach, and Athletic Director from Southern California. Photo credit: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

Many hardworking educators contribute much to their school communities, but every once in awhile you encounter one who is astonishing in his accomplishments. One of these is the indefatigable Bob Olivera, a reading specialist, physical education teacher, coach, and Athletics Director from Southern California.

Bob was born in Canton, Ohio, in 1941. As a young man, he attended schools in Canton, where he graduated in 1959. Two years later, he enlisted in the US Army. Once he completed his military service, Bob relocated to California and enrolled in college. He attended Chaffey College, where he earned his Associate of Arts degree in 1965. Next he enrolled at the University of LaVerne on a baseball scholarship. There, in 1968, he earned his Bachelor’s degree and his teaching credential. He earned a Master’s degree from the same university in 1970.

Bob inaugurated his career as an educator when he accepted a position as a reading specialist, speech, and p physical education teacher Alta Loma Junior High School in Alta Loma, California. He was employed there from 1968 to 1972. IN 1973, Bob worked at Montclair High School as a reading specialist. He also coached football, basketball, and baseball. Additionally, in the evenings, he taught courses in reading through Chaffey District Adult School. And as if all that wasn’t enough, he also worked as a coach and umpire through the Upland American Legion baseball program.

In 1979, Bob returned to Chaffey College to work as a reading specialist, and three years later, he took on the additional responsibility of serving as the school’s Athletic Director. With all that work, he still found the time to develop and implement a substance abuse program for athletes, and he conducted fundraisers to assist in financing the school’s various athletic programs. Through his efforts, he was able to raise enough money to pay for a new track, scoreboard, and athletic equipment.

In 1995, Bob developed and implanted the school’s annual Hall of Fame event to honor past athletes and service providers. He himself garnered the award in 2011. In addition, he earned the President’s Excellence Award for Meritorious Service for his outstanding contributions to Chaffey College. And to top it off, in 2003, Bob was named one of the 66 most influential people in his community.

Bob retired in 2009 after a career that spanned 41 years, 30 of them at Chaffey College. He passed away on June 13, 2021, at the age of 79. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see his obituary at Legacy.com.

Athletic coach and Physical Education teacher Betty Lacey of Sherwood, New York, one of the very few women in that period who coached both boys’ and girls sports teams. Photo credit: auburn pub.com

Many women make fine athletic coaches, but very few have coached both boys’ and girls’ teams, especially in the 1940’s. One such coach was Betty Lacey, a physical education teacher from Sherwood, New York.

As a young woman, Betty earned her Bachelor’s degree from Sargent College at Boston University in 1944. In 1964, she earned her Master’s degree in Physical Education from Ithaca College in New York.

After her graduation from Boston University, Betty inaugurated her career as an educator when she accepted a position as a Physical Education teacher at Sherwood Central High School in Sherwood, New York. From 1944 to 1946, while World War II was in full swing creating a serious shortage of manpower, Betty taught and coached both boys’ and girls’ sports teams. This was highly unusual, even for that time. While at Sherwood, Betty coached boys’ football, basketball, and baseball. In addition, she officiated women’s university volleyball and basketball games at institutions across upstate New York and the northeast.

From 1956 to 1981, Betty taught at Auburn High School in New York. While there, the indefatigable educator coached all of the girls’ major athletic teams, including a record-setting field hockey team. Under her leadership, the Auburn teams garnered four consecutive New York State Championship titles in girls’ field hockey.

For her work as an athletic coach, Betty earned many accolades. She was the first woman to be inducted into the New York State Coaches Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into the Auburn High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the Ithaca College Athletic hall of Fame. In addition, Ithaca College Women’s Basketball bestows an annual award in her honor.

Betty Lacey passed away on August 11, 2012. To read more about this amazing Chalkboard Champion, see her obituary at Legacy.com.