Tag Archives: History Teachers

Former teacher Eileen R. Donovan served as US Ambassador

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Massachusetts history teacher Eileen Donovan once served as the American ambassador to Barbados. Photo credit: US Department of State

Many fine classroom teachers also establish excellent careers as diplomats. One of these was Eileen Donovan, a history teacher from Massachusetts..

Eileen earned her Bachelor’s degree from Boston Teachers College in 1936. She earned her Master’s degree in Education in 1937. In addition, Eileen attended Harvard Graduate School of Public Administration, an institution now known as the John F. Kennedy School of Government. There she became a foreign Service Institute Fellow, while simultaneously earning a Master’s degree of Public Administration.

From 1938 to 1943, Eileen worked as a history teacher in the Boston Public Schools. During World War II, the intrepid educator joined the Women’s Air Corps. “I went down to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, and trained and was lucky enough to be sent to the Officer Candidate School in Des Moines, came out as a 2nd Lieutenant,” Eileen once remembered. “Then I did various things in this country, like teaching at Oglethorpe such fascinating subjects as Military Customs and Courtesies and Articles of War and things like that.” She also served as the primary assistant to General Douglas MacArthur at the Tokyo headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.

The former educator began her career in the Foreign Service in 1948, serving in the Philippines, Italy, and Japan, where she was a political liaison officer. In the late 1950’s she became chief of the Southern Europe branch of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research within the State Department.

From 1965 to 1969, Eileen served as Assistant Director of the State Department’s Office of Caribbean Affairs before her assignment to Barbados as Ambassador. With that assignment, she became the highest ranking woman in the Foreign Service. She served as the American Ambassador to Barbados from 1969 to 1974.

This remarkable educator and diplomat passed away from cardio-respiratory arrest on Dec. 19, 1996, in Spring Hill, Florida. She was 81 years old. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, click on this interview published by The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, Foreign Affairs Oral History Project, Women Ambassadors Series.

Teacher and activist Julia Flisch fought for equity for women

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History teacher and teache Julia Flisch fought for equal education for girls in the late 19th century. Photo Credit: Georgia College

In my opinion, teachers are among the most dedicated proponents of social change in American society. Julia Flisch a Georgia teacher who fought for equal education for girls in the late 19th century, is a fine example of this.

Julia was born on Jan. 31, 1861, in Augusta, Georgia, the daughter of immigrants from Switzerland and Germany. She was raised in Athens, Georgia, where her father operated a candy store and ice cream parlor, and her mother was a homemaker. As a young girl, Julia had always dreamed of attending the all-male University of Georgia, but when she applied in 1869 she was denied admission because of her gender. Instead, she enrolled at Cooper Union New York City, where she studied secretarial skills. But it was the rejection from the University of Georgia that inspired her life-long campaign for women’s rights and higher education, as an educator and scholar, and also as a journalist and author.

While still a student, Julia spend her summers working as a school teacher. Eventually she was able to take courses at both Harvard University and the University of Chicago. In 1905, she opened a school at the University of Wisconsin, where by 1908 she had earned both a Bachelor’s and a Masters degree in History. After earning her degrees, Julia accepted a position at Tubman High School in August, where she taught for 17 years. Until the 1950s, Tubman was the area’s only public high school for girls. Later Julia served as the first female instructor at the Junior College of Augusta.

Throughout her years in the classroom, Julia was a hardworking teacher dedicated to the success of her students. During this period, she advocated for collective bargaining rights for teachers, which had been unheard of before her time. She also actively lobbied for women’s suffrage and state grants to pay for women’s higher education. Her rallying cry was “Give the girls a chance!”

To advance her campaign for women’s education, Julia published an anonymous letter to the editor in 1882 in the Augusta Chronicle which called for opportunities for women to pursue financial and social independence. She also spread her message through fiction, and her first novel, Ashes of Hopes, which depicted the story of three young women searching for independence, was published in 1886. The effort earned wide acclaim.

Julia Flisch passed away on March 17, 1941. After her passing, this Chalkboard Champion was described as having accomplished “more than than any other person to advance the cause of women’s education in the state of Georgia.” In 1994, she was inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement.

To read more about Julia Flisch, see this article about her published in the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

Chet Blalock: Teacher, veteran, and Montana State Senator

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Many talented educators have also made a name for themselves in the political arena. Such is the case for Chester Merle Blalock, better known as Chet Blaylock, a history teacher, veteran, and state senator from Montana.

Chet was born on Novembr 13, 1924, in Joliet, Montana. He served his country well as a member of the United States Navy during World War II. He earned four medals for his service in the South Pacific.

After the war, this heroic veteran earned his Bachelor’s degree in History in 1951 and his Master’s degree in Education in 1957, both from the University of Montana. He then worked as a teacher and school administrator for over 30 years in both Laurel and Chinook, Montana. He retired from the teaching profession in 1991.

During his long career as an educator, Chet served as a delegate to the Montana State Constitutional Convention in 1972, and as a member of the Montana State Senate from Laurel, Montana. He believed that every Montana child was entitled to a free, quality education, a livable environment, a good job, and affordable health care. He a spent a lifetime pursuing that objective.

In 1996, Chet became the nominee for governor of Montana. He ran on the Democratic ticket against incumbent Marc Racicot.  Sadly, on October 23, 1996, on his way to a debate with his opponent less than two weeks before the election, the former educator passed away of a heart attack at Deer Lodge, Montana. He was 71 years old. Chet Blalock was cremated and his ashes interred at Rockvale Cemetery in Rockvale, Montana. In his memory, a scholarship in the amount of $600 has been established to be awarded to a full-time student at Montana State University at Billings.

Ray King worked to help women teachers through DKG Society

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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.

TX History teacher Nichole Ritchie garners Leadership Award

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Texas teacher Nichole Ritchie has garnered a 2025 Julius Glickman Educational Leadership Award from Humanities Texas. Photo credit: Nichole Ritchie.

There are many outstanding educators who have earned recognition for their work in our public schools. One of them is Texas teacher Nichole Richie. She has garnered a Julius Glickman Educational Leadership Award from Humanities Texas, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Nichole teaches courses in Texas History, US History, and World Cultures at Llano Junior High School in Llano. She has worked at the school since 2021. Prior to teaching at Llano, she taught at Hutto Independent School District in Hutto, Texas for two years.

The honored teacher its very intentional with her curriculum and instructional strategies. “My approach blends academic rigor with interactive, student-led projects—whether it’s organizing essay contests, leading historical preservation initiatives, or helping students connect local stories to global events,” declares Nichole.

Outside the classroom, Nichole collaborates with museums, civic organizations, and history advocates to promote historical literacy and increase student voice. In addition, she has devoted many volunteer hours to the Burnet Historical Commission working on a restoration project of a 1930 Texas Centennial Highway marker and coordinating a cleanup and restoration of a Reconstruction-era slave cemetery in the county.

She also completes volunteer work for the Texas Historical Association. Nichole has also worked as a judge for their Texas History Day for several years, and she has been invited to be a 2025 panelist for the Texas Digitization Process at an annual history conference to speak about the men and women in World War II.

Nichole’s selection for the Julius Glickman Award is not the only recognition she has earned. She was selected the Outstanding 7th Grade Teacher of the Year by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas in 2025. The year prior she was selected Star of the Month by Region 13 and she earned the Mirabeau B. Lamar Texas History Teacher Award by San Jacinto Descendants.

Nichole earned her Bachelor’s degree in History from Northern Illinois University in 2017. She earned her Master’s degree in History from Gettysburg College in 2007.

Each year, 12 teachers are selected to receive a $5,000 cash award and an additional $1,000 for their respective schools to purchase humanities-based instructional materials. Learn more at Humanities Texas.