Tag Archives: Physical Education Teachers

New Jersey’s Zack Valentine: Coach, Phys Ed Teacher, and Former Pro Football Player

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I love to share stories about former professional athletes who have enriched the lives of young people as teachers and coaches. One example of this is Zack Valentine, a former pro football player who became a leading high school football coach and physical education teacher in New Jersey.

Zack was born May 29, 1957, in Edenton, North Carolina. As a youngster, he attended home town John A. Holmes High School in the Edenton-Chowan School District. After his high school graduation, Zack attended nearby East Carolina University.

After college, Zack played pro football for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1979-1981), and the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1982 season. With the Steelers, the 6’2″, 220-pound linebacker garnered a coveted Super Bowl ring in 1979.

After Zack concluded his pro football career, he accepted a position as a physical education teacher at Woodbury High School in Gloucester, New Jersey. He also served as the head football coach for the Thundering Herd for 11 seasons. During his tenure, he led his team to a 10-2 record (2012) and three trips to the South Jersey Group 1 Final, including one championship in 2009. That year, the Gloucester Times named the victorious coach their Football Coach of the Year. Overall, Zack’s record was 82 wins and 37 losses. Only one other coach in Woodbury High history has logged more wins.

As a coach, Zack is known for his focus on more than what his players accomplish on the field; he is immeasurably concerned about what they also accomplish in their academics and in their personal lives. “He’s been a great coach to these kids,” says Woodbury’s Athletic Director Grant Shivers, “and sometimes I don’t think our kids always understand how lucky they are to have a coach like him.”

Read more about this amazing physical education teacher and coach at Zack Valentine and this article, 2009 Football Coach of the Year, in the Gloucester Times.

 

Rod Paige: from classroom teacher to US Superintendent of Schools

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I love to share stories about talented educators who have also served successfully in the political arena. Today’s story is about Rod Paige, the first African American to serve as the US Secretary of Education.

Rod was born Roderick Raynor Paige on June 17, 1933 in Monticello, Mississippi, the oldest of five children. His father, Raynor Paige, was a public school principal, and his mother, Sophie Paige, was a public school librarian. After his high school graduation in 1951, Rod earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. He earned both his master’s (1962) and doctorate degrees (1980) from Indiana University at Bloomington. Rod is also a veteran, having served as a medical corpsman in the US Navy from 1955-1957.

After completing his military service, Rod accepted his first teaching position when he went to work as a health and physical education teacher at Hinds Agriculture High School in Utica, Mississippi. He taught there and coached football from 1957-1963. From 1971 to 1984, Rod served as the head coach and athletic director for Texas Southern University.

In 1980, Rod accepted a position as a professor at Texas Southern University, where he taught until 1984. While there, he became the Dean of the College of Education, a position he held until 1994. During this time, probably his greatest achievement was the establishment of the university’s Center for Excellence in Urban Education, a research facility focusing on issues related to instruction and management in urban school systems. During this time, Inside Houston Magazine named the former classroom teacher as one of “Houston’s 25 most powerful people” in guiding the city’s growth and prosperity. In 2001, Rod was honored as National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators.

Rod’s next job was as the superintendent of the Houston Independent School District in 1994. While there, Rod earned a reputation for outstanding leadership skills and innovative reforms. His professional goals were to focus on best instructional strategies, accountability at all levels, and developing of a core curriculum. Next, Rod returned to Texas Southern University, where he served as the Dean of the College of Education.

In 2001, Rod was named by President George W. Bush to be the seventh US Secretary of Education, a post he held until 2005. The major push in education during Rod’s tenure was the controversial No Child Left Behind legislation.

After leaving the Education Department, Rod became a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, where he helped fashion public policy. Recently, Rod has served as the interim president of his alma mater, Jackson State University in Mississippi.

To read more about this chalkboard champion, you can read Rod’s biography at the US Department of Education.

Physical Education Teacher and Olympic Athlete Dick Ault

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There are many examples of fine educators who have distinguished themselves in the world of sports. Such is the case with Dick Ault, a high school physical education teacher who competed in the 1948 Olympics.

Richard “Dick” Francis Ault was born on December 10, 1925, in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, the son of the Herbert and Madeline (Dowling) Ault. After his graduation from Roosevelt High School in his home town, Dick attended the University of Missouri from 1946 to 1949. While there, he won the Big 6 title in the 220-yard low hurdles in both 1946 and 1947. In the seasons that followed, he garnered the Big 7 title in the same event in 1948 and 1949. He was also named the conference champion in the 440-yard dash in 1947 and 1949. In 1948, Dick competed in the London Olympic Games, finishing 4th in the 400-meter dash. In 1949, the former Olympic athlete competed in Oslo, Norway, where tied the world record in the 440-yard dash.

In 1950, Dick accepted a position as a teacher and coach at Highland Park High School in Highland Park, Illinois. While there, he led his cross country students to the state championship. In 1967, Dick was hired to be a physical education professor at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. There he coached several sports, including cross country, track, swimming, and golf. After a career spanning 29 years, he retired in 1996.

This chalkboard champion passed away from complications from diabetes at the age of 81 on July 16, 2007, in Jefferson City, Cole County, Missouri. For his outstanding achievements, Dick has earned many honors. He was inducted into the Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame (1976), the University of Missouri Hall of Fame (1991), the Missouri State Sports Hall of Fame (1993), and the National Sports Hall Of Fame in Washington, DC (1999).

To read more about this amazing educator and athlete, click on this link: Dick Ault Obituary.

Jean Doerge: Chalkboard Champion and Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives

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There are many examples of dedicated educators who have also served in political office. This is true of Jean McGlothlin Doerge, a high school business teacher who also served in the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Jean was born June 4, 1937, in Galbraith, a small town in Natchitoches Parish in Central Louisiana. After she graduated from Cloutierville High School, she enrolled in Northwestern State University (NSU) in Natchitoches. She completed the requirements for her bachelor’s degree in education in 1958. She also became a bride that year, having married fellow student Everett Doerge, also a teacher.

Jean accepted her first teaching assignment as a business teacher at Minden High School in Minden, Louisiana. The following year, she transferred to Arp Independent School in Arp, Texas, where she taught business courses. She also served as the adviser for the school’s newspaper, yearbook, and cheerleaders. At other schools in the following years, Jean taught girls’ physical education, coached the girls’ basketball team, and taught 9th and 10th grade Language Arts. Jean returned to Natchitoches for one year when her husband was hired to coach at Northwestern. At the end of the year, the couple moved back to Minden, where Jean returned to her post at Minden High as business teacher and adviser for the school’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). She spent the next 28 years teaching there, during which time she earned a master’s degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

As an educator, Jean was clearly an innovator. She was one of the first public school educators in Louisiana to implement computer technology and word processing instruction into her classes. Through the years, she served as instructor for summer classes and night courses at Northwest Technical College in Minden and nearby Homer. She also served on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) as a secondary representative. Doerge retired in 1992 after 34 years of teaching.

In 1998, the former teacher was elected to serve the unexpired term of her husband, State Representative Dr. Everett Doerge, who had passed away earlier that year. She was re-elected in 2007, and served until 2012, when term limits prevented her continued service. As a legislator, Jean supported many education issues at all levels.

For her distinguished career as an educator, Jean has earned numerous prestigious awards. She has been named to the NSU College of Business Hall of Distinction, and she was the recipient of the Golden Rose Award and the Golden Apple Award presented by the Epsilon State of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, which recognized her for noteworthy legislation impacting retired teachers’ benefits. She is a member of the FBLA Wall of Fame, and she been recognized by SACS for serving on their  commission from 1988-92.

Jean Doerge: truly a chalkboard champion.

Jerilyn Britz: The high school teacher and celebrated pro golfer

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Many times successful classroom teachers also distinguish themselves as gifted athletes. This is the case with Jerilyn Britz, a Minnesota educator who is also a two-time winner on the tour of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).

Jerilyn was born on January 1, 1943, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University in Mankato, and her master’s degree from the University of New Mexico.

Following her college graduation, Jerilyn taught physical education at a high school in St. Anthony Village in Ramsey County for five years. She also taught at the college level for three years.

Jerilyn started playing golf at the age of 17 on a tiny nine-hole course in Luverne, Minneapolis. By the time she turned 30, she decided to leave the teaching profession and become a professional golfer. Astonishingly, Jerilyn qualified for the LPGA Tour on her first attempt. She garnered first place at the US Women’s Open in 1979. The following year she captured the title at the Mary Kay Classic held in Texas. Jerilyn also placed second in the LPGA Championship in 1981. She retired from golf in 1999.

For her achievements on the golf course, Jerilyn has been inducted into the Minnesota State Maverick Athletic Hall of Fame, she has been named a member of the Mankato State College Athletic Hall of Fame, and she has been inducted into the Rock County Historical Society Hall of Fame.