Tag Archives: Secondary Teachers

Mark Zubro: The Chicago teacher who became a best-selling author

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Mark Zubro

Mark Zubro

There are many examples of fine educators who have become successful authors. One of these is Mark Richard Zubro, a junior high school English teacher from Illinois who has earned a name as a celebrated author of bestselling mysteries.

Mark was born in Racine, Wisconsin, on August 9, 1948. When he was 13, his family moved to California, where the young boy was enrolled in Notre Dame High School, a private Catholic high school located in Riverside. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1966. Mark then enrolled in St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in English in 1970. Six years later, he earned his Master’s degree in Urban Teacher Education from Governors State University in University Park, Illinois. Mark was a teacher of English at Summit Hill Junior High in Frankfort Square, Illinois, in a career that spanned 34 years. He retired in 2006.

Mark’s novels have settings in the Chicago area of Illinois. His work has been widely praised as fast-paced, featuring engaging plots and well-rounded, personable characters. Typically treating gay themes, Mark’s longest running series features a high school teacher, Tom Mason, and Tom’s boyfriend, a professional baseball player named Scott Carpenter. The other series Mark is well known for is the Paul Turner mysteries, which are about a police detective from Chicago.

For his novel A Simple Suburban Murder, Mark earned a Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Men’s Mystery. The Lambda Literary Awards recognize the best books published with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender themes.

You can read more about this talented educator and gifted author in this interview published by the Windy City Times.

 

Frank Caprio: The Former Teacher, Judge, and Television Personality

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There are many instances when masterful classroom teachers go on to find success in fields other than education. This is the case with Rhode Island’s Frank Caprio, a former social studies teacher who has earned a reputation as a fine municipal judge and popular television personality.

Frank was born on November 23, 1936, to parents who had immigrated from Italy to Providence, Rhode Island, in 1912. To support the family, the parents sold fruit from a pushcart on Providence’s Federal Hill. As a student in public schools, young Frank contributed income to the family by washing dishes and shining shoes. All during his childhood, Frank’s parents emphasized the value of hard work, the importance of education, and a commitment to service.

After his graduation from Providence’s Central High School, Frank earned his bachelor’s degree from Providence College. After he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science, he accepted a position as a teacher of American history and government at Hope High School, a public high school on the East Side of Providence. The young teacher married and started a family. Then Frank decided he wanted to change careers and study law, so he enrolled in night courses at the Suffolk University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts.

The former educator began his career in the legal profession in 1965. Since 1985, he has served as a Providence Municipal Court Judge. His court is very popular in Rhode Island as a result of his highly acclaimed television show Caught in Providence, produced by his brother, Joseph Caprio. The show has appeared on a major local TV channel for three years and on a local cable channel for eight years.

Remembering his parents’ encouragement to be of service, Frank has established scholarships to benefit Rhode Island school children. The former educator named his scholarships in honor of his father, a man who had only a fifth grade education but, according to Frank, possessed deep wisdom and great perseverance. Frank also volunteers at local charities such as Boys Town of Italy, the Nickerson House Juvenile Court, and the Federal Hill House.

To recognize Frank’s many years of public service, the Multicultural Center of the University of Rhode Island honored him with its Lifetime Diversity Award. “Judge Caprio is the embodiment of the American dream, a man who understood that education and hard work unlock the doors to success,” expressed Robert L. Carothers, spokesperson for the University of Rhode Island. “Moreover, having succeeded as an individual, he turned his energies to helping others, especially the children of immigrants and minorities, find access to educational opportunities that would allow them to pass through those same doors,” Carothers concluded.

Read more about Frank at the link Judge Caprio or about his television show at Caught in Providence.

Clarence Acox, Jr.: Music instructor extraordinaire

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There are many gifted musicians who share their extensive talents with fortunate students in the classroom. One such musician is Clarence Acox, Jr., a high school music teacher and jazz musician who resides in Seattle, Washington.

Clarence was born in October, 1947, in New Orleans. As a youngster, he attended Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School in Treme, Louisiana. After his high school graduation, he enrolled at Southern University, a historically Black university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He graduated in 1971.

After his college commencement, the young graduate accepted a position as a music instructor at Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington. Famed musicians Jimi Hendrix, Ishmael Butler, Quincy Jones, and Ernestine Anderson are all Garfield alumni. Under Clarence’s capable leadership, the high school’s Jazz Ensemble has captured the first place title two times at New York’s Essentially Ellington National Jazz Band Competition and Festival at New York City’s Lincoln Center (2003, 2004). This competition is the nation’s most prestigious high school jazz band competition. Additionally, under his expert tutelage, the Garfield High School Band has traveled to Europe on eleven tours, attending music festivals in Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, and the Netherlands.

In addition to his work in the classroom, Clarence performs regularly on the jazz nightclub scene in Seattle. He is a member of the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, which he co-founded in 1995 with Michael Brockman, a saxophone instructor with the University of Washington. In addition, Clarence is the director of the Jazz Ensemble representing Seattle University.

For his outstanding work in the classroom, Clarence has earned many prestigious awards. In 1991, he was honored as the Musician of the Year by the Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle. He was named Educator of the Year by Down Beat Magazine in 2001, and in 2003 he garnered the Impact Award by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), an organization best known for presenting the Grammy Awards each year. In 2004, Clarence was named Outstanding Music Educator by the Seattle Music Educators Association, and in 2011, he was inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Hall of Fame. Additionally, in May, 2016, Clarence was recognized with an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle.

To learn more about this remarkable educator and musician, click on JazzJournalists.org or BlackPast.org.

Sue Burns: The math teacher who became integral to the San Francisco Giants

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Sometimes in history talented educators make their mark in arenas other than the classroom. This is the case with Sue Burns, a math teacher who became an integral and beloved part of the San Francisco Giants franchise.

Sue was born in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 9, 1950. She earned her degree at California State University, East Bay, located in Hayward, California. Following her college graduation, she accepted a position as a math teacher at the Woodside Priory School, a private coeducational Catholic prep school located in Portola, Valley, California. She was employed there from 1983 to 1992.

Sue met and married Harmon Burns, an investor in a financial group that purchased the San Francisco Giants baseball team in 1992. Sadly, Harmon died of heart failure in 2006. Upon his death, Sue became the majority shareholder of the team and assumed the role of senior general partner. The former schoolteacher was extremely popular within the Giants organization. She attended almost every game, and often sat with Nikolai Bonds, the son of Giants outfielder Barry Bonds. In addition, Sue often traveled with the team when they went on the road and to Arizona for spring training.

In July, 2009, Sue discovered she had lung cancer. She succumbed to the disease a week later, on July 19, at the age of 58.  “Sue was a remarkable mother, grandmother, and friend whose loving and nurturing spirit touched everyone in the Giants family,” expressed Giants official Bill Neukom at the time of her passing. “Her unwavering loyalty to her beloved orange and black could be felt throughout the entire organization.”

To read more about this amazing lady, click on The Mercury News.

Teacher William G. Thompson, the first football coach at Carlisle Indian School

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In our nation’s history, there are many examples of outstanding educators who have also served as athletic coaches. One such teacher was William G. Thompson, an educator at Carlisle Indian School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Not much is known about this early teacher. We do know that he was born in 1866, and that as a young man he attended Yale University.

Following his college graduation, William accepted a position at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, first founded in 1879 by Colonel Richard Henry Pratt, an American US Cavalry officer who served in the Civil War and then the Indian Wars. Pratt brought Native American children taken from their families on the reservation to the Carlisle School for the purpose of assimilating them into mainstream society. At Carlisle, William was hired as a business teacher and as the executive director in charge of discipline. He served in this capacity for 15 years. In 1893, William also became the school’s first head football coach. That was the first year the school’s team was recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) The Carlisle Indians played only three games that season, but the neophyte coach led his boys to a 2-1 record. In the seasons that followed, the Indians consistently faced opposing teams comprised of larger players. They learned to rely on their speed and guile to remain competitive, and the Carlisle’s playbook gave rise to many trick plays and other innovations that are now commonly seen in American football games. For example, the overhand spiral throw and the hand-off fake were both innovations created by Carlisle players. To read more about this amazing team, click on the link Carlisle Indians Football. In addition to football, William Thompson coached baseball, track, and basketball for five years. From 1897 to 1907, William served as the school’s athletic director.

In 1907, William left Carlisle to teach business courses for the boys-only section of Reading High School, a public high school in Reading, Pennsylvania. He was employed there for three years. In 1940, this chalkboard champion passed away at the age of 74.