Native Hawaiian educator Lucy Puniwai Blaisdell, served as First Lady of Honolulu

Posted on October 15, 2026 by Terry Lee Marzell

Long-time educator and Native Hawaiian Lucy Puniwai Blaisdell served as First Lady of Honolulu during the term of her husband, Neal Blaisdell, pictured with her here in 1956. Photo Credit: Honolulu Advertiser

Many accomplished educators have also gained notoriety in the public eye. One of these was Lucy Puniwai Blaisdell, who once served as the First Lady of Honolulu while her husband was the city’s mayor.

Lucy was born on August 16, 1903, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Helen Kahanuulani Meek, was a Native Hawaiian, and her father, Charles Thurston, was a descendent of an American Revolutionary War soldier named Robert Thurston.

After Lucy’s high school graduation from Punahou School, she continued her education first at the Territorial Normal School and then at Colorado College, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1926. That same year she married her childhood sweetheart, Neal Blaisdell, also of Native Hawaiian heritage. After their marriage, Neal accepted a position as football coach at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania and Lucy accepted her first teaching position in Rochester, New York. Over the course of that year, she enrolled at Columbia University, where she earned her Master’s degree.

In the summer of 1927, Lucy and Neal returned to their home state of Hawaii. Upon her return, she accepted a position at her alma mater, the Territorial Normal School. In 1937, she returned to Rochester, New York, where for one year she taught social studies on a teacher exchange assignment. During the many years she taught in Hawaii she taught in schools in Honolulu schools, including Washington Intermediate, Liliuokalani, Stevenson, President William McKinley High School, Kaimuki High School, and Kaimuki Intermediate. The distinguished educator concluded her 36-year career when she retired from the profession in 1963.

When Neal was elected mayor of Honolulu in 1955, Lucy became the city’s First Lady. She served in this capacity until he retired from office in 1969. During these years, Lucy steadfastly declined opportunities to make public speeches, but she did work tirelessly for his campaign. Once he was elected, she continued to decline public speaking opportunities, but happily served as his hostess at formal and casual gatherings. Even though she was still teaching, after she had put in a full day at school she would attend social and political events with her husband in the evenings.

Lucy Puniwai Blaisdell passed away on December 16, 1986, at the age of 86. She is buried alongside her husband a Oahu Cemetery in Honolulu.

Alaskan teacher Dan Seavey helped organize the Iditarod Race

Posted on August 11, 2026 by Terry Lee Marzell

Alaskan Social Studies teacher Dan Seavey was instrumental in organizing the modern-day Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Photo credit: Seward Community Foundation

Many outstanding educators have the most unusual personal projects. One of these is Dan Seavey, a high school teacher who is a self-described “hard-core Iditarod junkie.” In fact, he was instrumental in reviving the sport of dog mushing and establishing the modern-day Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Dan Seavey was born and raised in Hamlet Lake, Minnesota. But even as a young boy in his one-room rural school, he read Jack London’s stories which triggered a fascination for the far-off Alaskan Territory.

When he grew to become a young man, Dan enrolled in St. Cloud Teacher’s College (now St. Cloud State University). Once he earned his Bachelor’s degree, he accepted his first position as a social studies teacher and volunteer wrestling coach at the Red Wing Reformatory for Boys in Red Wing, Minnesota. That was in 1962. “I soon came to consider one-on-one rapport with students to be of greater importance than assigned academic duties,” recalled Dan. But even though he enjoyed his job in Red Wing, he never let go of his fascination for The Last Frontier.

Dan’s stint in Red Wing lasted about a year and half. Then he got the news that he’d been offered a teaching job in the newly-formed 49th state. With great excitement, he accepted the position. In 1963, Dan and he wife, Shirley, traveled with their three young children north on the 3,500-mile Alaska Highway—and some of that highway was nothing more than dirt road! They landed in Seward, where the couple established a homestead. There he continued his career in education as a social studies teacher at Seward High School. Dan spent the next 20 years there before he retired. During those years, he established the first outdoor education program on the Kenai Peninsula. He developed the program for his high school students to teach them the skills they needed to survive in the wilderness without the conveniences of home. His program was so successful that one year the senior trip was camping in Denali for a week.

But Dan is probably best known for his involvement with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. “My interest in the historic trail began in 1963 when I was assigned to teach Alaska History.” explained Dan. “I was taken with the trail’s importance to Alaska’s early development and Seward’s vital role in that development,” he continued. As a result, he launched himself into an active role in all aspects of the Itidarod Trail, including helping to inaugurate the first modern-day Itidarod Race in 1973. The tradition continues to this day. He details his experience in his book The First Great Race: Alaska’s 1973 Iditarod available on amazon. With his sons and grandsons, Dan also leads Alaska dogsled tours for tourists, which you can explore on his website at Ididaride Dogsled Tours.

In 2016, Dan was inducted into the Iditarod Hall of Fame for his tireless work as a pioneer and a preservationist for the Iditarod. In addition, he is one of the founders of the Iditarod Trail Blazers, a local nonprofit dedicated to establishing a physical trail from Seward into the Interior.

NYC teacher Ian Weissman garners 2026 Flag Award for Teaching Excellence

Posted on July 21, 2026 by Terry Lee Marzell

New York City teacher Ian Weissman has earned a 2026 Flag Award for Teaching Excellence. Photo credit: Flag Award

There are many excellent educators who work in New York City’s public schools. Occasionally, one of them earns recognition for their outstanding work. One of these is Ian Weissman, a high school Social Studies teacher who has garnered a 2026 FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence.

Ian teaches courses in history and civics that incorporate the use of AI technology and performance. For example, he has organized an immersive project that requires his students to design and present their own political party through campaign materials and conventions. In another unit, he has used AI tools to create interactive historical simulations which require students to interview historical figures of the Berlin Conference of 1884.

Within the educational community, Ian leads professional development about AI integration and mastery-based grading. As part of the Manhattan High Schools AI Fellows initiative and the Modern Classrooms Project, he contributes to conversations about responsible use of AI, including innovative instructional practices throughout New York City schools.

In addition to the courses he teaches, Ian advises the school’s Guitar Club and the Jewish Student Group. He is also an advisor for the American Exchange Project, helping students participate in cross-country exchange experiences. And as if all that were not enough, he also serves as a Teacher-Leader for the school’s Equity Team.

The FLAG Award for Teaching Excellence recognizes and celebrates exemplary public school teachers who inspire learning through creativity, passion, and commitment. One grand-prize winner from each of the five NYC boroughs plus one 3K-5th grade teacher from any borough will receive a $25,000 cash prize, and each finalist receives $10,000. In addition, the school of each winning teacher receives $10,000, and each finalist’s school receives $5,000 to be used for arts-based initiatives designed by each winner.

Harold Jackman: Teacher, model, literary editor, and charismatic patron the arts

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Terry Lee Marzell

New York Social Studies teacher Harold Jackman was a model, magazine editor, and charismatic patron of the arts during the Harlem Renaissance. Here he is depicted in the 1925 drawing A College Lad. Photo Credit: Winold Reiss

II always enjoy shining a spotlight on exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their outstanding achievements outside of the classroom. Today, I shine the light on Harold Jackman, a very accomplished African American social studies teacher, model, and magazine editor in New York City.

Harold was born on Aug. 18, 1901, in London, England. When he was a child, he immigrated to the United States with his mother, who was originally from the West Indies, and his brother. Once the family landed in the Bronx borough of New York City, Harold attended the prestigious all-boys school DeWitt Clinton High School. In 1923 he earned a Bachelor’s degree from New York University and in 1927 he completed the requirements for his Master’s degree from Columbia University. He then inaugurated his career as a professional educator. In a career that spanned 30 years, Harold taught social studies in New York City Public Schools in Harlem.

In addition to his work in the schools, Harold worked as a model at the Grace Del Marco Agency. He served as the model for Winold Reiss in his 1925 drawing A College Lad. Harold was also a patron of of the arts, most notably African American theater. He was a founding member for the Krigwa Players Little Negro Theater in 1926, and he helped establish the Harlem Experimental theater in 1929. He was also a member of the American Theater Wing State Door Canteen during the 1940s. Furthermore, Harold served on the Executive Board of the Negro Actors Guild.

Harold had many friends in artistic spheres. One of his best friends was Countee Cullen, a school friend from Clinton DeWitt who became a renowned poet of the Harlem Renaissance. In fact, Countee Cullen dedicated his famous poem “Heritage” to Harold. Very interested in literary pursuits, Harold served as the Associate Editor of New Challenge Magazine from 1935 to 1937. He also served as a contributing editor to Phylon from 1944 to 1956 and an advisory editor from 1957 to 1961. The charismatic teacher also served as the inspiration for several fictional characters. He appears in Wallace Thurman’s Infants of Spring, Carl Van Vechten’s Nigger Heaven, and Ben Neihart’s Rough Amusements, The True Story of A’Lelia Walker, Patroness of the Harlem Renaissance’s Down-Low Culture.

Sadly, this remarkable teacher succumbed to cancer at a hospital in Maine on July 8, 1961. After his passing, Harold Jackman’s diaries, manuscripts, correspondence, and other personal papers were donated to Atlanta University, where they became part of the Cullen-Jackman Memorial Collection in recognition of their historic value. In addition, the Harold Jackman Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to art in New York was established in his honor.

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