Tag Archives: Teacher Politicians

Distinguished educator and legislator Joe Ellis Brown of South Carolina

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Joe Ellis Brown

Distinguished educator and legislator Joe Ellis Brown of South Carolina.

Many terrific teachers also make excellent lawmakers. This is true of Joe Ellis Brown, an educator from South Carolina who also served in the House of Representatives for his home state.

Joe was born on May 24, 1933, in Anderson County, South Carolina. After his high school graduation, young Joe enrolled at Allen University, a private university located in Columbia, South Carolina. He was the first member of his family to go to college. Joe earned his Bachelor’s degree from Allen in 1956, and then he earned his Master’s degree at South Carolina State University in 1961.

Joe inaugurated his career as a teacher at Atlas Road Elementary School in Columbia, South Carolina. Within his first year of teaching, the talented educator was promoted to principal. In 1957, Joe was named the principal of Hopkins High School in Richland County School District in Hopkins, South Carolina. Later, he accepted a position as the principal of Hopkins Junior High School. He held this job until his retirement in 1985. In all, his service as a professional educator spanned nearly 30 years.

After he retired from teaching, Joe decided to pursue a career in public service. In 1986, he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. He represented District 73. While a member of the House, Joe was recognized as a stalwart supporter of public education, and he also worked toward reducing the cost of health care. In addition, he served as the Chairman of the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee. He also served as the Chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus. His career as a legislator continued until 2006, a total of 20 years.

After leaving the House, Joe continued his practice of working for others by returning to his alma mater, Allen University, where he completed full-time volunteer work with alumni affairs, undergraduate affairs, the Student Mentoring Program, and the Legislators’ Archive Project.

Throughout his lifetime, Joe earned many accolades. He garnered the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s Charles W. Green Award of Merit; the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity’s Citizen of the Year Award; the Distinguished Alumni Citation of the Year Award from the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education; and an Honorary Doctorate of Arts and Humanities from Allen University. In addition, he was a life member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Arrow’s Bridge Club for Professional Men, and the Eau Claire Rotary Club, as well as many other civic and community organizations.

This amazing educator and politician passed away from natural causes at the age of 84 on January 7, 2018.

William Horace Ash: Teacher and Virginia state lawmaker

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William Horace Ash

William Horace Ash, teacher and lawmaker, pictured here in the top row, second from the right.

Often individuals who are capable classroom teachers make effective legislators as well. One example of this is William Horace Ash, an African American teacher from Virginia who also served in his home state’s House of Delegates.

William Horace Ash was born on May 15, 1859, in Loudoun County, Virginia. As a young man, he attended Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, where he completed the requirements for his degree in 1882. For many years William worked in Nottoway County as a teacher at Ingleside Seminary at Burkeville, a school for African American girls sponsored by the Presbyterian church. In addition to his classroom duties, William became one of the founding members of the Teachers Reading Circle, a statewide organization that provided professional support and networking for African American educators.

While still a teacher, William became interested in politics. He studied law, and, in 1884, he was chosen to be the delegate from Nottoway County to the Virginia State Republican Party Convention. In 1887, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, where he served during the 1887-1888 session. There he served as a member of the standing Committees on Propositions and Grievances and on Printing, but he was also deeply concerned with legislation that affected education. After his term expired, William returned to teaching when he accepted a position as a teacher of agriculture at Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute.

On May 29, 1889, William married fellow teacher Sallie B. Miller from Nottoway. The union produced  no children. By the beginning of 1904, William and his wife attempted to establish a school for African American boys modeled after Ingleside Seminary. Unfortunately, the venture fell through, and in September 1904, William accepted a position at Swift Memorial Institute in Rodgersville, Hawkins County, Tennessee. There he taught nine courses, including Latin and beekeeping.

In 1908, this amazing chalkboard champion developed kidney failure, and after an illness of six days, he passed away on February 14, 1908. For his work in the Virginia General Assembly during the Reconstruction Era, William was one of several African Americans recognized by the Martin Luther King Commission. To read more about William Horace Ash, see his entry in the Dictionary of Virginia Biography.

State Senator Joyce Elliott of Arkansas: High School teacher and champion of education

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Joyce Elliott

State Senator Joyce Elliott of Arkansas: High School teacher and champion of education

Many talented classroom teachers are also excellent politicians. One educator who exemplifies this is Joyce Ann Elliott, a high school teacher who has also served in both the House of Representatives and the State Senate for her home state of Arkansas.

Joyce Elliott was born in Willisville, Arkansas, on March 20, 1951. After her high school graduation, Joyce earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Speech at Southern Arkansas University (1973). She earned her Master’s degree in English from Ouachita Baptist University (1981).

For more than 30 years, Joyce taught Advanced Placement and College Preparatory courses to high school juniors and seniors in Arkansas, Florida,
Minnesota, and Texas. Then she joined the College Board to focus on expanding access to Advanced Placement courses for under-represented groups of students.

From 2000 to 2006, Joyce served in the Arkansas House of Representatives. As a State Representative, she served on several committees, including those for Education and the Committee for Aging, Youth, and Families. In 2009, Joyce was elected to the Arkansas State Senate. Her responsibilities in the State Senate included her service as the Vice Chairperson of the Education Committee, the Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Educational Institutions, and a member of the Committee on Girls State. In addition, she played an integral role in funding and implementing a Pre-Kindergarten education program known as Arkansas Better Chance for School Success. As a former member of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges, Joyce also served on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the College Board of Trustees, and the National Commission on the High School Senior Year.

For her outstanding work, Joyce has earned many awards. Her honors include being named one of the Ten Best Legislators of the 2003 General Assembly by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (2003); the Working Families Hero Award, the Arkansas Spirit Award, and the Arkansas Heroes Award for Peace and Justice by the Omni Center for Peace and Justice and Ecology (2005). She has also garnered the Humanitarian Award by the National Conference for Community and Justice (2006); the Legislative Friend of Children Award by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (2006); and the Pillar Award for Education by the Arkansas Chapter of 100 Black Men (2007).

To read more about this chalkboard champion, see her State Senate biography at Joyce Elliott. You can also view the YouTube video below where Senator Elliott shares her views about leadership.

Baltimore teacher and activist Henrietta Szold: She helped save thousands of Jewish teens from the Nazis

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Henrietta Szold

Baltimore teacher and activist Henrietta Szold at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, circa 1920.

I love to tell stories about exceptional educators who have made significant contributions to the world community. One of these is Henrietta Szold, a Baltimore teacher and activist who worked tirelessly with an organization that helped save thousands of Jewish children from the Nazis.

Henrietta was born on December 21, 1860, in Baltimore, Maryland, the eldest of eight daughters. Her mother was Sophie (Scharr) Szold, and her father was Benjamin Szold, a local respected rabbi. As a young girl, she attended Western Female High School, where she graduated in 1877.
After her high school graduation, Henrietta taught courses in French, German, botany, and mathematics at Miss Adam’s School and Mrs. McCulloch’s School at Glencoe. She taught in these schools for 15 years. When Henrietta saw a need to educate newly-arrived immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe, she urged the Hebrew Literary Society to sponsor a program to teach them English. As a result, the first evening adult classes in Baltimore were established. This was the beginning of adult education in the city, and the program became a model for adult education in other American cities. Henrietta also taught courses in history and Bible studies for adults at Oheb Shalom Religious School.
In addition to her classroom duties, Henrietta served as her father’s literary secretary for many years. She became the secretary of the editorial board of the Jewish Publication Society (JPS), a position she held until 1916. She translated works, wrote articles, edited manuscripts, and oversaw the publication schedule. In 1899 she was instrumental in producing the first American Jewish Year Book, of which she was sole editor from 1904 to 1908. She also collaborated on the compilation of the Jewish Encyclopedia.

Henrietta is probably best known, however, for founding the international volunteer organization known as Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America. With the Nazis rise to power in Germany, Henrietta recognized the extreme danger the party presented to European Jews. In 1932, a plan called Youth Aliyah was developed to send German Jewish Adolescents to Palestine to complete their education. Youth Aliyah was able to save between 22,000 and 30,000 Jewish youths from World War II death camps.

Sadly, Henrietta passed away from complications from pneumonia on February 13, 1945, in Jerusalem, Israel, at the age of 84. She is buried in the Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Following her death, Israel issued a coin and a stamp in her memory, the first American woman to be featured on Israeli currency. Inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2007, Henrietta Szold is truly a chalkboard champion. You can read more about this remarkable teacher in the Jewish Virtual Library.org.

Teacher, veteran, and Kentucky State Representative DeWayne Bunch

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DeWayne Bunch

Teacher, veteran, and Kentucky State Representative DeWayne Bunch.

I am always eager to share stories about fine educators who have served our country in our armed services and in politics. One such teacher is DeWayne Bunch of Kentucky. In addition to serving in the National Guard, DeWayne also served in the Kentucky State House of Representatives.

DeWayne was a teacher of science and math at Whitley County High School in Williamsburg, Whitley County, Kentucky, for seventeen years. DeWayne was also a member of the Kentucky National Guard for 23 years. The intrepid teacher completed a tour of duty in Iraq, where he served as a first sergeant. His valor there earned him a Bronze Star.

A multi-talented individual, DeWayne was elected in 2010 to the Kentucky State House of Representatives. There he represented the 82nd District. As a legislator, he served on House Committees for Education, Veterans’ Affairs, and Transportation.

Sadly, DeWayne’s story does not have a happy ending. One morning in 2011, while the former soldier was at school, a brawl between two students broke out in the cafeteria. DeWayne was the first of three faculty members who rushed in to quell the fray. Unfortunately, DeWayne took a direct punch meant for another student, and was knocked to the floor. He hit his head on the hard surface, and sustained severe head and spinal cord injuries. DeWayne was rushed to the nearest hospital. and spent the next year in extensive rehabilitative therapy. Because of his condition, DeWayne resigned his position in the Kentucky House of Representatives. His wife, Regina Bunch, a special education teacher at Whitley County Middle School, was elected to fill his vacated position.

DeWayne died as a result of his injuries just over a year after his accident, on July 11, 2012. He was only 49 years old. Our country lost a true hero and chalkboard champion that day. To read more about this amazing man, see this 2011 article published in the Lexington Herald Leader: State Rep Bunch Critically Injured.