During this weekend’s annual Memorial Day observances, I am reminded that many our nation’s educators are also veterans. One of my favorite Chalkboard Heroes is Henry Alvin Cameron, a high school science teacher from Nashville, Tennessee. He was not only a leader in the African American community in the early days of the 20th century, but he was also a veteran of World War I. Below is a digital story I created to tell you more about this heroic historical figure.
Chandler Woodcock Photo Credit: National Fish Coalition
Many excellent educators are also successful politicians. A superb example of this is Chandler E. Woodcock, a high school English teacher and basketball coach who has also served his community as a state senator in Maine from 2000 to 2006.
Chandler was born in Mechanic Falls, Maine, and was raised in nearby Farmington. His father was a manager at the Forster Manufacturing Company. Both of Chandler’s parents served in the military during World War II; his father in the Army Air Corps and his mother in the US Marines.
During his boyhood, Chandler was elected president of his class several times.After he graduated from high school, he enlisted in the US Army and served a tour of duty during the Viet Nam War. When he returned from Viet Nam, Chandler enrolled in the University of Maine at Farmington, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Secondary ![bio2[1]](https://i1.wp.com/chalkboardchampions.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/bio21.jpg?resize=130%2C195)
Education. He then taught English for over 25 years in the public school system, serving at Livermore Falls High School, Mt. Blue High School, and the Skowhegan Area High School. At each school, this talented teacher served as the basketball coach, and he even led the Mt. Blue High School girls’ varsity team to two state championships.
“His teams were always excellent as far as sportsmanship, but they were very, very competitive,” commented former Bangor coach Tom Tennet. “Chandler wants to beat you, and I think you could see that in how hard Chandler’s teams played. I think it was a reflection on him,” Tennet continued.
In adition to his teaching career, Chandler served five years on the Board of Selectment in Farmington, one of those years as the Chairman of the Board, before being elected to the Maine State Senate in 2000. During his first term, the former educator served on the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee and the Legal and Veterans’ Affairs Committee. During his second term, he served as Assistant Senate Republican Leader and on the Judiciary Committee.
In January, 2009, Chandler became the executive director of the Maine Harness Horsemen’s Association. With State Representative Tom Saviello of Wilton, Chandler is also the co-host of a public-access television talk show on Mt. Blue Community Access TV entitled “Talkin’ Maine with the Bow Tie Boys.” Both Chandler and his co-host are known locally for wearing bow ties.
Job well done, Chandler.
When I think of Chalkboard Champions, I never forget all of our nation’s talented coaches. These dedicated professionals work many long hours with our young people, teaching them the value of self-discipline, healthy competition, fair play, and teamwork, and helping them to choose a healthy, active lifestyle. One such Chalkboard Champion in Herb Banet, a high school teacher, basketball coach, and guidance counselor from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Herb was born in 1913 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. As a high school student, he was a gifted athlete. At 6’2″ and 200 pounds, he earned All-City Honors in both football and basketball. After his graduation from Fort Wayne South High School in 1933, he attended Manchester University in North Manchester, Indiana, where he played collegiate football. While at Manchester, Herb played All-Conference Football and All-State Football in 1934, 1935, and 1936. During the 1937 season, Herb played in the National Football League with the Green Bay Packers.
As if all this were not enough, Herb was also a war hero. When World War II broke out, he served his country in the US Navy.
These experiences served him well during his eighteen-year career as a coach at Central High School in Fort Wayne. While coaching there, his team made one trip to the Final Four in 1960, where they were defeated by just one point by East Chicago Washington. Later in Herb’s career he served as a guidance counselor at Northrup High School. This talented educator retired in 1979. In recognition of his illustrious career as an athlete, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Herb Banet passed away in 2003 at the age of 89 years of age. He is buried at Falls Memorial Gardens in Wabash, Indiana. It is certain that his efforts as a gifted teacher, coach, and counselor will always be well-remembered.
Minnesota’s George “Sonny” Franck: Teacher, coach, athlete, and US veteran. Photo credit: National Football Foundation.
Many fine classroom teachers were once successful athletes. This is true of George Franck, a popular Minnesota educator and coach who enjoyed a career as a professional football player before he became a teacher.
But before he became a Chalkboard Champion, Sonny was a halfback in the National Football League, playing for the New York Giants. It was a success story that surprised the humble Iowa boy, who had a reputation in high school for being scrawny but tough.
Sonny became an all-state end for his alma mater, Davenport High School, and led the school to a state track title, anchoring an 880-relay unit that set a state record. After graduation, he was recruited to play football and run track at the University of Minnesota, where he became a starting halfback in 1938. He led the Golden Gophers to a national championship in 1940, his senior year. That season, Sonny was named an All-American, All-Big Ten, and the Most Valuable Player of the College All-Star Game. Academically, he earned the Big Ten Medal for scholarship and athletics. In the Heisman Trophy voting that year, Sonny placed third, and then he was drafted into the NFL in the first round in 1941. That’s when he went to play for the Giants.
Sonny was also a WWII veteran. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan, he served his country in the US Marines, joining as an infantry officer and completing a tour of duty on Iwo Jima. While there, he saw Jack Chevigny, a football star for Notre Dame, killed in action. Sonny eventually became certified as a fighter pilot and served aboard the USS Hornet. A recipient of nine battle stars, he narrowly escaped death when his plane was shot down in the South Pacific in 1945. When the war was over, Sonny resumed his professional football career, playing for the Giants in their 1946, 1947, and 1948 seasons.
Sadly, George “Sonny” Franck passed away from acute leukemia in January, 2011, at the age of 92. But throughout his career as an educator, he was a genuine Chalkboard Champion.
Here is an inspirational video about resilience, for both teachers and students. The message was delivered by Sequoia Aldridge at the 8th Annual Teach for America Gala in Washington, DC, in 2018. This exceptional educator knows a great deal about her topic, having lost her mother when she was only 11 years old.
Sequoia distinguished herself with a career in the US Marines that spanned 30 years and included combat deployment in Iraq. Once she retired from the military, she became a middle school science teacher through Teach for America. Sequoia is a true Chalkboard Champion, through and through.
Here is more about her story from Sequoia herself.
