Tag Archives: Veterans

Former elem teacher Mary C. Willis rose to rank of Brigadier General in US Army

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Former elementary school teacher Mary C. Willis joined the US Army and, in a career that spanned 30 years, rose through the ranks to Brigadier General. Photo Credit: Public Domain

It is not unusual for a fine educator to excel in fields outside of the classroom. One who did was Mary C. Willis, an elementary school teacher who became Brigadier General in the United States Army.

Mary was born on Jan. 31, 1940, in Baltimore, Maryland. Following her graduation from Wicomico High School in Salisbury, Maryland, she enrolled at St. Mary’s Seminary College, where she studied for two years, graduating in 1959. Next Mary attended Salisbury State Teachers’ College, now known as Salisbury University, where she earned her degree in 1962. Later she earned a Master’s degree from Shippensburg University, a public university located in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Once she earned her degrees, Mary accepted a position as a second grade teacher at North Salisbury Elementary School in the Wicomico County Public School System. She worked there for one year.

In 1963, Mary entered the US Army, which inaugurated a career in the military that spanned 30 years. During her years of service, Mary served in Virginia, Korea, Illinois, Missouri, Alabama, and Germany. Her final post was at the Pentagon, where she worked with White House Chief of Staff Colin Powell. Ultimately, the former teacher rose through the ranks to the position of Brigadier General.

During this career, Mary became the first female Army officer administrator at the US Military Academy at West Point. While there, she successfully integrated women cadets into the school in 1976, and also served as a vocal advocate for the integration and fair treatment of women at all ranks and levels of the US Army.

For her military service, Mary earned many accolades. She earned three Army Commendation Medals, five Meritorious Service Medals, three Overseas Service Ribbons, an Army Service Ribbon, a Far East Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal.

Following her retirement in 1993, Mary worked for two years with the National Guard in Washington, DC, and then in 1995, she accepted a position at Salisbury University, where she was awarded an honorary PH.D. Today, at age 82, Mary is still going strong.

 

Marilyn Johnson: Teacher, Diplomat, WWII US veteran

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Many talented classroom educators also exhibit exceptional talent in the diplomatic arena. This is certainly true of Marilyn Johnson, a high school foreign language teacher who also served our country as a diplomat. Ultimately, she became the US Ambassador to Togo.

Marilyn was born on June 19, 1922, in Boston, Massachusetts. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Radcliffe College in 1944. As a young woman, she was quite athletic, and at one time considered pursuing a career as a physical education teacher, but chose liberal arts instead. Later, Marilyn completed courses at the University of Geneva and at the Sorbonne. Then she returned to the US and enrolled at Middlebury College in New England, where she earned her Master’s degree in French in 1952.

Marilyn was also a military veteran. During World War II, between the years of 1944 to 1946, she served in the US Navy. She trained as a midshipman, but ended up working in communications security in a job that focussed on breaking codes. She also worked for a time as a counselor at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital, where she provided occupational therapy and training to blinded servicemen.

Once she earned her Master’s degree, Marilyn accepted a position as a high school French teacher at Amherst Regional High School in Amherst, Massachusetts. There she taught French for the next seven years, while taking courses in educational psychology, the history of education, and methodology at both Harvard and Smith College. In 1960, she was selected to be part of the Fulbright teacher exchange program. Through the program, she traveled to Orleans, France, where she taught at the Lycée Jeanne d’Arc for two years. 1962, Marilyn traveled first to the African country of Cameroon and then to Mali, where she taught English as a foreign language in several schools. She left her last teaching position in 1964 when she became a diplomat in the Foreign Service.

In the Foreign Service, Marilyn accepted a position as a Cultural Affairs Officer, first in Bamako, Mali, and later in Tunis, Tunisia. She also served as a Public Affairs Officer in Niamey, Niger, and from 1971 to 1974 she served as the Deputy Assistant Director of the Information Centers Program. The following year she attended the Seminar in Foreign Policy, and after learning the Russian language, she was assigned to be a Cultural Affairs Officer in Moscow in the former Soviet Union. That was in 1976.

On Sept. 23, 1978, Marilyn was appointed to the position of Ambassador to Togo by President Jimmy Carter. She served in that position until July 29, 1981.

Today, Marilyn Johnson is 99 years old. She’s a true Chalkboard Champion!

 

Karl Kimmons taught 22 years after retiring from the US Navy

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Retired from the US Navy after 30 years of service, Karl Kimmons went on to teach high school for 22 years. Photo credit: Legacy.com.

Many dedicated educators served in the US military prior to their service in the classroom. One of these was Karl Kimmons, a high school social studies teacher who had already retired from the United States Navy.

Karl was born in Hamilton, Ohio, on April 10, 1920, the great-grandson of a Mississippi slave and a slave owner. Karl was raised in a poor family in an integrated neighborhood just a short distance from segregated Kentucky.

In 1940, Karl enlisted in the US Navy, where he served during World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Viet Nam War. When he entered the service, the military was segregated. He was the first person who enlisted as a mess attendant, and then served in every enlisted pay grade and ended his career as a commissioned officer. When he retired from the Navy in 1970, he had attained the rank of full lieutenant and had earned numerous awards and medals. In all, his career in the military spanned 30 years.

Once he retired from the Navy, Karl attended Connecticut College where he earned a Bachelor’s degree, magnum cum laude. He was 53 years old at the time! Then he earned his Master’s degree from the University of Connecticut, and his teaching credential from Southern Connecticut State University.

Once he completed his education, Karl accepted a position as a social studies teacher in Waterford Public Schools, where he taught at Waterford Junior High snd Waterford High School for 22 years. “I was a tough teacher too, I guess because of my military back- ground,” Karl once remarked. “In study halls I told them ‘Either study or fake it!’ But many of my old students thank me now and say I really taught them how to study,” he remembered.

This Chalkboard Hero passed away on August 4, 2016, at the age of 96. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Teacher Carlton Jenkins previously served in US Army

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Carlton Jenkins, a sixth-grade history teacher from Woodbridge, Virginia, served as a helicopter pilot in the US Army prior to becoming an educator. Photo credit: US Army Troops to Teachers.

Many fine educators have also served their country in the military. One of these is Carlton Jenkins, a sixth-grade history teacher from Woodbridge, Virginia, who previously served in the United States Army.

While in the military, Carlton flew a helicopter and worked as a helicopter pilot instructor. “It was there that I gained a passion for teaching and helping others to achieve their goals,” claims Carlton. “I have also had the opportunity to travel extensively and live in other countries, which has helped me grow as a person and learn more about the world around us,” he says. After he retired from the military, Carlton cast his eyes about for another way to serve his country. He found it in the classroom.

Since 2013, Carlton has taught sixth-grade American history at Lake Ridge Middle School in Woodbridge, Virginia. It was the Troops to Teachers program that helped him make the transition from uniformed pilot to grade school history teacher. “Troops to Teachers … gave me the opportunity to use the leadership skills, knowledge, and experience I learned and developed in the Army to help me have a positive effect on today’s students,” Jenkins says. “For those seeking a second career in education as a teacher, the Troops to Teachers program will help get you there,” he advises.

Carlton says his success as a teacher depends first on him setting a framework of rules and expectations. “A teacher must establish his or her expectations with rules,” he asserts. “I have only three rules: respect one another, follow the Golden Rule, and only one person speaks at a time in class,” he reveals.

To read more about Carlton, see this story published by the US Army.

Veteran and educator Darren Rainey is devoted to students

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US  veteran and educator Darren Rainey taught high school Language Arts in Delaware after he left the military. He continues to make his mark on the field of education. Photo credit: Teach for America

There are many fine educators who came to the classroom after serving our country in the military. One of these is Darren Rainey, a Language Arts teacher and Athletic Director in Wilmington, Delaware.

Darren deployed with the 4th Squadron, 9th US Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division to Afghanistan in 2013 and to the Republic of Korea in 2015. “I learned some of my toughest leadership lessons through deployments, rotations, and training exercises in this unit,” says Darren. “It was here where I learned the importance of leading through relationships and respecting an individual’s unique experiences.”

When Darren concluded his military career In 2017, he decided to become an educator. He served as the Athletic Director Director and taught Language Arts at the 8th, 9th, and 11th grade level at Freire Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware. “In the classroom, nothing is more rewarding than when a student has that ‘ah-ha’ moment during a lesson or when a kid who is usually quiet has that breakout moment in a class discussion,” asserts Darren.

Currently, Darren serves as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction. He also works as an Adjunct Professor on the Delaware campus of  the Relay Graduate School of Education. In addition, he serves as an Impact Leader with Profound Gentlemen, Inc., an organization that builds communities of male educators of color who provide a profound additional impact on the communities they serve.

Darren was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Hampton University for his undergraduate studies and earned his Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education.

To learn more about Darren, click on this link to an article he wrote published by Teach for America.