Tag Archives: Veterans

Pennsylvania teacher, businessman, and politician William Croll

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Willliam Martin Croll

Teacher, businessman, and politician William Martin Croll of Pennsylvania

There are many examples of classroom teachers who have achieved success in other arenas, such as politics and business. William Croll, a teacher from Pennsylvania, was successful at both.

William Croll was born April 9, 1866, in Upper Macungie Township, Pennsylvania. As a young man, he attended Keystone State Normal School located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Keystone State, now known as Kutztown University, was established as a teacher-training college in 1864, as a result of Pennsylvania’s 1857 Normal School Act. The legislation was passed to create a set of uniform standards for educators and a pool of well-trained teachers for the state’s school system. After his attendance at Keystone, William later earned his degree from Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

For a time, William taught school. Then he moved to Maxatawny,Pennsylvania where he was involved in the business of general merchandising. Later he moved to Reading, Pennsylvania, and by 1897 he was engaged in the retail clothing business. After he developed an interest in banking, William became the treasurer of Berks County, Pennsylvania, where he served from 1909 to 1912. William was also a US veteran, having served as an officer in the US Navy during World War I, from 1913 to 1918.

In 1912, William jumped into the political arena when he was named a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. He served in this capacity again in 1920. He was elected to the 68th Congress on the Democratic ticket, representing the 14th District from 1923 to 1925. Once his term was completed, William returned to his merchandising business.

William Croll, accomplished teacher, businessman, and politician, passed away in Reading, Pennsylvania on October 21, 1929, at the age of 63. He is interred at Laureldale Cemetery in Laureldale, Pennsylvania.

The amazing story of teacher and WWII Seminole Indian Code Talker Edmond Harjho

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Edmond Harjho

Teacher and WWII Seminole Indian Code Talker Edmond Harjho

I love to share stories about hardworking teachers who have also served our country in the military. One of these stories is about the amazing Edmond Andrew Harjho, an elementary school teacher who served as a Seminole Code Talker during World War II.

Edmond was born in Maud, Seminole County, Oklahoma, on November 24, 1917. He spent his boyhood in Maud, eventually graduating from Seminole High School. He earned his Bachelor’s degree and his Master’s degree from Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma.

During World War II, Edmond and his brothers enlisted in the US Army. The men served in Battery A of the 195th Field Artillery Battalion, and participated during the landings at Normandy in 1944 and the Battle of the Bulge in 1945. The story goes that one day in 1944, Edmond was talking with his brother in their native language. The pair were overheard by their Army captain, who quickly recognized that the men could communicate with each other in their native tongue on the army radio and not easily be understood by soldiers from the opposing army. That’s how Edmond became a Seminole Code Talker.

For his military service, Edmond was recognized in 2013 with the Congressional Gold Medal. He was also awarded the Eastern African Middle Eastern Campaign Service Ribbon, a Silver Service Star, and a Good Conduct Medal.

After the war, Edmond taught elementary school, first in Maud Public Schools, then in the Justice Public School in Wewoka, Oklahoma, and lastly in the Pickett Center School located in Ada, Oklahoma.

Sadly, Edmond Harjho passed away from a heart attack in Ada, Oklahoma, on March 31, 2014. He was 96 years old. When he died, he was the last surviving Seminole Code Talker. He was buried at the Seminole Nation Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Seminole, Oklahoma.

Teacher and Revolutionary War hero Timothy Bloodworth

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Timothy BLoodworth

Teacher and Revolutionary War hero Timothy Bloodworth


Chalkboard Champions have been as much a part of American life as any other hero since the very beginnings of our country’s history. One such historical figure was North Carolina educator, patriot, and statesman Timothy Bloodworth.
 
Timothy was born in New Hanover County, North Carolina, in 1736. He was named after his father, who had migrated to North Carolina from Virginia in the early 1700’s. As a young man, Timothy had little formal education, but he pursued a variety of careers.  Although  he spent most of his adulthood before the Revolutionary War as a teacher, he also farmed, kept a tavern, operated a ferry, practiced medicine, and preached occasionally. He also worked as a wheelwright and watchmaker, but he was probably best known as a blacksmith.
 
This talented educator eventually emerged as a leader in the movement for independence from Great Britain. When war broke out in 1776, Timothy began making weapons such as muskets and bayonets for the Continental Army. According to legend, he even saw combat as a sniper in fighting around Wilmington, North Carolina.
 
In 1778 and 1779, he served as a member of the state legislature for North Carolina. After the war ended, he held a number of political posts until serving as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1786. Timothy was elected a member of the House of Representatives of the First United States Congress, a position he held from 1790 to 1791. After his tenure in the House ended, he returned to the North Carolina State Legislature. In 1794, Timothy was elected to the United States Senate, where he served from 1795 to 1801. From then until 1807, this chalkboard champion served as collector of customs in Wilmington.
 
Timothy Bloodworth passed away on August 24, 1814. During World War II, the liberty ship SS Timothy Bloodworth was named in his honor.

 

History teacher and US Air Force veteran Darrell Jones

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Darrell Jones

Teacher and US Air Force veteran Darrell Jones as seen on his tour of duty in Kirkuk, Iraq, in 2006. 

On one special day in November, the entire country pauses to express appreciation to our nation’s heroic veterans for all they have done, including laying their lives on the line, to protect our American freedoms. One such veteran is Darrell Jones, a middle school history teacher in Mississippi.

As a younger man, Darrell served in the United States Air Force for 20 years. On active duty from 1991 to 2011, he was deployed over two dozen times, including stints in war-torn Iraq. During his years of service, the now-retired Technical Sergeant worked as a crew chief and as an aircraft mechanic.

Darrell grew up in Buffalo, New York. After he graduated high school in 1988, he enrolled in college, where he completed three years of study. He interrupted his studies to join the military, but once he retired from the Air Force in 2011, he used his GI benefits to complete his degree. He earned his Bachelor’s in Secondary Education from Mississippi State University in 2014.

This valiant veteran now works as a 7th grade history teacher at Armstrong Middle School in Starkville, Mississippi. “People ask me all the time why I became a teacher after working hard in the military for 20 years,” says Darrell. “I say…I want to continue to serve my country and take care of our children.” He is as dedicated to his work with students as he was to his work in the military. “My goal is to show my students the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day, without taking the joy away from the holiday,” asserts Darrell. “I want them to remember we can honor those who have given their lives for our country and appreciate what they have done while also cherishing the fact that we get to spend the day with friends and family.”

Here is the American hero and Chalkboard Champion with some of his kids. Thank you for all your service, Darrell!

Teacher and US Air Force veteran Darrell Jones here with some of his students.

Educator and US Army veteran Brian Thompson of Washington, DC

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Brian Thompson

Educator and US Army veteran Brian Thompson of Washington, DC

There are many heroic servicemen and women who are now serving our students in classrooms. One of these is Brian Thompson, a high school social studies educator from Washington, DC.

Brian earned his Bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication and Rhetoric from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. He completed the requirements for his Master’s degree in Secondary Education and Teaching from American University in 2011.

But before he became a teacher, Brian was a member of the US Army. During his sting as a serviceman, he was stationed for 13 months along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border in 2007 and 2008. While there, he was in charge of a mortar squad with the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. As the story goes, one day Brian received a care package from his mother. Inside was a paperback copy of Teacher Man, the third in a series of memoirs by Frank McCourt, author of Angela’s Ashes. “You would make a terrific teacher, just like Mr. McCourt,” Brian’s mother wrote inside the book, “Especially making kids laugh with that sarcastic humor.”

Since 2009, Brian has taught history at Cardozo High School in Washington, DC. Cardozo is a combined middle and high school in northwest Washington, DC, in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. He taught there five years.

In 2014, Brian was hired as a leader of the Military Affairs Team at the US Department of Education. There he works as an advocate for service members, military-connected students, veterans, and their families. He coordinates the Department’s internal and external efforts to address their needs and fosters access to high-quality and affordable educational programs and services.

Brian Thompson: a true Chalkboard Champion.