Tag Archives: Veterans

CA music educator Albert Lopez was also a US veteran

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California music educator Albert Lopez was also a US veteran. Photo credit: Legacy.com

Many fine educators also serve their country in the military. One of these was Albert Lopez, a music educator from California who devoted many years to students as a junior high school and high school band director.

Al was born on Nov. 26, 1934, in Delano, California. At a young age, he decided to take piano lessons. Following his graduation from Delano High School in 1953, Al served his country for four years in the United States Navy. He was stationed at Point Magu where he specialized in air traffic control.

After leaving the military, Al took a full-time job at the US Post Office, and enrolled in Drake University. There he earned a Master’s degree in Music Education in 1962. He relocated to Iowa and inaugurated his career as a music educator, teaching high school and junior high school bands, while also directing and choreographing the marching band at the high school hall-time football games. In 1965, he returned to California, and continued his career as a teacher at Upland Junior High School, where he taught band and mathematics.

In 1974, Al also launched a career as a real estate agent, and in the early 1980s he supllemented his work in the teaching profession to establish his business as a tax preparer. He became a fiduciary, and expanded his business to provide retirement and investment consulting. He was engaged in this work for the next 44 years. In 2018, Al retired from his business.

This accomplished Chalkboard Champion realized a number of personal projects. He became a private pilot, enjoyed road trips on his motorcycle, designed and built landscape masonry, mastered snow skiing and river rafting, and traveling extensively.

Sadly, Albert Lopez retired from his business and other activities because he developed dementia in his later years. He passed away on Sept. 6, 2023, in Alta Loma, California.

Teacher, coach, football player, and WW II veteran Tony Zuzzio

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Teacher, coach, former professional football player, and World War II veteran Tony Zuzzio. Photo credit: Muhlenberg College

Many fine athletes devote their considerable talent as educators and coaches after they have concluded their professional careers. This is certainly true of Tony Zuzzio, a long-time teacher and coach who once played professional football for the Detroit Lions.

Anthony Joseph Zuzzio was born on August 5, 1916, in Irvington, Essex County, New Jersey. He grew up in nearby Belleville, where he attended Belleville High School. As a teenager, Tony excelled at multiple sports. For his achievements as an athlete, Tony was inducted into his high school Hall of Fame in 1977.

Following his high school graduation, Tony enrolled in Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he played the position of tackle on the football team. While there he was named an All-American. Following his college experience, Tony played professional football in the National Football League (NFL). The 5’11”, 215-pound youth played as both a guard and a tackle for the Detroit Lions during the 1942 season.

Tony was a true American hero. During World War II, the former football star served his country in the armed services, where he earned an American Theater Ribbon, a Good Conduct Medal, and a World War II Victory Medal. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

After his military service, Tony coached baseball in Coffeyville in Kansas. There the consummate coach took his team to a national title. For the span of 34 years, Tony channeled his energy as a teacher and coach at nearby Edna High School in Kansas, then at Chetopa High School in Labette County, next at Elk City, Kansas, and finally at Humbolt High School in Humbolt, Kansas. In addition, from 1964 to 1966, Tony moonlighted as a professional scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On April 7, 2002, this Chalkboard Champion and American veteran passed away in Lawrence, Kansas. He was 85 years old. He is interred at Mount Olive Roman Catholic Cemetery in Parsons, Kansas.

CA educator, physician, and veteran Dr. Cleveland Wright

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Educator and physician Dr. Cleveland Wright served our country honorably in the military during World War II. Photo credit: Tribute Archive

There have been many multi-talented educators who have served our country honorably in the military. One of these is Dr. Cleveland Wright, a World War II veteran, teacher, and physician.

Cleveland was born on Nov. 16, 1924, in Sumter, South Carolina. Sadly, his father passed away when Cleveland was just a small boy. He attended public schools in his home town, graduating from Lincoln High School in 1942, the salutatorian of his class. The next year, with World War II in full swing, Cleveland went into the US Army. He served in the Philippines until the the end of the war, rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant. In 1946, he earned an Honorable Discharge.

Once his military service was completed, Cleveland returned to the United States, Landin in Washington, DC, where he enrolled at Howard University, a historically Black college. There he majored in zoology, completing the requirements for his Bachelor’s degree in 1949. He also became a member of the Omega Phi Fraternity.

Once he earned his college degree, Cleveland returned to South Carolina, where accepted a position teaching chemistry and physics at his high school alma mater at Lincoln. His career as an educator spanned nine years. During this time, he married Mildred Tidwell, and one son was born to the couple.

In 1958, Cleveland returned to Howard University, where he earned a degree in medicine in 1962. He then moved with. his family to the city of Riverside in Southern California, where he completed his internship and residency at Riverside Community Hospital. Once this work was completed, Cleveland established a private practice where he worked for 27 years. A beloved member of the community, he was recognized by Black Voice News in 1986 for his commitment and dedication to providing a better quality of life to the citizens of Riverside and San Bernardino through health care. He retired from the medical profession in 2008.

During some of these years, Cleveland served as the team doctor for the Rubidoux High School football team. He was also elected to the Riverside Unified School District Board of Education in 1976, the first African American to become a member of that body. He served a total of 14 years on the Board, and from 1982 to 1984, he acted as the Board’s President. He was also a member of the NAACP and the Rotary Club.

Dr. Cleveland Wright passed away on May 31, 2023, in Rialto, California. He was 98 years old. As a veteran, he was interred at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.

Educator Horatio Strother published volume about Underground Railroad

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Educator Horatio Strother of Connecticut published a highly-acclaimed volume about the Underground Railroad in Connecticut. Photo: Wesleyan University Press

Many excellent educators have also authored influential books. One of these was Horatio Strother, a history teacher who published a highly-acclaimed volume about the Underground Railroad in Connecticut.

Horatio was born on Feb. 1, 1930, in Harlem, New York. As a very young child, his family relocated to Middleton, Connecticut. There he attended Woodrow High School. In addition to his studies there, he excelled in athletics, including football and track and field. In fact, he he set a state record in the broad jump. In 1950, Horatio enlisted in the US Air Force and served four years of active duty in the Korean Conflict.

When his military service was completed, Horatio earned his Bachelor’s degree in History in 1956 and his Master’s degree in History in 1957, both from the University of Connecticut. During college, he was a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the National Horos Society of History.

Once he earned his degrees, Horatio taught briefly at Killingsworth Elementary School. In 1959, he transferred to Nathan Hale-Ray High School in Moodys section of East Haddam. There he taught history and served as the Chair of the Social Studies Department. Later, Horatio taught history at South Central Community College in New Haven, where he earned a promotion to Assistant Professor.

Horatio spent years conducting research and collecting oral history interviews related to the Underground Railroad in Connecticut. This research culminated in a scholarly work that was published by Wesleyan University Press in 1962. The volume, regarded as the definitive text on the Underground Railroad in Connecticut, is still in print and is held in the collections of nearly 2,000 libraries around the country.

Sadly, Horatio Strother drowned on Sept. 14, 1974, while swimming in Hidden Lake near his home. He was only 44 years old. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, click on this link to the Haddam Killingworth News.

Dr. Ernest Garcia: From CA barrio to classroom to school board

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Dr. Ernest Garcia: Classroom teacher, administrator, college professor, education frontrunner, veteran, and ardent supporter of the arts.  Photo Credit: San Bernardino Valley College

Many excellent teachers are fondly remembered for their significant contributions to their community. One of these was Dr. Ernest Garcia, a classroom teacher, administrator, college professor, educational frontrunner, veteran, and ardent supporter of the arts. During the course of a his lifetime, this remarkable man went from barrio to classroom to school board.

Ernest was the youngest of four children born to immigrants from Sinaloa, Mexico. During the 1930s, he was raised in a barrio in the San Bernardino County community of Colton. After his graduation from Colton High School, Ernest earned his Associate’s degree in Spanish from San Bernardino Valley College. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from the University of California, Riverside, in 1955. He earned his Master’s degree in School Administration and Curriculum from the University of Redlands, and completed his PhD in Instructional Technology from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1966.

During the Korean Conflict in the 1950s, Ernest joined the Air National Guard and served two years as a supply sergeant in Japan. When he returned, he married his long-time sweetheart Dorothy Morrison, whose he called “Dottie,” and the couple began their teaching careers together in the desert city of Barstow. Over the course of his lengthy career, Ernest also taught in Redlands and Rialto schools.

Once he earned his PhD, Ernest became a professor of education at the University of Redlands. The next year, he accepted a position at the Education Department at Cal State San Bernardino. While teaching there, he became a member of the Rialto Unified School Board, where he served from 1970-1979. During his tenure on the Board, he was instrumental in introducing programs for foreign language and gifted and talented education. “Still today,” says Syeda Jafri, Rialto Unified spokesperson, “his influence reaches far and wide in the Inland Empire.” In 1979, Ernest was named the Dean of the CSUSB School of Education. He retired in 1990.

In addition to his work in the field of education, Ernest was also a supporter of the arts. He performed with the Inland Master Chorale, the Canto Bello Chorale, and the University Symphonic Choir, and he acted in plays with the Rialto Community Players and University Theater. Also, he was a member of the Latino and San Bernardino Art Associations and his work appeared in their exhibitions. He served on the San Bernardino Symphony and National Orange Show boards. He was a curator of the National Orange Show Permanent Art Collection. In 2015, he established the Garcia Center for the Arts in San Bernardino, and served as its Executive Director until he retired from that position in 2020. The organization still provides a cultural center for the San Bernardino area.

Sadly, this Chalkboard Champion passed away on April 5, 2023. He was 93 years old. Before his passing, he was inducted into the San Bernardino Valley College Hall of Fame in 1977, and the Rialto School District named Dr. Ernest Garcia Elementary School in his honor.