Tag Archives: Veterans

NC teacher, legislator, and WWII veteran Aaron Fussell

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North Carolina teacher, legislator, and World War II veteran Aaron Fussell earned the Bronze Star for his war-time service. Photo credit: Find a Grave

Many fine educators have also served our country in the military. Many more have served their community in public office. Aaron Fussell, a teacher from North Carolina, has done both.

Aaron was born on July 5, 1923, in Rose Hill, North Carolina. In 1940, he graduated from Rose Hill High School. The following summer, he worked for his uncle in Laurinburg, where he did the bookkeeping and handled the payroll. Next, Aaron earned his Bachelor’s degree from Atlantic Christian College in Wilson. He earned his Master’s degree in Education from the University of North Carolina. He also completed post-graduate courses at North Carolina State University and Duke University. While in college, Aaron played basketball, baseball, and tennis, a game at which he especially excelled.

During World War II, Aaron served his country as a corporal in the US Army. He was among the troops that comprised the 203rd Field Artillery Battalion, 30th Infantry Division, when they landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy in June, 1944. Later, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. In fact, Aaron earned a Bronze Star for fighting in 318 continuous days of combat.

Once the war was over, Aaron became a teacher and coach at Elm City High School in 1946. He worked his way up the ranks, first as an Assistant Principal at Whiteville High School, then as the Principal of Millbrook High School in 1953, and finally as the Superintendent of Wake County Schools in 1957. He held that position until 1976, during which time he ensured the integration of the school district. In all, Aaron’s career as an educator spanned 31 years.

In addition to his work as an educator, Aaron was elected on the Democratic ticket to the North Carolina House of Representatives. He served in that body from 1978 to 1994, a total of 16 years. In this position, he supported many bills for improved education, including a state Basic Education Plan and a statewide curriculum which was adopted in the 1980s. In addition, the former teacher supported a mandatory seatbelt law and statewide watershed protection.

Teacher, politician, and veteran Aaron Fussell passed away on July 7, 2014, in Raleigh, North Carolina. He was 91 years old.

Celebrate Chalkboard Champions who are also veterans!

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When celebrating our nation’s veterans today, I like to remember that many of them are also Chalkboard Champions. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 2% of teachers in our nation’s classrooms are military veterans.

The call to service is something that many service members don’t lose once they are discharged. That’s one of the reasons that so many veterans gravitate towards the teaching professions once their military service is complete.

Military veterans have many personality traits that make them particularly suited for a career in teaching. When entering the profession, veterans are typically older and have had more varied life experiences. In addition, veterans can bring a wealth of leadership qualities to the classroom. An understanding of the importance of discipline, an appreciation of the value of education, the ability to adapt, and the capacity to work well, even highly stressful circumstances, are some of the qualities that veterans can bring to the classroom. Also, often veterans possess the ability to persevere, which is a trait that is especially needed in a profession that has a high turnover rate.

Another valuable characteristic that many veterans possess is their potential to connect with students from ethnically diverse neighborhoods or lower-economic backgrounds, because many veterans themselves come from such circumstances. They understand from firsthand experience how challenging some school environments can be, and therefore may be more invested in helping to make a difference in such school systems. Furthermore, veterans have been especially trained to accomplish tasks collaboratively.

For these reasons, and many more, veterans are invaluable as Chalkboard Champions. So, today and every day, let’s celebrate our nation’s teachers who are also veterans!

 

CA educator and highly-decorated veteran Ernest Robles

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California educator Ernest Robles also served as a highly-decorated veteran in the Korean War. Photo Credit: Legacy.com

Many excellent classroom teachers have also served their country as military veterans. One of these was Ernest Robles, a California educator who was also a highly-decorated Marine in the Korean War.

Ernest was born on Feb. 16, 1931, in Pirtleville, Arizona. As a young man, he lettered in football. After high school, Ernest served his country in the US Marines, where he saw combat in the Korean War. While there, he earned a Bronze Star, a Navy Commendation Medal of Valor, and a Purple Heart.

Once he was discharged from the military, Ernest earned his Bachelor’s degree in History from University of California, Los Angeles. He earned his Master’s degree in Education from the University of Redlands in Redlands, California. After completing his education, Ernest spent many years teaching school, working as a school counselor, and serving as a principal and administrator in the Riverside School District in Riverside. Later, he moved to San Francisco where he accepted a position as an Assistant Regional Administrator for Equal Educational Opportunities in the US Office of Education.

Ernest also supported education by founding the National Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Starting the effort out of his own home in 1975, he headed the organization for more than 20 years, distributing $30,000 in scholarships in the first year alone. Over the next 20 years, the Fund distributed a total of $31 million to more than 30,000 outstanding college students. Under his direction, the scholarship fund was named the Nation’s Best Fund Charity by Worth magazine in 1987. His legacy continues even today, as the Fund has now awarded $50 million in scholarships.

For his contributions to the Hispanic community, Ernest was honored at the White House by President Ronald Reagan, President George Bush, and First Lady Hillary Clinton. He has also received the Education Leadership Award from the College Board and the Hispanic Higher Education Award from the National Hispanic Corporate Council. In addition, he was named one of the “100 Influential Hispanics in the United States” by Hispanic Magazine.

After his retirement from education, Ernest enjoyed traveling, reading, and cheering on his favorite team, the San Francisco 49ers. Sadly, Ernest passed away on Sept. 5, 2022. He was 91 years old.

US veteran, American hero, and teacher Carl Kimmons

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US veteran, American hero, and long-time Social Studies teacher Carl Kimmons. Photo Credit: United States Naval Undersea Museum

I always enjoy sharing stories about courageous servicemen who were also classroom teachers. One of these was Carl Kimmons, a Navy serviceman who was also a long-time public school teacher in Connecticut.

Carl was born on April 10, 1920, in Hamilton, Ohio, the great-grandson of a Mississippi slave and a slave owner. As an African American youngster, he was raised in poverty, racial discrimination, and segregation, from which he longed to escape.

In 1940, at the age of 20, Carl enlisted in the US Navy, during a period when opportunities for African American servicemen were limited. He inaugurated started his military career as a mess attendant, cook, and steward. Later he was assigned to the destroyer USS McFarland, where he completed administrative duties such as typing reports and updating the ship’s log. From 1942 to the end of the war, he served submarine duty on the USS Plunger, the USS Parche, and the USS Cobbler, where he saw action on no less than seven war patrols. For his bravery in battle, he earned a Navy Commendation Medal and a Presidential Unit Citation.

In 1961, Carl completed officer training school in Newport, Rhode Island. He then moved to Washington, DC, where he accepted a position in the US Hydrographic Office. His duties there included administration, security, and top secret control. He also served in these roles at the submarine base in New London, Connecticut. By the time he retired after 30 years of service, he had climbed to the rank of full lieutenant.

After his discharge from the military, Carl decided to settle in Connecticut. He went back to school, and at age 53, earned his Bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in History from Connecticut College in 1973. He went on to earn his Master’s degree in History from Southern University of Connecticut.

After earning his degrees, Carl launched a new career as a Social Studies teacher at Waterford High School in Waterford, Connecticut. His career as an educator spanned 22 years. “I was a tough teacher, too, I guess because of my military background,” Carl once confessed. “In study halls I told them ‘Either study or fake it!’,” he said. “But many of my old students thank me now and say I really taught them how to study,” he concluded.

Carl Kimmons passed away on Aug. 4, 2016, in Waterford, Connecticut. He was 96 years old. He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery. In 1987, this American Hero and Chalkboard Champion was inducted into the Booker T. Washington Community Center’s Hall of Fame in Hamilton, Ohio. He is also pictured in an exhibit at the World War II Museum at Pearl Harbor.

To read more about Carl, see this feature article published on page 30 of the Connecticut College Magazine in 2011.

Former teacher Evelyn Bowles served in the Illinois State Senate

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Former elementary school teacher Evelyn Bowles served in the Illinois State Senate, and is also a US veteran. Photo Credit: St. Louis Dispatch

Many times, competent educators dedicate themselves to public service. Evelyn Bowles, an elementary school teacher from Illinois, was an educator like this. She served her community as a State Senator for many years.

Evelyn was born on April 22, 1921 in Worden, Illinois, although she was raised in Livingston, Illinois. During World Water II, Evelyn served as a yeoman in the US Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPAR) Intelligence Division. Her military service spanned the years from 1943 to 1945.

To further her education, Evelyn attended Greenville College, Illinois State University, and Southern Illinois University. While working as an elementary school teacher she taught first at Edwardsville CU #7 and then at the Elementary School in Livingston.

From 1975 to 1994, Evelyn served as the County Clerk for Madison County, Illinois. In this position, she managed election processes, kept the county’s vital records, and supervised 25 employees. Although she was a Democrat, Evelyn developed a reputation for running a nonpartisan, no-nonsense office.

In 1994 Evelyn was appointed to fill the seat of Democrat Sam M. Vadalabene in the Illinois State Senate, who had unexpectedly passed away while in office. There she represented the 56th Senate District until 2002. During her years in the Illinois State Senate, Evelyn worked diligently on numerous projects of vital importance, including one to protect lands surrounding the site of the Cahokia Mounds. In 2000, the former teacher received the Illinois Archeology Public Service Award for this work.

Evelyn spent a lifetime supporting educational causes. When she retired from public office in 2002, she used her unspent campaign funds to establish a scholarship for future public servants at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. “I can’t think of anything that would mean more to me than encouraging others to take an active role in public service, the electoral process and government,” the former educator explained.

The many awards Evelyn earned are too numerous to list, but here are the some of the most prestigious: In 1979 she garnered the Alice Paul Award from the Alton-Edwardsville Chapter of NOW. In 1984 she received the Girl Scouts Service Award, and she was recognized among the Outstanding Working Women of Illinois by the Illinois Federation of Business and Professional Women in 1986. In 1987 she received the Social Security Administration Service Award.

Evelyn Bowles passed away in Edwardsville, Illinois, on April 8, 2016, just two weeks shy of her 95th birthday. To read more about her, see this obituary published by the St. Louis Dispatch.