Wisconsin’s Eugene Powers, a school counselor a cut above the rest.

When honoring our nation’s Chalkboard Champions, we should remember that school counselors are members of the category, too. These hardworking, dedicated professionals toil tirelessly on behalf of students, their families, and even their colleagues. One of these champions is Eugene  Powers of Wisconsin.

Eugene Scott Powers was born on Oct. 26, 1958, in Duluth, Minnesota. He graduated with honors from Proctor High School. He attended both Golden Valley Lutheran College and Concordia University. He earned his degree in Psychology, cum laude. He later graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Superior, with a double Master’s degree in K-12 School and Community Counseling.

Eugene worked as a school counselor from 1998 to 2020, most recently at Superior High School in Superior, Wisconsin. There he went above and beyond in his efforts to come to the aid of his most needy students. Parent Timothy McGrady remembers Eugene with great affection. “He was the school counselor for all of my sons at Superior High School,” McGrady recalls. “When I moved to Superior in 2009 with my autistic son who was seventeen at the time, I didn’t have housing, making me a homeless veteran with disabled son. We lived at a campground in a tent,” McGrady continued. “The first time I met Mr. Powers, it was when my son enrolled at the school for that year. Mr. Powers, after we were done, reached into his pocket and took $145.00 out of his wallet and gave it to me, apologizing that he didn’t have more,” McGrady described. “When I had the money to repay him, he refused to take it. Eugene Powers was a truly a cut above the rest. May his memory be eternal,” McGrady concluded.

This dedicated school counselor passed away on Jan. 17, 2020. He will be interred next to his wife, who preceded him in death, at Industrial Cemetery in Culver, Saint Louis County, Minnesota. To read more about Eugene, view this obituary published in the Duluth News Tribune.