Lakewood Lore

Top school staffers to be honored with their own hall of fame

Who among us doesn’t remember a great teacher, coach or other school staff member who guided, inspired and made all the difference during our formative years of burrowing in books and squinting at blackboards.

Well, next week is pay-back time for 12 such mentors whose talents and dedication contributed immensely to Lakewood public schools’ matchless reputation thorough the years.

This group will be named to a new Staff Hall of Fame created by the school system. The charter enshrinement program will take place at Lakewood Civic Auditorium at 7 p.m. Tuesday, with a reception immediately following in the high school’s L-room. Former students, parents, friends and interested citizens are invited. There will be no charge for admission.

Inductees will include:

Dorothy Scanlon, Class of ‘24 who was a kindergarten teacher for 46 years, beginning in 1928 and retiring in ‘74. She taught at Taft, McKinley, Roosevelt and at Garfield, where she too had attended. Enthusiastic and hard-working, she provided a superb start for many Lakewoodites.

Edna C. Kleinmeyer, who came to Lakewood High in 1931 to teach English and retired 36 years later. She also served as a volunteer at Lakewood Hospital for 16 years and was a girls’ counselor for the National Honor Society. Interestingly, Edna, born in Wickliffe, spent her first eight grades in a one-room, red-brick schoolhouse.

Marthella Soinneweber Lehtinen, joined Lakewood High as a teacher in 1938. During World War II years she was clerk of the Board of Education and secretary to the superintendent of schools. She returned to the high school in ‘49, and from ‘54 until she retired in ‘70 was vocational guidance director and counselor, managing the very successful Career Day programs.

Charles G. (Chuck) Prickett, spent more than 40 years at Lakewood High, starting as a custodian and advancing to supervising custodian in 1963, with 70 employees on his staff. A particularly knowledgeable and approachable engineer, he conducted boiler studies for his personnel and was president of his chapter of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees.

Anthony J. DiBiasio, currently alumni director at Lakewood High, began his educational career here in 1948 and retired in ‘85. He taught at three elementary schools, a junior high and later the high school, where he was also an assistant coach football, basketball and baseball for 14 years. As an administrator, he was director of the Learning Resource Center and served as senior class advisor for 26 years.

Agnes Riley, began her secretarial career for the Board of Education in 1954 and retired in ‘74. She spent those two decades at Franklin Elementary School under four principals, making through here enthusiasm and devotion, the work of each less difficult. She was cited for her long hours of volunteer activities at Lakewood Hospital. Incidentally, one of her four sons - Jack Riley - is a national television personality who has been a regular on the Bob Newhart Show.

Betsy Hutcheson, English teacher at Lakewood High, started here in 1959 and retired in ‘854. Her professionalism and willingness to implement innovative techniques made her a leader. Not only did she give her all to her students, but she also always had time to help her fellow teachers.

Five others, who will be inducted posthumously, are:

Ethel K. Howard, whose career in education started in 1913 and ended in ‘62, was a teacher at Harrison and Franklin Elementary Schools and at Horace Mann Junior High, after which she was elevated to assistant principal of Harding Junior High. Nationally recognized in Reading, English and Social Studies, she became director of elementary education here in 1935 and continued in that post until her retirement.

Thelbert R. (T.R.) Evans, former supervisor of music for Lakewood schools, achieved prominence with his choral groups and music programs and was known as our suburb’s “Mr. Music” from 1935 until he retired in ‘66. Among the organizations he conducted were the Lakewood Civic Chorus and three leading local church choirs. In 1964 he received the Distinguished Service Award of the Ohio music Education Association.

William (Andy) Watters, science teacher and track coach, came to Lakewood High in 1935 as chairman of the chemistry department. He was a joiner and a man of good humor who during his 31 years at the school was very popular. He founded the Watters Science Seminar, and in 1989 started a yearly scholarship of $1,000 for the seminar’s outstanding senior student.

Mahlon Povenmire, retired as principal of Lakewood High in 1967 after nearly 20 years of service here. He was admired and respected by his students and his two decades saw substantial staff and enrollment growth, plus numerous additions including the Civic Auditorium, L-Room, cafeteria and east gymnasium. He became a nationally known educator who was active in many professional organizations.

Martha Jane McNeil, gained acclaim as a Lakewood elementary teacher and administrator. She started at Hayes School in 1959 and became an innovative educator during her 20-year career in Lakewood. In the mid-’60s she became principal of the new Grant School, developing a non-graded, open-classroom concept there that won national recognition. She was also an inspirational leader beloved by her staff.

Endowed generously by Dr. Proctor Jones, author, publisher, attorney and member of the Lakewood High Class of ‘34, the new program will, at his request, be known formally as the Robert Meeks-Mitchell Darling Staff Hall of Fame.

Meeks, who died in 1984 at age 93, was assistant principal of Lakewood High for 32 years. Darling, a ‘34 graduate and a retired insurance underwriter who has been sightless since he was 8, is today at age 78 one of the most widely known, civic-minded citizens of Lakewood.

Future induction ceremonies will be held each year during American Education Week. Anyone wishing to nominate a candidate may write to the Lakewood High School Alumni Association, 14100 Franklin Blvd., Lakewood, and include a brief statement as to why the choice is worthy of such honor.

Each nominee must have served a minimum of 10 years in the Lakewood school system and must have been retired for at least three years.

This article by Dan Chabek appeared in the Lakewood Sun Post, November 14, 1991. Reprinted with permission.

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