Those That Taught Us
Following the recent death of a teacher that had a big impact on me during my high school years, I decided to add another section to the Everett Class of 1970 part of my website. Teachers have a huge impact on our lives. Sometimes, it is not until much later in our lives or until they have past, that we reflect back and realize the important role they played. I have also included comments from other classmates who have reflected on these losses. Please let me know if you know of others. Thank you.
Updated September 2, 2024
Arthur W. Baker [Mathematics] [November 2, 2015]
Bessie Baker [Business Education] [January 22, 1923 – May 29, 2012]
Ron Barr [Driver’s Education] [July 28, 1931 – April 24, 2023]
Ted Bauer [History] [December 7, 1924 – August 17, 2021]
From his daughter Joan in February, 2016:
Ted Bauer is going strong at 91 years old. He and his wife, Jean, live in Holt in the same house they built in 1963. Until last year he still played golf, regularly beating golfers half his age! He walks regularly … at the mall in the winter and outdoors whenever possible. His favorite is a walk in the fall on the MSU campus with stops to watch the Spartan band practice, observe all the young people on campus, and lunch at the Peanut Barrel. He is an avid, crazy Spartan fan who wouldn’t miss a gathering of the Rebounders and is glued to the TV set whenever the Spartans play. Ted Bauer has three children. His two daughters (Joan Bauer and Nancie Bauer) live in the immediate area and his son, Joe Bauer, lives in Colorado. He has five grandchildren and one great grandchild. As always, “Mr. Bauer” loves life, people, and the thousands of students he had as students at Everett High School.
Past and recent photos:
February 2016
Viola Brandt [English] [October 6, 1904 – July 24, 1999]
Earle Clegg [Business Education] [April 4, 1914 – July 1, 2008]
LeRoy S. (Clem) Clemens [Band and Orchestra] [August 5, 2010]
John Combs [Math and Industrial Arts] [August 30, 1918 – October 6, 1998]
Audrey F. Cross [Head Librarian] [January 8, 1932 – November 28, 2021]
Jerry Cushman [Math, Science and Coach] [April 30, 1935 – June 22, 2022]
Harold Dachtler [History] [October 5, 1921 – April 29, 2005]
Carl Dalrymple [Industrial Arts] [1927 – 2009]
Richard Dannecker [Counselor and English] [February 9, 1927 – September 5, 2006]
Malcolm Rudd Delbridge [Counselor and Orthopedics] [November 19, 1937 – April 8, 2017]
Victor DeRose [History] [September 18, 1927 – April 30, 2020]
Kenneth Eckman [Football Coach] [August 17, 1925 – February 27, 2009]
James W. Faulkner [English, Journalism and History] [1927 – February 19, 2016]
George Fox [History, and Physical Education] [April 24, 2023]
Mary Catherine Gallick, Ph.D. [Math] [July 31, 1924-May 21, 2017]
John Hackett [English] [September 19, 1937 – November 23, 2013]
Irene Havens [English and English Literature] [1922 – 2021]
Harold (Hal) Heins [English] [June 17, 2014]
From Laurena Jenkins Hoffmeyer: A sad day today as I read about the passing of Mr. Harold (Hal) Heins, one of my most memorable teachers at Everett. There isn’t much info in the LSJ other than he died Tuesday at age 84. I remember stopping by his home about 15 years ago. He was busy raking leaves but still took the time to visit with a surprise visitor (and remembered my name and my brother’s as well). I’ve thought about him the past several years, and the impact he had on my life. He had me read odd books that I would never have picked up. And he pointed out dramatically that “Life’s an Adventure – seize it!” Thank you Mr. Heins and RIP.
From Penny Beachnau Illemszky: I remember his LIt class he had us write in journals and that’s where I started my writing journey. In college I had a teacher that told me I was a good writer thank you Mr. Heins.
From Linda Elliott Enright: I worked for him at school, very different teacher, liked him! I think he did a block with Mr. Pioszak! I remember reading very different books too!
From Kathy Baldwin Crawford: Don’t recall his name. Sad though.
From James Carr: Also feeling sad. He really taught me to write and I would like to have thanked him for that. Like Penny, I hardly had to learn anything to do really well in my college composition classes. So glad that you visited him. We had some great teachers at Everett in the late 60s.
As I recall, he was a scholar of Joseph Conrad. We did a close reading of “A Secret Sharer” and “Heart of Darkness”. When the latter came to the screen as “Apocalypse Now”, I had an appreciation for that film that few others did at the time.
He also exposed me to all sorts of books that I still love and sometimes re-read. (A short story called “The Bound Man” in a collection of existentialist stories has stuck with me for 45 years. It was about a person who could do all sorts of things while tied up but was defenseless when freed of his bonds.) He also had the New Testament in Greek in his office with a massive Greek-English dictionary that he let me use. That was a unique experience.
From Laurena Jenkins Hoffmeyer: I remember books like Waiting for Godot and a Clockwork Orange. Then there was the more traditional, Grapes of Wrath. My brother and I were 5 years apart in school (Roger was older). I remember my first day in class with Mr. Heins. He was reading the class list, and got to my name. He looked up over his half glasses and said “are you Roger’s sister?”. I said “Yes, but don’t even think we’re anything alike”. Big smirk on his face. I remember days of him playing cards in the back room with Dean Brailey, Mark Walters and others.
From Penny Beachnau Illemszky: I remember those books as well. He was great to introduce us to a whole different realm of reading material. I read lots of different books to this day.
From Jane Terwilliger: I never had the honor, but I agree we had good teachers and I too owe a lot to them.
From Arlie C. Skory: I loved Mr. Heins. Definitely one of my favorites. Anyone who could teach high school students and remain upbeat and enthusiastic was definitely a treasure.
From John McLaughlin: Sad! I remember how “present” he was.
From Dorothy Hurshman McDonald: Definitely a favorite teacher! Sad! RIP Mr Heins!
From Linda Mott Burns: I’m so sad. One of the best, so many memories! Rip!
From Nancy Anderson: Thanks for your detailed post Laurena. Your description of him brings back so many memories of his unconventional style of teaching, but I guess that’s why so many of us are “remembering” him. He was the only teacher who had the class eat raw rutabagas….
From Dave Brigham: It is wonderful to read the unique experiences that so many students enjoyed! And think, that is just in OUR class. I still have two papers I wrote in his class – one a poetry piece and the other a research paper on continental drift theory. I don’t have any other writing from high school which indicates the impact he had on me.
From Claudia Carol Robbins Beasore: I found some pictures that I had taken in Mr. Heins class. If I can locate them, I’ll post on the Everett page. Penny and Shelley, I know you all were in one of them. I’ll look for them after I have another cup of coffee.
From Shelley Aquino Nelson: Thanks, for all the memories, Mr. Heins. My favorite books were Grapes of Wrath, Waiting for Mr. Godot, The King and I, and Clockwork Orange….that was futuristic…look where we are today!!!. I was looking in the Lansing State Journal this morning hoping to see a of Mr. Heins and a bigger write up, but nothing is there today.
From Sally Gage Sizemore: My favorite was The Great Gatsby…he actually made me feel like the character, Daisy!
From James Carr: Someone in town should contact the paper and suggest a feature obit. I give them my permission to quote what I wrote here and would add that the most singular thing about him as a teacher is that his approach reached kids at both ends of the academic spectrum.
From Penny Beachnau Illemszky: Yeah we all should have our comments placed as a tribute to him. I remember the books as well and enjoy reading my types of literature today which I know is directly from his classes . As I said before he made sure that my writing was top notch I never got dinged in my bachelors or masters classes due to my writing.
From Gail Sawyer: Hate to hear about Hal Heins. He was such great teacher.
From Randall Richardson: A great man with big impact on our lives has passed. Gayle Bauer and I has his class together and two years later we were making plans to be married. We asked Mr. Heins to perform the ceremony as he was a minister as well as a teacher. He agreed, but as usual gave us an assignment to write the vows. 41 years have passed and we still fondly remember the day our English teacher helped marry us.
From Todd Camburn [Everett 1978-79] I had a class with him in 1978-79 as a sophomore. I then moved to East Lansing, but in the following year he performed the marriage of my older brother. He made a huge mark on me with the intensity of his honesty and the generosity of his heart. I learned so much about reading and analyzing literature in his class. Some of the works I remember reading: Heart of Darkness, Carson McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, and A Clockwork Orange. I also remember his refreshing down to earth way of speaking honestly and unabashedly about things, which I didn’t expect from a minister, and found very cool! He supported me in my writing, and in my piano playing, which has become my profession. My sincere regrets and condolences to his family.
Patrick Dennis Holland [History] [July 9, 1938 – March 16, 2024]
William Francis Humphrey [Science, Biology and German] [1929 – 1992]
Robert Ingersoll [English] [February 24, 1924 – January 15, 1998]
Richard Johnson [Business Education] [April 11, 1925 – February 16, 2020]
Edward “Bud” Lawrence [Everett High School – Business] [July 13, 1928 – January 12, 2015]
Douglas McNitt [Art] [January 2, 2004]
Huge Mead [Vocational Electronics] [March 16, 1931 – November 7, 2022]
Howard E. Neely Jr. [Art and Coaching] [March 24, 1930 – August 7, 2018]
Troy Pence [Special Education] [January 18, 1935 – January 5, 2019]
William J. Pioszak [Economics] [March 28, 1931 – March 27, 1984]
Paul Powers [Athletic Coach] [March 22, 1987]
Thomas Reeds [English] [April 26, 1939 – September 14, 2021]
Vivian J. Riddle [Spanish] [September 28, 1929 – January 9, 1973
From our classmate Anton S. Milekovich…
“I have many fond memories of being in Mrs. Riddle’s Spanish classes.
Senora Riddle (as we addressed her in the classroom) was what I refer to as a “Legacy” teacher. She was disciplined and professional, and yet she was kind, caring, and nurtured her students in their learning.
Mrs. Riddle always had a bright, sunny smile, and had a cheerful, easy-going personality.
We were very fortunate to have many dedicated and talented teachers during our school days at Everett, which were enduring qualities of Mrs. Riddle.
I will always remember Mrs. Riddle as an exceptional teacher, and a very good, decent individual and role model.
I wish to honor Mrs. Riddle with the phrase “Black Lives Matter”…..her life surely mattered to me, and I believe mattered to everyone who was blessed to know her.
In closing, I believe that if Mrs. Riddle was with us in 2020, she would embrace the phrase “Choose Kindness”, as this was a defining quality of Mrs. Riddle.
May you “Reposar en Paz” (RIP) Senora Riddle.”
Ted Shandor [Driver Ed and Physical Ed] [July 4, 1926 – June 29, 2009]
Edyth Sherck [Counseling and English] [October 15, 1925 – February 22, 2012]
Dean Shippy [Driver Education] [June 7, 1918 – April 22, 2016]
Myron Smith [English] [March 23, 1922 – June 29, 2011]
James Edward Stroup [Dwight Rich and Everett High School – Drama and English] [March 20, 1933-November 13, 2014]
From Laurena Jenkins Hoffmeyer: I had many fond memories of Mr. Stroup not only as one of my teachers, but from his wonderful speaking and singing voices at Grace United Methodist Church. His and my parent’s back yard, joined at the fence where I remember having many thought provoking discussions with him, feeling like Wilson and Tim the Tool Man. May you be singing with the angels Mr. Stroup.
From Val Sherman: I remember having him for 6 years straight (at Dwight Rich and Everett). He was one of my favorite teachers.
From Connie Bayhan: He was a wonderful teacher.
From Dorothy Hurshman McDonald: RIP Mr. Stroup. He was a great teacher!
From Nancy Bailey Fedews: Awe he was one of the good ones. Rip
From Kathy Baldwin Crawford: He was my drama teacher at Dwight Rich. Sad
From Ted Kallman: Had a lot of fun in his plays.
From Linda Mott Burns: That’s too bad he was a wonderful teacher. I had him for English. He will be missed!
From Vicki Kaiser: He was a long time friend of my family. He was one of my favorite teachers as well.
From Gayle Sheathelm Stull: Yes I remember him……great teacher
From Sue Janetzke: Spent a lot of time with him at school and had a special project once with his family.
From Karen Stock: He changed my life. RIP, Mr. Stroup.
From Chris Kobylinski: So sorry, he was my home room teacher. I remember the first time Debbie Powers, and I ever skipped school, we went to her house and played Monopoly! When I returned the next day with my excuse, he laughed and said, “next time spell my name right.”
From: Michelle Hernandez: Oh my gosh we have lost one of the best. He was a not only a great teacher he was an amazing and kind man. He was my drama teacher at Dwight Rich. R.I.P Mr Stroup my favorite teacher you taught me confidence and to believe in myself always in my heart.
From Art Phelps: My home room teacher for three years at Everett.
From Dennise Buffington: Wonderful man… I also had him at Dwight Rich for Drama.. RIP
From Jayne Greemore: I sort of remember him. Nice man.
From Deb Powers Childs: Great teacher. May he rip
From Linda Elliott Enright: He and Mrs. Brown, I believe her name was, always put on the best musicals at Dwight Rich, I had so much fun doing them!! Brings back great memories!! RIP Mr. Stroup!
From Ted Kallman: Linda … you are correct. Her name was Sandra Brown. She and Mr. Stroup were a great team for those musicals.
From Janice Graebner: He was my absolute favorite!
From Cathy Estrada: A really good soul, he has graduated with honors and is leading the theater group already.
From Kathy Hammell Felton: awwww…he was a nice guy
From Jeannine Taylor: I remember him well. I had him for speech and drama. I always liked him. Praying for his family…
From James Carr: Sad, but inevitable. I’m pretty sure I had him for a class at Rich or maybe Everett, but not sure which one (except it wasn’t drama).
From Claudia Carol Robbins Beasore: Hate to hear this. It’s been 44 years since I had my last class with Mr. Stroup, but I’ve always remembered him. He was my favorite teacher at Everett. In fact, his classes were the only ones I ever looked forward to.
Margaret Sweeney [English and Latin] [April 19, 1913 – December 30, 1997]
Thomas O. Thompson [Music] [January 4, 2021]
Donalda Agnes Warner [Business Education] [June 28, 1917 – August 3, 2013]
Dawn Wear [Business Ed] [March 29, 1932 – May 9, 2024]
William Webb [July 23, 1928 – May 19, 2021]
Robert Wilson [Social Studies] [May 8, 2005]
