Hall Of Fame
November 24, 2008
Bowling
Green, Ky. - Five outstanding educators have been selected for the second class of the Gov. Louie B. Nunn Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame.
This year’s class of inductees possesses a total of 217.5 years teaching children and adolescents in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and spans the years from the Depression to the current year.
The five chosen by a statewide selection committee are Theresa Cowherd of Bowling Green, Dale Faughn of Fredonia, Jessie Pearl Comer Jackson of Gamaliel, Hilda Willis Jenkins of Bowling Green, and Rosemary Weddington of Frankfort. They will be inducted during a ceremony in Frankfort in early 2009.
“They have been and continue to be strong role models for P-12 students and those aspiring to become teachers,” said Dr. Sam Evans, dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Western Kentucky University.
The Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame was created in 2000 through a gift by former Gov. Nunn, who hoped to recognize the vital role that primary and secondary teachers in Kentucky play in the education of young people and the positive impact education has on the state’s economy. WKU was selected as the home of the Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame because of its 100-year history in teacher education.
Theresa Cowherd
Cowherd has taught for 34 years in Bowling Green schools. She was a teacher at Dishman-McGinnis Elementary from 1972 to 1978 and at Parker-Bennett-Curry Elementary from 1980 to present.
She received her bachelor’s degree in 1972, master’s degree in 1974, and Rank I certification in 1976; all from WKU.
Cowherd’s awards and honors include being the first African-American named Teacher of the Year in the Bowling Green school district and receiving the district’s Beyond the Call Award for her contributions to the teaching profession. She also was named the 2008 recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Teachers of Distinction Award and has received teaching awards from Campbellsville University and Murray State University.
Dale Faughn
A fixture in Caldwell County school system for 58 years, Faughn has no plans to retire. He teaches biology at Caldwell County High School.
A native of Lamasco, he received his bachelor’s degree in 1949, master’s in 1958, and Rank I in 1961; all from Murray State University.
Faughn was named Teacher of the Year in 1996 by the Kentucky Department of Education and was among the first five individuals selected for the National Teacher Hall of Fame in 1998. He received the USA Today 2002 All-USA Teacher Team Award as well as numerous other local, state, and national awards during his teaching career.
Jessie Pearl Comer Jackson
A native of Gamaliel, Jackson spent 39½ years teaching in the Monroe County schools.
She began her career in the 1930s at one-teacher and two-teacher schools at Rocky Point, Crowe, Avondale, and Sugar Grove. From 1941 to 1973, she taught at Gamaliel Elementary with the majority of time in second grade. Failure was not an option in Mrs. Jackson’s classes.
She received her teaching certification in 1930 at age 18 from Western Kentucky Teacher’s College, received her life teaching certificate in 1936, and her bachelor’s degree in 1956 from WKU.
Hilda Willis Jenkins
Jenkins, a native of Columbia, retired in 1988 after 31 years as a teacher in Russellville and Warren County schools.
She is a graduate of Lindsey Wilson College and received her bachelor’s degree from Union College and master’s from WKU. Jenkins taught at Russellville High School from 1957-59, North Warren High School from 1959-69, and Warren East High School from 1969-88.
Jenkins taught mathematics and music and also worked with school groups such as 4-H, cheerleaders, and drill team and has served as a leader in the Kentucky Education Association. In 1981, she was named outstanding alumnus of Lindsey Wilson College.
Rosemary Weddington
Weddington, a native of Pineville, spent 55 years as a Spanish teacher.
She received her bachelor’s degree from Berea College and her master’s degree and Rank I from Eastern Kentucky University.
Weddington taught at Pineville High School from 1953-54, Bell County High School from 1954-55, and Franklin County High School from 1955-88. Since 1988, she has served in numerous roles including Spanish professor and instructor at Kentucky State University, Berea College, and Eastern Kentucky University.
She has received numerous awards and honors, including Kentucky Teacher of the Year in 1987, Eastern Kentucky University Distinguished Alumna in 1987, Berea College Distinguished Alumna in 1992, and National Secondary Spanish Teacher of the Year in 1988.
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