[375]TENNESSEE TEACHERS HALL OF FAME WILL INDUCT SEVEN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 7, 2008
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, lrollins@mtsu.edu or 615-898-2919

TENNESSEE TEACHERS HALL OF FAME WILL INDUCT SEVEN IN 2008
Tickets for April 26 Induction Ceremony & Banquet Now Available

(MURFREESBORO)—The Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame will induct seven new members during its annual induction ceremony and banquet beginning at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26, 2008, in the Tennessee Ballroom of the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.
The black-tie affair will mark the 14th year that the Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame has honored those educators who have exemplified excellence in teaching in Tennessee.
To date, 71 educators have been inducted into the hall of fame, which is co-sponsored each year by Middle Tennessee State University and overseen by a Board of Governors, whose members are made up of representatives from all major educational organizations within the state.
"Although MTSU is the sponsor of the activities associated with the Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame, the effort truly is a statewide endeavor," said Dr. Gloria Bonner, dean of MTSU's College of Education and Behavioral Science and coordinator of the April 26 ceremony.
"The hall of fame is a wonderful way for Tennesseans to honor those who have made exemplary contributions to the education profession and the lives of young people," she added.
This year's inductees are as follows:
• Selmer resident Martha McCullar Glover, who served 17 of her 35 years as a professional educator in the classroom and 18 in professional assignment. Cited as “an education visionary” who “impacted a school, a school system and thousands of students in countless … positive ways,” she joined the McNairy County School System as a classroom teacher in 1963 and served in that capacity until becoming an assistant principal for McNairy Central High School in 1980. She served as principal of the school from 1992-1998. Then, from 1999-2005, she was employed by Lambuth University as a planning coordinator for its freshman seminar program before serving as an adjunct professor in teacher preparation for UT Martin’s McNairy Center.
Glover earned a bachelor’s degree in history, with an English minor, from Lambuth University in 1963 before receiving an M.Ed. in education administration and supervision in ’75 and an Ed.D. in 1993 from the University of Memphis.
• Loudon resident John Sizemore Napier, who has thus far spent 34 years of his 35-year career in the classroom as a history and social studies teacher, school historian and part-time coach. Napier began his teaching career in 1971 at North Middle School in Lenoir City, where he coached boys and girls basketball and taught social studies. He joined the faculty of Loudon High School in 1974, where he still teaches today, At LHS, he has taught classes in American history, world history, sociology, contemporary issues, and history of the 20th century, in addition to having served as a girls softball coach and school historian.
In nominating Napier for the hall of fame, one supporter and school board member wrote that whenever the highly respected educator does finally decide to retire from the classroom “he will leave a void that will be difficult, if not impossible, to fill.” Another supporter, a 2008 LHS graduate, championed the teacher for “his ability … to get the entire class involved and interested in what he was teaching us.”
A longtime Sunday School teacher and a long-distance bicyclist, Napier’s other interests include local historical research and historic preservation and world travel, having visited more than 70 countries to date. He earned his B.S. in sociology in 1970 and his M.Ed. in 1974 from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and his Education Specialist Degree (Ed.S) from Tennessee Tech University in 1989.
• Hilda Hale of Manchester, who devoted all of her 29 years to teaching primarily Spanish and sometimes English for Coffee County Central High School. Hale joined the school’s faculty after receiving a M.A. in English from MTSU. According to her nomination materials, Hale’s teaching effectiveness was evident from the start, report her supporters, who noted that Hale’s first teaching assignment/classroom was “in an old overcrowded high school in an auditorium balcony … (with) none of the modern technology present in today’s classrooms.”
Retired from teaching since late May 2004, Hale continued to serve as coordinator for the school’s then-new teacher-mentoring program for two more years. “Her dedication extended far past her classroom and into the community,” wrote one Hale supporter, who was both her student, and years later, a teaching colleague at the high school. Moreover, another advocate of Hale’s hall of fame induction observed that her “love of teaching has been contagious, and her life and professional lessons invaluable. … She not only epitomizes what a true teacher is but also serves as an inspiration for others who want to be teachers. …”
• Chattanooga resident Bertha Collins, a 39-year teaching veteran who devoted 33 of her 39-year career to classroom teaching and another six to professional assignment, has been applauded for a commitment and dedication to students that found them leaving her classroom “with (a) feeling of self-worth and academic accomplishment that is so important in life.” Collins taught English at Lookout Valley Middle/High School for 33 years, first joining its faculty in 1967, and served as the English department’s chairwoman for 17 years.
Since her formal retirement in summer 2000, Collins—who is called “an icon” at her long-time teaching assignment—has returned to serve as a part-time educator for her school and also served as a literacy coach, a role in which she helps students become better readers and assists teachers in planning outstanding literacy activities to use in their classrooms.
One teacher and supporter of Collins’ hall of fame induction wrote as follows: “Honestly, there is no way to put into words what a positive effect Ms. Collins has had on me as well as the entire community of Lookout Valley. Bertha Collins strives to better the lives our students, no matter what the cost. Her strength of character and unrelenting passion make her a role model for all educations.”
Another fan and education colleague of Collins noted that, in the words of Julius Caesar, she is “as constant as the northern star” and “exhibits every trait of an exemplary teacher, scholar and mentor.”
• Kathleen Phillips Pennington of Huntsville, Tenn., devoted all of her 45 years in education to students in the classroom before her final retirement in 2007. A native of Smith Creek, she graduated from Normal High School in 1951, already married to the late Dan Pennington Sr. and the mother of their first child at that time. She was president of her senior class and named Miss Norma High upon her graduation. She continued her academic career in 1955 when she enrolled in Cumberland College and earned both her two-year teaching certificate, and then later, her bachelor’s degree. She went on to receive a master’s degree in administration and supervision from Tennessee Tech University in 1974.
Pennington’s long education career began in ‘57 when she was hired by the Scott County Board of Education to teach language arts for grades 4-12 and serve as librarian for Norma High School. In 1975, the county schools were consolidated; thus, she began serving Fairview Elementary School as its librarian—a job she undertook until her husband’s failing health prompted her to retire so that she could care for him during what would be the final year of his life. In 2004, Pennington was approached by the school system’s director to fill a job for a qualified librarian. She, in turn, opted to return to Fairview Elementary, where she remained until her ’07 retirement.
In spite off “overcoming many personal tragedies of her own,” Pennington “has never failed to accommodate those individuals who require both financial and personal support and assistance,” wrote one supporter of Pennington, who was heralded for always lending a hand to others in their time of need. Also, noted Fairview Principal Linda Sharp, “Mrs. Pennington’s vivacious spirit has filled the hall of our school for many years. While serving as our school librarian, she has touched the lives of many students, parents and fellow educators in a way that cannot be imitated.”
• Teddy Brown Haley of Clarksville served all 39 years of his education career in the classroom in service to students as both a coach and teacher in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School District. He began his career in as an elementary P.E. educator at Moore County Elementary before taking an assignment in 1969 at Northwest High School as an assistant football coach. In 1970, he added history-teaching duties to his responsibilities at Northwest and served in that capacity until 1974. From 1975-1979, he taught history at Montgomery Central High School and served as head basketball coach and assistant football coach. He joined the faculty of Northeast High School in 1980 and continued to teach history and coach at the school until accepting a job as principal of Northwest High school for two years, from 1990 to ’92. He returned to coaching and teaching history at Northeast High School in ’92, where he remained until his retirement in 2006.
Heralded as one who is “genuinely interested in helping students, a Christian role model and a well-prepared teacher,” Pennington maintained “a special ability to relate to a diverse range of students,” noted David E. Baker, former director of schools for Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools.
Among his numerous nominations for inclusion in the hall of fame is the support of Lt. Col. Kenneth Wiggins, a 1982 Northeast High School graduate, who wrote, “Ted Haley has mastered the delicate balance of teacher, coach and friend; my successes through life can be traced back to my first days at Northeast. I experienced the benefit of (Haley’s) teachings and mentoring daily—knowledge and life skills I will be forever grateful for. Well done, Coach, well done.”
• Lana Seivers, a resident of Nashville and the current commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Education, who has thus far dedicated 31 years to education, including 13 years in the classroom. A native of Clinton, Tenn., Seivers earned a bachelor’s degree in education from MTSU as well as a master’s degree in educational administration and a doctorate in education from the University of Tennessee.
Prior to her 2003 appointment by Gov. Phil Bredesen to serve on his cabinet as education commissioner, Seivers was director of Clinton City Schools and served as charwoman of the East Tennessee Superintendents’ Study Council, treasurer of the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents and chairwoman of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Elementary and Middle School Committee.
Lauded as “the ultimate champion for students” who “has given selflessly of her time and considerable energy to improve educational opportunities for Tennessee youth,” Seivers is credited with consistently maintaining her focus on the classroom. In his support of Seivers’ nomination for including in the hall of fame, Timothy K. Webb, deputy commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Education noted, “A good teacher has the best interests of students in mind and works around the clock to ensure all students realize their potential. Though several years removed from the classroom setting, Lana Seivers will always epitomize a good teacher because that’s who she is at heart.”
Donna Wright, assistant superintendent of schools for Knox County Schools, said that in each of her many roles in education, Seivers has always been recognized as a leader. Says Wright: “She has the natural ability to encourage students, teachers and even parents to always ‘look again’—to look through a different lens and not always be so accepting of standard practice. … Dr. Seivers is an educator who will be long remembered for her many contributions to the field … and exemplifies a responsible, caring human being: a worthy role model for all educators.”
About the Hall of Fame …

The Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame was created with the support of the late Dr. James E. Walker, former MTSU president and a one-time public school teacher; Dr. Robert Eaker, former dean of MTSU's College of Education and Behavioral and a current education professor; former Tennessee Gov. Ned McWherter; Dr. Charles Smith, the state's former commissioner of education; the late Dr. Otis L. Floyd Jr., one-time chancellor for the Tennessee Board of Regents; and Dr. Cavit Cheshier of the Tennessee Education Association.
Since its 1994 inception, the hall of fame's spring ceremony has annually welcomed about 500 educators, legislators and other dignitaries from across the state, all of whom gather to honor inductees for their remarkable public service and role modeling through teaching.
"This is an exciting opportunity for all of us to honor a group of very special Tennesseans, while at the same time enhancing the status of the teaching profession," observed Bonner, regarding the April 26 event.