1979 Award Winners

Biographies below were included in the program for the year listed here and were current as of that time.

Gerald E. Barkley

Superintendent

USD 404 Riverton

Barkley has been superintendent of the Riverton school system for 26 years. From 1942-45 Barkley was principal of Riverton Elementary School, and from 1945-53 he was a science teacher at Riverton High School. Prior to taking positions with the Riverton school system, he taught 10 years in Missouri elementary schools.

An Alba, Mo., native, Barkley received his B.S. degree in 1942 from Southwest Missouri State College. He received his M.S. degree in 1949 from Pittsburg State University. Barkley had 36 hours toward an educational specialist degree when cataracts forced him to stop his studies.

During his career, Barkley has promoted four successful bond issues for school building additions. He supervised building programs for the grade. school addition, Vocational Agriculture Building, Fieldhouse, and Metal Shop Building. Barkley helped establish the nine-county Regional Service Center, and served on the superintendent's advisory council three years.

Barkley holds membership in several professional organizations, including American Association of School Administrators, National Education Association, Phi Delta Kappa, and Riverton Teachers Association. He is active in the community as a member of Riverton Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, Boy Scouts, and Riverton Friends Church.

Barkley and his wife, Denzel, have two sons, Larry and David.

Wendell Hodges

Instrumental Music Teacher

Chaparral High School

USD 361 Chaparral

Hodges, a Greensburg native, has been instrumental music teacher at Chaparral High School since 1970. From 1950-70, he was the instrumental music teacher for grades 4-12 in Anthony. He has also taught music at Atlanta and Little River.

Hodges received his bachelor of music education degree from Southwestern College, attending 1940-42 and then again 1945-4 7. He received his master's degree in music education in 1957 from Wichita State University. He has taken additional courses at the University of Oklahoma, University of Kansas, Emporia State, and Kansas State University.

From 1942-45, Hodges was in the Army Air Corps. He earned the rank of captain while flying 110 combat missions as a fighter pilot in the European Theatre of Operations. He was awarded the Air Medal with 15 Oak Leaf clusters, the Presidential Unit Citation, and the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Corps' highest award, with one Oak Leaf cluster.

Hodges' high school bands have played at invitational concert/clinics at Wichita State University, Fort Hays State University, Emporia State, Phillips University in Enid, Okla., at the Kansas Music Educators Association District VI event, and at the KMEA state event. His bands have won 24 consecutive first division ratings at state music festivals.

Hodges and his wife, Eva, have five children, four of whom are teachers.

Eleanor Kee

Teacher

Field Kindley High School

USD 445 Coffeyville

Kee has taught at Field Kindley High School 1965 -73 and 1975 -present. From 1973-75, she taught junior high English in Wyandotte, Okla. From 1951-65, she taught in Coffeyville; 13 years at Longfellow Elementary School and two years at Roosevelt Junior High School.

Kee teaches in her hometown. She was born in Coffeyville and graduated from Field Kindley High. She received her A.A. degree in 1940 from Coffeyville Community College, her B.S. degree in 1944 from Ohio University, and her M.S. degree in 1953 from Pittsburg State University. She has also taken 40 additional college hours.

Her teaching philosophy is a mixture of "flexibility, accountability, and humanism." In the jargon of her students, Kee translates the philosophy to: "Be cool, hang loose, and cut a little slack now and then."

Kee is a member of the Kansas National Education Association, life member of National Education Association, honorary life member of the P-TA, and a member of the KATE. She has been president, vice-president, building representative, and delegate to the NEA convention as a member in the NEA-Coffeyville. Kee was the Kansas representative to the 1960 National Study Conference in Washington, D.C.

"I have personally worked closely with Eleanor on several projects," one colleague wrote. "She is professional in every sense of the word. She never fails to put her students first in an effort to further promote their learning and progress. We, as teachers in the profession, know that this is not always easy."

Clifton McWaid

Art Teacher

Wyandotte High School

USD 500 Kansas City Kansas

McWaid has been an art teacher at Wyandotte High School since 1969. From 1965-69 he taught at Rosedale High School in Kansas City, and from 1955-65 he taught at Northwest Junior High in Kansas City.

McWaid was born in Edinburgh, Mo., and was graduated from Trenton High School. He received his A.A. degree in 1950 from Trenton Junior College. McWaid received his B.S. degree in education in 1953 from the University of Missouri. He received a professional diploma from Columbia University through summer coursework, and has taken summer courses with the Art Students League of New York and at the Kansas City Art Institute.

During his career, McWaid has had his paintings in exhibits at The Albrechet Gallery, Mulvane Art Museum, Woodstock Gallery of New York, Springfield Art Museum, Parkville Gallery, and The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art.

"I feel a teacher is a person first, and secondly a teacher," McWaid has said. "Commitment and dedication is not an albatross that should be worn by teachers alone... Sometimes it is necessary to do a lot of community education through one's professional organizations."

McWaid is a life member of the National Education Association, and holds membership in Kansas-NEA, National Art Education Association, Western Arts, and KEA of Kansas City. He is active in the Boy Scouts, Civic Art Council of Kansas City, and the Wesley Methodist Church.

Loren E. Riblett Sr.

Chemistry and Physics Teacher

Wamego High School

USD 320 Wamego

Riblett has been teaching chemistry and physics at Wamego High School since 1965. Prior to that he taught at Smith Center High School and Greeley High School.

He was born in Greeley. He attended Kansas State University and received his B.S. degree in industrial education in 1957. He received his M.S. degree in biology in 1961 from Emporia State. He has done additional work at the University of Northern Iowa, Loyola University, University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and Colorado State University. In 1977, Riblett became a candidate for a doctorate at Kansas State University. He hopes to complete the degree by August 1979.

During his career, Riblett has received several special awards. He was recognized as one of the Top 10 innovative physics teachers in the nation by the American Association of Physics Teachers. He has received the Award of Excellence from the National Teacher Association, and the Award of Excellence through the Kansas Senior Academy of Science. Riblett also received a Certificate of Honor for meritorious work with science students from the Westinghouse Educational Foundation.

Riblett is a member of the American Association of Physics Teachers, Kansas Senior Academy of Science, Kansas Association of Biology Teachers, National Education Association, and Wamego Teachers Association. He is also active with the Boy Scouts.

Riblett and his wife have five children.

Cynthia Schrader

Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher

Dwight Elementary School

USD 417 Morris County

Schrader has been language arts and social studies teacher at Dwight Elementary School since 1971. From 1971-73 she taught grades 7-8, and since 1975 has taught grades 6-8. She taught at Garfield Elementary School in Council Grove from 1970-71.

A Junction City native, Schrader was graduated from Dwight Rural High School. She received her B.S. degree in education with honors in 1970 from Kansas State University. She has taken additional college hours at Wichita State University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State, and Washburn University.

Schrader has been selected for membership in Kappa Delta Pi and Phi Kappa Phi, and was the administrators' nominee for Kansas Teacher of the Year. She is a member of the Teachers Association of U.S.D. 417, Kansas National Education Association NEA, Marion Hill Lutheran Church, and Lutheran Church Women.

What is Schrader's philosophy of education? "The matter of method is not as crucial as the attitude radiated," she says. "Students respond when a teacher can admit making an error, smiles, listens, and takes time. A teacher must convey the human message - I care - you are important to me."

Schrader finds time for extracurricular activities, too. She has helped her class prepare for school programs, sponsored the cheerleaders and pep club, managed the concession stand, and remained one of the top supporters of the basketball team.

Schrader and her husband, Dwight, have two sons, Spencer and Derek.

William Warner

Science Teacher

Manhattan Junior High

USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden

Warner, a Larned native, has been a science teacher at Manhattan Junior High since 1962. Prior to that he was a math and science teacher two years at Junction City Junior High. Warner was active in the Kansas State University Earth Science Institute 1968-73.

In 1960, Warner received his B.S. degree in secondary education from Kansas State University. He received his M .S. degree in physical sciences in 1964 from Emporia State University. He has done additional work at Fort Hays State University and Kansas State.

During his career, Warner has been named Outstanding Young Educator by the Manhattan Jaycees, Kansas Best Earth Science Teacher, one of the Outstanding Secondary Educators of America, and a finalist in the Kansas Association of Physical Science Teachers award competition.

Warner is an avid musician. He has been giving private percussion lessons smce 1953. He is active with the American Federation of Musicians, Kansas Association of Teachers of Science, National Science Teachers Association, Phi Delta Kappa, and Seven Dolors Catholic Church.

Warner's philosophy of education is based on involvement, both by his students and himself. Laboratory-based, hands-on experiences are the basis for instruction in his classes. He uses contract grading and multi-level materials to provide individualization. Group and team activities are used to help develop social skills.

Warner and his wife, Barbara, have three children, Debra, Mark and David.