Brian S. Craft, Class of 1980

My favorite teachers were:

Jack Grisham -- history --I wasn't really interested in history until taking his class. Looking back, he was passionate about teaching and his "real life" stories were always interesting.

Gary Risenhoover --Math--Actually, I don't recall if I ever had Mr. Risenhoover as a teacher. However, I do recall speaking with him daily outside of his classroom about anything and everything.

I can't leave off: Tom Waller, Gary Emmenderfer and Terry Kitchen -- can't say enough about these three coaches. After 30 some-odd years later, I still recall many life lessons they coached!

Ellen Gunter McDowell, Class of 1969

All in all, I was very blessed with wonderful teachers throughout my public school education in Cape Girardeau. Here are some of my favorites:

Alma Schrader, lst grade -- Mrs. Clayton -- She epitomized the image of a warm, caring teacher whose goal was the success of each and every student in her class. She was firm, skillful and had a loving personality.

Alma Schrader, 5th grade -- Miss Harris -- She was smart and used her wit to keep us in line while preparing us with knowledge we would need in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades and beyond. She challenged us to grow and to ask why. I remember Miss Harris was a pillar of strength as she counseled us the day JFK was killed.

Franklin, 6th grade -- Miss Schlosser -- She helped to ease my anxiety of being among some students who transferred to Franklin our 6th grade due to a lack of space at Alma Schrader. She had a fun-loving spirit and even made map skills and geography interesting. One of my favorite memories of Miss Schlosser is when she would read books to us each day, giving dramatic impact to each character.

Junior High -- Mr. Ralph Ford--He made math interesting. I loved math and he challenged us to stretch our skills. He had a way of identifying the help each student needed in understanding math problems. What a fun surprise for me when I learned much later in my life that my husband, daughter, and I had moved across the street from Mr. Ford and his family.

High School --Mr. Johnson--Mr. Johnson had a sense of humor and used it frequently during our chemistry class Elements Chart drills. I remember that he was intent that each person understand chemistry and tried to find ways of making it appealing to those who were struggling. I thoroughly enjoyed his classes and I didn't realize how they were preparing me so for my future career.

Dr. Audrey Reynolds, Class of 1961

The most important person in my life in Cape Public Schools was Paul Jenkins, who was the guidance counselor at CHS. When I went to see him, at the end of my freshman year, to discuss my program for my sophomore year, he said, "Well, of course, you want the College Prep curriculum." Until that moment, I had never considered going to college. Neither of my parents had finished high school, so as far as I was concerned, finishing high school would have been a big deal. So, in a brief few minutes, he changed my life.

Up until then, no one in the school system had told me that there was the slightest possibility I might be even a wee bit intelligent. When I was older, I learned that some of the teachers at May Greene had said that those folk who thought that nothing good could come out of May Greene were going to find out otherwise, but I was never given a clue.

The second person I remember fondly is Ruby Davis who taught Speech and started the debate program at CHS. She realized that while I wrote "Standard English", I didn't speak it and she very sensitively and privately made me aware that I needed to change my speech patterns, before I went off to college, which I subsequently did.

The third person would be my first-grade teacher, Clara Mae Dickey, at May Greene. I loved her so much that I was horrified to have to leave her classroom.

Thomas Cushman, Class of 1952

I had to go back to the yearbook to even recall most of the names but these were my favorites:

Tony Carosello, the band instructor: only teacher I had at any level who played basketball and corkball with us.

Alene Sadler - English. Must have had a positive effect on my use of the language...I've been in the writing business for 50-plus years.

Tillie Dale Williams, Spanish. Great patience with students, many of whom were hearing a language for the first time.

Jerry Ford, Class of 1960

I had three outstanding teachers at Central---

Tony Carosello --great trumpet player and mentor;

Bill Ewing -- great jazz woodwind player -- we performed together for many years;

and Jack "Pug" Russell -- he was a great coach, a great person and a wannabe piano player!

Elizabeth Shelton, Class of 1980

I would expect there is a recurring theme in that some of our most memorable teachers were some of our most demanding. Judy Williams was no exception. I expect that she made an impact on Sara Stacy Dyer as well. Like all of us, Judy had her quirks. But she consistently turned out extraordinary, award-winning choral groups. Her reputation was legendary. So many of her students to this day (myself included) still participate in church and community groups and frequently are disappointed that they are not of the caliber of our high school choir. She not only taught us musicality and showmanship, but like a good coach, she demanded the best from each of us and simply would not accept anything else. I hope she realizes just what an impact she had on so many students.

I also value the attention to detail I learned from Liz Lockhart when she was the publications editor. Working on the yearbook was such a positive experience. Today I earn my living writing in a variety of formats. I owe much to the encouragement and attention to detail she provided that went well beyond grammar and punctuation. She helped me to understand the things that distinguish great writing from average writing--creating the "feel" for a piece, setting the mood, using the right voice, spending thirty minutes thumbing through the thesaurus to find just the right word--not to mention the importance of meeting deadlines.

I was surprised as well as a bit saddened when she left teaching to become a realtor, thinking of the many students who would not benefit from her guidance. But I am not at all surprised that she has done very well at it. She is one of those quiet go-getters who methodically does what needs to be done behind the scenes with little concern for public recognition. I am glad she is being recognized for her current efforts, because I am not sure she, like so many teachers, did not receive the recognition she deserved from her students and faculty peers.

Marie Francis Kluesner, Class of 1988

I graduated from Central in 1988 (only attending there two years after University School had closed). My favorite and most memorable teacher at Central was Mrs. Lou Ann Zoffuto. She taught World History and made it very interesting and was a likable person. World History could be very boring to high school students but she made us want to learn about it. In addition, Mrs. Zoffuto was a very nice person. Central was very blessed to have her.

While I see her from time to time, I don't think I have ever told her that she was my favorite/my memorable teacher at Central!

John Brussman. Class of 1952

These were my favorite teachers at Central. They all had one thing in common, they encouraged you to be as good as you could be in their subjects:

Mr. Glenn O'Connell--Government and history--gave me an interest in government and history which I still pursue today;

Mrs. Tillie Williams - Spanish, Made learning a second language fun. Wonderful sense of humor, made each class interesting, never boring.

Mrs. Carrie Findley - Biology, Her knowledge and teaching skills led me to study Biological cience at the University and enter the field in my early professional career.

Mr. Luther Hahs--Math. I was not a good math student, but his patience, encouragement and understanding helped me through the course, and to continue to work harder.

Ms. Inez Smith, Civics. An elegant lady! Her classes were so informative and interesting. Gave me an understanding of the marvels of Capitalism, the workings of financial institutions, budgets and balance sheets. I never took a course in Business, but later in life when I ran a large company, her teachings helped me to understand the pro's who did the financials.

Mr.Louis Muegge..Coach. Coach was an inspiration to most students--athletes or not. I tried out for sports but I wasn't talented enough. He said not everyone had the skills or strength to play sports but to use the body and mind God gave you to do the best you can. He encouraged mental toughness of the kind everyone needs throughout life. If you worked out in gym and never felt the sting of Coach's paddle, you just were not doing anything.

There were other fine teachers at Central but these stand out. I never sensed a special interest in only bright students in any of them. They encouraged all students equally and being an average student, that was important to me. I believe that each contributed in a major way to what helped me in my later studies, business, and adult life.

Michael and Donna (Sides) Price, Class of 1964

Both of us graduated from Central in l964. The best teacher I ever had was Kathryn Sackman at Central High. She was also the Student Council Advisor. She preached learning how to write in preparation for college. Another very good high school teacher was English teacher Inez Smith.

My best elementary teacher was Lydia Gibbs. She was the first principal and the 6th grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary. Donna went to Franklin and she says a Mrs. Dye, her 6th grade teacher, was a very good teacher.

If coaches count at Central High, I would say that Bob Goodwin was the best with Ken Hargens not far behind. I learned about how to live a productive and worthwhile life from these two coaches than any other person except my parents!

Sara Stacy Dyer, Class of 1980

I can name two favorite teachers right on the top of my head. The first one that comes to mind is Judy Williams, who was the choral director. She was just excellent at what she did and I still use the extra skills she taught me.

The other teacher who comes to mind is Marsha Bosma who taught middle school Math. I struggled in Math and she was willing to go the extra mile without making me feel stupid. She just liked her students and we knew it.

Dr. Mark A. Stacy, Class of 1977

I had some wonderful teachers at Central and they all contributed to my life in so many ways.

Barbara Nourie was a wonderful English teacher. I enjoyed Richard Baker who taught Math and Grace Williams, who also taught Math.

Van Hitt was a special person who happened to be my football and track coach. They all made a difference in my life and I remember them, for their words and counsel, today.

Count me in for walking that mile!

Susan Craft Burton, Class of 1978

Of course I had a favorite teacher --Barbara Clinton Lohr. I know that she actually taught at the old Cape Vo-tech (now Career & Technology Center. She not only taught secretarial skills but life skills that were required to get a job after high school graduation. In my case, she was responsible for me attaininga job at the University and ensuring that I had the skills needed for that position.

Bill Springer was also a favorite. I can honestly say for a very shy 9th grader, Mr. Springer's class was the scariest part of every day--he made sure that everyone in the class participated and not only factual information but required opinions. At the time, I did not like going to his class but looking back it was probably one of the better classes, also, to prepare for life after high school.

General Seth McKee, Class of 1934

I had two favorite teachers at Central High School during my attendance there 1931/34. My #1 was my history teacher, Ms. Naomi Pott. In addition to being a very nice person she was a great motivator and took an enduring personal interest in her students. Although, in retrospect, she probably did this for many, if not all of her students, I still remember the time she asked me to remain after class as she would like to talk to me. She spent between 15 and 30 minutes inquiring about my family background, my likes and my dislikes, my goals and ambitions in life, and my ethnic heritage. When she indicated that I was free to go, she stated, "Seth, with blood like that in your veins, there's nothing in this world you can't achieve if you try." I cannot overstate the boost in morale and confidence those words gave me when I was just a boy and throughout the eighty years that have since gone by as "trying" events occurred.

My #2 favorite teacher was Ms. Clara Krueger who was my Latin teacher for three years and, in spite of my lack of application, taught me enough to understand the meaning of most English words and several other languages as well.

Ruth Ann Dolle Rauscher --attended in 1945

I went to Franklin School in first grade and my teacher was Miss Willer. She was beautiful in my eyes, kind, told great stories, gave good directions, sang beautifully and played the piano. That must have been around l945. I went there from January to May.

I then transferred to the College Training School, attending there until my graduation from High School in l957.

I wouldn't trade my education in Cape for any other.

Liz Renner Saalfeld, Class of1954

I had a number of teachers that I really liked. In grade school, my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Cobble. I had been diagnosed with diabetes at the end of 3rd grade and Mrs. Cobble let me be a student instead of hovering over me. In high school, I liked my chemistry teacher, Mr. Blumberg, junior English teacher, Miss Inez Smith and Latin teacher, Miss Krueger.

Miss Smith made the English poets --Browning, Wordsworth and Keats, etc. --come alive and I learned to love poetry. Under Miss Krueger, I learned the importance of Latin and still think it is a necessary course so one can learn how to write, spell and speak correctly and figure out the meaning of words from Latin prefixes and suffixes.

I graduated in May, 1954 and was valedictorian.

Joan Amlingmeyer Gohn, Class of1965

My favorite teacher in Junior High School was Mrs. Fannie Langdon. She taught English and Social Studies and showed all of us that she cared about us. She was a very good teacher.

Mrs. Rexman taught math at the high school and I liked the way she taught. She was so even-tempered. You knew that you could count on her being the same every day.

Vince Raddle was my sixth grade teacher at Lorimier School. I think I liked him for the very same reason I liked Mrs. Rexman. He was a good teacher and you knew what he would be like every day. He was consistent. Later, he became a principal.

Debbie Siemers Bickings, Class of 1971

The first person I think of was Miss Sackman -- she taught history at Central High. Miss Sackman had a passion for history and for going to college. She treated us like college students and preached constantly about going to college.

Mr. Hahs was my 9th grade biology teacher at Central Junior College and he made science, even dissecting frogs, so interesting. I did not make the best grades in the class but I loved the class and learned so much. Coach King was my driving ed teacher and he made me relax and enjoy the driving experience instead of being worried every minute about hitting another car.

I worked in the office and picked up the attendance cards each day that the teachers hooked to the outside of the door. Mr. Hines, the assistant principal, was an easy-going man, so far as I was concerned and I enjoyed my work time. Mrs. Dippold, who was the secretary in the office, was very, very nice.

And yes, I'd walk a mile for these teachers and all the other teachers whose names I can't remember. They were there when I needed them....

Greg Lowry, '77 graduate

There is one person who stands out in my mind and this was Coach Wulfers. He was my wrestling coach at Central. Coach was so funny and joked around with all of us. He taught me so much about wrestling, competition and even life.

Greg Brune, Class of 1964

One of my favorite elementary school teachers was Helen Pollack, who taught me in the 5th grade of Franklin School. I really liked her (I'm not sure but I might have been some kin to
her.) We always talked in class about the idea that she dated Jack "Pug" Russell.



I think most of us who were in high school would say that Calvin Chapman was one of our favorites. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't say the same
thing. He taught government and we were glad to
take the class under him.


Wayne Goddard and Fred Wilferth were both principals when I was in school and I thought a lot of both of them.


The other teachers I think of that I would classify as my favorites were all coaches --you probably guessed that! Central was lucky to have teacher/coaches like Weldon Hager and Leon Brinkopf. "Coach Brink" led us to a state championship in baseball.

Yeah, I'd walk a mile for any of these teachers!

Mike Richey, Class of 1964

I had some great teachers at Central. I transferred in to Cape from Cleveland, Ohio and thought I was arriving at the end of the world. There were a number of teachers who made a place for me; some I remember their names. Some I don't.

I remember Jane Brennecke Womack who was a fine teacher.
I remember my French teacher -- but I never knew her first name. We called her "Madame Sivia". I might not remember her first name but I remember what a good teacher she was!