HOPE – Six former educators in the Hope Public Schools will be honored here Sept. 20 as the 2019 Class of the Hope Public Schools Educator Hall of Fame.
The day’s events begin with an introductory reception for honorees and their families in the MAC Center at Hope High School from 9:30 – 11 a.m., and the public is encouraged to attend.
Honorees will be inducted into the hall of fame in ceremonies at 6:30 p.m. on the 50-yard line at Hammons Stadium prior to the Hope-Prescott home opener for the Hope High School Bobcats. Honorees or their family representatives will receive a plaque during the ceremony commemorating their contribution and service to public education in Hope and Hempstead County.
“We are thrilled to be able to recognize these incredible educators,” Hope Superintendent Dr. Bobby Hart said. “They had a huge impact upon our district, and we hope this recognition will help them and their families understand our gratitude for their service.”
The six inductees of the 2019 class include Mrs. Edith Brown, first principal of Brookwood Elementary School and namesake of the former Edith Brown Elementary School; Ms. Beryl Henry, the second woman in Arkansas history to serve as a public-schools system superintendent of schools, and namesake of Beryl Henry Elementary School; James H. Jones, third superintendent of Hope Public Schools, and leader through the Great Depression and school desegregation in Hope; Mrs. Ruth Flowers Love, former teacher in both the Henry C. Yerger Schools and Hope Public Schools; George Straughter, former teacher and coach in the Henry C. Yerger Schools, and later math teacher and Hope High School counselor in the Hope Public Schools; and, Mrs. Alice Straughter, former teacher in both the Henry C. Yerger Schools and Hope Public Schools.
The honorees were selected through a community-wide nomination process.