Perspective PLUS

Six Elected to Educators' Hall of Fame
by Dave Buchanan

The Southeastern Wisconsin Educators’ Hall of Fame inducts six new members, three with ties to UW-Parkside, during an April 11 ceremony. Inductees include Racine teachers Jeffrey Blaga, Robert Ertl, and Donald Ford, and Kenosha educators Nancy Poulson and the late Harvard Smith, along with "Friend of Education" inductee Lucille Nielsen. The ceremony will be held in the Todd Wehr Center at Carthage College.

Jeffrey Blaga

Blaga is chair of the Social Studies Department at Racine’s William Horlick High School. He has served as an adjunct instructor here at UW-Parkside. He was Racine Unified School District’s director of social studies from 1984-1993, creating, in the words of one nominator, "a systematic geographic knowledge development program" in Racine schools. Blaga helped organize the Constitution and Geography Bowl competitions held annually at UW-Parkside.

 

Robert Ertl

A 26-year teaching veteran, Ertl has taught in and chaired the Mathematics Department at both J.I. Case and Washington Park high schools in Racine. He is a graduate of UW-Parkside (B.S., mathematics, ’76). Nominators praised him as "an endless resource of information," and "an excellent teacher who motivates students to do their best."

Donald Ford

Ford spent a year at the University of Wisconsin-Racine Center, the forerunner to UW-Parkside, and more than 30 years with the Racine Unified School District. At UW-RC, he was head basketball and golf coach while also handling physical education classes. During his career, he coached football and track, drected intramural sports, and served as an athletics administrator.

 

Tickets for the induction ceremony are $25 per person, which includes dinner. For tickets and more information, call Ruth Tylock at (262) 595-2753.