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National Memorial to Fallen Educators:

A Peaceful Site Honoring the Ultimate

Sacrifice of Educators

By Pat Graff

Nestled in a hill in Emporia, Kansas, situated directly
below a beautifully preserved one-room schoolhouse
museum, and framed with outcroppings of the Flint
Hills, is the National Memorial to Fallen Educators.
The three large granite blocks, engraved with the
names of nearly 200 individuals, stand as silent
testament to the ultimate sacrifice made by each of
these individuals. Each person honored here died
in the line of duty in the education field: teachers,
administrators, custodians, paraprofessionals,
support staff, and bus drivers. All are honored at
the National Memorial to Fallen Educators, located
on the campus of Emporia State University.
This beautiful memorial pays tribute to the The one-room schoolhouse museum sits atop the hill
ultimate dedication of educators throughout the sheltering the National Memorial to Fallen Educators
United States, and yet many educators do not at Emporia State University, Kansas.
know it exists. It should become a “must-see” on Photo courtesy of Mark Rumsey; used with permission.
educators’ bucket lists, as it inspires the living and
honors the dead.

9-11 Teachers
Sara Clark, James Daniel Debeuneure, and Hilda E. Taylor were flying with their three students to
a National Geographic Society field trip—a trip of a lifetime for the sixth graders who were going
to visit the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary in California and experience being marine
biologists in a special program for urban elementary school students. They traveled on American
Flight 77 on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and their hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon
in Virginia, killing all 64 aboard, as well as 125 people at the Pentagon. These three teachers are
immortalized on the National Memorial for Fallen Educators.

Founding History and Development of the Memorial

The idea for a Memorial to Fallen Educators came as a result of the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook
Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012. Leaders at the National Teachers Hall
of Fame, based in Emporia, Kansas, wanted to create a permanent place to honor educators who had died
while working with America’s school children. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in June 2013, and
the Memorial to Fallen Educators was dedicated a year later with 113 educators’ names etched on the giant
granite slabs that resemble open books.
This project was a huge undertaking, headed by then-Executive Director of the National Teachers Hall
of Fame, Carol Strickland. It required considerable fundraising, with donors including corporate America,
many teachers’ organizations, community groups, and even a kindergarten class that saved $12 in change

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