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Viewpoint

One of the three granite tables with name of fallen
educators, including those lost on 9-11 and those who
died at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
Photo (left) courtesy of Mark Rumsey; used with
permission.

for the project. In 2018, the memorial was officially
designated by Congress as the National Memorial to
Fallen Educators, the only national memorial in Kansas.
Every year since 2014 (except in 2020, due to the
pandemic), more names have been added, including
those educators who may have been missed in the
past but should be included. Recently, the third granite
open-book slab was completely filled with honorees’
names, so fundraising is beginning for a fourth granite
slab for the memorial.

New London Explosion
In 1937, a deadly mixture of gas and air had accumulated in the basement of New London Junior
High and High School building in New London, Texas. A spark from a sander in the basement caused
an explosion that destroyed the school building, killing 284 students and 9 educators. A museum
commemorating this tragedy is in New London, Texas. Those nine educators—Louise Arnold, Laura
Elizabeth Bell, Limmie Raines Butler, Masel Lorene Hanna, Lena J. Jacobs Hunt, Johnnie Marie
Pursell Nelson, Mattie Queen Price, William Hall “Willie” Tate, and Louise Waller—are honored
on the National Memorial for Fallen Educators.

Ten Years Later: A Reflection
In a recent interview, Strickland reflected on the importance of the memorial and how it has impacted
families, educators, and communities. Although the memorial enshrines those educators who died working
with America’s school children, Strickland adds, “The memorial is primarily for those who are left behind:
family members, colleagues, and students who come to honor these individuals who died working with
children and who never came home that evening” (personal communication, Dec. 15, 2023).
Families come to be part of the rededication ceremonies, and some return frequently. Strickland relates
how the children of one bus driver—who was murdered by a student and is now enshrined on the wall—
tell her, “Mother lives forever in Emporia on that wall.”

Chicago Fire
In 1959, Our Lady of Angels Catholic School in Chicago had more than 1,600 students in Grades
K–8. The school—housed in an old building that had recently been inspected but not required to
upgrade to current fire code standards—caught fire. Many students were trapped on the second
floor and couldn’t escape. In all, 93 students and three teachers—Sister Mary Seraphica, Sister
Mary St. Canice, and Sister Mary Clare—died. This tragedy led to major improvements in school
design, stronger fire safety codes, and the implementation of fire drills across the nation. Those three
teachers are listed on the National Memorial to Fallen Educators.

DKG Connections Discovered

During a DKG Ignite seminar held in Austin in June 2022, the existence of the National Memorial
to Fallen Educators was shared with the 21 participants. The program from the recent rededication was

12 · Volume 90-4