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Viewpoint

one was electrocuted, and four were shot. As Ken Weaver, Interim Executive Director for the National
Teacher Hall of Fame, said, “Vigilance at all levels of school safety continues to be necessary to stop
these heartbreaks from occurring.”
Families of the honorees are invited to share memories and thoughts about their fallen educator at
the ceremony. These tributes provide powerful reflections and human connections to the people being
honored.
The unofficial motto at each rededication ceremony is “No More Names.” Sadly, each year seems
to bring new tragedies and individual stories of educators’ heroism and selflessness. The National
Memorial to Fallen Educators will continue to honor those who died while educating students and serve
as testimonial to those educators’ courage and ultimate sacrifice.

Further Information and Directions
Vignettes about each of the individuals honored at the memorial can be seen at the website for the
National Memorial to Fallen Educators at www.nthfmemorial.org. In addition, interested individuals can
contact the National Teachers Hall of Fame office at 1-620-341-5660.
The National Memorial to Fallen Educators is located in Emporia, Kansas, less than a quarter mile
from Exit #130, Merchant Street, off Interstate 35. It is an outdoor memorial, so it can be visited at
any time on any day. Those who wish to tour the one-room schoolhouse nearby or to visit the National
Teachers Hall of Fame can make arrangements for tours by contacting officials at the Hall’s website at
www.nthf.org. Donations to support all three sites are gratefully accepted.

A bird’s-eye view of the National Memorial to Fallen Educators.
Photo courtesy of the National Teachers Hall of Fame; used with permission.

Pat Graff, a member of Gamma Chapter in New Mexico State Organization and a National Board Certified Teacher, taught 38 years for
the Albuquerque, New Mexico, Public Schools and is a 25-year member of DKG. In 2006, she was the first New Mexican inducted into the
National Teachers Hall of Fame and has been honored to help enshrine new names at the National Memorial for Fallen Educators. PGraff@
aol.com

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