1991 – Edna C. Kleinmeyer
In 1931, Edna came to Lakewood to teach English and retired 36 years later. Prior to her time in Lakewood, Edna attended Cleveland Lincoln High School and then earned her B.A. at Western Reserve University. Upon graduation in 1926, at a time of job shortages for teachers, Edna secured a job teaching in Menominee, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After three years, she returned to college to earn her M.A. at Cornell University in Elizabethan and Renaissance history and literature. She did post-graduate work at Radcliffe College. Edna came a long way in the world of education – a native of Wickliffe, Ohio, she spent her first eight years of school learning in a one-room red brick schoolhouse. Beyond the classroom, Edna was a leader. She served as a girls’ counselor and as adviser to the National Honor Society. She also worked with Project Learn and volunteered at Lakewood Hospital for 16 years.
1991 – Marthella Spinneweber Lehtinen
Marthella had ten years of teaching experience before she came to Lakewood in 1938. During the war years, she was clerk of the Lakewood Board of Education and secretary to the Superintendent of Schools. Marthella earned her B.A. at Kent State University and her M.A. at Western Reserve University. In 1949 she returned to the Lakewood High School Business Department. In 1954, and until she retired in 1970, Marthella was the Vocational Guidance Director and Counselor. She directed the very successful Careers Day program at Lakewood High School and was the sponsor of Main Friendship (four chapters) for over twenty years. Marthella also was active in the Greater Cleveland Vocational Guidance Association.
1991 – Charles G. Prickett
Chuck, a WWII Army veteran and graduate of the School for Custodians at Ohio State University, dedicated himself to his work in the Lakewood Schools for over forty years. As an administrator he was sensitive and caring to those under his supervision. He believed in excellence on the job, and he inspired others to achieve this excellence. He was a very approachable person to his staff. Chuck continued to update his skills in current operation and maintenance information. Chuck served as president of Chapter 134 of the Ohio Association of Public School Employees, taught boiler school for Lakewood custodial personnel and supervised 70 custodial employees. He also was a member of the Board of Directors for the Cleveland Institute of Sanitation Management. Chuck retired from his job in Lakewood in 1985.
1991 – Mahlon Povenmire
Mahlon Povenmire retired from his position as principal of Lakewood High School in 1967, completing 19 ½ years of service in Lakewood and 41 years of public service in Ohio. He was principal of Coshocton, Galion and Prospect schools, and superintendent of schools in Galion, Ohio. Mahlon earned his B.A. and M.A. at The Ohio State University.
When Mahlon came to Lakewood High School in 1948, there was a staff of 75 teachers and pupil enrollment of 1,750. During his two decades, the high school staff increased to 116 and the students numbered 2,375. The additions of the Civic Auditorium, L-Room, East Gym, cafeteria and other renovations were completed during his years of service. Mr. Povenmire played a key leadership role in planning an expansion of the high school, which was completed in 1970. He also was a student adviser at Baldwin-Wallace College, a senior member of the Lakewood Kiwanis Club, and was active in many professional organizations.
1991 – Martha Jane McNeil
Martha Jane began her career as a teacher at Hayes Elementary School in 1959. In 1966 the planning for the new Grant Elementary School began, and Martha Jane was to become the principal. Prior to her Lakewood experience, she worked in a public library in Savannah, Georgia. She earned her B.A. at The Ohio State University and her M.A. at Western Reserve University. Martha Jane was an innovative educator – she developed a non-graded open classroom concept at Grant which won national praise. While in Lakewood, she was named the Exemplary Principal of the Year by the OAESP, she co-authored two elementary education publications and was a recipient of the Martha Holden Jennings Scholar award. Outside of teaching, she was active in the Girl Scouts, the American Field Service, and the Council on Human Relations and in her church.
1992 – Olive M. Kroeger
Olive was a kindergarten teacher for 43 years, all but one year of that time in Lakewood. She taught at Franklin and Lincoln schools. Olive attended the Cleveland Kindergarten Training School, and did post-graduate work at Western Reserve University, Baldwin-Wallace College and Kent State University. Olive was known as a dedicated, hard-working teacher, and as one colleague said, “Olive could accomplish more in one lunch hour than many others could do in an entire day. She moved fast and got a lot accomplished, always with a smile and while tending to others’ needs as well.”
By the time Olive retired in 1961, she had taught some of the grandchildren of her original students. Olive grew up in Lakewood, graduated from Lakewood High School in 1915, and lived for over 80 years in the home her parents built on Lakewood Avenue in 2002. She also was known for her giving spirit outside of the schools — during WWII, Olive volunteered to the war effort by knitting for the troops and driving a bus for Red Raider Camp.
1992 – Adell M. Kleinecke
Adell began her teaching at Lakewood in 1936 at Horace Mann Jr. High School. Her teaching career reflects her untiring devotion and contributions to the girls’ Physical Education Department. At LHS she set a standard of excellence in her field of work. She gave girls and young women opportunities to excel in physical activities long before it was fashionable to do so. Adell earned her B.A. at LaCrosse State College in Wisconsin, and her M.A. at the University of Michigan.
During her years in Lakewood, she served as President of the Ohio Physical Education, Health and Recreation Association, was the Department Chair of the Phys Ed Department at Lakewood, and she helped design the structure of the North Gym. She was a sponsor of the Girls’ Leaders Club, and was a recipient of the Meritorious Award from the State Health and Physical Education Association for her outstanding contributions.
1992 – Art W. Moore
Art came to Lakewood High School in 1957 after teaching in Huron, Ohio, for seven years. A graduate of Bowling Green State University and Indiana University, he taught English, Speech, and was the mainstay of the Drama Department at Lakewood High School. Art was demanding of perfection in his stage productions, and several of his students went on to professional careers in the arts. He directed over 75 plays that were staged in the Tryout Theater and the Civic Auditorium. After his 25-year teaching career, he then served as stage manager for the Civic for eight years. An award has since been established in his name for an outstanding member of the stage crew of the Civic.
1993 – Nan Neneman
Nan, a Western Reserve University alumna, was a kindergarten teacher at Taft School for 25 years. She came to Lakewood in 1952 and retired in 1977. She gave a sound fundamental start to many Lakewoodites. Nan was an earnest, loyal, hard-working teacher, and was widely respected as of the of best kindergarten teachers of her time. She was a Martha Holden Jennings Scholar Award recipient in 1963.
1993 – William Hamilton
Bill earned his degree from Wittenberg University and taught for five years in Mansfield, Ohio before coming to Lakewood in 1956. In Lakewood, Bill was known as a popular, creative and competent history teacher. He earned a solid reputation as a coordinator, consultant, program evaluator and LHS Summer School principal. Bill was instrumental in introducing the advanced placement program in 1961. He retired in 1982 after 26 years at Lakewood High.
His career achievements were notable: Bill was a Martha Holden Jennings Scholar Award recipient, was an educational consultant for the Jennings Foundation and earned the John Hay Fellow Award from the Phi Delta Kappa honorary. He also was a co-author of The New Model Me 2nd edition and was a contributing author of Humanities Program Today.
1996 – Vernon McRae
Vernon came to Lakewood in 1922 and was assigned to Horace Mann Junior High, where he spent the next 41 years teaching graphic arts, metal shop and home mechanics. Vernon served six superintendents during his tenure, and helped install the print shop and metal shops at Harding, Emerson and Horace Mann. He also initiated and guided the publication of the Horace Mann Life Newspaper. He and his students were recognized by the Plain Dealer the salvage program he created to collect scrap metal for the WWII effort. Students recall him as a dignified, kind and encouraging teacher.
1996 – Allen Lindsay
Al taught for eight years before coming to Lakewood in 1964. His contributions to the education program of the Lakewood Schools as a teacher, coach and house principal have been greatly appreciated. Al is a dynamic educator and his role in helping students succeed never stopped. His teaching experience included English, speech and dramatics, physical education and driver’s education. Al’s administration services included Harding and LHS, and he also assisted in coaching football and track, along with other teams in the recreation program.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Al was very involved in the community. He was a member of Phi Delta Kappa from 1960-1996 and was named Lakewood Man of the Year by the Recreation Commission in 1984. He was the past president of the Lakewood Jaycees, and he received awards from the West Shore Young Life, American Legion, VFW, Fellowship Christian Athletes and the Rotary Club. He also is the father of two LHS grads: Alvin ’85 and Virginia ’86.
1996 – Lenore Koppel
Lenore came to Lakewood in 1974 and retired in 1990. Prior to Lakewood, she had 24 years of teaching in another school district. She taught special education, learning disabilities and deaf education, including secondary school English. Lenore was Lakewood’s Coordinator of Special Education, Director of Hearing Impaired Program and later was promoted to Director of Pupil Personnel. She was honored as a Mather Scholar, and served as the president of the board of trustees for the University Heights Public Library.
Lenore wrote and implemented the first Senior High learning disabilities curriculum for Cleveland Heights, and established Lakewood’s first classes for handicapped infants and toddlers. She also established Lakewood’s classes for severe behaviorally handicapped students. In her retirement, Lenore directed a Jewish Day Care Center in Shaker Heights, and she edits Jewish periodicals.
1997 – Katharine Moore
Katharine began her teaching career at Lakewood High School in 1916. A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, she spent 35 years at LHS, retiring in 1952. It is estimated that she taught over 10,000 students in her English class and over 5,000 of them enrolled in her speech classes. She campaigned vigorously for poise and fluency and was against pomposity and trite phrasing. She was also the Program Chairperson for the Cleveland Chapter of the Ohio Poetry Society and contributed poems for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
1997 – William Murray
After 22 years serving the Lakewood schools, Treasurer Bill Murray retired in 1991. Murray’s career began in 1969, when he came on board as the Business Office manager. In 1972, he became manager of the Finance Department and Clerk Treasurer, and in 1980 he reached the Treasurer position. While treasurer, Bill received eight perfect audits from the Bureau of Inspection and Supervision. He also received an excellent rating in the annual state examination, and was nominee for Treasurer of the Year in 1986-87.
1998 – Donovan Moser
Don’s varied teaching career included one year in Bluffton, eight years in Milford and 27 years in Lakewood. Even after his retirement from Lakewood, he continued to educate in private schools for another ten years. Don Moser spent his Lakewood years at the junior high level. He served as a teacher, counselor and administrator. Don performed each duty with a high degree of competency. He was conscientious, he related well to people and he worked hard to improve the instructional program. Don served as a night school administrator and for some years helped with the junior high athletic program.
Don made many contributions to junior high school education. The Bluffton College alum co-authored a book on Chinese history used as a resource manual in junior high schools, he served as the committee chair for changing the junior high format to the current middle school format and he coordinated the writing of the grade 7 geography curriculum. He also supervised the committee format to facilitate dialog between PTA administrators and staff, and he was involved with the committee to implement Title IX in the schools.
1999 – Dolores Mlachak
Counselor Dolores Mlachak was involved in assisting young people for 41 years. She worked for the Veterans Administration for three years, the Juvenile Court for 18 years and then for 20 years in the Lakewood School System. Her Lakewood tenure began in 1974 and she retired in 1994. During her tour of duties she worked with children from kindergarten through 12th grade. Delores quietly and tirelessly worked behind the scenes with troubled children. She helped them find ways to deal with problems at home so they could be successful in school. Aside from counseling, Dolores also was a probation officer and Juvenile Court referee, and eventually was promoted to supervisor of probation officers.
2000 – Hugh Meabon
Hugh served at the 13th principal of Lakewood High School. Before coming to Lakewood, Hugh had been a teacher, coach, counselor and administrator at Brecksville and Indian Hill School Districts. He was a true professional in all aspects of his educational career. His success as principal was based on many educational criteria. However, his knowledge, leadership style, sense of humor and friendliness made him an effective administrator. He was student-oriented, and built respect and confidence with the teaching staff.
Hugh also served as president of the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators, and was a speaker at state and national principals’ conventions. He was a PTA life member, and was a Lt. Governor of Kiwanis International.
2002 — Dorothy Z. Lewis.
Dorothy Lewis taught in the Lakewood schools from 1963 until her retirement in 1994. She graduated from Oakwood High School in Dayton, then earned her bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College. She continued her graduate studies at Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, The Ohio State University and Cleveland State.
Mrs. Lewis joined Lakewood in 1963 as a kindergarten teacher at Madison Elementary School. She also taught first grade at Taft and kindergarten at Lincoln. She tutored first through fourth graders district wide through a state-funded program. She began teaching children with learning disabilities at Garfield in 1973, then at Madison from 1986 until her retirement in 1994.
Mrs. Lewis was a Jennings Scholar and developed a program which brought together families of children with special needs and helped those families provide support to one another. She was Madison School’s Teacher of the Year in 1982, and received a special award and Teacher of the Month honors from the Cuyahoga Special Education Arts Festival in 1982 and 1983.
An accomplished pianist, Mrs. Lewis played at many nursing homes and volunteered as an accompanist form a number of Lakewood elementary school programs. She also accompanied the Hermit Club choir and directed the children’s choir, children’s orchestra and adult handbell choir at Lakewood Presbyterian Church.
2008 – William McNamara
Bill McNamara was an outstanding teacher, department head, and administrator in the Lakewood City Schools for over 35 years, the entirety of his career. After completing his student teaching at Lakewood High School, Bill was hired to teach social studies. He was a creative teacher who was not only admired by his students but also highly respected by his colleagues. As a result, he was appointed social studies department chairperson where he helped develop a curriculum rich in social involvement, commitment, and creative thinking. The department’s offerings, teaching techniques and emphasis on active citizenship served as a model curriculum for other schools.
Mr. McNamara was appointed Assistant Principal in charge of the high school curriculum. In this role, Bill was able to influence and facilitate necessary changes to the curriculum by working collaboratively with the school’s department chairpersons and with individual creative teachers who respected him as a leader, educator, and innovator. Bill will always be remembered for his leadership in helping to establish an excellent labor/management climate for the district. He played an important role in establishing the Lakewood Communications Forum which began in the 1970s and continues to meet today. As a testament to his work, the teacher’s union and school administration together selected him to serve as the Forum’s facilitator for the last five years.
While Bill has been honored repeatedly throughout his career, one of his greatest honors and experiences was when he was selected a National Fulbright Scholar and Exchange Teacher. Bill’s smile and laughter, his wit and his great people skills have endeared him to everyone who has had the pleasure of working with him.
2010 – Gerald C. Metzler
Gerald C. Metzler graduated in 1967 from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. His first teaching assignment was a three year position at West High School. In addition to teaching General Science and Biology, Mr. Metzler coached JV football, baseball and wrestling.
In 1971, Gerry Metzler was hired by Lakewood City Schools. For the next twenty seven years, Mr. Metzler taught Biology, Human Physiology and Anatomy, and Environmental Science at Lakewood High School. A former student commented that Mr. Metzler paced his academically-rigorous class well. He had the knowledge base and people skills, combined with a caring and empathic attitude to make him an outstanding teacher. LHS athletics also benefited from his abilities. He served as head trainer for three years and was also freshman, JV and Varsity Wrestling Coach.
Mr. Metzler retired from LHS in 1998, but his academic pursuits and instructional opportunities continue today. In 1987, Mr. Metzler received a Master of Arts degree in History from Cleveland State University. The title of his thesis, Underwater Shipwrecks in Lake Erie, Cleveland to Vermilion: A Historical Resource, gives insight to his current passion.
Gerald Metzler has become a renowned authority on shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. His knowledge is not only based on historical research. To date, Gerry has made dives on 72 shipwrecks in Lake Erie. His discoveries led him to publish the “Lake Erie Shipwrecks” map. Mr. Metzler is currently developing a Great Lakes vessel history database with the Wisconsin Maritime Museum.