1991 – William Andy Watters
Andy began his educational career at Shelby High School. Seven years later in 1935, he came to Lakewood as chairman of the Chemistry Department. During his 31 years at Lakewood High School, he was noted as an excellent educator and founder of the Watters Science Seminar. In addition to his teaching duties, he was a successful track and cross country coach. Andy earned his B.A. at Oberlin College and his M.A. at Western Reserve University.
In his career, he earned numerous accolades, including the award of a Ford Foundation Fellowship in 1953, a 1957 National Science Foundation grant for summer study at Michigan State University and Science Study Institute scholarship for outstanding science teachers, held at Capital University. Andy was a Martha Jennings Scholar award recipient, and was a member of many civic organizations. He was known as a man of good humor, intelligence and courage, and his true loves were his family, his teaching and sports. In 1989, Andy provided a yearly scholarship of $1,000 to an outstanding senior in the Science Seminar.
1992 – John Wood
John was a teacher of science from 1946 to 1968. He then became Assistant Principal of Curriculum. John, a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College and Western Reserve University, expertly stressed the discovery method in his physiology classes. John helped field test the BSCS green version and developed a second-semester course in physiology. John also wrote the first five-part aerospace course in Ohio. He retired in 1985 after 39 years of service.
John earned many honors and accolades, including being honored as the Lakewood Teacher of the Year in 1967 and as the Ohio Teacher of the Year in 1968. He was a Jennings Scholar recipient in 1957, an Aerospace Scholar at NASA Wallops Island, Va., and was an Idea Fellow at Stephens College during summer study from 1975-1985. He also was a member of the Phi Delta Kappa Educational Honorary.
1992 – Dr. William E. Vedjdovic
Bill began his 30-year educational career at Lakewood High School in 1952. An alumnus of Lakewood High, ’47, Bill was a letterman in football and track. He served in the Korean War as part of the U.S. Marine Corps., and earned his B.A. and M.A. at Western Reserve University. When he started his career, jobs were scarce at the time for secondary teachers, so he switched to elementary education. Bill taught in the elementary schools and coached at the high school before becoming a principal. He served as the administrator at Franklin, McKinley and Roosevelt schools. Bill became the Director of Elementary Schools in 1966. He provided leadership in the organization of ten Learning Resource Centers, the building of Grant school, the McKinley school addition and the Lincoln school gym. Bill’s last two assignments before his retirement in 1982 were as Director of Curriculum and Director of Personnel.
Bill was an Honorary Life Member of the Ohio PTA, the President of the Northeast Ohio Association for Supervision, Curriculum, and was the President of the Schoolmasters Club of Greater Cleveland. He received the Kiwanis Award for Church Layperson of the Year, and also was a U.S. Regional Chairperson for the selection of Fulbright Award recipients.
1992 – Maynard “Doc” Ungar
Doc came to Lakewood in 1969 as a teacher and was assigned to Garfield School. He taught all subjects in a 4-5-6 grade contained classroom. He taught 13 years at Garfield and retired in 1982. He was a popular teacher and he contributed thousands of volunteer hours on behalf of Lakewood children and nonprofit agencies.
Doc was a graduate of Indiana University and the University of Southern California. He served in the U.S. Air Force during WWII, Korea and Vietnam, and was a POW in Germany. He retired as a Master Sergeant from the Air Force after 23 years. He was recognized for his professional and civic leadership: He was selected Lakewood Teacher of the Year in 1972 and Elementary Science Teacher of the Year in 1973. The Boy Scouts of America presented him with Order of Merit, Good Scout Award in 1992. Doc was an elder at Lakewood Christian Church and served on many Lakewood civic group committees, including Litterless Advisory Board, Lakewood Bicentennial Activities in 1991, and the Advisory Board on Aging.
1993 – Virgil Wallace
Virgil was the principal at Harding Junior High for 24 years. An alumnus of Muskingham College, Virgil gave credit to the Harding staff for making Lakewood a top school system. He contributed his time and talents outside of the school as well, serving as a leader in the Kiwanis Club. He also was a contributing delegate of the prestigious Long Conference held annually at Columbia University. Virgil retired from teaching in 1964. Virgil was an outstanding, unique administrator. He possessed qualities of leadership that were very rare. He had great rapport with students and staff.
1993 – James Ulrich
Jim came to Horace Mann Junior High in 1954. He previously taught at University School. During his 31 years with the Lakewood Schools he taught English, science and instrumental music. Jim was noted as an excellent educator on the cutting edge of curriculum revision. A graduate of Western Reserve University, Jim served as president of the Lakewood Teacher’s Association, was a Coordinator of Pupil Services for the Central Office, and was an Assistant Principal of Instruction and House I Principal at Lakewood High School. He also was a guidance counselor and Manager-Treasurer of the Lakewood Schools Credit Union.
1998 — Margaret Warner
Margaret Warner was a social studies teacher. She came to Lakewood in 1927. Prior to her assignment at Lakewood High School, she taught at Emerson Junior High. She spent a total of 46 years in the school system. She was a graduate of Wooster College, and served as a chairperson of the LHS Social Studies Department. She sponsored the Hi Forum and the mock United Nations Conference, and served on the AFS committee. She also was a group leader in World and European History.
Margaret said that one of her first priorities as a teacher was to “do anything she could to help public schools be places of good instruction.” Upon her retirement in 1971, she noted that, “If we ever needed educated people, we need them now. With all the complex problems of the world…people must be knowledgeable, self disciplined…and able to stick to a task.” This proved to be a nutshell description of her view of education.
1999 – Mary Wolf
Mary began her Lakewood teaching experience in 1961. Her main assignment was at Emerson Junior High, and she spent a year at Lakewood High School. She taught English and Reading during her 25 years in the school system. Mary’s achievements and accolades were numerous – she was in the Career Teacher Program, a recipient of the Martha Holden Jennings Scholar Award, Lakewood Teacher of the Year for 1972 and was a committee member of the North Central evaluators program. The Skidmore College grad also worked at the collegiate level: Mary was selected at a visiting instructor at Cleveland State University in 1979.
1999 – Tom Vanderesch
During Vanderesch’s 34 years with the Lakewood Schools, he worked as a maintenance worker, plumbing foreman, assistant supervisor of plant and operations and supervisor of operations. Known for going the extra mile, Tom could fix anything. If he needed a tool that didn’t exist, he would invent one. Vanderesch is said to have saved the district thousands of dollars by doing repairs himself. He helped with the refurbishment of the Civic Auditorium, East Gym at the high school, and working on new heating and cooling systems and roofs of many of the school buildings.
Tom’s work was often noticed and honored by others. The Lakewood Board of Education presented him with an award for exemplary work and outstanding effort and expertise. He also was named employee of the month in January 1993.
2000 – Frances Tighe
Frances came to the Lakewood Schools in 1956 after teaching in the Oswego, New York schools. A real veteran kindergarten teacher, she taught at Hayes, Franklin and Grant elementary schools. An alumna of Syracuse University, she was an excellent teacher of the very young, and was able to prepare those 5-year-olds for first grade without scolding or loud words. She engendered in them a confidence that they could do the work in front of them. She was routinely praised by parents throughout her career. Frances retired from teaching in Lakewood in 1974, but after retirement, she went on to establish a kindergarten at St. Clement School.
2009 – Nancy Reiner Wargo
Nancy Wargo was first hired to teach kindergarten in the Lakewood City Schools in 1956. Until 1960, Mrs. Wargo taught at Taft, Garfield and Roosevelt elementary schools. During summer, she taught kindergarten at Lincoln, Garfield and Taft. An eleven year tenure with the Haynes Cooperative Christian Preschool at Lakewood Congregational Church followed. Beginning in 1976 and until her retirement in 2001, Mrs. Wargo taught kindgergarten, first, second, and third grades at Taft, Garfield and Roosevelt. From 2001 to 2003, she was a student teacher supervisor through the Ashland University collegiate partnership at Lorain County Community College.
Nancy has inspired her colleagues through the many creative programs and articles she has authored. Most notably, Mrs. Wargo is credited with creating Growing Healthy Together, a program that is in its 18th year. Funded through the Kiwanis Club of Lakewood, Growing Healthy Together is an Intergenerational, 30-week program which brings 25 volunteer ‘grandparents’ from Lakewood’s Office on Aging into Lakewood kindergarten classes. They carry the message that every child is a special gift and that each child can make healthy choices about their bodies and their lives. Growing Healthy Together was recognized by the State of Ohio as the longest running Intergenerational program in the state, and was among the first of its kind to feature a developmental age appropriate Chemical Awareness and Health Program for young children.
In addition, Mrs. Wargo authored “Johnny Too Much”, a pre-K through grade 1 chemical awareness program; “USA Bunny Goes to Economyland”, a kindergarten and first grade economics curriculum; “Food is Knowledge”, 10 lessons about healthy eating and food preparation created for Lakewood Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic; and “A-2-Z-’N-26 Weeks”, a 26-week program of games, crafts, activities and a literature index for preschool and kindergarten teachers.
Mrs. Wargo earned a Bachelors of Science in Education from Miami University, a Masters Degree in Counseling (Education) from Cleveland State University, and is a Reggio Emilia trained teacher. She is active in a variety of professional societies and service organizations including the Bay Village Alumni Foundation for which she serves as secretary, Bay Village Community Board, Bay Presbyterian Church, the Stephen Ministry, and the Sassy Saxies – an E Flat Alto Saxophone Trio. Mrs. Wargo is the mother of two and has three grandchildren.
Daniel Joseph Zaffarano
Daniel Zaffarano was born in Cleveland Ohio in 1917. He grew up in Lakewood and it is reported that at age 14 he announced that he wanted to be a physicist. He graduated from Lakewood High in three and a half years and went on to receive his B.S. degree from Case Institute of Technology followed by M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Indiana University.
The world of academia became his passion and Iowa State University became his home. He began as a Research Associate Professor at ISU in 1949 and was appointed Professor in 1957. Dan was asked to serve as Chairman of the Dept. of Physics in 1961. He was selected to serve as Vice President for Research and also Dean of the Graduate College in 1987. His other honors include the titles of “Distinguished Professor in the College of Sciences and Humanities” in 1967 and “Physics Division Chief of the Ames Laboratory of the Atomic Energy Commission” from 1961 to 1971.
Quoting Suzy Zaffarano, Dan‟s wife of 58 years, “Dan was a man of never-ending curiosity and talents, a man who always put the concerns of others ahead of his own…students were always a priority in his life…we were fortunate to have six great children – in other words, while Dan was an acknowledge scientist and teacher by profession, he had to have a great sense of humor, too.
After retiring from teaching, Dan volunteered at Edwards Elementary School bringing his love of physics to sixth grade students.