Teaching legacy — District augments teaching award to honor couple’s legacy

Mary Stroka

NLJ Reporter

A new annual teacher award honoring kindness, resilience and excellence will bear the names of longtime Weston County School District No. 1 educators Gene and Pat Ward.

In a letter to Superintendent Brad LaCroix, the Wards’ daughter, Dr. Deborah Morris, asked the district to establish the award in honor of her parents, who taught in the district from 1963 to 1997 and raised their three children — Morris, Rebecca Schmitt and David Ward — in Newcastle.

The letter states that the award will recognize a district teacher selected annually by a superintendent-appointed committee based on qualities the Wards exemplified, including kindness, joy, resilience and excellence in educating and mentoring students. The award will be presented at a school awards ceremony, during which a short biography of the Wards written by Morris will be read, with a copy given to the recipient. The honoree will also receive an unrestricted cash award of at least $1,000, funded through a new account within the Weston County School District No. 1 Education Endowment Foundation.

The family seeded the account with $15,100 in donations, including $100 from a family friend, according to the letter.

In a Dec. 9 email, LaCroix told the family he was grateful for the opportunity to honor the Wards, whom he worked with during his career. He said the district will add the monetary award to its Teacher of the Year program, and each year’s recipient will be asked to serve on the committee that selects the next year’s honoree.

Gene Ward died in October at age 90. He taught accounting, business and economics at Newcastle High School, where he mentored students who later pursued careers in business and accounting. After retiring from the high school, he taught adult education courses, helping local business owners computerize their operations, and he also served on the school board.

Rebecca Schmitt, one of the couple’s daughters, described her parents as “a power team.”

Pat Ward, 93, lives at Lynridge of Arlington Assisted Living and Memory Care in Arlington, Texas, according to her husband’s obituary.

Deborah Morris said the idea for the award emerged after her father’s death. After she posted his obituary on a NHS Facebook page, the family received an outpouring of messages from former students.

Many shared memories of how Gene Ward helped them start small businesses, apply for college or find their footing early in their careers.

“So many people remembered him and how impactful he’d been as they were starting out,” Morris said.

One former student, Dick Bratton, later emailed the family describing how Gene Ward helped launch his career and asking whether they had considered establishing an award in his honor.

Because both parents devoted more than three decades to the district, the family decided to create a single annual award honoring both Gene and Pat Ward, Morris said. She said the award is intended to recognize an excellent teacher each year who reflects the values her parents embodied throughout their careers. She hopes the award will help encourage future educators.

“It’s a difficult profession. It doesn’t pay great. But you can really make an impact in a lot of lives,” she said. “We’re proud of that.”

Morris said she asked that the biography she wrote be read aloud and given to the award recipient so the teacher understands the legacy being honored.

Pat Ward taught reading at the elementary level and worked with students through the federally funded Title I program. Morris described her mother as a nationally respected reading teacher who specialized in helping children who struggled academically and lacked confidence.

She “was known for her style, joy and creativity in the classroom,” the family biography states. “She believed that learning should be a fun adventure and was an expert at building self-confidence in every child in her care.”

Morris recalled accompanying her mother to the classroom on weekends as Pat Ward transformed the space with immersive themes. One of her favorite memories involved a “Super Reader” theme, during which a donated phone booth was placed in the classroom so students could change into special T-shirts before beginning their reading lessons.

“The people in the community really supported her,” Morris said. “She’d go and ask for something and the business that was affiliated would deliver it to her room and just donate things. Because she was really great at reaching out to people.”

Pat Ward earned her doctorate in curriculum and instruction while teaching, and her dissertation focused on creativity in the classroom, Morris said. Known for her sense of style, Pat Ward carefully coordinated her clothing, jewelry and accessories — a flair she still has today.

“Everybody was interested to see what she was going to be wearing,” Morris said. “She was a very big personality, and I think she taught a whole generation of children to read.”

Rebecca Schmitt said her father also played a central role in shaping her career. Although she did not enjoy academics, she said Gene Ward encouraged her to pursue business, enrolling her in every business class the school offered.

With his guidance, she went on to win state business awards and eventually start her own company, which she has operated for 33 years.

“We’re the largest document retrieval company in Texas, and we do work all over the country, but that was because of him guiding me and leading me,” she said.

Roland Schmitt IV, Gene Ward’s grandson, told the News Letter Journal that his grandfather had a profound impact on those around him.

“Gene was a wonderful man who poured into the lives of everyone around him. I never saw him yell or curse in 26 years and he always had the best advice,” Schmitt said. “I’m proud to be his grandson.”

Rebecca Schmitt said her father continued offering advice until shortly before his death.

“His greatest gift, no matter who you were, not just as a student, but who you were, as brilliant as you were or as low as you were on the totem pole, he could get you to understand anything,” she said.