UW: College of Education News

College honors distinguished alumnae, former faculty

Jessie Mae “Holly” Halsted

Jessie Mae “Holly” Halsted (1905-1985) joined the UW College of Education faculty in 1933 as a teacher in the Laboratory School and instructor in the college’s teacher preparation program. She taught language arts and mathematics methods, and supervised student teachers both in the Lab School and off-campus in Laramie and Rawlins. From 1965-1971, Halsted taught in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

Born in Fairfax, South Dakota, Jessie started her teaching career in a one-room rural school near her home in 1924 with a normal training diploma which she earned as a high school senior. After a year of teaching she alternatively attended Wayne State Teacher’s College and taught fifth grade, eventually receiving her bachelor’s degree in 1930. In 1931 she earned her M.A. degree from Ohio University and went on to do further graduate work at Ohio State University, Indiana University, and the University of Wyoming.

Affectionately known as “Holly,” Halsted was a highly respected and gifted member of the education faculty. She was a diligent worker and known throughout the state and nation for her active participation in many educational associations. She was national president of the Association for Student Teaching, and served on the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE ) accreditation teams, and national Kappa Delta Pi committees.

After retiring from UW in 1971, Holly worked as the state liaison between the American Association of Retired Persons and the Retired Teachers Association.

In 1976, Holly, and her baby sister Dorothy Gibbs, were two of the ten Wyoming educators recognized as a Compatriot of Education by Kappa Delta Pi.

Glenn Jensen

Affectionately known as “Mr. Adult Educator,” Glenn Jensen’s fifteen year tenure in the UW Department of Adult Education and Instructional Services transformed the department into a regionally and nationally prominent program. Supporters of Glenn’s nomination remember him as someone who is a “real humanitarian” and “who worked for the personal growth of all the students in the program.” Glenn’s reputation is of a gracious individual who demands quality and high integrity from his students.

Glenn’s reputation preceded his arrival at UW. From 1958-1963 he served as executive director of the national adult education association (AEAUSA). In 1963 Glenn assumed leadership for adult education efforts throughout the state of Wyoming working closely with the Wyoming State Department of Education to develop an adult basic education program. His multi-faceted approach involved adult education agencies, community colleges, and Wyoming welfare and employment agencies. Within the region he helped guide the Mountain Plains Adult Education Association and served as editor of the Region’s only adult education refereed publication.

Glenn served as a College of Education faculty member and for nine years as department head. As a clear result of Glenn’s stature in the field of adult education, the Department of Adult Education and Instructional Services graduate program attracted high caliber students who matriculated to assume significant roles in the field. A founding member of the national Commission of Professors of Adult Education (CPAE), Glenn has remained committed to the constant reexamination of accepted norms in the field, emphasizing personal development through adult education. Last year, Glenn was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame.

Glenn received a B.A. degree from Yankton College, in South Dakota, and his master’s degree from the University of South Dakota at Vermillion. His Ph.D. was from the University of Colorado, at Boulder. Today, Glenn and Mary Jensen live in Rapid City, South Dakota. They have two sons, Robert, and Bill.

Susie K. (Warburton) McMurry

Raised in Hanna, Wyoming, Susie K. (Warburton) McMurry taught first grade at Crest Hill Elementary School in Casper after receiving her B.A. degree in elementary education from UW. Since then Susie has devoted much of her life to children. In addition to raising two daughters, she is one of the founding members of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the Child Advocacy Program which assists children in foster care or who are abused and neglected and can no longer live with their families. Susie has been described as “…a champion for children in need and a vital part of a trained community to speak for the best interests of these children in court.”

As Capital Campaign Chair of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming, Susie spearheaded the effort to build a new Boys & Girls Club facility and supporting endowment to provide a safe and nurturing environment for future generations of children. Susie gives to organizations in every capacity—from board member to clean up crew, from caring companion to child’s advocate. For more than a decade Susie has been a volunteer for the local hospice program and Gentle Hands, a Wyoming Medical Center program that supports terminally ill patients and their families. With her husband Mick, Susie has been a foster parent for 25 years.

Susie is also actively involved with the Nicolaysen Art Museum and Discovery Center. The Wyoming Women Winners Poster Project featured her as a woman leader and role model for school aged girls.

Susie and Mick’s family foundation has been instrumental in developing non-profits in Casper and around Wyoming. The McMurry Foundation funds programs that focus on mentoring, developing leadership skills, encouraging community service, and building self-esteem in youth.

One letter of support astutely observed that “Susie’s life is a book on how to lead by example to make a difference.”

Josephine “Jo” McCue Temby

Wyoming native Josephine “Jo” McCue Temby holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UW in elementary education. After graduation Jo worked for several years as an administrative assistant in the College of Agriculture Dean’s Office before embarking upon her teaching career. She was a substitute teacher in the Laramie, Wyoming, school system, and taught kindergarten at the UW Lab School for a year before joining the faculty at Beitel Elementary School in Laramie, Wyoming, where she taught third grade for the next 28 years.

Jo was active in professional organizations throughout her career holding a variety of offices in the Albany County Education Association and was a co-founder the Laramie Elementary Teachers Segment of that organization. She also served as a member of the Wyoming Education Association Delegate Assembly. Jo was equally active on Beitel Elementary School curriculum committees, including reading, language, spelling, health, handwriting, mathematics, science, and social studies.

Letters of support for Jo’s nomination note her teaching skills and competence, but also her life skills and tenacity. Jo survived a difficult childhood, fought the challenges she was given with her own perseverance, and is a model of integrity and heroism that today we seek in our leaders.

Jo, with the support of her husband Robert Temby, is an ardent and devoted alumna of the University of Wyoming. She established the Josephine J. McCue Scholarship in Education to provide scholarships for academically proven freshman and sophomore students in the College of Education.

With her former husband, Leo P. McCue, Joe raised two children—both graduates of the University of Wyoming. Her son John is a physician in Ashland, Wisconsin, and daughter Janet Carter is an art teacher in the Fort Collins, Colorado, school system. Janet’s daughter Kimberly continues the family’s teaching tradition and is currently a student in the College of Education.

Maurice Wear

Maurice Wear’s impact on the UW College of Education and the current leadership in Wyoming’s schools is unparalleled. His UW career spanned 26 years and included service as a faculty member and department head in the Department of Educational Administration, and associate dean in the college. His nomination and letters of support detail a man who is known for his integrity, honesty, professionalism, and positive nature. A fellow colleague noted, “We were all better for having been in his presence.” This sentiment resonates throughout numerous letters of support and comments from former colleagues and students.

Maurice came to Wyoming from Kansas having received a B.S. degree from Kansas State University and master’s degree from the University of Wichita. His professional experiences were as a classroom teacher and administrator in Kansas schools before taking a leave of absence in 1964-65 to pursue a doctorate at the University of Wyoming.

In 1966 Dr. Wear accepted the position of State Chairman of the North Central Association and Head of the Department of Educational Administration. In 1971 he was tapped to serve as the college’s associate dean and served in that capacity for ten years before returning to teaching and administrative duties in the Department of Educational Administration. He retired in 1991 as Professor Emeritus—the same year he received the Hollon Award for Teaching Excellence in Off-Campus Programs.

Maurice’s legacy is serving Wyoming’s students and practicing administrators in the area of school law. His influence continues today. Many of Wyoming’s school leaders were Maurice’s students either in a formal class or in-service setting. His teaching was characterized by organization, case-based instruction, humor, and the unique ability to create a common interpretation of a complex legal situation.