Five to be Honored at UW College of Education Ceremony

Oct. 19, 2007 -- Three College of Education graduates and two former faculty members will be honored during the 2007 Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Former Faculty Award banquet Oct. 26, at the University of Wyoming.

Graduates to be honored are Judy Catchpole of Cheyenne and Leah Griffin and Margaret C. “Peg” Tobin, both of Laramie. Distinguished former faculty honorees are Louise Jackson of Springfield, Mo., and Gene Moran of Laramie.

After graduating with a bachelor of arts (1966) degree in elementary education, Catchpole launched a teaching career that included assignments in San Diego and Albuquerque. When Catchpole’s family moved to Casper, her focus turned to volunteering where she worked as an advocate for preschool education and taught music and preschool at a local church. She also served six years on the local school board.

Catchpole, in 1994, successfully campaigned for Wyoming’s highest educational office, superintendent of public instruction. She served two terms, focusing on school improvement, accreditation and technology.

Griffin’s path to a bachelor’s (1981) degree in elementary education, with K-12 certification in art education, included a few detours that took her as far away as East Africa. After beginning her teaching career on the African continent, as a volunteer in primary and secondary schools, Griffin returned to the United States and eventually Laramie, where she completed her degree and began work as a K-6 art teacher.

She also earned a M.S. (1996) degree in lifelong learning and instruction, and helped develop a K-6 art curriculum that is adopted by the Albany County School District.
Tobin spent most of her career advising students and mentoring young leaders at UW.

She graduated with a B.A. (1942) in business education. She returned to campus in 1961 as a graduate student for the director of Knight Hall, then a residence hall. Tobin graduated a year later with a master of education degree in counseling and guidance.

She took a position as assistant dean of students at Loretto Heights College in Denver, but returned to Wyoming in 1964 to accept a position as UW dean of women. Tobin retired in 1986 as associate dean of students.

A position teaching at the UW Lab School brought Louise Jackson to Laramie. After ending her assignment, in which she also collaborated on faculty research projects and directed graduate-level remedial reading workshops, Jackson became a full-time graduate student. She completed her Ph.D. (1965) degree in education and returned to Laramie in 1978 to join the UW College of Education faculty.

Jackson taught reading and language arts methods courses and also graduate and extension classes in those areas. She directed the Elementary Partnership Program and served as associate dean for undergraduate teacher education before retiring in 1994.

Moran began the higher education portion of his career in 1965 when he accepted a position as assistant professor and assistant dean at The American University. He ventured west three years later when he accepted an associate professorship at UW, teaching courses in English education until his 1992 retirement.

In addition to teaching and research, Moran served in administrative capacities that included coordinator of secondary education, coordinator of graduate studies, and acting department head. Moran currently serves on the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Board of Examiners.

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Former Superintendent of Public Instruction Judy Catchpole is among five people to be honored during the 2007 Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Former Faculty Award banquet at the UW College of Education.

Posted on Friday, October 19, 2007