Ruth Hunt

2016 Distinguished Staff

THS Journalism.

“I’m a self-made man,” Journalism teacher and Kansas City, MO. native Ruth Hunt (1889-1964) often declared to her students. After graduating from KU in 1910, she taught at Northwest Missouri State and then for five years at Abilene High school. Miss Hunt came to Topeka High in 1918 as an English teacher, but soon thereafter was drafted as a journalism instructor. Soon she headed both the school paper, The World, and its annual, The Sunflower. Upon retirement in 1950, that year’s Sunflower was dedicated in her honor. Thereafter, for 11 years, Miss Hunt was manager of publications for Topeka’s Harry Turner and Associates, overseeing 15 to 20 publications. Many of her students went on with journalism careers, particularly with Topeka, Kansas City and Omaha papers. At least one of “her boys,” Paul Williams, later won a Pulitzer Prize for the Omaha Sun.

Amy Swenson (Staff, History, THS 1914)

2015 Distinguished Staff

Her June, 1914 THS yearbook described Amy Swenson as being “smart,” occupation as being “quiet, ambition “we musn’t tell,” and favorite expression “well, dear me.” Miss Swenson obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Washburn College and later a Master’s in history from the University of Wisconsin. She began teaching at Linwood, Kansas, followed by stays at Peabody and Manhattan. Next, for two years, she taught at the old Lincoln Jr. High in Topeka for two years. Miss Swenson came to Topeka High in 1926, on the faculty as a history and government teacher until retirement in 1959; she passed away in November 1985. One of her students at Manhattan H.S. was Fred Seaton, future Secretary of the Interior under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Dick Patterson

2014 Distinguished Staff

Math Teacher, Coach, Associate Principal

Richard “Dick” Patterson grew up on a farm east of Tecumseh and graduated from Highland Park High School and in education from Washburn in 1962. His first teaching and coaching experience was at Curtis Jr. High (1964-67) followed by his first stint at Topeka High (1967-69) teaching math, biology and physical education as well as head wrestling coach. For a year (1969-70) Dick taught at the newly opened Shawnee Mission Northwest H.S. before returning to THS (1970-75). This time, besides teaching math, he served as head football coach revamping the program (e.g., two teams defeated ancient foe, the Lawrence Lions). After a spell as Vice Principal of Washburn Rural H.S. (1975-83), Patterson again returned to Topeka High as Associate Principal (1983-94) where he assisted the newly established Topeka High Historical Society. Then he had a tour of duty as Assistant Principal and then Principal of Lawrence High (1994-2003) when that community underwent expansion with a second high school. Since that time he has enjoyed several educational responsibilities including work with Highland Park H.S. and being Headmaster of Topeka Collegiate School. Regardless, Dick will always be a Trojan – if for no other reason than his wife Martha was the THS nurse and daughters both THS graduates.

Larry Lonard

2014 Distinguished Staff

Russian, Social Studies.

Native of Valley Falls, Kansas, Larry Lonard graduated with honors from Emporia State University in 1966, majoring in Russian and German. He then spent a year at the University of Wisconsin, a graduate fellowship, and taught German at a Wisconsin high school, 1967-68. Returning to Kansas Lonard obtained a Master of Arts degree in Russian language and literature from KU. From 1973 to 2005 he offered four levels of Russian at Topeka High. He also taught AP European History, World Literature, Western Civilization and German. He oversaw (1980-98) a sister school exchange program with School #62 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Involved in numerous programs relating to Russian culture (e.g., Summer Fulbright Program to Siberia, 1998) the Russian Ministry of Culture and Russian Embassy recognized Lonard in 2010 “for contribution to the study of Russian language and culture in the USA”. In 1995 he was a consultant for Topeka’s Treasures of the Czars Exhibit. Both his son and daughter are Topeka High graduates.

Hazel Fleischer Lingo

2013 Distinguished Staff

English.

Hazel Fleischer graduated from Seaman Rural High School and then Washburn College, later receiving her Master’s from KU in 1957. During the 1930s and 1940s she taught at various rural and small town Kansas high schools before a brief stint as an instructor at Washburn. She married Robert Lingo, a civil engineer, in 1940. Mrs. Lingo then became an English teacher at Topeka High, from 1951 to 1974. Upon retirement the Lingos entered a new phase as Topeka philanthropists with Ward-Meade Park and the Topeka-Shawnee County Public Library being two major beneficiaries. The stone barn at Ward-Meade is named for them, The Lingo Livery Stable; whereas the library’s rotunda, its chief architectural feature, honors their memory. She passed away in 1998.

Dorothy Jones Greer

2013 Distinguished Staff

English and Journalism. Born in Topeka in 1900, Dorothy Jones graduated from Topeka High in 1917 and four years later from Washburn College. She began her teaching career at Abilene High School but soon thereafter married William Greer and moved to Chicago. Returning to Topeka, Mrs. Greer taught English and Journalism, advisor to the THS World and Sunflower, from 1953 to 1965. Next, for five years she was a journalism professor at Washburn University. In 1970, Mrs. Greer moved to Estes Park, Colorado, where she spent the rest of her life, passing away in 2004 at the age of 104. Among her honors: induction into the Kansas State Press Association Hall of Fame for scholastic journalism, National Journalism Teacher of the Year (1962), and being acclaimed “one of twelve highest contributors to the field of Scholastic Journalism over the past 50 years” (1974).

Fayeben Williams Wolfe

2012 Hall of Fame Inductee

Faculty.

Mrs. Wolfe grew up in Smith Co., Kansas, graduating from Smith Center H.S. She briefly attended the Florida Art Academy but concluded her studies at Washburn and ultimately received a Master’s degree from the University of Kansas in 1947. Mrs. Wolfe taught in the Topeka Public Schools from 1935 to 1960 (after T.H.S. she taught art at Roosevelt Jr. High). She helped organize the State Federation of Art and developed the Art Department at the Kansas Free Fair, serving as its superintendent for 20 years. Among her students is Hall of Fame inductee L. Brent Kington for whom she assisted in obtaining a scholarship to a summer art program at KU. (dec.)

Minnie Stewart (1902)

2012 Hall of Fame Inductee

Educator.

Were it not for Mathematics teacher Miss Stewart, Kansas might not have been able to boast of “native” son as President of the United States! Her T.H.S. class prophecy predicted that by 1925 she would have graduated from 16 Colleges! Actually, she was an alumnus of Washburn with a Master’s degree from Columbia. Beginning her Math career at Abilene H.S., one of her pupils was Dwight D. Eisenhower whom she tutored for his West Point entrance exam. Afterwards she taught for 40 years at Topeka High and then another three at KU and two at Washburn. Miss Stewart served as President of the Kansas Teachers of Mathematics Assn. in 1929 & 1930. (deceased)

Jean Bass

2011 THS Distinguished Staff

Art.

A native of Kansas City, MO., Gloria “Jean” Ison graduated from Southwest Missouri State in January, 1964. Since there were no jobs teaching high school art in mid year, she took a position at a three-room grade school near Richland. Soon afterwards, she applied for a Topeka High position, obtaining her contract the day of her interview and before the District had received her transcript. Her first year in 1964-65, Ison taught two classes at Roosevelt Jr. High and the remainder of the day at Topeka High. In 1965 she married fellow artist and T.H.S. graduate James Bass (‘51), a prominent Kansas sculptor with many works found in Topeka. Specializing in weaving and fiber art, Jean Bass has had numerous local commissions, among them the First Congregational and Methodist churches of Topeka, and exhibitions at various galleries including the Mulvane, Topeka Public Library, Wichita Art Museum, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery in Lincoln, Nebraska, and so forth. She retired in 2002 and passed away March 15, 2011. She and her husband had two children.

Bernice Boyles

2011 THS Distinguished Staff

Mathematics

Born on a farm near Rossville, upon graduating the 8th grade in rural school Miss Boyles obtained a certificate for teaching in country schools – a practice possible in the early 1900s. Therefore, she taught grades one through eight at several Shawnee Co. one-room schools and Silver Lake elementary before receiving her AB degree from KU. After serving a year in the former Quincy Jr. High in North Topeka, Miss Boyles joined the Topeka High mathematics faculty in 1921. Retiring in 1956, she immediately became involved in establishing the Topeka Science Fair for area students. For this activity Miss Boyles was recognized as the 1957 Topeka Woman of the Year. She died at age 86 in 1976.