EMPORIA, KAN. — The National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF) will dedicate the Memorial to Fallen Educators on June 12, at 2 pm, on the Emporia State University campus. This memorial and dedication ceremony will honor fallen educators and provide a permanent tribute to their sacrifice.

The groundbreaking for the memorial took place on June 13, 2013. Dr Gerard Brooker, a retired teacher and former Newtown Board of Education member, participated in that ceremony. Organizers had hoped at the time that the memorial would be installed and ready for dedication last summer.

The inspiration for the memorial came from the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy that killed six educators December 14, 2012. Members of the NTHF then began to research, and found reports of 112 fallen educators.

As far back as 1764, schoolmaster Enoch Brown lost his life during a Lenape Indian attack in Pennsylvania. Most recent events occurred in October 2013, when Michael Landsberry of Sparks, Nev., and Colleen Ritzer of Danvers, Mass., were killed by teenage students.

This is the only national tribute of its kind to education professionals who have been killed in the line of duty. The plaza will feature a limestone retaining wall, a walkway, black granite benches, two book monuments, a major donors’ wall, and a patio, with bricks that will be engraved with names of donors who contribute at least $250 to the memorial.

Among those honored at the dedication of the National Teachers Hall of Fame Memorial to Fallen Educators will be Anne Marie Murphy, teacher’s aide; Victoria Leigh Soto, first grade teacher; Lauren Rousseau, a permanent substitute first grade teacher; Mary Sherlach, school psychologist; Rachel D’Avino, behavioral therapist; and Dawn Hochsprung, Principal, all of whom were killed on 12/14. 

The National Teachers Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization honoring exceptional school teachers. It was founded in 1989 by Emporia State University, the Emporia Alumni Associations, and the Emporia Chamber of Commerce.

The National Teachers Hall of Fame is currently accepting donations to support this memorial to fallen educators. For more information on this dedication or NTHF, contact Director Carol Strickland or Jennifer Baldwin at 800-96TEACH or 620-341-5660; e-mail at halfame@emporia.edu, or visit nthf.org and select the Memorial Information link.