When a Man Marries a Teacher

 

Greetings! I hope everyone is having a terrific day today, whatever you are celebrating---Spring, Easter, Passover, or, as in our case, our seventeenth wedding anniversary. Here we are, my husband Hal and I, enjoying a wonderful anniversary toast.

As I do every year, I said to Hal that we should conduct our annual Year in Review. "Did we meet our objectives for the year?" I asked him. "What will our goals for the coming year be, and how would we measure them?" I queried him next. And finally, "Should we revise our mission statement?" As usual, he merely stared at me (cue the sounds of crickets).

Well, what else can a man expect when he marries a teacher?

Professional Basketball Player and Former Middle School Teacher Anquell McCollum

Many gifted athletes share their talent and expertise with young students when they become teachers and coaches. This is certainly the case with Anquell McCollum, a professional basketball player who also served as a former junior high school computer skills teacher and university assistant basketball coach.
Anquell was born in 1973 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He graduated from E.E. Smith High School in his home town. There he played basketball, where he distinguished himself with 24 three-point field goal attempts, of which 11 were successful. Although this milestone accomplishment was broken in 2004, Anquell established a state record at the time.

After his high school graduation, Anquell enrolled in Western Carolina University, where he played as a guard for the Catamounts during the 1992–1993 and 1995–1996 seasons. In his freshman year, the 6'1", 180 pound Anquell earned a place on the Southern Conference (SoCon) All-Freshmen Team. Between his sophomore and senior years, Anquell was selected for the All-SoCon Tournament all three years, he was a First Team All-SoCon player two years, and in 1995–1996 he was named both the Conference Player of the Year as well as the Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player. That season, Anquell averaged 25 points per game and was ranked fifth in the nation. He led the Catamounts to one of the most historic seasons in the university's history. That was the year the university won its only Southern Conference championship.

Following his college graduation, Anquell became a professional basketball player. He first played in  France for the 1996-1997 season. From 1997-1999 he played professionally in Venezuela. In 1998 he played in both Columbia and Hong Kong. Additionally, in 2000 he played in the Dominican Republic and in the United States Basketball League for the Treasure Island Tropics. At the end of that season, Anquell retired from the game.

In 2000, Anquell returned to Western Carolina University to complete his degree in Computer Information Systems. Between 2000 and 2004, Anquell accepted a position as a computer skills teacher at Spring Lake Middle School in Spring Lake, North Carolina. He then became the Assistant Director of Admissions for Western Carolina University. In 2004–2005, this gifted athlete became an official assistant coach for the men's basketball team at the university.

This chalkboard champion was named to the Western Carolina University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. Anguell and his wife, Marie, currently live in Cullowhee, North Carolina. They have two daughters.

High School Science Teacher and Kansas Politician Ann E. Mah

Often talented educators also become accomplished politicians. This is true of Ann E. Mah, a high school teacher who was also elected as a Democrat to the Kansas House of Representatives.

 

Ann was born on May 5, 1951, in Clay Center, Kansas. Her parents were Wayne and Evelyn Clark. Young Ann was raised in Haysville near Wichita, where her father was a machinist at Boeing and her mother was a public school teacher. 

 

Ann graduated from Haysville Campus High School.  She earned her bachelor's degree from Emporia State University in 1973 and her master's degree from Emporia in 1978. She served as a high school science teacher in Chase County public schools from 1973-1978, and as a teacher in Emporia public schools from 1977-1979.

 

Ann was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2005. While in office, Ann represented the 53rd district. She served on the committees for education, higher education, and local government. She also served on the Kansas Advisory Committee on Career and Technical Education in the Kansas Department of Education. She served until 2013.

 

Ann and her husband, Larry, have one child, a son named Cary, and one grandchild. The couple lives in Topeka, Kansas. Currently, Ann works as a trainer and motivational speaker, and is the owner of Discover! Strategies. She is a member of the Capitol Area Federated Women's Democratic Club, Shawnee County Democrats, State Committee of the North Central Association, and serves on the Board of Directors of the United Way of Greater Topeka. Active as a community volunteer, she has also served on the United Way of Greater Topeka Board of Directors and the Shawnee Heights Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors.

In 1997, Ann was selected National Woman of the Year by the American Business Women's Association. She was also voted the Topeka YWCA Woman of Excellence.

Author appearance set for April 19

Terry Lee Marzell will be appearing at the Barnes and Noble at 3625 Grand Ave., Chino Hills, California, 91719, at 1:00 p.m. for a book signing. Copies of both her books, Chalkboard Champions: Twelve Remarkable Teachers Who Educated America's Disenfranchised Students and Chalkboard Heroes: Twelve Courageous Teachers and their Deeds of Valor, will be available. "I just love to tell stories about outstanding teachers," Terry expresses. "And there are so many amazing stories to tell!" The event is scheduled to coincide with this year's Teacher Appreciation Week celebrations. See you there!