Four Receive Awards from UW College of Education

(Editors: Please note local names.)

Sept. 15, 2005 -- The University of Wyoming College of Education is honoring four distinguished alumni and former faculty members.

Receiving the 2005 Distinguished Alumni Award were former Buffalo teacher Susan Logan Berry and retired UW professor Joseph Stepans. The Distinguished Faculty Award went to James Hook and Arden White.

Berry received her B.A. (1970) degree in secondary English education and began her teaching career at high schools in Colorado and Oregon. She returned to Wyoming in 1977, assuming an assignment at Buffalo High School. While at BHS, she taught language arts courses, ranging from creative writing to English literature, reading and speech. Berry also devoted countless hours sponsoring extracurricular activities for the school, before retiring in 2002.

Stepans returned to his native Iran after earning a Ph.D. (1975) in science education from the college, but his absence from his adopted home in Wyoming was brief. He returned in 1977 to teach at Pinedale High School, then joined the UW College of Education faculty in 1981.

Stepans is credited with creating Wyoming TRIAD (WyTRIAD), a professional development program featuring a three-way partnership among teachers, administrators and a trained facilitator. WyTRIAD has been adopted in several Wyoming school districts and in districts around the country. Stepans retired from the college last spring.

Hook received his Ed.D. (1966) in educational psychology and human development and joined the college faculty that same year as an assistant professor of educational foundations, serving until his retirement in 1996.

During his tenure at UW, Hook served as head of the Department of Educational Foundations, acting dean and dean. In addition to teaching a full slate of courses in educational psychology, special education and child growth and development, Hook was a lead investigator on several research and development grants focusing on Wyoming schools and served as an expert resource to districts around the state. Hook was named a Danish Institute Fellow in 1979, traveling widely in the Scandinavian countries to study educational methodologies devoted to children.

White joined the College of Education faculty in 1961, after earning master’s and doctoral degrees from Colorado State College-Greeley (now the University of Northern Colorado) and teaching for two years in Aberdeen, S.D. He was promoted to associate professor in 1964 and to professor in 1967. He served as department head from 1972-81 and retired in 1991. White was known for extending himself as a professional resource to former students.

Posted on Thursday, September 15, 2005