UK Teachers Who Made a Difference honored in October

Thirteen professors from the University of Kentucky were among 87 educators honored at the UK College of Education's Teacher Who Made a Difference program on Saturday, October 13th, 2001, at the W.T. Young Library.

The overflow crowd gathered in the library's auditorium was the second largest ever for the four year old event, said Mary Ann Vimont, Director of Development for the UK College of Education and principal organizer of the Teacher Who Made a Difference program.

The program, which started four years ago, gives anyone the opportunity to express their thanks to a teacher or professor that made a significant difference in their life. "This is not a contest where the college picks one overall winner. Every teacher whose name we receive is honored. They do not even have to be affiliated with the University in any way to receive recognition. Teacher Who Made a Difference is simply a program for individuals to honor that special educator who made a positive impact on their lives," said Vimont.

Acting dean of the College of Education, Ed Sagan, hosted the event which started with a continental breakfast in the library gallery. The formal recognition was held in the auditorium of the W.T. Young Library. During his opening remarks, Sagan gave special thanks to Dermontti Dawson, an alumnus of the college of education who recently concluded his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dawson volunteered his time to be the 2001 Teacher Who Made a Difference spokesperson and participated in promotional activities for the program.

On behalf of the Commissioner and the Kentucky Department of Education, Deputy Commissioner Lois Adams-Rodgers expressed her congratulations to all those being honored and assisted in presenting each recipient with a certificate commemorating their honor.

Those named as Teachers Who Made a Difference represented every level of professional in the field of education. Honorees came from as far away as Knoxville, Tennessee and from towns as small as Belfry, Kentucky. There were teachers from elementary, middle and high schools; teachers in special education and music and art. In addition to UK, professors from Murray State, Eastern Kentucky and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, were honored. Teachers who specialized in reaching at-risk students and retired teachers whose experience reached back into the days of Kentucky's one-room schoolhouses were also among those recognized. In one of many touching moments during the program, a teacher accepted her honor accompanied by the ten-year-old student who honored her.

The final recognition of the morning was the College's annual Friend of the College award which Dean Sagan presented to the University of Kentucky Public Relations department for their promotional support of the Teacher Who Made a Difference program.

Nominations are already being accepted for the 2002 edition of Teacher Who Made a Difference. The program will be held on homecoming weekend.

The following were UK professors honored at Teacher Who Made a Difference.

Content by: Josh Shepherd - Updated by: Webmaster (October 25, 2001 at 1:55)