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Alumni Honored for Teaching Contributions

From left: Olympia McClendon ’01, Rev. William T. Roberts Sr. ’94 and Carol Petzold ’59 hold the plaques they received from Valpo’s department of education for their contributions to the teaching profession.

Two ­Indiana educators and a state representative from Maryland were recognized this past fall for their contributions to the teaching profession by Valparaiso University’s Department of Education.

Receiving the department’s outstanding educator award were Olympia McClendon ’01, a Gary, Ind., music teacher; Rev. William Roberts Sr. ’94, principal of Benjamin Bosse High School in Evansville, Ind.; and Carol Petzold ’59, a former middle school teacher and member of the Maryland House of Delegates for 20 years.

An active promoter of fine arts education, McClendon has helped revitalize the music programs at Gary’s Edison and Bailly middle schools and recently partnered with Wirt High School to strengthen its concert and marching bands. She teaches saxophone at DancExcel-Champion Center for Creative Arts and works with youth ensembles throughout the city.

Roberts taught history at Gary’s Lew Wallace and West Side high schools for five years before holding a number of administrative positions, including dean of students and assistant principal at West Side. He was named principal of Benjamin Bosse High School in 2007, the school’s first new principal in 22 years.

After holding teaching positions in California and Maryland, Petzold was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1987. As a member of its Judiciary Committee, she championed fair laws in divorce, child support and domestic violence. She has been recognized by the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Gov­er­nors’ Advisory Board on Homelessness. In 1970, she organized a private, non-profit child care center that today serves more than 150 children.