Louise Salyer

is honored with a Brick from Virginia Pallett and Donn Salyer.

A Soliloquy of My Life, by Louise Salyer

The motto "If it is worth doing at all, it is worth doing well" was given to me by my mother and father who thought I should be first in everything. And so I have had many awards and honors in my lifetime. Namely a few: in my scholastic achievements, I was valedictorian of Lexington Missouri High School in 1923, and I received an Associates of Arts Degree at Central Female College, Lexington, Missouri in 1925.

While a student there, I was a Latin major and English minor. I was President of Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Sorority. In 1929, I earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Central Missouri State Teachers College, Warrensburg, Missouri. I was a honor student all through my school years. I received a college education through a "Best Prospective Teacher" scholarship. I am also a 40 year member of Alpha Delta Kappa Phi, chapter international sorority for women teachers.

I completed my Master of Arts degree at Wichita University in 1950. My master thesis was "The Life of James Allison," a prominent Wichita businessman for whom Allison Junior High was named. There is also a dissertation for my PhD at WSU. It is titled "The New Look in Foreign Language Teaching."

I taught school for 47 years in Lexington, Missouri and Wichita. I taught the primary grades for 30 years. My favorite class was kindergarten. There was a time during the Depression that a woman could not teach school if she were married. They thought that this was taking a job from a man and he needed to support his family. During this time, I founded the first musical kindergarten in Lexington. My students started kindergarten so far ahead of the others that my program was later incorporated into the public school system in Lexington.

I was three times a candidate for Kansas Teachers Hall of Fame.

Through genealogy, I am a Daughter of American Revolution, the Flores del Sol Chapter, Wichita (30 year membership); I am also a Colonial Dame XXVII Century, Mary Place Chapter, Conway, Arkansas.

God has always played a very important part in my life. At the age of three, I was baptized in the Methodist Episcopal Church South in Lexington. I started teaching Sunday School at the age of 14 and continued for 22 years. At that time, my husband became employed at Boeing, and we moved to Wichita in 1942. We then joined the St. Luke's Methodist Church where I have now been a member for over 50 years. I taught Sunday School, was involved with the music department, and remained active in all church functions as long as my health allowed.

At the age of 18, I told God that I would become a missionary and go to Panama, where my aunt lived. However, my mother was fearful for my safety if I went overseas. She told me I could do as much good for God and mankind by being a Christian teacher. So I have done the best I could in sharing God's word through my teaching, my music, my writings, and my life. I feel that with the help of God, I have been a successful Christian teacher.

I am proud of many things in my life. I have always loved to write poetry, nonfiction, and children's stories. I have a number of books and poems published. My work has been published in five anthologies, and I received the Golden Rule Award in 1983 and 1985. I continue to be a musical missionary at the Cherry Creek Village Nursing Center, where I have provided gospel music for over 10 years.

Of my many accomplishments, the one I am most proud of is my son. He has a Bachelor of Education degree and a Master of Music degree. He is an accomplished teacher and excellent musician. He is also a devoted, caring son, and a wonderful, devoted husband and father to his family.

May this excellence in life be used by the leaders of our country in solving our nation's problems. May the efforts and accomplishments of my life be acceptable to God and man.