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passion
A Teacher’s
for Education
Achild of the depression, Elna
(Langford) Tucker always valued
education. “Elna knew how hard it
was to get by day by day let alone have money
for anything extra such as education,”
remembers Barbara Sayres, a cousin of Tucker’s.
Tucker’s affinity for the value of education is
evident by the choices that she made throughout
her life. As the only child of Roy and Rena
(Bell) Langford, she often entertained herself by
lining up chairs and using the family’s farm dogs
as her pupils. Tucker attended several country
schools for grade school before eventually
graduating as valedictorian from Sewal High
School in Sewal, Iowa. After completing a year
at Centerville Junior College in Centerville,
Iowa, Tucker began her teaching career in 1942
at a country school near the family farm.
Tucker’s affection for learning and the
teaching profession motivated her to pursue
an undergraduate degree in education which
she earned from Truman (then Northeast
Missouri State Teachers College) in May
1954, and she received her master of arts in
education from Truman in May 1957. She
retired in 1989 after teaching high school
English and social studies in Iowa during a
career that spanned 43 years.
Truman Couple Strengthens
Support for Humanities Scholarship
Mike and Janet (Yearns)
McClaskey have made a
$50,000 pledge to the
“Bright Minds Bright Futures”
campaign to boost the endowment of
the Martha McClaskey Humanities
Scholarship. The fund was founded in
memory of Mike’s mother, Martha
(Jones) McClaskey, a Truman alumna
who was a member of the Truman
faculty for nearly two decades.
The scholarship serves as a tribute to
Martha's years of service to Truman
State University and her passion for
the humanities. An instructor of
English at Truman from 1959 to 1978,
Martha was known for starting each
class with a smile, and an article in the
school newspaper noted how,
according to her students, "she put life
into her lit courses."
When Martha passed away in 1978, the
University presented a book to her family
that contained letters of tribute to the
personal influence of her teaching.
Martha received her bachelor of
science in education and bachelor of
arts degrees from Truman in 1949 and
her master’s from Truman in 1959.
Before joining the Truman faculty, she
taught English in Atlanta and Milan,
Mo., high schools and Kirksville Junior
High School.
Martha's son, Mike, and his wife,
Janet, are also Truman graduates. Mike
earned bachelor of arts and bachelor of
science in education degrees from
Truman in 1985 and received a master
of arts degree in English from the
University of Missouri. Janet received a
bachelor of science in education from
Truman in 1984 and earned a master
of arts degree from the University of
Missouri.
Martha (Jones) McClaskey taught English at
Truman from 1959 to 1978.
Tucker once wrote, “I guess lots of my life
was centered around school. I liked going to
school, and I liked teaching school. I had a
lot of good kids along with a few “stinkers.” I
believe teaching was a good career for me.”
Tucker established the Elna (Langford)
Tucker Scholarship in 2000 with a $10,000
gift to the Truman State University
Foundation. This scholarship is awarded
annually and provides support for a student
from a rural community. In 2003, Tucker
became a member of the Joseph Baldwin
Society after making arrangements for an
additional gift to the Foundation through her
estate plans. She passed away on Nov. 24,
2008, in Corydon, Iowa. Her estate gift of
more than $73,000 has been designated to
support the Elna (Langford) Tucker
Scholarship.
44 Truman Review
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