Ann Stallcup (left) is shown with daughter-in-law Kristin and granddaughter, Zoe, with whom she hopes to spend a lot of her retirement time. [Click to enlarge]

Almost everyone can look back on their school years and remember one special teacher who brought excitement to the classroom, who always offered a challenge and who truly made learning fun.

Ann Stallcup has given that gift to thousands of students over 36 years in the teaching profession, and her retirement this year from the Marmaduke School District prompted many of her former students to write glowing tributes for a special dedication page in the 2008 MHS yearbook.

"Ann truly impressed me with the power of the written word," said Patrick Zollner, MHS class of 1986, now Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer in Kansas. "I enjoyed having Ann as a teacher and consider her a lifelong friend."

"Mrs. Stallcup not only taught me to have faith and pride in my work, but also to have that same faith and pride in myself," wrote Shawn Martin Finney, class of 1990, now an elementary teacher in Hawaii. "She drilled into me that it isn't the quantity of work that you achieve that is important, but rather the quality of that work that makes you successful. I hope to pass that same encouragement to my children and students."

Janet Peebles Harris, class of 1991, Arkansas Deputy Secretary of State, praised Stallcup for teaching her "the value and power of self-expression through writing and speech."

"She demanded excellence from us, and to this day, it is her voice I hear challenging me to succeed and to dream big," Harris wrote. "As a teacher, she insisted that her students have all the right tools for success. As a mentor and a friend, she gave us the courage to use them."

After graduating from MHS in 1967, Stallcup went to Arkansas State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Education degree and eventually a Master of Science in Education degree.

She began her teaching career at Greenway in 1971, moved to the Marmaduke district and then to the Thayer (Mo.) RII School District before returning to Lafe and then to Marmaduke. She also taught at Black River Technical College in Pocahontas.

Her primary assignments were English, oral communications, journalism and drama. For years she taught students to dig, research, report facts and give opinions as sponsor of the MHS Greyhound News, year after year one of the best school newspapers in this area.

"My real love was doing the paper and working with the kids on the importance of the press in a free society," she said.

That love and passion launched many students into journalism-related careers.

"Mrs. Stallcup's influence literally altered the path of my life," said Leslie Gibson Wilson, class of 1995, now in pharmaceutical sales. "I pursued a degree in journalism/public relations as a direct result of her passion and commitment to teaching. She inspired me to be more and to achieve more than I could have on my own because she truly cared about her students. Words cannot express my gratitude."

Jason E. Muse, U.S. Army Sergeant First Class, Defense Language Institute, Monterey, Calif., class of 1990, wrote, "Mrs. Ann Stallcup was a true source of inspiration to my life, inspiring me to seek greatness in whatever enterprise I was engaged and to make the most out of every situation. Every pinnacle or even modicum of success I have achieved, I feel she has been right there with me."

It's hard to imagine that someone so talented in her field did not always aspire to a teaching career.

"All of my life, from the time that I can remember, I loved babies," she says. "My dream was to be a mother. I never thought of anything for my future but being a mother. When I grew up, marrying and becoming a mother was a priority for girls. My paternal grandparents, Earl and Jessie Beaton, directed my life towards teaching. They were insistent that we get a college degree, and teaching seemed the logical occupation for a girl. I do not regret that decision because it allowed me to be a mother, too. When the kids were out of school, so was I.

"Teaching also allowed me the opportunity to encourage some really bright students who made my job challenging and interesting," she continued. "They kept me thinking and sought my council. I keep in contact with some of them still today. Working with good kids who really are eager to learn is truly satisfying. Often they were much brighter than was I, but they still needed my guidance and challenge.

"It was exciting to watch them learn and hear their challenges, too. I always tried to stay ahead of those kids, but they often had me burning the midnight oil. I always had to have the last word just to remind them who was the boss! In doing so, though, they were thinking about their next move and how they might outsmart me -- that was exhilarating.

"Teaching has been good to me," Stallcup concluded. "I have had some wonderful students who have added meaning to my life. The challenges have been enormous, but the rewards equally gratifying."

Rayanna Dalton Gibson, class of 1988, assistant superintendent in the Kennett School District, said, "Mrs. Stallcup, you gave me encouragement, instruction, direction and motivation. Thank you for your drill an grill grammar -- it has been a blessing. Thank you, also, for your high standards, the love and care you have shown your students and the positive influence you have had on my life."

Yes, teaching was good to Ann Stallcup. But she was a rare jewel in education and her influence will no doubt continue to be felt for years to come.

In her retirement years, Ann will spend more time with her husband, Wes, to whom she was married in 1968, with her daughter, Jessica, of the home, and with her son and his family, Nathan, Kristin and one-year-old Zoe, who reside in Franklin, Tenn. Now it's time to focus on those babies.