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Episode 144: Four Sisters Retire After a Combined 100 Years in the Classroom

They followed in the footsteps of their father, dedicating their lives to careers in education.

On this episode of the Supercast, we meet four sisters who recently retired after spending a combined 100 years in the classroom. It is a century of work among siblings who made a big difference in the lives of students throughout Jordan School District.


Audio Transcription

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They followed in the footsteps of their father, dedicating their lives to careers in education. On this episode of the Supercast, we meet four sisters who recently retired after spending a combined 100 years in the classroom. It is a century of work among siblings who made a big difference in the lives of students throughout Jordan School District.

We are here at Westvale Elementary to interview four sisters. One of whom has retired, three are retiring this year, and all have worked for Jordan School District for a long time. So I'm gonna ask them each to introduce themselves.

Margaret Chandler:
I'm Margaret Chandler and I am teaching at West Hills Middle School, and I'll have 24 years in with the district.

Evelyn Marse:
I'm Evelyn Marse and I'm the one that is already retired. But I have 40 years in and I finished up at Riverton High School.

Pennie Lovato:
Pennie Lovato. I am retiring with 40 years and I am at Herriman High School.

Cathy Sullivan:
Cathy Sullivan. And I'm at Westvale Elementary right here. I've only put in 15 years with the Jordan District.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, Marilyn Richards turned me on to this story and she calls you the Quilter sisters. Why is that?

Evelyn Marse:
That's our maiden name.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, the Quilters. Oh, very nice. Yes. And how does she know all the Quilter sisters?

Pennie Lovato:
She taught me in junior high at West Jordan Middle School. 7th grade PE classes.

Anthony Godfrey:
She told me about a remarkable seventh grade PE student that she taught. That must have been you Pennie.

Pennie:
I'm sure it was.

Anthony Godfrey:
I have no doubt. How did the rest of you know Marilyn?

Cathy Sullivan:
I went to school with one of her sisters. And that's kind of how I knew her.

Evelyn Marse:
I actually had Marilyn as my ninth grade PE teacher at West Jordan Middle. And I've worked with Marilyn when she was a vice principal and when she was a principal.

Margaret Chandler:
Well, and then when I got out of college, my first teaching position was at West Jordan Middle and she was a teacher there. And so we taught together for seven years while I was there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. So, you guys know her in lots of different ways. And she has been my boss in various ways. She was principal when I was an assistant principal at Jordan High School. And now of course she's on the Board of Education and decides whether I get my next contract every time, along with the other six Board members. So, we all have a close connect with her. That's awesome. Tell me each of you a little bit about where you've taught and what your education journey has been in Jordan District, and in other districts

Margaret Chandler:
I've always been in the Jordan School District. Started at West Jordan Middle School and taught there for seven years. And then I was having a family and I stopped and tried to see if I could run a preschool business to stay home with my little ones. I did that for about five years and that just didn't pan out. So then I got back into the district and taught at Indian Hills Middle School when they were still part of our district for five years. And then I jumped out again and ran a preschool business very successfully for 15 years. And then I jumped back in again and went to West Hills Middle School. Kim Baker was the principal at that time and hired me on. And so I've just been there ever since.

Evelyn Marse:
Okay. So boy, I think about it, I started back in 1980. I always tell people, when I talk about all the schools I've been at, I would get like the seven year itch. I would just go, I just need to look at something different, different windows, different students, different walls, something. So I taught seven years at Midvale Middle, and I had the opportunity to teach with my dad. That was, that was one of the best opportunities ever at Midvale Middle.

Anthony Godfrey:
I was principal at Midvale Middle years after that.

Evelyn Marse:
Years after that, I was gonna say, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what did you teach? And what did your dad teach?

Evelyn Marse:
Dad taught math and I was special ed. I've always been special ed. So yeah, I mean, it was fun and challenging. My dad was old school. He didn't believe such things as learning disabilities. He thought that they were just play classes. I finally convinced him, you know, when he was struggling with a student. Why don't you just refer the student? Let's test him, let's work. And he started going through that process. And I would tell him about the testing and where the student was at and he'd go, ‘oh, that would make sense why he is not getting it.’ I mean, he started to understand special ed. So that was, it was such a growing experience for us. So that was, that was fun.
After that I went to Mount Jordan Middle, I think I spent eight years there. And then Marilyn hired me at South Jordan Middle. I loved it there, but an opportunity came up to go to Genesis that was by the prison for the Youth Correctional Program. And I jumped at that because I wanted something so different and that was exciting. That was way exciting. So I just spent five years there and then I went to Riverton, finished out. That's where I stopped. I went, I don't think I wanna move one more time. So I finished out my last 12 years at Riverton.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you retired, how many years ago?

Evelyn Marse:
I retired in 2019 and then I took a year off. And then they called me back and said, ‘we don't have enough online special ed teachers. So would you be willing to teach outta your basement for a year?’ So I did. It was challenging. And I have to say, I would do that one again.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really?

Evelyn Marse:
That was such a learning experience.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Well, I'll keep a note of that.

Evelyn Marse:
There you go.

Pennie Lovato:
Keep her in mind. Okay, so I started out teaching elementary and also it's always been special ed. And I decided that after six years of elementary, that I felt like I needed something more. So then I tried a self-contained classroom at Jordan High, the old Jordan High. Did that for a couple of years and decided that wasn't my gig. So then I transferred to Hillcrest High and did a Resource setting and felt like that was my niche. And so I stayed there for, I don't know, 19, 20 years at Hillcrest High, then transferred to Riverton High and then Herriman High.

Anthony Godfrey:
Were you ever at Riverton at the same time together?

Evelyn Marse:
We were there together. And darn that finally came down that said we couldn't teach together any longer.

Anthony Godfrey:
That nepotism rascal got in the way.

Evelyn Marse:
Because I mean, come on, we had different last names.

Pennie Lovato:
Although we did teach right next door to each other.

Evelyn Marse:
We don't look alike.

Pennie Lovato:
No, uh huh. No.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what was it like teaching next to each other? Were you able to kind of share a little bit?

Evelyn Marse:
Oh my gosh, it was wonderful. It was like teaching with dad. It was like, this is such a great experience.

Pennie Lovato:
It was wonderful to have some of the same students and go and brainstorm, you know, what will work? How can we reach the student? So it was fun to collaborate.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're not only all educators, but you've also been able to be educators together. That's exciting. And you're retiring from Herriman High School, okay.

Cathy Sullivan:
I taught 43 years ago at Santaquin Elementary. I was determined, I wanted my kindergarten and that was it. They were the ones that offered me a kindergarten. They were kind of booming then. And so I had a large number, 60 plus kids come through my two kindergartens and I was the only kindergarten teacher. Loved it, just literally loved it. Then I married and we moved up here to this valley. I taught half a year at East Midvale Elementary and then had some health issues and had to quit as the family started coming on. I didn't get back to teaching until my oldest daughter said, ‘Mom, you're wasting your education.’ And I went, oh my gosh, you sound just like your grandpa. And so I did what I needed to and I came back. I interviewed all over this district and I had just, you know, you go by that gut feeling. And I thought, oh my gosh, this is Westvale. This is where, you know, I started in West Jordan right here. So I said, okay, I'll interview with Kathe Riding. And Kathe Riding said I walked in and I said, you know, ‘I was the first sixth grade class here.’ And she says, ‘Really? Well, how does this school feel?’ And I said, ‘It feels great. It feels like I'm coming home.’ And over the last 15 years, I would not have gone anywhere else. I loved it. Taught kindergarten, and then Brenda Anderson asked me to go to first grade. And then she asked me before she left, come back to kindergarten and I was like, ‘Oh yes. Oh yes. Of course.’

Anthony Godfrey:
So you got to end at Westvale in kindergarten.

Cathy Sullivan:
Yes. And I'm finally going to graduate kindergarten.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, congratulations. Wow. It's been a long journey. Now you said 43 years?

Cathy Sullivan:
No, just it was 43.

Anthony Godfrey:
No, I right. just since Santaquin. Yeah.

Cathy Sullivan:
Yeah, since Santaquin.

Anthony Godfrey:
So 43 years. That's the 70s, right? Wow. Just checking. Just had to put a number to that. Now we're here.

Cathy Sullivan:
I'm a little bit old.

Anthony Godfrey:
Because we're here at Westvale, I actually have this binder that has a picture of you in your class. What year was that? What year was that?

Cathy Sullivan:
I don't recall.

Anthony Godfrey:
1967- 1968. Does that sound familiar?

Cathy Sullivan:
I remember my teacher, Ms. Olsen.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Cathy Sullivan:
She was actually in our ward together.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, let's take a look there.

Cathy Sullivan:
Okay. I am right there on the top row.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you look familiar there? Look at that. How about that?

Cathy Sullivan:
I know, short hair still.

Anthony Godfrey:
Short hair, yeah. Do you remember any of these people?

Cathy Sullivan:
Actually I did.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about them. This one right here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, what about him?

Cathy Sullivan:
He was Mr. Peterson's son.

Anthony Godfrey:
Big man on campus?

Cathy Sullivan:
He was, he was. He loved basketball and everything. And then there was a group of us that when Mr. Peterson was giving us our math times tables and we were trying to beat each other's time. Oh my gosh. So competitive. And I had no idea I was that competitive. It was crazy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. So did you beat him out?

Cathy Sullivan:
Only once or twice. He had, I mean, it was his father.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Fair enough. He had a bit of advantage.

Cathy Sullivan:
He had inside help. Yeah. And then Evelyn is in there someplace. I did see Evelyn.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now wait, what grade would you have been in Evelyn? Let’s take a look.

Evelyn Marse:
I would've been, third grade? Fourth grade?

Anthony Godfrey:
Third grade. Alright, let's turn back.

Evelyn Marse:
Okay. Wait, wait, wait. These people look really familiar.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're just leafing through those class pictures for those who are listening.

Evelyn Marse:
There I am.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, there she is. Look at that.

Evelyn Marse:
Oh my word.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is that a sweater vest?

Evelyn Marse:
No that, no, it was a dress.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, it's a dress.

Evelyn Marse:
You know that made it look like there was a little shirt under it. Yes, I have the groovy glasses going too. And look, my hair does kind of look the same. We all got pixie cuts.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Looks good. Is Pennie in here?

Evelyn Marse:
Pennie, you should be in here. You were just a couple.

Cathy Sullivan:
And Margaret should too.

Evelyn Marse:
So you would, if I was fourth, you would've been first.

Pennie:
Second.

Evelyn Marse:
No, second.

Pennie:
Second. There I am, up at the top.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, there she is.

Pennie:
I got my little sailor dress on.

Anthony Godfrey:
Your sailor dress.

Evelyn Marse:
I was gonna say she didn't have the same haircut.  She had a little pony tail.

Pennie:
I had a pony tail.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you remember the sailor dress?

Pennie:
Oh yes, I do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, it is funny how we remember the outfit.
When we come back more from the sisters and their combined century in education.

Break:
Hello, I'm Tracy Miller, President of the Jordan School District Board of Education. There are seven members on the Board of Education, one in each voting district. We are committed to listening and serving our constituents as we work together to provide the best possible learning environment for the students we serve. As members of the Jordan Board of Education, we believe it is our duty and responsibility to: increase student achievement; provide parents with the choices they deserve and desire; recognize and reward quality in educators; empower school leaders through policy governance and professional development; and communicate with the public, legislators, business leaders, cities, and parents. We invite you to get to know the Board member who represents you in your voting district, and to please join us at our monthly board meeting held on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Or listen from the comfort of your home, on our live stream. For more information and to find your Board member, visit jordandistrict.org. With parent and community input and support we will continue our work to give students every opportunity to succeed in Jordan District schools and beyond. Thank you for your support. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Anthony Godfrey:
What made you all retire at the same time? The three of you? What was the impetus for that happening? Who's responsible? Because we're losing you all at once.

Margaret Chandler:
Well, I'm finally old enough, 65. I felt that I can start getting insurance, another place. So, I was carrying the insurance for my husband. So just hanging in there and just getting enough years in.

Anthony Godfrey:
And Pennie, is it just coincidence that you decided to retire at the same time?

Pennie Lovato:
I just felt like I had reached 40 and that was my max. Magical number.

Anthony Godfrey:
Fair enough, yeah. I'd say four decades, you've earned it.

Cathy Sullivan:
I didn't know if I ever wanted to retire to be very honest with you. And then my husband said ‘Now, Cathy, we're going to retire together and we'll have lots of fun gardening and whatever.’ And I'm like, 'oh boy.' And so he retired this year in March, the end of March. And so I'm following suit like he asked. I'm like, 'you know what? This is a good year to go out on. It really is.'

Evelyn Marse:
I thought it was because I'd made retirement look so wonderful.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah, yeah. That's right. Now  you've forged the path, so what is your advice?

Evelyn Marse:
Oh my gosh.

Anthony Godfrey:
Retire for a year and then go back to work?

Evelyn Marse:
Yeah, you might need a break. You might need a break from retirement. I think I need a break from retirement.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. Fair enough. Yeah.

Evelyn Marse:
Might have another year in me. But you know, we were looking at this. We kept adding up years, and adding up years and we finally came up with, between dad and all of us. We have 148 years in Jordan School District. And then between the other years that we're taught, it's just over 155 years in education.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. That's amazing. Well, we're all grateful. So many of them were in Jordan School District. Tell me about your dad.

Evelyn Marse:
Oh my gosh. He was one of those teachers, I watched him do this a few times. He loved, he loved his team. I mean, he had a great math team, but they were such pranksters. I mean, I'd walk down the hall with him and all of a sudden he'd just lean over and flip off lights in somebody's classroom and I'd hear ‘Mr. Quilter, turn those lights back on!’ you know, because they all knew what he would be doing.

When you didn't win in the drills on math, I'm shocked. Oh yes. Because I mean, dad drilled us. We were lined up. We know our times tables. We don't need a calculator or flash cards. And you know, he was the man that would just say, ‘just read me the scores.’ The end of the quarter would come and he'd go, ‘just read me the scores.’ And we'd read him the scores out of the book for a name. And he never used a calculator. Of course we had one over there because we wanted to prove him wrong and he'd say, okay, this is the amount.

Anthony Godfrey:
And he'd add it in his head.

Evelyn Marse:
And he'd add it in his head. And it was like, what the heck? You really can do this, can't you?

Margaret Chandler:
Well, he was a mentor to us because we would come home from college and we would sneak in and sit in the back of his classroom. And we would observe him and how he went about teaching, and how his fairness with the students, how he talked to them, how he was stern. But they were able to joke and learn in that environment. He was a mentor to all of us.

Pennie Lovato:
I don't think he ever thought all of us would stay in teaching as long as we did. Because I remember him telling me, I mean, he was born in 1931, so it's the old, you get married, you have kids. And so when we were all starting to go to college, he's like, and we're going eventually we'll go into education and he's going well, that's okay. That's a good one to fall back on. So, you know, if you graduate, you graduate, if you don't, you don't. But if you graduate and something happens to your husband and you can't work or whatever, then you can fall back on teaching. It wasn't that he thought it was going to be our life profession.

Anthony Godfrey:
148 years later.

Pennie Lovato:
I know. I know. And, but for me, I felt like I found the gift I was given. I loved teaching. And I would do it again if I could go with the wisdom that I have now and all the tools. I don't wanna start out as a brand new teacher with nothing in my tool belt. Because I'm sorry, those first year teachers, they might have tricks, but wisdom comes from a lot of experience, trial and error and pain and anguish. If you don't think you're gonna get back, then you're in the wrong profession.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me what you've liked most about teaching.

Cathy Sullivan:
The lights coming on in their eyes. When you see a student that finally you've worked and worked and suddenly they get it. I had one student. I have to tell this, I had one student. He could not get zero plus anything is gonna be that number. He couldn't get the zero secret. And I worked and worked and worked. And finally I was like, ‘Okay, Scott, what is 10 plus zero?’ ‘10.’ Oh my gosh. I think you've got it. And I said, ‘you've got a three day weekend coming. I'm gonna check you Monday morning. I'm gonna check you and see if you've got it.’ And sure enough, Monday came and I said, ‘Scott, what's one plus zero?’ ‘One.’ ‘What's 10 plus zero?’ ‘10.’ ‘What's 100 plus zero?’ ‘100.’ And I said, ‘Scott, I'm gonna pick something really hard. What is 1 million plus zero?’ ‘1 million.’ Oh my gosh. You've got it. And the whole class is cheering.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, that's awesome

Cathy Sullivan:
Yeah, it's really cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
I thought 10 plus zero was a hundred. So I've learned something. I've learned something. Pennie, what did you love most about teaching?

Pennie:
I think I have loved it because in special ed with some of the students, we start with them in 10th grade and then I might have them in 11th grade and 12th grade. I have enjoyed seeing that progression through 10th, 11th, and 12th. The development, the growth, to see where they were and to have conversations with the students about, do you remember 10th grade and where we were and look at you now in 12th grade. I have enjoyed watching that development.

Anthony Godfrey:
And having students three years in a row. You're able to see that, yeah.

Pennie Lovato:
And the relationship, the relationship that's developed in those three years.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure, Evelyn?

Evelyn Marse:
Well, I agree with Pennie. I think that, you know, especially in high school, relationships are just a little more adult, a little bit, but a little more adult. But I think with all of that, I mean through my teaching, I'm one of those, let me give you a bit of wisdom. Let me give you a little bit of wisdom today. A little bit more. Let's talk about how your life could pan out and what you need besides school. So, I would give students bits of wisdom and I love the fact that I have run into so many students since then that have graduated and they'll go, 'Mrs. Marse, you were right. You were right. I listened to you. This happened to me. And I thought, this is what Mrs. Marse told us would happen. And this is what we should do. I listened to you.' And they thanked me and I'm like, okay, everything was worth it, all the pain, the anguish, the tears, the prayers that beat my head against the wall. It's all worth it.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's very rewarding to hear that. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Margaret.

Margaret Chandler:
Well, I teach Family and Consumer Science. And I think the thing that I found so enjoyable is that I'm teaching the students life skills. Skills that they're gonna use the rest of their life. And they’re lab classes. And maybe classes that some students excel at, math or English or, you know, science, maybe they're not so sharp with the hands on. And then I have other students that are more hands on and they excel and they progress. And it starts their time to shine. And it's, it's just wonderful to see that the skills developed with the foods, and child development, with clothing, and sewing. And that's been very rewarding to see that.

Anthony Godfrey:
So what are your plans now? What happens now that you've retired from such great careers and I mean, you have a few days left, but what's ahead for you?

Pennie Lovato:
I think we're gonna connect with each other more. Even though we're in the same valley, we're so busy, we've been so busy that we haven't spent as much time as we want to with each other. And I think connecting with our families, grandkids and setting our own time schedule when we get up in the morning, you know.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do you need a recording of the bell from school to kind of set your day? Because I think we could arrange for that if you'd like. Kinda wean you off of it gradually.

Margaret Chandler:
I don't think so. I think we're gonna be okay.

Evelyn Marse:
Gonna go cold turkey, aren't you?

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, you talk cold turkey. You're ready to just shut it down. Okay. Fair enough. When I first went to the district office and there were no more bells to guide my day, I'd stand up every once in a while and just kind of walk out to the door of my office and my administrative assistant would say, ‘The bell just rang didn’t it?’ and I'm like, ‘Yeah. Yep. It did.’ So if you do that, you're not alone. Now when we walked in, we are in Cathy's classroom. How long has it been since you've been in Cathy's classroom?

Pennie:
Never.

Anthony Godfrey:
Never in Cathy’s classroom?

Pennie:
Never. We've never been in Cathy's, she's never been in ours. No.

Margaret Chandler:
Oh, I think Cathy, I've been here in one of your classrooms, but I don't know if it was this exact room.

Cathy Sullivan:
It was probably the one across the hall. It was the bigger one. When I came back from first grade to kindergarten. This is the room they put me in and I love it. I mean, it's big enough. Westvale’s got such a weird layout. It's kind of like a spider with legs.

Anthony Godfrey:
It is a different kind of school that's for sure.

Evelyn Marse:
No, we don't really get to each other's classrooms. Like I said, when Pennie and I were with each other teaching at Riverton, we were in each other's rooms all of the time. And I've been over to Herriman a few times, but, but otherwise, no, that's why we are not as connected as we'd like to be. And I think we all kind of like each other now. Maybe not so much growing up but, but I think we kind of like each other and we like each other's company. So that will be kind of nice to do more things together.

Anthony Godfrey:
That’s awesome. I’m very grateful for the 150 years that your family has given to Jordan School District. And I know many, many students and families are as well. So thank you.

Evelyn Marse:
You're welcome. Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.