  Denison Herald May 4, 1986 VETERAN DENISON EDUCATOR STEPPING ASIDE AT THE END OF 1986 SCHOOL YEAR Dr. W.L. "Bill" Blankenship, Golden Rule Elementary principal and veteran educator, has announced plans to retire from the Denison school system at the close of this school year. Blankenship, born and raised in the Denison area, graduated from Denison High School in 1944 and entered military service shortly thereafter. He served 2 years in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and glider trooper. Blankenship spent one year in the Pacific theater of operations with the 11th Airborne Division. After completing military service, Blankenship attended Austin College and Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He graduated from Southeastern in 1949 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics and began teaching mathematics and physics at Wilburton, Oklahoma High School. He also served as assistant football coach and head baseball coach while at Wilburton. Blankenship returned to Denison in 1951 where he was employed by B. McDaniel and Les Cranfil as an elementary teacher/coach at Houston Elementary School. While teaching at Houston, he served as 8th grade football coach and as head baseball coach at Denison High School. In 1953 Blankenship moved to Denison Junior High School (later named McDaniel) where he taught mathematics and science for 13 years. He served as head coach for all sports at McDaniel during that time. While a teacher/coach at McDaniel Junior High, Blankenship earned a Master's degree from Southeastern and later attended 2 summer institutes in mathematics at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, where he studied under some of the leading mathematicians in the nation. It was at Purdue that Blankenship had his first experience with computers. Blankenship then studied advanced mathematics at North Texas State University in Denton. He later changed his major from mathematics to administrative leadership and received his Doctor's degree from North Texas State University. Blankenship left classroom teaching in 1964 and took the position of assistant principal at Denison High School, serving in that capacity 5 years. In 1969, he was assigned as director of special services for the Denison school district. For 15 years he headed such departments as federal programs, textbooks, instructional television, vocational education, public relations, instructional media, instructional computing and transportation. In 1984 Blankenship was assigned as principal of Golden Rule Elementary School. He retained the responsibility of director of instructional computing for the Denison school district as well. Under Blankenship's leadership, Denison schools have become computerized. Each elementary school has a computer network where children in grades K-5 receive drill and instruction in various subject areas as well as an introduction to computer literacy. Both Hughes and McDaniel schools have computer networks where students are provided computer-assisted instruction and computer literacy instruction. The Denison High School network provides instruction in computer math, computer literacy, word processing, and the Pascal language. In addition to personally directing the installation of these networks, Blankenship has provided instruction and support for teachers and administrators of the district. He has written many instructional programs and several utility programs to computerize various departments for their record keeping. Blankenship wrote the textbook being used by the McDaniel 8th grade students in their state-required computer literacy course. Blankenship will probably have little trouble finding enough things to occupy his retirement time. He hopes to work part-time as an educational computer consultant for area schools. He has also given some thought to providing private instruction computer literacy and/or word processing for local children and adults. Blankenship has been a journeyman cabinetmaker since his high school days. He has built and remodeled several houses in Denison. He has a complete workshop at his home. Additionally Blankenship owns and operates a moderate-sized ranch in the Pottsboro area. Blankenship is married to the former Virginia Hair. Mrs. Blankenship serves as an aide in the Denison High School Library. The Blankenships live at 1320 S. Lang Ave. in Denison.  Denison Herald May 4, 1986 BLANKENSHIP COMES FROM LONG LINE OF TEACHERS By Vicki Langond, Herald staff writer When the principal at Golden Rule Elementary hears little voices ask, "Dr. B, can we have some stickers?" he knows his many years of teaching have been worthwhile. A visitor to the school on Denison's south side can see a steady stream of youngsters making their daily vigil to the office after school, not only to see if "Dr. B" has save them any small labels from his computer accessories, but to make a stopover to see their favorite educator. The 'treats' are obviously just an excuse the students have for a visit to the office. Dr. Bill Blankenship, who has held every position imaginable in the Denison school district, will retire at the end of the school year. What will he miss the most? "These children right here," Blankenship said, smiling broadly and obviously thinking back on his years at Golden Rule as a student. "I can walk into a kindergarten room and I dare not sit down," Blankenship explained, adding "They love me, and I love them." Recalling his days at Golden Rule, the principal said, "It's hard to believe it was 51 years ago," adding quickly that his former teachers "would never believe it." His folks would believe Blankenship ended up a teacher though, as he comes from a family of teachers. At one time Blankenship recalled he was teaching at McDaniel, his mother and aunt were teaching at Houston Elementary, and 2 cousins were teaching at the high school. Two sisters, who were at the time training to be teachers, are now teaching at the high school and at McDaniel. Over the years, Blankenship has "worked under very fine leaders," specifically mentioning Everett Weldon and Bill K. Ford. "They were fine examples for me," he said. The need to seek a good education is something that Blankenship and his wife have apparently passed onto their 6 children. One of his proudest moments comes from the fact that they were "all able to complete their education," a milestone he give the children a lot of the credit for. Two very important ladies in Blakenship's life, his wife and his mother, are given a lot of the praise for his ability to pursue and complete a teaching career. Of his mother, he speaks of a "very fine lady" and a "great ole gal" who has been "a lot of help to me." Of Virginia, his lovely wife, Blankenship said she is "never out of sorts because I'm off on something new," obviously referring to his unending list of hobbies, not the least of which is banjo pickin' which he admits "excites his blood" and causes his wife to close the door. Gold, well that's another hobby that Blankenship has pursued "seriously for many years." In fact, the sport earned him the Denison City Golf Championship in 1973. The comes fishing, and then there is a keen computer interest, one that is so serious that Blankenship has let it occupy most all his spare time lately. That obsession in fact has kept Blankenship at school many evenings because the computers "have a big part of my life for the last 4 years." Looking back over a career filled with accomplishments and memories, Blankenship fondly recalls work that helped start the Denison Parks and Recreation program as we know it now. The educator and civic leader remembers when the school district first began opening up school gyms for city recreation and recalls the movement to build city pools in Denison. A list of Blankenship's pastimes could go on and on, including his desire to fly (which he eventually converted into earning a pilot's license.) and his love of his "ranch and hay operation" where he and his wife work side-by-side. Obviously meaning it when he said teaching in the Denison schools has been a "wonderful experience," Blankenship smiled broadly and said, "I have had my reward," explaining that as his relationship with the children and their parents. The principal is a happy man as he gazes at the children and grandchildren of students he taught in the early days of his career.  Golden Rule School History Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson CountyTXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |