Three women are being inducted into the Oklahoma Educator Hall of Fame on Friday. The new inductees are Jo Pettigrew, Kathryn Turner and Kate Frank. They will join the 95 educators already enshrined into the Hall of Fame.
“Congratulations to this highly distinguished group of inductees,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister. “Kate Frank truly blazed the trail for women in the classroom in the early 1900s, and Jo and Kathryn represent the very best in public education today.”
The brief biographies of the inductees are below.
Kate Frank, M.Ed.
Beginning at age 18, Kate Frank taught eight grades and served as janitor in a one-room school in Missouri before taking a business education position at Muskogee schools in 1919. Frank was the first female president of the Oklahoma Education Association (1937-38), and after her retirement in 1954 became well known as “Muskogee’s most active retired teacher.” Frank was a founder of the American Association of Retired Persons and secured funding to open an apartment building in Muskogee for retired teachers. She worked in support of retired educators and senior Americans until her death. Frank’s name lives on through the NEA Kate Frank/DuShane Fund, which provides legal support for teacher rights and education issues in state and federal courts.
Jo Pettigrew, Ed.D.
It seems Jo Pettigrew, who won the Future Teachers of America award while attending Cushing High School, was destined to be a teacher. In her 35 years in education, she has served as executive director of the United Suburban Schools Association and as Assistant Executive Director and Legislative Director of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association. She was a founding member of the Oklahoma Education Coalition, and in 2007, Gov. Brad Henry appointed her to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission, where she continues to serve today. She is active in the Mid-Del Food Pantry, Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Christian Women’s Fellowship.
Kathryn Turner, M.Ed.
Superintendent of Fletcher Public Schools from 2004 to 2012, Kathryn Turner focused staff on results and vertical alignment of curriculum to improve student achievement. With a background of service to all grade levels, including adult learners, Turner may be best known for her time as principal at Bridge Creek Elementary. On May 3, 1999, one of the most devastating tornadoes in history struck the community. Turner began an 18-hour stint managing triage and morgue locations at the school, and in the following days and months, she led her community through the tornado’s aftermath. An accomplished advocate for rural schools and students from military families, Turner also is a board member for Positive Tomorrows, a school that serves homeless children.
