Dr. Glenda Ezell, a well-known college educator and public school teacher passed from this life on Dec. 11. 2023. Dr. Ezell began her career teaching elementary school at Paris. Later, she served as both Alternative Education and Special Education teacher for the district. While teaching, she received first a Master’s in Special Education and later, a Masters in Early Childhood Education. Glenda than taught in the education department and later, after receiving her doctorate in education at the University of Arkansas, served as Dean of Education at the University of the Ozarks. She finished her career as Dean of Education at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.
Glenda was very active in community affairs and served on many boards and as a member of many organizations. She was an advisor and frequent contributor to the State Board of Higher Education, the president of the Logan County Retired teacher’s organization, served on the Logan County Library board, and the Smith Memorial group. Her doctoral research was in the alternative licensure teacher program, a program which is instrumental in getting more teachers into the classroom, and she is viewed as a pioneer and expert in the success of the program.
Glenda was an accomplished singer and, over the years, sang at many community and regional events. A writer and a poet, she co-authored Songs of the Mountain, a collection of poems of the Ouachita Mountain region. Her poems reflect her love of God, family, and her students.
A great loss education and to the region, her life achievements were celebrated with a memorial service at rural Mt. Salem School after her graveside service on Friday, December 15. Logan County Library at Paris and several other business were closed to honor her lifetime achievements and work.
