Steve Wymore, a history and social studies teacher at Lewis Central Middle School in Council Bluffs, Iowa, was recognized as the Outstanding American History Teacher in Iowa by the Council Bluffs chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Fellow history teacher Dick Bleth, who teaches at Lewis Central High School, nominated Wymore. Bleth won the same award the previous year.

"I thought there would be no way they would select a teacher from the same district two years in a row. I was very surprised when I found out I won," Wymore said.

Wymore was selected from dozens of teachers from 36 DAR chapters throughout Iowa. He was honored last April in a ceremony in Des Moines. He was also in the Top Ten nominations for the national award.

Wymore, who grew up in Council Bluffs, has taught his entire career at Lewis Central. He has taught sixth through eighth grades in social studies, including geography and American history.

Wymore graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1967, and earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1971 from Peru State College in Peru, Nebraska. That same year he started teaching at Lewis Central Middle School. Wymore co-directed the 1995 Summer Geography Institute field trip to Southwest Iowa. In 1998, he earned a master’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. He currently serves on the GAI steering committee.

For Wymore, his love of history and teaching developed when he was very young. "Since fifth grade, I have been interested in history because my grandfather was a big Civil War buff," he said. "My parents nurtured my interest by taking me to historical places and monuments in Washington, D.C., Gettysburg, PA, and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I also had great history teachers in ninth and 11^th grade."

"It’s never boring; every day is different," Wymore says of teaching. "You have different kids every year, and you never know what is going to happen. I also enjoy sharing my knowledge. That’s the fun part of teaching- sharing what you know with your students."

Teaching is a way of life in Wymore’s family. His wife, Marilyn, is a talented and gifted teacher at Kim Junior High School.

Wymore hopes to continue teaching. He says "I’ll keep doing it as long as my health allows me to, and just make every day as interesting as possible."

Marilynn Stabenow

In her career, Marilynn has taught from first to sixth grades. She has served on curriculum committees evaluating and selecting texts as well as writing curriculum, presented in service meetings, and headed a variety of programs. She became involved with the Alliance in the summer of 1997. Since then she has presented at conferences, worked with Alliance activities, and has been trained as a teaching consultant. Marilynn served as a Resident TC during the 1998 Summer Geography Institute, and continues to be an active member of the GAI. She is currently working on a master’s degree program in elementary education.

Conserving Iowa’s Wetlands

By Don Betts, Dawn Brown, Barry Eberhard, Marcia Hummel, Dani Linneman, Steven Oaks, & Meg Storkamp

Armed with OSAE booklets, photo journals, and disposable cameras, this fearless group set off from Marshalltown. Stopping first at Grimes Farm in Marshall County, the group toured the wetlands and the prairie restoration area. Conservation officer Gary Bratenburg detailed their wetlands restoration project and plans for the site’s future.

Later that evening, Lynn Wilson from IPTV regaled the group with helpful hints, teaching materials, CD-ROMs, the Loess Hills CD curriculum, and the offer to come to any classrooms to help anytime. (Teachers take advantage of this!) Josette Peterson entertained with the scrumptious fresh strawberry torte.

Early the next morning, after a near-death experience on the way to Perkins (sorry, Dawn!), the group set out to search for wetlands and to explore western Iowa. They were off looking for the lost city of Danish immigrants when they stopped at the Mississippi-Missouri Divide for a photo op. Pressing on, the group arrived at the Danish Mecca of Elkhorn, Iowa, where they visited the windmill and museum, ate lunch, and prayed at the mini-chapel of the Danish immigrants. They left the gift shop with six candelabra (six, Dawn?) hands full of visitor brochures, and some Norsemen headgear (very classy, Steve!)

Breezing on down the highway, the group pilfered pencils, viewed the remnants of the steamship Bertram, and waved at the wetlands at the DeSoto Bend National Wildlife Refuge. Setting the compass southward and taking the scenic route, they visited Hitchcock Nature Center and hiked the Loess Hills searching for black raspberries. Next came the Lewis and Clark Monument, where they met Bob the Biker, a friend of Dani’s.

The day culminated with a festive dinner in the Old Market area of downtown Omaha, thanks to tour guide Dani. Exhausted from their day of searching for the Geographic Holy Grail, the group retired to the booming metropolis of Missouri Valley, home of cold showers and the "box of rocks."

Early Friday morning, with bellies full of Krispie Kremes, the group climbed the majestic Loess Hills of western Iowa. Papa Don pointed out the physical characteristics and wildlife of the area, including cat steps (and a dog step), short-legged cows (which Don explained was part of Darwin’s theory of natural selection), two wild turkeys, and other miscellaneous "critters." Taking a break from the van, the group scaled Murray Hill and observed the massive valley below. Papa Don, always vigilant, stayed behind to guard the van. Flipping his cap backwards and doing a wonderful impersonation of Master P, Papa Don got them back on the trail through Preparation Canyon onto "Mann Hollow (since 1867)". A perplexing situation presented itself there: some environmentally challenged individuals had left a collection of assorted cans and bottles scattered along the path. Environmentally conscientious as she is, Coach Kay ordered the group into action. Down into the flora and fauna of the Loess Hills Steve, Meg, and Marcia leapt, picking up the litter. Task completed, the group set to work exploring local vegetation and gullies.

The keelboat at Lewis and Clark State Park called for a Kodak moment. Dodging the numerous highway patrolmen, they proceeded through Sioux City to the ice cream capital of the world, LeMars, Iowa! Stopping for a mid-afternoon treat, the group learned the Readers Digest version of making ice cream, while Barry was coerced into playing a "Conehead." Refreshed, the group moved on. A suggestion from the back of the van to visit the nearby wind power generating facility resulted in the van’s stopping by the "clump of trees" (that’s a grove to all but Don!) This led to an impromptu tour of the Enron Wind facility with tour guide "The ROKK" ("Badges? We don’t need no stinking badges!") Included in his tour were the "Effigy Mounds" of western Iowa. The day ended with a fabulous fish dinner and display of synchronized swimming by Synchro Steve and Barry Braveheart.

Saturday began with a plethora of fresh fruit and pastry for breakfast. Then, on to the wetlands! Dawn Brown, otherwise known as CB (Carpenter Brown), had frequently been spotted taking pictures of benches and docks just in case she decided to build one sometime. The group was disappointed when she refused to jump in Lost Island Lake to snap a picture of that dock from the underside. After a rousing rendition of "I’m a Little Teapot" on its shore, the group left Lost Island Lake’s lovely herbaceous marsh. A spiritual encounter had the group studying the geography and geology of the Grotto before heading on down the road to Webster City, where a sudden, unexpected visit from her son mystified Steve’s mother! Sated from yet another tasty meal, they drowsed in the van prior to stopping off at Papa Don’s farm to see firsthand the effects of tiling and planting crops in low-lying places.

By this time the group had covered 22 counties and 750 miles. All in all, this was a fantastic voyage. The knowledge gained and the camaraderie developed made the trip an awesome learning experience. And oh, by the way, we did manage to see many wetlands across Iowa and came away with these words from Papa Don’s father: "Never farm the lowest point on your land."