Middle School Teacher Honored

Middle School science teacher Bob Wiemer has been named the first recipient of the Mary \"Stevie\" Eaton Award, established last year by the Cyrus Eaton Foundation in honor of Mrs. Eaton and her long devotion to Hawken School. Mrs. Eaton, who died in 2003, taught reading and study skills at Hawken`s Lyndhurst campus for 30 years. The permanent endowment will be used to support grants made annually to faculty at the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools. Based on seniority, the award recognizes years of loyal service. Recipients may use the grant for an enriching experience to energize their own lives, enhance classroom instruction, or inspire students. Wiemer said he was humbled by the award. \"I joined the Hawken Middle School faculty in 1975. It was a faculty of mature master teachers who tolerated my youthful indulgences and misadventures in education. Stevie Eaton, Martha Brown, Chuck Stephens, Dick Davies, and Madame Swan are more than names and photographs on the wall. In an era before mentor teachers, they guided, nurtured and taught me in the finest of Hawken traditions. Stevie was the most nurturing of all, yet never accepted less than my best. She demanded a high degree of professionalism and expected us to read all the research she read. She was a voracious reader. To this day I remember those authors and articles. Every day I walk past the portraits of teachers in our halls and wonder if I measure up and if I have done my best in passing on the culture of a fine school. I am humbled by the award.\" In addition to teaching, Mr. Wiemer also leads the Seeds of Learning project, where Hawken Upper and Middle School students travel to Central America to perform community service. Hawken administrators said his many contributions to the School and his relationship to Mrs. Eaton make him a natural choice for the honor. Cathy Eaton, daughter of Mrs. Eaton, also expressed pleasure over the choice of Mr. Wiemer as the first recipient of the award. \"Mom knew Bob well and worked with him when he was a younger faculty member. Bob`s wife [After School Care Director Jane Wiemer] gave Mom a silver hawk when she retired. Mom always treasured that pin.\" John Eaton `66, Mrs. Eaton`s son, described Wiemer as \"a great choice and thoroughly in keeping with the spirit of the award.\" Annual grants from the Mary \"Stevie\" Eaton Endowment Fund will come from income generated by the endowment. Members of the Hawken community who wish to contribute to the fund should contact Peter Anagnostos at 440-423-2084.