“Best teacher I ever had.” “Wonderful lady, never without a smile. She loved people and they loved her.” “A very talented lady with a heart of gold! Her laugh was contagious! She loved life.” “She was an amazing person and a gift to all who knew her.” “She will be greatly missed.” “She was more than a teacher to all of us.”
Hundreds of people shared these sentiments upon the passing of a wonderful teacher and friend, Ms. Beverly Crowell. The impact she made on students, their families, and countless others who knew her will be forever remembered. Now, through a new permanent endowment fund established at the Scott County Community Foundation, her legacy will continue to live on through the Beverly Crowell Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Born November 20, 1947, to Glen and June Crowell, Beverly was the middle child to older sister Susan and younger sister Janet. She was born and raised in Eaton, Ohio, having attended schools there her entire life. She was very active in school activities, especially music and drama club. She took piano lessons all her life and played for many churches, music contests, and choruses. She and her family were faithful members of The Eaton Church of the Brethren. As an adult when she would come home for visits, she would attend church and present special music with the quartet of Glen, Susan, and Janet.
When Beverly graduated high school in 1965, she attended Manchester College in Indiana to major in music. She changed her major to teaching but participated in chorus. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and later achieved her master’s degree.
Scott County became Beverly’s home when she was offered her first teaching job by Scott County School District 2 in August 1969. She started her calling briefly at Johnson Elementary but taught second grade at Vienna-Finley Elementary for the remainder of her career. Her career spanned just short of 43 years when she retired June 2012.
Beverly was a member of Scottsburg First Christian Church, where she shared her talents of being a gifted piano player and her beautiful soprano voice. She had a wide variety of “loves” in her life. She was known for her love of “bling” and all things shiny. She had many interests, to include scrapbooking, collecting rocks, having gatherings with friends and family, and most of all, her love for Jesus. While Beverly never had children of her own, she became very close to Brent and Pam Comer and their family, considering Grant, Kenley and Gabby Comer as her grandchildren. Christmas was one of her favorite things, according to Kenley. In fact, her video tribute played at her celebration of life was Christmas-themed.
“When you walked into her house you were greeted with an incredible amount of Christmas trees that had been collected over the many years of her life,” shared Kenley. “She had the biggest love for Jesus and the kindest heart. She loved to help others and had the most infectious laugh I have ever heard. I will greatly miss our long talks and that beautiful smile that she so often had on her face.”
The stack of letters from students whose lives Beverly touched give a glimpse of how much she meant to the children she taught and their families.
“You are the best teacher I ever had because you are sweet and kind,” wrote Melodie in a goodbye card as she left second grade. “I love you and I will miss you dearly. Thank you for being you.”
“Thank you for not only being a good teacher to my children, but for being the beautiful person you are,” wrote one parent. “Your ability as a teacher as well as your musical talent is what makes you the beautiful person you are. I know wherever you go and whatever you do, you will always have success and the people you meet will be left with an impression that they will never forget.”
Not only was she a favorite in the classroom, but her influence on the young minds that she taught would eventually come full circle. Many former students shared that they entered the education field after being inspired by her.
“She was always so kind and loved each of us in her class!” shared Emily Jordan, who is now the Early Learning Coordinator for Scott County School District 2. “Some of my favorite memories of loving school were from her classroom! Her smile and laugh were the best and would lift up anyone’s day. Ms. Crowell was a lot of the reason I wanted to be in the education world!”
Beverly’s niece, Amy, wrote a letter in 1996 to tell her aunt about the impact she made in her life. “When I was younger, I remember you coming home to visit and telling me stories about the students in your second grade classroom. These stories along with your enthusiasm for teaching have impacted my life. You truly are my hero and my inspiration in wanting to spend my life in the teaching profession. I just hope that I can be as good a teacher,” wrote Amy.
Bev was also Kenley Comer’s second grade teacher, and impacted her decision to be a teacher. Kenley is currently majoring in elementary education at Ball State University. “Although I had many amazing teachers, Bev will always be one of my favorites,” said Kenley. “She handled her position with such care and love for each student that walked into her classroom. She made sure that each student had all the necessities and knew that they were loved by her. Bev was an inspiring lady who devoted many years of her life to becoming a teacher and helping many students and I hope I can do the same.”
Her fellow teacher, Sara Prince, remembered her laugh. “You could easily find her by following her laughter. Wherever she was there was laughter. She taught me so much and made teaching so much fun.”
After Bev’s passing on April 5, 2022, her family and close friends decided to memorialize her through the creation of the Beverly Crowell Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Scott County Community Foundation. Any graduating senior of a Scott County school who plans to major in education at a 4-year college or university will be eligible to apply. The first scholarship will be awarded this spring.
In addition, Beverly’s fund will make it possible for a new StoryWalk project to be placed on the courthouse lawn this spring. The installation will consist of pages of a book placed in permanent signs along a path to encourage reading, movement, and interaction with a young child’s surroundings.
Bev’s love for her students was well-known by everyone who had the pleasure of calling her teacher. “The friendships she acquired throughout her life were dedicated teachers, musicians, crafters, and precious Scottsburg families that surrounded her and adopted her as their own,” shared her sister, Janet. “Bev would be so honored to know that students in the future will be following in her footsteps.”
If you would like to donate to the Beverly Crowell Memorial Scholarship Fund in her memory, you may mail your contribution to the Scott County Community Foundation; PO Box 25; Scottsburg, IN 47170. Please call 812-752-2057 or email info@scottcountyfoundation.org with any questions.
