Sue Buel, long-time educator and advocate for public education, will be memorialized at her namesake school, Sue Buel Elementary, on Friday, July 7 at 10 a.m.
Mrs. Buel began teaching fifth and sixth grades at Memorial Elementary in 1949 and later moved to McMinnville High School to teach English. She was a two-term member of the McMinnville School Board (pictured, front right, with 1992 school board), past president of both the Oregon Education Association and the McMinnville Education Foundation.
After nearly 20 years in the classroom, she began a new phase in her career by becoming a teacher of teachers. She conducted professional development and training workshops all over the country and internationally as well.
In 2007, the district’s newest school was named after her. She was a familiar figure to Buel students and volunteered weekly at the school until her health declined about a year ago. She died on May 7, 2017. She was 96 years old.