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 Helping Students Reach for the Stars
Energetic Couple Built Houses and a Legacy for Teachers
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| Phil Warner displays a photo of he and his late wife Betty June Warner. |
passion for life and a passion for teaching were ever present as Phil, M.Ed.’51 and Betty June Warner built their life together. The Betty June Karle Warner Endowed Scholarship Fund for Teacher Education will nurture that same passion for generations of students to come.
Betty June spent 14 years teaching before pursuing work in real estate. Warner said that her work as a realtor led them to set up a small investment account in the 1970s. “We contributed to it bit by bit,” he said, adding that their modest contributions accumulated over time. “Betty June’s initiatives, hard work and great range of interests were responsible [for the fund] and she deserves all the credit.”
Warner’s partner of 40 years, passed away in 1991 from a form of leukemia. He dedicates this contribution to the College of Education in Betty June's honor.
“We need teachers and we need to help those students who want to be teachers,” said Phil Warner, who taught for nearly 30 years in Montgomery County Public Schools. “I liked seeing the kids’ eyes light up when they were learning and widening their horizons. Learning gives us a wider angle lens to view the world and that is the most fun.”
The Warners actually came to real estate from a ground-up approach. While his wife was a teacher in Washington, D.C. schools, the energetic young couple built their own home. “If you could read, purchase a lot and get a loan, you could build your own home,” said Warner. “Amazingly, the floor plan in the book was nearly identical to Betty June’s ‘dream plan.’ So we cut down the trees and apart from the licensed trade work for utilities, we built the home ourselves right up to capping off the ridge line.” The home turned out so well, that they built three more houses while still teaching. “Those were 80-hour weeks for about six years,” Warner recalled.
In 1960, he decided to change from teaching social studies to industrial arts, especially since teachers in that field were receiving the higher salaries of industry. He enrolled in the industrial technology program at Maryland and fondly recalls his interactions with one of the college’s best-known professors, Don Maley.
“He was innovative, intense and exacting,” said Warner. “Doc Maley felt it was essential that students know more of the many arts of industry, how they worked. His teachings were all in that direction.”
Warner's passion for education never waned. He and his second wife, Marie, are also strong supporters of the College of Education where she earned certification as a reading teacher.
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Sponsored by the Southeast Region volunteers, invited guests will see a beautiful exhibit of art from the ruins of ancient Stabiae and hear comments from the vice president of the Restoring Ancient Stabiae Foundation USA. To RSVP and learn more, call 301.405.4643.
