Belton, TX – The Texas Association of Teacher Educators has named Â鶹ÊÓƵֱ²¥ Professor Emeritus Carolyn Owens as the 2016 recipient of the Ted Booker Memorial Award, in recognition of her 40 years of preparing Â鶹ÊÓƵֱ²¥ education students to be classroom teachers and her dedication to improving educator preparation programs statewide.
Mrs. Owens joined the faculty of Mary Hardin-Baylor in 1975. In addition to teaching courses to hundreds of education majors, she also served as Director of Field Experiences and chair of the Department of Education during her tenure at the university. She was instrumental in obtaining nearly a million dollars in grants for the educator preparation program at Â鶹ÊÓƵֱ²¥ and established strong partnerships between the university and multiple school districts across Texas. In 2003 she was recognized as a Piper Professor by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation for her outstanding achievements in education; the Texas Association of Teacher Educators also recognized her with the Ben E. Coody Distinguished Service Award in 2003.
The Texas Association of Teacher Educators created the Ted Booker Memorial Award in 1972 to honor outstanding contributions to the field of teacher education. Booker served as the organization’s president in 1969-70 and was dean of the College of Education at Texas Women’s University.