Nine More Fallen Educators to be Added to National Memorial

Emporia, KS (06/09/2025) — The National Memorial to Fallen Educators will be rededicated at 10 a.m. Friday, June 20, in Emporia, Kansas, to honor nine educators who lost their lives in service to their students. The ceremony, hosted by the National Teachers Hall of Fame, will take place in the Jack Skillett Atrium of Visser Hall on the Emporia State University campus and will conclude outdoors at the memorial, weather permitting.

As part of the ceremony, members of the 2025 National Teachers Hall of Fame induction class will lay flowers in remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The nine newly honored individuals are:

• Annie Louise Keller, 25, teacher at Centerville (Illinois) Country School, killed by tornado debris on April 19, 1927.
• Christopher J. Trakimas, 61, boiler mechanic, Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) School District, died May 18, 2016, after a workplace explosion.
• Nohema Graber, 66, Spanish teacher, Fairfield (Iowa) High School, killed Nov. 2, 2021.
• Kevin Garrison, 56, maintenance supervisor, Elkhorn (Nebraska) Public Schools, died Sept. 4, 2024, in a construction incident.
• Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 52, both math teachers at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, killed in a school shooting on Sept. 4, 2024.
• Leah Seneng, 60, art teacher, Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos, California, died Nov. 22, 2024, from a rabid bat bite sustained on school property.
• Erin M. West, 42, teacher, Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, died in a school shooting on Dec. 16, 2024.
• Carol L. Mendiola-Mooers, 48, school counselor, Bering Strait (Alaska) School District, died in a Feb. 7, 2025, plane crash en route to visit with students.

In addition, two educators honored in 2024 continue to await space for their names on the memorial:

• Dan Marburger, 56, principal, Perry (Iowa) High School, died Jan. 14, 2024, after a school shooting.
• Ryan Lantz, 52, teacher and coach, Liberty High School in West Virginia, died Feb. 20, 2024, after being struck by a car in the school parking lot.

About the Memorial

Established in 2013 and inspired in part by the Sandy Hook tragedy, the National Memorial to Fallen Educators is the only national site in the United States that permanently honors K-12 public and private educators and school employees who died in the line of duty. It is a place of remembrance, reflection, and respect for a profession that often goes unheralded.

"Each name is a legacy," said Maddie Fennell, executive director of the National Teachers Hall of Fame. "And we're calling on the public to help us ensure those legacies are seen, read, and remembered."

Memorial Expansion and Fundraising Effort Underway

As the memorial approaches capacity with 189 names already engraved, the National Teachers Hall of Fame has launched a campaign to raise $30,000 toward the $50,000 needed to purchase and install a fourth black granite "book" to hold the next set of names. A crowdfunding campaign is live at https://gofund.me/24e94709.

"These names cannot remain in waiting," said Fennell. "We have a moral obligation to remember the educators who gave their lives to protect and serve their students. Every name we engrave is a promise that their sacrifice will never be forgotten."

For More Information

Visit the National Teachers Hall of Fame at www.nthf.org to learn more.

About the National Teachers Hall of Fame:Founded in 1989, the National Teachers Hall of Fame honors exceptional career teachers, encourages excellence in teaching, and preserves the rich heritage of the teaching profession in the United States. It is also the sponsoring organization of the National Memorial to Fallen Educators.

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