Leaving a legacy: 4 teachers enter Vestavia Hills City Schools Hall of Fame

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Schools

Vestavia Hills High School is known for having an outstanding debate team, with many state and even national titles under its belt.

Those things don’t happen by accident, and school officials recently took time to honor one of the debate teachers who guided students to excellence for more than two decades.

Marilee Dukes, who taught English and debate at the high school from 1983 to 2007 and led the debate team to national prominence, was one of four former teachers inducted into the Vestavia Hills City Schools Hall of Fame in February.

Others were: Frederick Jones, who taught social studies at Pizitz Middle School from 1970 to 1989; Carolyn Lytle, who taught in Vestavia from 1988 to 2008 as a third-grade teacher and reading coach at Vestavia Hills Elementary West; and Mary Bice Williams, who taught in multiple elementary schools and Pizitz Middle School between 1970 and 1997 and then worked part time in an academic support position for another 20 years.

MARILEE DUKES

Vestavia Hills City Schools Superintendent Todd Freeman said Dukes’ passion for teaching and a relentless pursuit of excellence inspired generations of students to think critically, communicate effectively and lead with integrity.

“Ms. Dukes’ influence extended well beyond the classroom, as she instilled confidence, curiosity and a lifelong love of learning in all who had the privilege to learn from her,” Freeman said.

A former student who nominated her for the hall of fame said Dukes demanded excellence out of her students, and they all wanted to be excellent for her.

“She poured herself into her program, often working 60 hours a week,” the nominator wrote. “As much as she cared about debate, she cared more about the integrity and well-being of her students.”

Dukes, the only hall of fame inductee who was able to be at the induction ceremony, said that while she had previously been inducted into the National Speech and Debate Association Hall of Fame and the Tournament of Champions Coaches Hall of Fame, as well as being selected as a coach at the Barkley Forum for debate at Emory University, this hall of fame is extra special.

“This means a lot to me because it is a collective,” Dukes said. “You’re my peeps. This is home. These are the people that sat across the room from me. These are people who are my debaters. These are people who are parents of my debaters. I can’t tell you how much that means to me. These are people who are my friends and family.”

It was a privilege to teach at Vestavia Hills High School, Dukes said.

“It was a building full of smart, driven people who were dedicated to what they were trying to accomplish,” she said. “They set high standards, and they expected people to stand up and measure up.”

Dukes quoted British novelist Somerset Maugham, who said, “If you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”

“That was always the way we worked over there on top of that hill,” Dukes said. “We expected the very best, and we usually got it.”

Dukes said she hopes people appreciate being in Vestavia Hills because it’s a unique community.

The debate team was a demanding role, she said. When she was there, the team traveled 18 to 21 weekends every year and two weeks in the summer, she said.

“That is a lot of additional time and energy from me and those kids,” she said. “Those kids were the ones doing the actual work. I was pushing. They were doing the work. It’s a pretty amazing group of people. The day that I walked out of Vestavia High School for the last time, I said to the faculty, ‘You don’t realize what a sweet spot you have here,’ and you do. Vestavia is a great spot to be in. If you’re going to teach school, you can’t beat it.”

While the high school tends to get a lot of accolades, it all starts in the elementary and middle schools that build the foundation for what happens at the high school, Dukes said.

FREDERICK JONES

Freeman said Jones, who was inducted into the hall of fame posthumously, brought civics and history to life for his students at Pizitz Middle School through engaging instruction, humor and personal connection.

“Mr. Jones was known for his professionalism, his ever-present dress shirt and tie, the importance of handshakes and his unwavering respect for every student in his care,” Freeman said. “Mr. Jones instilled in his students the importance of awareness, communication and character, reminding them always to use their gifts wisely.”

A former student who nominated Jones for the hall of fame said they would forever remember his caring demeanor and witty approach to teaching.

“But most importantly, his life lessons I carry in my heart,” the nominator wrote. “He said to me, ‘Always watch your surroundings. Keep your writing and speaking consistent because it is your gift from God.’”

Calandra Jones-McDonald, Jones’ daughter, thanked school officials for honoring her father, whom she said was one of the first teachers in the school system after being recruited to Vestavia Hills from Bessemer City Schools.

“This is such a wonderful award,”

Jones-McDonald said. “One thing he always said: ‘Strive for excellence; make sure that you have endurance.’”

CAROLYN LYTLE

Lytle spent two decades at Vestavia Hills Elementary West.

“Mrs. Lytle modeled kindness, professionalism and excellence in all aspects of her work, leading by example and inspiring both students and colleagues,” Freeman said. “Mrs. Lytle cared deeply for each student individually, cultivating a love of reading and learning that extended well beyond her classroom. Mrs. Lytle’s legacy continues through the countless teachers she mentored and the many students whose lives she helped shape.”

A person who nominated her for the hall of fame said she was a leader and encouraged her fellow teachers. “She taught with kindness, care for the individual student and excellence,” the nominator wrote.

Mike Lytle, her son, said reading was a lifetime love of hers.

“She knew it didn’t start at the end. It didn’t start with test scores — the assessments. It didn’t start with fluency and vocabulary,” he said. “It started at the very beginning. Can we get students to love reading?”

That’s why she taught third grade because she wanted to start at the beginning and help students who were on the margin — who needed that extra push, he said. “That was her passion, and she loved watching those kids choose to read because they wanted to, not because they had to.”

MARY BICE WILLIAMS

Williams got her start in education as a student teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary East in 1967 when it was still part of the Jefferson County school system. After graduating from Samford University, she returned to East to start her teaching. She stayed when the Vestavia Hills school system was formed in 1970.

“With any new school system, there can be a lot of uncertainty, but she saw the opportunities and chose to stay — a decision she never regretted,” her son, Jeff Williams, said.

Over the next 30 years, as the city grew, she taught fourth grade across several other schools, including Pizitz and West before moving to Central when it opened in 1987.

“She enjoyed working alongside some of the best educators anywhere and was fortunate to be in a system that supported its teachers,” Jeff Williams said.

In 1997, she retired, but only for one week. Then Superintendent Carlton Smith called and asked her to return part time in a newly created academic support position.

“She didn’t even hesitate to say yes,” Jeff Williams said. “There were still students she could help for a few more years. A few more years turned into 20.”

In 2017, at the age of 71, she finally retired for good. It was a difficult decision, but she had plans to travel and spend more time with family, her son said. Sadly, her well-earned retirement was short-lived as she passed away unexpectedly in 2019, he said.

“She loved reconnecting with former students,” Jeff Williams said. “Whether she was stopped in a grocery store or someone reached out on Facebook, she was excited to hear what they had accomplished since their days in her classroom. Over the years, we heard countless stories from former students about Mrs. Bice, her old Mercury Cougar and the impact she had on students’ lives. She taught future doctors, nurses, businessmen and women, a stunt man, an actor and even a silver-medal-winning Olympic athlete. So many success stories, and she was proud to have been a part of that and who they had become, knowing she made a difference. She cared about each and every student that passed through her life.”

Teachers face a lot of demands, but “she understood those challenges, and she embraced them,” Jeff Williams said. “She didn’t teach for recognition. She taught because she truly loved her students and faculty and believed in the power and importance of education, even when that meant explaining math for a fifth time, breaking up arguments over school supplies or answering questions that began with, ‘Mrs. Williams, what could happen if …?’ Her 50-year career began and ended here in Vestavia, a place she loved with all her heart.”