WMU alumna, Beulah Reece, inspires family full of educators

When Beulah Crouch Reece earned her teacher certification from Western State Normal College (now Western Michigan University) in 1934, it was an exceptional accomplishment for a woman who grew up on a farm in Brady Township, Michigan. What she didn’t know at the time, was that her dedication and passion for education and educating others would inspire and support countless others in her family and beyond to follow the same path.

At an early age, Beulah showed great aptitude and love for learning. She earned the highest score of all eighth grade students in Kalamazoo county on the eighth-grade norming test. Not long after, she worked as a live-in housekeeper and earned room and board while she attended Vicksburg High School in Vicksburg, Michigan, where she graduated as valedictorian in 1933. Though it was very rare for a woman to go on to college at the time, she received an academic scholarship to attend Western State Normal School. To earn a teaching certificate, her program called for a year and summer of study. Tuition and fees were $8 per semester. Unsure whether or not her scholarship would cover her summer school expenses, she went with Dr. Ernest Burnham to meet with the Rural Education Department. They ruled that summer school expenses would be included, which came as a great relief to Beulah, since she had very little money.

At just nineteen years of age, Beulah's first teaching job was at the Factoryville School in St. Joseph County, Michigan, where she taught “beginners” through eighth grade. She was paid $40 a month as a base salary and earned an extra $5 a month for janitorial duties. It was here she met her husband, Paul Reece, who would stop by to stoke the fire in his little sister’s classroom during the winter while also kindling a romance with his sister’s teacher, Miss Crouch. Paul and Beulah eloped in 1937.

The Reece’s had six children together (Ron, Tom, Jack, John, Janet, and Dave), and Beulah taught at various schools while her husband farmed and also supported his family by working at the Lee Paper Mill, in Vicksburg, Michigan. In 1944, during World War II, teachers were scarce. Beulah felt it was her patriotic duty to help contribute to her country, so despite having a 3-week-old newborn son, and three other boys under the age of five at home, she accepted a teaching position in Wakeshma Township. In 1960, she earned a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education from WMU and went on to earn her master’s in elementary education in 1964 despite the untimely death of her husband two years prior. He was just 46 years old. The latter part of Beulah's career was spent teaching third grade at Fulton Elementary School in Fulton, Michigan, where she touched the lives of countless students, many proclaiming her to be their favorite teacher, until her retirement in the early 1980’s.

Going to college was expected of the Reece children, which was rare for a rural family at the time, and Beulah’s legacy influenced many of her children, their spouses, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to pursue careers in education. All six of her children went into the field of education, five of them attended Western Michigan University, and all six obtained advanced college degrees. In total, fifteen of Beulah’s descendants or their spouses have gone into education, and thirteen have attended WMU for at least part of their degree requirements.

Ron Reece, Beulah and Paul’s first-born son, received a bachelor of arts degree from WMU in 1963 and shortly after received a master’s degree in educational leadership from Ball State University. After teaching for a short time, he went on to become the first principal at Indian Lake Elementary School in Vicksburg, Michigan, and then principal at Comstock Middle School in Comstock, Michigan. He then served as superintendent of Mendon Public Schools from 1968-73 and at Three Rivers Community Schools for 25 years after that. After retirement he served as an interim administrator at Galesburg-Augusta Schools and Constantine Public Schools for several years and also served as the coordinator of the COMPASS program, acting as a liaison between businesses and four school districts in St. Joseph County, Michigan.

Ron and his wife, Diane (Snyder), were very active and well-known in their community of Three Rivers, Michigan, giving generously of both their time and money. They served on various committees, and Ron served on several councils and boards. They established the Distinguished Educator Award, which is given each year by the Three Rivers Rotary Club. In 1997, Ron was honored as Three Rivers Citizen of the Year. Ron was a friend to many and his impact on his community was long-lasting. After his sudden passing in 2006, his family established the Ron Reece Education Scholarship. For six years the family held the Ron Reece Memorial golf-outing at Sauganash Country Club in Three Rivers to raise money for the fund. For over a decade many scholarships have been awarded to young adults going into the field of education.

Ron and Diane’s two daughters, Tammy (Reece) Patterson and Jenny (Reece) Taffee, both went into education. Tammy received an undergraduate degree in speech and hearing from the University of Michigan and a master’s in speech pathology from WMU and worked in the Portage Public Schools in Portage, Michigan, for nearly three decades. Like her Grandma Reece, Jenny received both her degrees from WMU. She earned a bachelor of science degree in elementary education (1989) as well as her master’s degree in reading in 1994. She taught elementary school for 31 years, working first in Sturgis, Michigan, and Marshall, Michigan, and finishing her career in the Portage Public Schools, where she taught for 26 years.

Recently, through generous donations from family and friends, Ron and Diane’s son, Jeff, and daughters, Jenny and Tammy, worked to establish a new endowment fund at WMU in honor of their parents’ legacy. Their mother, Diane, passed away in April of 2020.

“As a family, we know the importance of education and the doors it can open. We feel it is important to help support young people in their effort to become teachers, like my grandma, Beulah and so many in the Reece family. We also recognize that many young people do not have a legacy of education in their family, but have a calling, and we want to support that, hopefully removing some of the financial hardship that comes with getting a college degree,” shared Jenny. “We know the Ron and Diane Reece Teacher Education Fund will have a long-lasting impact for years to come, and we want to honor both our family’s legacy and those going into one of the most noble professions there is – teaching.”

Jack Reece received a bachelor degree from the University of Michigan (1963) and a master’s and doctoral degree from Stanford University. While at Stanford he received a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, Stanford Graduate Fellowship, and was one of five social science winners of the Ford Foundation Foreign Area Fellowships. He was a professor of European history at the University of Pennsylvania for several decades. He passed away August 30, 1997. 

Tom Reece received a bachelor of arts degree in Biology (1964) from Western and taught for a year at Vicksburg High School before switching into the private sector. He became the CEO of the Dover Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, and was honored as a distinguished alumni by WMU in 1998. He also served on the foundation board at WMU for a decade. Tom’s wife Sandy (Miller) Reece received a bachelor of science degree in elementary education (1964) from WMU and was the homecoming queen in 1961. She taught elementary school in Portage, Michigan, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their daughter, Leslie (Reece) Littlejohn, taught special education in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for over twenty years.

John Reece received a bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Michigan (1966) and a master's of arts in English from WMU. He was a professor in the Department of English at WMU for a time before moving to California, where he taught English at University High School in Los Angeles for 27 years. While there, he was the coach of an award-winning United States Academic Decathlon team for over a decade. John met his wife, Lori (McNeal), at University High School, and both received education leadership degrees from California State University at Northridge. The pair eventually moved back to Michigan, where John became the assistant principal at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Lori taught math at Pioneer and later became a school administrator for the Chelsea School District in Chelsea, Michigan. 

John and Lori's oldest son, Paul Reece, received a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from the University of Michigan (2015) and taught in the Las Vegas, Nevada, area and Texas before coming to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he currently is teaching 6th grade, while completing his state certification. And their youngest son, Will Reece, is currently working on his master’s degree at Eastern Michigan University in math, where he has served as a grad assistant and a math tutor. 

Janet Reece received a bachelor of arts degree in political science, with minors in history and english from the University of Michigan (1969). As an undergraduate she took one semester of classes at WMU while pursuing her degree. She received secondary teaching credentials through course work at the University of Sheffield in Sheffield, England. After moving to California, Reece received an MBA from the University of California, Irvine, and completed additional coursework, which  allowed her to teach all grades (Kindergarten through 12th grade). Reece taught middle school and was a school administrator in California for over three decades.

Dave Reece received a bachelor of arts (1972) and a master’s degree in educational leadership from WMU and was an elementary teacher in the Portage Public Schools for over three decades. He met his wife, Kathy (Greenup) Reece, at WMU as a freshman. She also received a bachelor of arts (1973) and master’s degree in education from WMU. She taught English and composition at Mendon High School in Mendon, Michigan and ended her career at Hackett High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she also served as a campus minister. Their daughter, Meghan (Reece) Block, received a bachelor of arts in education from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in education from Northern Illinois University. She went on to receive her PhD from Michigan State University. She taught elementary school in the Chicago suburbs and in Holt, Michigan, and is currently a professor in the Department of Education at Central Michigan University.

Four of Beulah’s great-grandchildren either attended or are currently attending WMU. Mackenzie (Patterson) Le, daughter of Tammy (Reece) Patterson received her master's degree from WMU (2015) in occupational therapy. Jordan Taffee, daughter of Jenny Reece Taffee, graduated from WMU (2018) with a bachelor of arts and sciences in communications and marketing in 2018. Lucia Brosco, daughter of Heather Reece (and Tom and Sandy’s granddaughter), took classes in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) before transferring to Michigan State University, where she recently graduated, with plans to teach high school English. Finally, Matteo Brosco, son of Heather Reece, is currently majoring in exercise science at WMU, where he also plays on Western Michigan University’s lacrosse team. 

The passion for education held by Beulah Reece moved through her into the communities she served and through the generations of her family, creating a ripple effect into the communities where each of them served. The scholarships and endowment fund created by her descendants in honor of her son, Ron, and his wife Diane, continue to support future educators entering the field as well. From her humble beginnings, Beulah had an outsized impact on our world and it is the sincerest hope of the CEHD that every student graduating from our college has a similar impact. Beulah Reece and her descendants truly embody the mission of the CEHD to positively impact our global society.

If you would like to help support education by making a donation to the Ron and Diane Reece Teacher Education Fund, you may do so by contacting Jessica Hermann-Wilmarth, vice president of major and leadership gifts for more information.