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Chris Cooper

Managing Editor

On Tuesday, Feb. 26, Eloise Hadden of Auburn experienced one of the best moments in her life, as she was inducted into the Gov. Louie B. Nunn Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame.

Hadden, who taught Home Economics for 33 years in Logan County, was very honored to be inducted and says that teaching for her was never a job, but more of a love.

Hadden said she was always meant to teach and can remember sitting on the steps of her family home in Texas as a child lining up her dolls in a school setting.

It was during high school at Auburn, however, that she knew Home Economics would be the route in which she would change so many lives. She admits she only had one semester in Home Economics, but the teacher, Ms. Matilda Price so impressed her, that her career path was set almost immediately.

Hadden said college was the next step for her after graduating from Auburn and Western Kentucky University was to become the catalyst for her lifetime of making a difference.

As a teacher, the ability to change the world is great. A good teacher can not only educate, but can mold young minds into future success, both personally and professionally. Mrs. Hadden was one of those teachers.

Former students have shared countless stories of how “Mamma Hadden,” as she is known, made an impact on their lives. She taught basic skills that we all still use today. From sewing a hemline to cooking for 10, and from handling yourself gracefully to becoming a gentleman, “Mamma Hadden” set the stage for young boys and girls to become great men and women.

Along with being inducted into the Teacher Hall of Fame, a scholarship fund was set up in Hadden’s name. This is something Hadden is very proud of, because it will help students who wish to follow their education and their dreams.

Logan County Judge Executive Logan Chick proclaimed Feb. 26, 2013, to be Eloise Hadden Day in Logan County. The proclamation reads that Hadden, who received her Bachelor’s Degree in 1956 from Western Kentucky University, began a vital role as a teacher of 33 years teaching Home Economics in Logan County and spent endless hours empowering students to think freely by producing innovative lessons that have real life applications that promoted learning in which each student will carry with them their entire life. Chick expressed appreciation for Hadden’s fostering self-esteem and her inspiring to achieve the highest level of education for not only her students, but for all the citizens in Logan County.

Hadden attended a special induction ceremony along with with two other teachers from the state who were inducted into the Hall of Fame, at the State Capitol in Frankfort. She also was the one of the guests of honor at a luncheon held at the Berry Hill Mansion.

“This year’s inductees are indicative of the high quality of Kentucky teachers,” said Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear at the ceremony. “We’ve all come to expect great things from Kentucky teachers.

WKU President Gary Ransdell congratulated the newest Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame members and thanked the statewide selection committee for their work in selecting this year’s class. “Western Kentucky University is honored to be the host of the Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame,” Dr. Ransdell said. “Our roots in teacher education run deep and with great distinction.”

The Kentucky Teacher Hall of Fame was created in 2000 through a gift by former Gov. Nunn, who hoped to recognize the vital role that primary and secondary teachers in Kentucky play in the education of young people and the positive impact education has on the state’s economy.

It is impossible to count the many awards and accolades Hadden has received over the years. She is an active member of the Russellville Logan County Retired Teachers Association, a 1985 charter member of Alpha Epsilon and an invited member of Delta Kappa Gamma.

Hadden uses the Biblical verse from Mark 4:31 to describe what teaching has meant to her and the importance of helping others to reach their full potential. “It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”