Wade, Jones and Cleino Named to 2015 Educator Hall of Fame Class

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Three educators with strong ties to both The University of Alabama and the city of Tuscaloosa will be inducted into the Educator Hall of Fame on Oct. 17.

Retired kinesiology professor Dr. Archie Wade, who taught at both UA and Stillman College, and Shelley Jones, retired Tuscaloosa public schools teacher, principal and school board member are among the inductees who will be honored at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at the North River Yacht Club. Dr. Edward Cleino, who chaired UA’s music education program for 30 years, will be inducted posthumously.

Founded in 2012 by the UA College of Education Board of Advisors, the Educator Hall of Fame honors the accomplishments of distinguished leaders in the field of education or dedicated supporters of education.

Dr. Archie Wade

Wade, one of the first black faculty members at UA, taught for 30 years in the kinesiology department before retiring in 2000.

A Tuscaloosa native, Wade coached basketball and baseball at Stillman College, his alma-mater, before playing professional baseball and earning his master’s degree at West Virginia University.

He played for legendary baseball manager Sparky Anderson as a minor league player, and he was a starter in a record-breaking 29-inning game in 1966. That same year, he led the Class A Florida League with a .338 batting average.

Wade spent two years as a recruiter for legendary UA football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant while teaching and working on his doctorate at UA.

Dr. Matt Curtner-Smith, professor of kinesiology at UA, worked with Wade and co-authored “Legacy of a Pioneer African American Educator,” a paper that reconstructs Wade’s contributions. Curtner-Smith said Wade’s legacy was evident when he began working at UA.

“His story is obviously interesting and historically significant,” Curtner-Smith said. “However, on top of this, as an inexperienced assistant professor in the early 1990s, I was also struck by the incredible respect all our students had for him. They really did revere him. Having witnessed his induction into the YMCA Hall of Fame a year or so ago, I saw the same kind of affection for him among his local community. He really is one of those people about whom you do not hear a bad word.”

Wade said he still receives letters from former students, some of whom took his classes as far back as 1975.

“I’m still enjoying retirement, but I miss the relationships with students,” Wade said. “To see them grow, academically and professionally, and to have a role in that, you can’t help but miss that time with them.”

As part of the University’s “Through the Doors” activities in 2013, which celebrated the 50^th anniversary of integration at UA, Wade was be honored with a plaque commemorating his 30 years as a faculty member in the kinesiology department during a ceremony at Graves Auditorium at UA. The plaque is in the conference room of Moore Hall, where Wade had an office and taught classes.

Shelley Jones

Jones taught in Tuscaloosa City Schools, where she served as a teacher at Northington Elementary for 14 years and a principal at Woodland Forrest for more than 20 years. She retired in 1995 before serving on the city school board for eight years.

Jones teaches a seminar in the UA Honors College and serves on the boards of DCH Foundation and the Community Foundation for West Alabama.

Jones was one of the first members of the College of Education’s Board of Advisors. She continues to serve on the board of the Tuscaloosa Children’s Theatre, a program that was created when she was a principal at Woodland Forrest. Additionally, Jones is on the task force for the Alabama School Readiness Alliance to promote pre-K throughout the state.

Jones, who earned a master’s degree from UA, moved to Tuscaloosa in 1962 with her husband, Tom, a former UA law professor.

“I feel very fortunate about the progress that’s been made in Tuscaloosa,” Jones said. “It’s been amazing to see education grow here, and to still be a part of it and this community is truly rewarding.”

Dr. Edward Henry Cleino

As chair of Music Education at UA from 1949-1979, Cleino expanded the undergraduate program, began both the masters and doctoral  programs, personally advised music education majors, and led his department to national recognition.

Cleino was named professor emeritus at UA in 1980. In recognition of his contributions, he was presented with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award in 2004.

As a pioneer in the use of television to expand music education in Alabama, Cleino, who died in April 2015, created “Music Time,” which he wrote, produced and personally delivered from 1956 to 1972. Students from Verner Elementary School served as his studio class. By providing music lessons through this innovative method to thousands of children for 17 years, Cleino received the Alabama Educational Television Network Service Award in 1973.

During World War II, Cleino served in the Army, where he reached the rank of captain and earned the Bronze Star.

Cleino was married to Dr. Elizabeth Cleino, known informally as Bettie Anne, for 72 years. Cleino’s daughter, Anne Witt, a music instructor at UA, is founder of Strings in Schools.

“We are very proud of Dad’s recognition,” Witt said. “He inspired us in so many ways. Dad’s unwavering Christian faith was the foundation for his life, and his integrity was evident to all who knew him. His innovative professional philosophy was a great model for us. We often heard ‘look around and see what you can do to help. How can you make things better?’ His influence will continue to live on through us children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”