It was always about schools.
Twice in her life, 92-year-old
Earline Hooper moved houses in
search of better education. In 1946,
when she was a teenager, it was a move from Birmingham,
Alabama to Cleveland. Her grandfather had been unhappy
with the caliber of the education in Birmingham schools,
which were still segregated, and the family followed him
to Cleveland. After catching up with the curriculum – as
suspected, her Birmingham school had been behind –
Earline graduated from Glenville High School in 1948.
Almost two decades later, Earline moved again in
search of good schools. This time, it was to Shaker Heights
because she’d heard about the high quality of the schools.
By then, Earline had become Mrs. Hooper, and she and her
late husband had two children, Sam and Paula. Daughter
Emily would arrive soon after, and all three children
attended Shaker schools.
For over 50 years now, long after her youngest
graduated, Mrs. Hooper has lived in that first Shaker
Heights home on Pennington Road in the Moreland
neighborhood.
Mrs. Hooper’s dedication to education began before
she even left Birmingham. Even then, she wanted to be a
teacher. The teacher at her one-room schoolhouse, Anna
May Owens, encouraged her and even drove her the long
distance to school every day.
42 WINTER 2022 | WWW.SHAKER.LIFE
Because she didn’t have enough money for college
when she graduated from Glenville High School, Earline
worked for a year before enrolling at Ohio State, earning a
degree in elementary education. She taught in Cleveland
schools for 33 years.
But she wasn’t done yet. Mrs. Hooper is modest about
her accomplishments, but Witness to History interviewer
Donna Whyte made sure to address them. Mrs. Hooper
has a longstanding passion for parent involvement in
schools, and strongly believes in cultivating parent-teacher
relationships. She has served as president of the Education
Committee of the Moreland on the Move Community
Association, and was also instrumental in creating a
mentoring program for neighborhood students. For her
service and dedication to education, Mrs. Hooper won the
City’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Human Relations
in 2005.
Mrs. Hooper continues to stay engaged in Shaker
Heights, the Moreland neighborhood, and opportunities for
children.
“This neighborhood means a lot to us, and it means
a lot to our children,” she reflects. “We still have children
coming along, and it’s important to encourage them. Give
them a little pat on the back and tell them when they’re
doing right and not just when they’re doing wrong.”
For the full Witness to History interview with Earline
Hooper: bit.ly/earlinehooper
EARLINE
HOOPER
A Passion
for
Education
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/earlinehooper