WINGS Hall of Honor Ceremony

WINGS Hall of Honor Induction Ceremony
Posted on 10/01/2019
WINGS Holds Hall of Honor Induction CeremonyWINGS Educational Foundation to the School District of Washington inducted its 11th class to the Hall of Honor Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Washington.

The WINGS Hall of Honor was formed to recognize alumni, community contributors and educators who have shown exceptional personal, community or professional achievement.

WINGS hopes that the stories of those honored will inspire and motivate current and future students of the district.

The 2019 Hall of Honor inductees were John Carter, who received the Educator Award; Phyllis Edler, who received the Alumni Award; and Rich Deppe, who received the Community Contributor Award. See the photos below.

Additionally, Erin DeClue, Pre-K Autism teacher at the Early Learning Center, was named the School District of Washington and WINGS Teacher of the Year.

Other finalists for the Teacher of the Year award were:

*Kaycie Schulte, Third Grade, South Point Elementary

*Lindsay Kober, Sixth Grade, Washington West Elementary

*Julie Trentmann, Special Education, Washington West Elementary

*Adam Meyer, Physical Education, South Point Elementary


Hall of Honor Class of 2019

Phyllis Edler
Alumni Award


Phyllis Edler was born in Mississippi and moved to Washington when she was in sixth grade. She is a 1967 graduate of Washington High School.

After high school, Edler went on to pursue nursing school. She attended Deaconess School of Nursing in St. Louis and managed the Ambulatory Surgery Center at Mercy Hospital in Washington.

As an ER manager, she not only helped patients, but stayed after hours to talk to them and offer comfort. Edler specifically focused on her patients and cared for each one individually. Her heart belonged in nursing, as she was in the business for 30 years with Mercy.

Her career didn’t limit itself to the hospital walls. Elder spent 32 years speaking to teenagers about the facts surrounding sexually transmitted infections and diseases. She traveled all over the state giving presentations to middle and high school students, as well as clubs, organizations, and any group (teens or adults) that requested her.

Edler was brutally honest with her audiences when giving these presentations because she knew it could save their lives. She stressed with them that sex is not a game. She used blunt language, shocking statistics and some graphic images to make sure the youth were fully informed about the real consequences that could come from a decision to be sexually active.

She was very serious about helping those in need, especially youth.

Edler volunteered her time and traveled throughout Missouri and Illinois delivering her important message.

She is now retired and resides in Union with her husband, Ray. Phyllis has three children, Becky, Tim and Judy, and eight grandchildren.

Rich Deppe
Community Contributor Award


Rich Deppe was born in Washington in 1955, and is a 1973 graduate of Washington High School. He is currently the co-owner of Deppe Farms in Washington.

Through his farm work, Deppe has donated countless hours of his time and too many hogs to count.

Deppe has been a member of the Elks Club since 1976 and was a member of the Washington Fair Board from 1981 to 1990. During his last year on the board, Deppe was chairman of the 1990 Washington Town & Country Fair - “Pullin’ Together.”

In 1991, Deppe took the initiative and spearheaded a committee of citizens for quality education which would require a tax increase for the Washington School District.

His involvement in the Washington community doesn’t stop there. From 1992 to 1998, he served on the Washington School Board. He was part of the Washington Area Chamber of Commerce from 2009 to 2015, serving as chairman of the board of directors in 2014.

In addition, he served on the Franklin County FFA Foundation from 1996 to 2015.

Deppe still makes plenty of time to be involved in the Washington community. He has been a Washington Lions member since 2004, a Washington MFA board member for 28 years, currently as president, and has been on the Citizens Bank Board since 2007.

Deppe’s involvement and work ethic does not go unnoticed. He has received countless awards and honors throughout his lifetime.

Deppe received the 1993 Friends of Education CTA/NEA award, the 1996 National FFA Organization award, the 2013 Washington High School Athletic Association Appreciation award and the Washington Honorary Chapter FFA Degree award in 2017 and 2018.

Deppe and his wife, Dawn, live in Washington, and have two children, Nathan and Nicole, and seven grandchildren.

John Carter
Educator Award


John Carter was born in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1935, and is a 1953 graduate of Centralia High School in Missouri.

When he was in high school, Carter was awarded a football scholarship and went on to further his education and athletics at Truman State University (at the time it was Northeast Missouri State). There he earned a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and his teaching certificate in physical education.

During the same time frame, Carter served in the U.S. Air Force, completing his education upon his discharge.

Carter began his teaching career in Green City, Mo., where he taught physical education, health, driver’s education and coached. He spent two years at Green City before taking a teaching and coaching position at Polo High School for one year.

In 1964, Carter applied for a position at Washington High School where he was hired and taught for 34 years, until his retirement in 1998. For many years, Carter also taught summer school.

As an educator, Carter understood his role did not begin or end in the classroom. He devoted an extraordinary amount of his personal time to ensure his students and players had access to excellent programs and resources to help each one succeed.

Carter spent an immense amount of his time focusing on young athletes and students. He served as an assistant football coach his entire teaching career. He was one of the original football coaches when the football program began at Washington High School.

A great deal of his time and energy were spent helping students and football players improve not only their minds and bodies, but their character.

Coaching was only one of Carter’s passions at Washington High School. He also was instrumental in starting the weightlifting program. He was a leader, took initiative at the high school and was a role model to many other educators and coaches.

John and his wife, Georgia, currently live in Washington and have been married for over 45 years. They have one daughter, Christie, and a son, Tim Hays.

WINGS Hall of Honor
Hall of Honor Inductees
Pictured are 2019 WINGS Hall of Honor inductees. Front row, from left, are inductees John Carter, Phyllis Edler and Rich Deppe. Back row, from left, are WINGS representatives Nancy Wood, Carol Zanin and Rich Buckman.
WINGS Hall of Honor

Hall of Honor Members
Pictured are members of the WINGS Hall of Honor who were on hand for the ceremony on Sept. 28. Front row, from left, are Jackie Krafft, Judy Verdine and Dr. Don Northington. Back row, from left, are Jack and Jo Ann Hagedorn, Ruth Wood, John Carter, Jim Gephardt, Ron Cowan, Rich Buckman (WINGS) and School District of Washington Superintendent Dr. Lori VanLeer.
WINGS Hall of Honor

Teacher of the Year
Erin DeClue, Pre-K Autism instructor at the Early Learning Center, was named the WINGS and School District of Washington Teacher of the Year. Pictured are DeClue, left, and School District of Washington Superintendent Dr. Lori VanLeer.
WINGS Hall of Honor

Teacher of the Year Finalists
Pictured are the WINGS and School District of Washington Teacher of the Year finalists. From left are Julie Trentmann, Lindsay Kober, Kaycie Schulte, Erin DeClue and Adam Meyer.
WINGS Hall of Honor

STEAM Grant Recipient
WINGS awarded its STEAM Collaborative Grant for $10,000 to Washington High School math teachers Kyle Ellrich and Melissa Mauchenheimer for their project entitled, “Coding With Robots.” Pictured from left are Casey Zastrow of WINGS, WHS math teachers Kyle Ellrich and Melissa Mauchenheimer, and Carol Zanin and Dawn Kitchell of WINGS.