Alice Griffin 'TEACH TUCKER' WAS A FRIEND TO HER STUDENTS It was not uncommon for Alice Griffin Tucker to go the extra mile for her students. The Detroit high school English teacher, lovingly called "Teach Tucker," by legions of students during her 40-year career in Detroit's public schools, took them to sports events in the rumble seat of her car and listened to their problems. "She was friendly, she was warm, she never knew the meaning of the word 'stranger,' " said Patricia Griffin, a relative by marriage. "If she had a lifetime motto, it was, 'What can I do to help you?' " Miss Tucker, 83, of Detroit, died March 23 while visiting Thousand Oaks, Calif. She was born in Bradford, Pa., and joined the Detroit public schools in 1925. During her career, she taught at Southwestern and Mumford high schools. In addition to teaching English, she also became tutor and confidante. "One student had been put in one of the classes for the disadvantaged. She took one look at him and knew how intelligent he was," Griffin said. "She worked with him, he went on to college and is now a pharmacist in the Detroit area." When two students eloped to Ohio, they told Miss Tucker before they told their parents, Griffin said. During World War II, in addition to her teaching and volunteer work as a civil defense block warden, Miss Tucker wrote to students serving in the armed forces. "Any of the students that she felt might not be getting enough letters from the Detroit area, Auntie stayed up past midnight to write them," Griffin said. Miss Tucker retired from teaching in 1965, but continued to correspond with her students. Their responses always began with "Dear Teach," Griffin said. Six months ago, when she suffered a stroke, Miss Tucker received 250 letters from students. Miss Tucker, a University of Akron graduate, was an avid Detroit Tigers and University of Michigan football fan. She was a Republican Party precinct worker and a member of the Women's City Club and Detroit Writers Guild. She is survived by a nephew, G. Edward Griffin. A memorial mass will be at 10 a.m. today at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 7685 Grandville, Detroit. Burial was in California. Copyright (c) 1987 Detroit Free Press
Kenneth Bertin (1964)
Alice Griffin 'TEACH TUCKER' WAS A FRIEND TO HER STUDENTS It was not uncommon for Alice Griffin Tucker to go the extra mile for her students. The Detroit high school English teacher, lovingly called "Teach Tucker," by legions of students during her 40-year career in Detroit's public schools, took them to sports events in the rumble seat of her car and listened to their problems. "She was friendly, she was warm, she never knew the meaning of the word 'stranger,' " said Patricia Griffin, a relative by marriage. "If she had a lifetime motto, it was, 'What can I do to help you?' " Miss Tucker, 83, of Detroit, died March 23 while visiting Thousand Oaks, Calif. She was born in Bradford, Pa., and joined the Detroit public schools in 1925. During her career, she taught at Southwestern and Mumford high schools. In addition to teaching English, she also became tutor and confidante. "One student had been put in one of the classes for the disadvantaged. She took one look at him and knew how intelligent he was," Griffin said. "She worked with him, he went on to college and is now a pharmacist in the Detroit area." When two students eloped to Ohio, they told Miss Tucker before they told their parents, Griffin said. During World War II, in addition to her teaching and volunteer work as a civil defense block warden, Miss Tucker wrote to students serving in the armed forces. "Any of the students that she felt might not be getting enough letters from the Detroit area, Auntie stayed up past midnight to write them," Griffin said. Miss Tucker retired from teaching in 1965, but continued to correspond with her students. Their responses always began with "Dear Teach," Griffin said. Six months ago, when she suffered a stroke, Miss Tucker received 250 letters from students. Miss Tucker, a University of Akron graduate, was an avid Detroit Tigers and University of Michigan football fan. She was a Republican Party precinct worker and a member of the Women's City Club and Detroit Writers Guild. She is survived by a nephew, G. Edward Griffin. A memorial mass will be at 10 a.m. today at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 7685 Grandville, Detroit. Burial was in California. Copyright (c) 1987 Detroit Free Press
Karen Weiner (Oberstein) (1965)
Ms. Tucker was an inspiring teacher who we thought of
as a member of our family after my ex-husband and I graduated.
She attended our wedding, family parties, and continued to inspire us
through my ex-husband's and daughter's illnesses. She was a teacher who cared about her students in every sense of the word.