As they did so intently a half-century ago, Webster Groves High School alumni once again are trying to find the right words for Yvonne Lanagan.
The indomitable English teacher and journalism adviser – perhaps best known for the 500-word list underpinning one of her toughest assignments – died Dec. 2 in Salt Lake City, at 92. And since then, sons Michael Lanagan in Concord, Mass., and Kevin Lanagan, in Lutherville, Md., have fielded remembrances from ex-pupils from across the country.
They all remember being inspired, and occasionally shocked, during her dozen Webster years, ending in 1965 when she left for California, and later for the Chicago area. She rounded out a 25-year career, retiring in the late 1970s and remarrying, to become Yvonne Lanagan Hunter.
For Webster Echo student staff members from the ’50s and ’60s – many who went on to journalism careers – the words for “Mrs. L” reflect her hands-on approach to maintaining a high-quality newspaper. But few Lanagan English students can forget her passion for “the list,” distributed with instructions to define 500 words and document their appearance in the media.
“The time needed for this unbelievable search was substantial,” recalled 1964 Webster graduate Jennifer Young, a retired human resources manager in Tyler, Texas. “Seeing their offspring so stressed, many, if not all of the stay-at-home mothers took on the task,” and alerted other mothers where to find the most challenging words.
“Often, one mother would obtain multiple copies of an article that contained an obscure word – to create ‘trading opportunities.’ As a result, thanks to Mrs. Lanagan, I think the entire city of Webster Groves became more erudite. Maybe that was her goal,” Young said.
In the months before Mrs. L’s death, Diane Taylor, class of 1959, presented a tribute to her – and her 500-word list – in the video blog she produces as “Vegas Di” for the website Living Las Vegas.
“She was loud, had bold quick handwriting, wore tight skirts and high heels, sometimes without stockings. And that was before it was fashionable,” said Taylor, noting that she’d been reminded of the list of words after reading three choice ones – neologism, oxymoron and tautology – used in a single sentence in a New York Times column.
“What a great teaching moment Mrs. Lanagan would have had with that sentence,” Taylor said. “We would all have scurried to the dictionary; we would have raised our hands; we would have stumbled; we might even have soared. We would have laughed. But we would never have forgotten the words.”
Echo staffer Ellen Pfeifer – who pursued a journalism career as a classical music critic – proffered insights that might shed light on Mrs. L’s style. Her “fearsome reputation and vivid personality” had fascinated Pfeifer as a 10th-grader.
“Yes, there were the tight skirts, spike heels (I remember her in a rage one day when she broke off a heel coming up the stairs), and blonde hair. But there was also the performance art of her teaching,” Pfeifer said. “She would declaim lines of Shakespeare with real thespian fervor. Or she would deconstruct in the most precisely and elegantly chosen language the meaning of the term ‘brown nose’ – and why it should not be allowed in the school newspaper. She was riveting and unforgettable in the classroom.”
But the student also had learned early of the teacher’s tragic background: The death of her husband and middle son in a 1952 automobile accident in Clinton, Iowa.
“She was only 31. She had been staying in St. Louis seeking medical attention for her youngest child, Kevin, when she got the news. She decided to stay, enrolling her oldest son, Mike, in Holy Redeemer elementary school that same winter,” recalled Pfeifer, who now manages public relations for the prestigious New England Conservatory.
“Mike related to me recently that she went to see Webster High Principal Howard Latta within days of the accident and announced that she was the best English teacher he would ever have and that he should hire her,” Pfeifer continued. “He did.”
Seeing his mother’s health failing in recent months, Kevin Lanagan asked several ex-pupils to write her notes, recalling how she had inspired them. Some are now being posted on a Facebook site dedicated to Webster High remembrances. www.facebook.com/Yvonnelanagan
Roy Harris, a former Wall Street Journal reporter, now lives in Hingham, Mass., where he is working on a new edition of his book “Pulitzer’s Gold: Behind the Prize for Public Service Journalism.”
