HEREABOUTS SANDRA BAER
Memories of favorite teachers remain with people their entire lives. The upcoming retirement of first-grade teacher, Bobbie Ulmer, will leave many former Bellbrook students reminiscing about the time they spent in this dedicated teacher’s classroom. Ulmer is retiring after 30 years in the field of education, and 26 years spent in Bellbrook.
“I’ve always loved the sounds of schools and the smells of schools,” said Ulmer, who became enthralled with teaching during her first classroom field experience while studying at Ohio State University. “Being in school is exciting and I’m always curious about what’s going on.”
Ulmer was born in Akron, and grew up in Portage Lake in the house that sat right next to her father’s veterinary hospital. She and her three siblings delighted in seeing their father frequently throughout the day and helping him in the office.
“My grandfather made tires by hand for Goodyear,” said Ulmer, whose father met her mother, because he boarded with her parents while studying to become a veterinarian at OSU. “He was a one-man operation taking care of small pets, but my mother was always backing him up and taking care of the kids and the house.”
Ulmer was active in the Latin club, Spanish club, Future Teacher’s of America and Future Nurse’s of America before graduating from Coventry High School in 1967. She studied education at OSU where she met her husband, Ben. The couple wed in 1970, and Ulmer became an inner city tutor for neurologically handicapped students after graduating from OSU in 1972. In September 1972, Ulmer accepted a first-grade teaching position at Eleventh Avenue School in Columbus.
“I absolutely loved my time in Columbus, and didn’t want to leave my grandparents,” said Ulmer, who moved to Bellbrook in 1981 after Ben accepted a new position. “I was in a singing group called The Singing Moms, because I’d become a stay-at-home mom to raise my two children, Betsy and Andy.”
Betsy Ulmer Fassel graduated from Bellbrook High School in 1993. She attended OSU, where she earned a degree in industrial design and began working for Nationwide Insurance. Betsy lives in Westerville with her husband, Craig, and their two children, Abby and Max.
Andy Ulmer also graduated from BHS and OSU where he studied physics and met his wife, Bobbie. Andy went on to earn a law degree from the University of Cincinnati and joined the law firm of Frost, Brown and Todd, and made partner in eight years. He currently lives in Cincinnati with his wife and daughter, Harper.
Initially, Ulmer volunteered in the school district, then worked as a substitute teacher and finally began working as a first-grade teacher in 1985. She also earned a master’s degree from Wright State University.
“In Bellbrook, by and large, kids come prepared to school and parents are involved,” said Ulmer, who enjoyed working in Bellbrook. “The teachers are competitive; always learning new things from each other to improve the classroom and to be the best that they can be. Most of the teachers are really dedicated, coming in early, staying late and working on weekends.”
During the years, Ulmer has been active as a music booster, a member of the PTO and volunteered for the Eaglelettes. She is a 30-year member of the Book Club and was a member of the Friends of Winter’s Library and also actively supported school levies during the years.
Contact this columnist at (937) 432-9054 or jjbaer@aol.com.
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