Dorothy Schneekloth always wanted to teach, but she had another job to do first ñ taking care of her family.Schneekloth was born and raised in Gonzalez, Texas, and, after graduating from Gonzalez High School in 1953, she worked as a church secretary before heading to Baylor University in Waco, Texas. ìMy grandmother insisted I have a full-length coat because I was going north,î she said.While living ëup northí in Waco, she met her husband, Dave, who was stationed at James Connolly Air Force Base. They were married in 1959, and shortly thereafter Dave was sent to squadron officerís school in Montgomery, Ala. ìI was in and out of college,î Schneekloth said. ìI eventually had to finish by correspondence.î She graduated from Baylor University with a bachelorís degree in elementary education in the summer of 1962.Daveís next assignment took the Schneekloths to Portland, Ore. While Dave continued to work for the Air Force, Schneekloth started teaching. ìI taught a little bit and then we got our first child, and I never thought I would go back (to teaching),î she said. The Schneekloths adopted a baby boy in 1964, just before Dave received orders to go to Vietnam.As Dave headed off to fight in the war, Schneekloth took their son and drove back to Gonzalez to be near family. ìIt was an adventure,î she said. ìMy son was cutting teeth at the time and what I had given him was supposed to calm him, but it had the opposite effect, so I gave that up.î Regardless of the challenges from traveling with a baby, Schneekloth said she met a lot of nice people along the way.A year later, her husband returned from Vietnam, and the Schneekloths moved once again ñ to Colorado Springs. In 1967, they adopted a daughter, Sharon, and after two years in the Springs, the Air Force moved them to a colder climate ñ Minot, N.D.In 1972, they traded North Dakota winters for the balmy temperatures of Okinawa, Japan. Schneekloth said she took advantage of living overseas, including traveling to Hong Kong.Schneekloth also volunteered at the Kadena Air Force Base gift shop. She said it was a great way to get to know the people and learn more about the Okinawan culture. The money taken in at the gift shop each month was distributed to various Okinawan and American organizations throughout the island. ìWe probably took in about $17,000 each month, and I was in charge of deciding where the money would go for the Okinawans,î she said. Most of the money, Schneekloth said, funded playgrounds and provided scholarships to the Okinawan schools. She said a portion of the money was distributed to area orphanages and the local zoo. ìThey had an English bulldog (in the zoo),î she said. ìIíll never forget that.îDuring her second year in Okinawa, Schneekloth returned to teaching. ì(The schools) werenít pretty,î she said. ìYou pretty much had what you needed, but it was really crowded and quite small.îFrom Japan, the Schneekloths returned to Colorado Springs in 1974. She said she was amazed at the growth.î We lived in Garden Ranch by the north Target (off of Academy Blvd.),î she said. ìWe were the third house out there. My kids rode motorcycles where Target is right now.îOnce again Dave Schneekloth was sent overseas ñ this time to serve on the Aleutian Islands in the northwestern part of Alaska. A year later, he received an assignment to Cheyenne Mountain, and the Schneekloths bought a home in Falcon.Schneekloth had taught in District 11 for a few years, but, after moving to Falcon she started teaching at Falcon Elementary in 1980. ìI was only going to teach until my kids got out of school,î she said. ìBut you just get caught up in it.î She taught mostly second grade for the next 19 years.Both Schneekloths are retired now, but Dorothy said she keeps busy, meeting with other retired teachers from Falcon Elementary and volunteering at the Peterson Air Force Base thrift store.A little more on Dorothy SchneeklothWhat is your favorite thing about Colorado?Well, I suppose Iím just like everyone else when they say the mountains. I like looking at them.Do you have any hobbies?I love to read! I read mostly fiction or historical fiction. I just finished ìSlow Burnî by Julie Garwood.What inspires you?People that have high standards and stick with them. I also like friendly people.What are some of your favorite memories?Probably when my husband came home from Vietnam and when we adopted our son. Our son was only 10-days-old when we went to pick him up. And on our way to pick him up we had to stop at Sears to buy a crib and a dresser because we had nothing. We were not prepared.
