Frances Remschel Blair Grant Memorial Fund
The Frances Remschel Blair Grant Memorial Fund honors the memory of Mrs. Frances Blair, a beloved 27-year teacher at Kerrville ISD. In keeping with her passion for public education and love for teachers and students, annual earnings from the fund will be used to provide a KPSF teaching grant to KISD for innovative classroom instruction. A significant initial contribution to the fund was made by her family members in September 2019. Mrs. Blair touched the lives of many students as described in this loving tribute by her sons Richard and Donald Blair:
“Frances Remschel Blair was a dedicated career educator who had a tremendous influence on all who came through her classroom. Her career spanned 39 years in a variety of states.
Frances was born in Kerrville, Texas and is a product of Kerrville Public schools. During her time at Tivy High School, she served as editor of The Antler, earned athletic letters, and earned the school’s highest honor in being named Student of the Year.
After graduation from The University of Texas at Austin, Frances began her teaching career in Austin, Texas. After that first year, she (and a few of her sorority sisters) decided to move to California and educate the students there. There, she met her future husband Don. Don was serving in the United States Air Force, so she taught in various schools on and off base wherever Don was stationed. These years took her from the desert of California, to the San Francisco Bay Area, to Ogden, Utah.
In 1968, when Don retired from the Air Force, they moved back to Kerrville to be near family. Frances began her career in Kerrville ISD as a Sixth Grade Teacher at Tivy Elementary.
As times and school structures changed, she changed with them; she was always eager to do what was best for her students. She not only taught at Tivy Elementary, but also at Tivy Upper Elementary and Nimitz Elementary. Frances retired from KISD in 1995 with 27 years serving Kerrville students and 39 years overall. Her influence continues in classrooms and districts across the state as many of her students and student teachers continue in education careers today.”
2023 Frances Remschel Blair Grant was awarded to Hope Mills, Kindergarten Teacher, Tom Daniels Elementary, for her grant, “Critter Coding in Kinder.” This grant funded coding critter robots and books to teach students how to design, develop and communicate with digital technology.
2022 Frances Remschel Blair Grant was awarded to Alysse O’Brien, Music Teacher, Nimitz Elementary, for her grant, “Specdrums.” This grant funded musical rings that read colors and attach sound to that color to imitate, read, and create melodic patterns.
2021 Frances Remschel Blair Grant was awarded to Melissa Martin, Challenge Lab Teacher, Tom Daniels Elementary, for her grant, “GreenStalk Vertical Garden Expansion.” This grant funded three 3-tier GreenStalk vertical garden towers for experimentation with different growing conditions.
2020 Frances Remschel Blair Grant was awarded to Jody Schwartz, Art Teacher, Starkey Elementary, for her grant, “Turning STEM to STEAM in the Art Room.” This grant funded Brackitz STEM building materials and Sphero Balls.
