TPS educator was principal, union leader

Willard F. Pelger, 81, a 30-year educator in the Toledo Public Schools who was a union leader and a retired elementary school principal, died yesterday in Hospice of Northwest Ohio, South Detroit Avenue.

He had numerous ailments and was in declining health the last three years, his wife, Beverly, said.

Mr. Pelger was principal of Cherry Elementary School for about 10 years when he retired in 1988.

"He really loved working with young people. He got along well with parents," said Ken Morris, retired principal of Woodward High School and a friend for almost 50 years. "I think he was a real advocate for kids. That was the basic reason he was involved."

Mr. Pelger of South Toledo started in 1958 as a social studies and industrial arts teacher at Jones Junior High School. His next assignment was at Libbey High School. He and Mr. Morris, then at Start High, were on a committee to develop state guidelines for a program called occupational work experience that aimed to bring dropouts back to a school setting.

"He was motivated and worked hard. He was interested. He participated," Mr. Morris said. "It was a natural progression for him to become an administrator in the public school system."

By the late 1960s, he was assistant principal at Pickett Elementary School. He was principal of Martin Elementary School before he went to Cherry school.

"He worked in some tough schools, but he liked those kids and felt he was fair to them and was able to help them," his wife said. "He ran a tight ship."

Mr. Pelger was an officer in the Toledo Education Association, which formerly represented teachers, and was involved in the Toledo Association of Administrative Personnel.

Mr. Pelger also ran an adult education program in concert with what was then Dana Corp.

He was born Aug. 8, 1928, in Canton to Mary and Sam Pelger. He was a graduate of Linsly Military Institute, Wheeling, W.Va.

He attended three semesters at Miami University before he went into the Army and served in the Korean War. Serious injuries from a concussion grenade forced a return stateside to recover. He received the Purple Heart.

He returned to Miami, from which he received a bachelor's degree. He later received a master of education degree from the University of Toledo.

He and his wife were dedicated travelers. For 17 years, they traveled in their motor home. They had a power boat, which they transported to Traverse City, Mich., for monthlong stays there. On their boat, they traversed the Trent-Severn Waterway and the Rideau Canal in Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway from Montreal home.

They made four trips to Europe and spent time in London, especially. Mr. Pelger was a Sherlock Holmes devotee, and the visits yielded a trove of Holmesiana, including prints depicting scenes from the stories; an address plate for the fictional detective's apartment at 221B Baker St., and a pipe and violin.

He was a woodworker and made a mantle piece that said, "Elementary, my dear Watson."

Surviving are his wife, Beverly, whom he married March 21, 1952, son, Scott, two granddaughters, and a great-granddaughter.

Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Walter Funeral Home, where the body will be after 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The family suggests tributes to New Hope United Methodist Church, where he was a member, or Hospice of Northwest Ohio.

Contact Mark Zaborney at:

mzaborney@theblade.com

or 419-724-6182.