Glenna (Schauer) Fouberg
“Mrs. Education,†Glenna (Schauer) Fouberg, 78, of Aberdeen, died Jan. 5, 2021, from complications related to COVID-19.
Fouberg, who earned her Master of Education degree in counseling in 1968, was selected as a Distinguished Alumna in 2009. In 2020, she was inducted into both the South Dakota and Aberdeen Central halls of fame.Â
Known as a teacher with a commitment to helping students on the margins of the state’s education system, Fouberg began her teaching career following graduation from the Northern State Teachers College in 1963 and SDSU in 1968.
During her 38-year career, she taught at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, Sisseton, Bristol, Webster and Aberdeen. The last 13 years of her career she was director of the Alternative Learning Center in Aberdeen.
At the Alternative Learning Center, she extended services to middle school students, those at the Juvenile Detention Center and those at the New Beginnings Center, which is a home for at-risk youth. She also mentored other school districts in the creation of similar centers.
She was particularly proud of the accomplishments of Alternative Learning Center students, now in their 40s and 50s, when they took jobs and started families. Her husband, Rod said, “They’d come up and give her hugs.â€
Glenna Fouberg was named South Dakota Teacher of the Year in 1994. She served 19 years on the South Dakota Board of Education, including four as president. She also led the Indian Education Advisory Board for 10 years and helped start the annual Indian Education Summit and the South Dakota Teacher Summit. Her leadership helped bring Teach for America to the state, which places teachers on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
In Aberdeen, Fouberg was involved in multiple organizations and fundraising activities, which included the capital campaign to build the Aberdeen Family YMCA.
She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Rod; two sons, Robert (Erin) and Daniel (Nancy); four grandchildren and two brothers-in-law. She was preceded in death by an infant daughter, a brother and two sisters.
