Nancy Gibney Binkley, Class of 1946

[excerpt from Binkley’s obituary published in the Herald Mail dated July 9, 2013]
“Nancy enjoyed a wonderful long life. She loved deeply and was deeply loved.
She taught elementary school for more than 37 years in Washington County Public Schools, beginning her career at Antietam Street School and later teaching at Pangborn Elementary School. She retired from teaching in 1990. She became a director of consumer affairs for the Paul Harris Stores, retail chain, in Indianapolis, Ind., in the mid to late ‘90s.
She spent most of her life in Hagerstown. Her later years were spent in Florida, Indianapolis, Vermont and Maryland enjoying a wonderful retirement, but she always had a big smile on her face when she returned to Maryland.
A great believer in education, she graduated from Frostburg College, earning a degree in education in 1946 followed by a master’s degree in education from Columbia University in New York City, achieving it during a time when higher education was not always sought by women.
Her educational journey (and a great story) began when she went to her first day in the first grade and came home that night in the second grade. She always loved to tell that story with the caveat that her mother had been a teacher and home-schooled her, giving her a great foundation to complete the first grade in only one day!
Her other favorite education story was that she attended the tiny little school in Cearfoss, Md., an experience she always cherished.
As a tribute to her strong belief in the importance of education, the Nancy Gibney Binkley Scholarship at Frostburg State University lives on to help other Washington County elementary education students achieve their college dreams as she did.”

[From Letter to the Editor of Profile Magazine, Winter 2003] ..I wanted you to know how much I enjoy Profile magazine and reading how the college has grown since I attended. It seems so long ago. At that time it was just a Teacher’s College and I loved every minute of those college years. In those days few men were at the college during the war and so the sailors from Bedford, Pa., would be invited to our dances and girls were given numbers to match with a number given to a sailor when he arrived… Upon receiving my degree I returned home and taught elementary school for 43 years in Washington County. I still visit Frostburg occasionally because some of my college friends still live in that area. I was surprised to see how the University has expanded throughout the years. Nancy Binkley Class of ‘46 Hagerstown, Md