Gloria M. Follet

Born January 29, 1931 in Portland, Oregon, USA.
Died August 19, 2012 in Holiday Island, Arkansas, USA.

Gloria grew up in California and Kansas, and went on to obtain her Teachers Certificate after high school. She then received a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education & Choral Music (Fort Hays State University). Afterward, Gloria earned two Masters Degrees - in Psychology (University of Arkansas) and as an Education Specialist in School Psychology (Kansas University). She was an accomplished pianist, taught piano lessons, and sang alto in several different choirs over the years - including the Civic Choir (Lawrence, Kansas) and the Ozark Chorale (Eureka Springs, Arkansas).

Gloria resided in Eureka Springs for 48 years. She was a teacher, counselor, and school psychologist for Kansas Public Schools for 19 years, and devoted time as a school psychologist for the Veritas Christian School in Lawrence. She also was a national consultant for childhood education for the Follett Publishing Company. In that role, she conducted music workshops, seminars, and published some of her own instructional music books and records. Gloria also partnered with other professionals on educational psychological publications for Kansas University. In the 1970s, she owned and operated The Spice Cabinet in Eureka Springs.

In the early 2000s, Gloria used her skills as a school psychologist to improve the educational environment in rural Kenya. She began mission work and founded Teach My Kenyan Children (TMKC) with Dr. Peter Gitaeu. In addition to helping fund and build libraries and classrooms, she initiated the country's first training on autism. She was an advocate for children with disabilities, and worked to ensure resources were available to them. She conducted training seminars for teachers, performed childhood assessments, and helped to establish a Lunch & Learn program.