Lynn LaTeer

Lynn LaTeer (born Lynn Quentin Gilmore), was born February 15, 1927, on a farm near the small town of Arrowsmith in Central Illinois. He was the fourth child of Marwyn C. Gilmore and Mabel LaTeer Gilmore. He is survived by his wife, Donna Oltman Gilmore of Ft. Lauderdale, FL; two sons, Jeffrey Lynn Gilmore of Clay, NY and Barton LaTeer Gilmore of Lutz, FL; and two granddaughters, Sarah Lynn Gilmore of Chicago, IL, and Raina Kathryn Gilmore of Lutz, FL. He is also survived by two brothers, Spencer LaTeer Gilmore of Woodlans, TX; and Gerald D. Gilmore of Tuscan, AZ and Seattle, WA. He was preceded in death by brothers, Lytle Gilmore, Robbie M. Gilmore and a sister, Chadyne Gilmore McClaren. In 1932, at the heart of the Great Depression, the Gilmore family quit farming and moved to Saybrook, IL. LaTeer attended the public schools in Saybrook and he graduated as valedictorian of his high school class In 1945. He served in the US Army at Camp Walters; TX; Camp Edwards, MA; and the Third Replacement Depot in Marburg, Germany. He was discharged from the service in 1947 as chief clerk of the Depot with the rank of sergeant. He entered Illinois State University in 1947 and completed his Bachelor’s degree in 1950. He married his college sweetheart following graduation and began teaching business education in Monmouth, IL for three years. From 1953-1963, he taught and administered in the Rich Township High School District in Park Forest, IL. He was always active in the affairs of his communities and profession, becoming a member of the Chicago Heights Masonic Lodge in 1961. He also was very active in the National Education Association and its state affiliates in Illinois, Michigan and Florida. In 1963, he accepted the position of executive director of the Livonia, Michigan Education Association, where he served until 1966, when he assumed the same position in Broward County, Florida. In 1966, the nation, especially Broward County, was in a transitional period. LaTeer’s biggest responsibility was to help the teachers unify black and white teachers into one organization and help with the desegregation of public schools. The ambitions and goals of the teachers' movement was at complete odds to the wishes of the political leaders in the public schools, which led to the first teachers' strike sanctioned by the National Educational Association. The schools were closed ten days when the courts ordered the school board to negotiate with the teachers' association, which led to the first master contract between the school board and the school teachers. He left the teaching profession in 1975 and accepted a position with the State of Florida and served as a counselor and supervisor of the Aid to Families of Dependent Children until 1992 when he retired. LaTeer took great pride in the success of all his brothers and his sister, and most of all his children, in achieving their goals in life. He enjoyed travel with his family and kept in touch with them as they were dispersed throughout the United States. He loved his home and took great pride in tending his yard and garden. He attributes the success of his siblings and himself to the wise advice of his mother and a mentor, Miss Geneva Harper, a teacher at Saybrook High School who taught his mother and her children that they were capable of achieving anything they wanted to do.