Bozarth Elementary School pays tribute to husband-wife educators

Henry Bozarth, esteemed military serviceman and educator, and his wife, Evelyn Bozarth, also an educator who specialized in mathematics, had a combined career in education that totaled 88 years.

Although they never shared a classroom, the late couple share a legacy in Bozarth Elementary School, 7431 Egan Crest Drive.

The Bozarths namesake school was dedicated to them on May 5, 2010. The school has 767 students, said Rodney Saunders, school principal.

But if Henry Bozarth were here today, he wouldn’t love the fuss, said his second wife, Blanche Bozarth.

“He wasn’t a person to brag,” she said. “It’s amazing what someone can quietly do.”

Henry Bozarth, commonly known as Hank, was a B-26 bomber pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was active in 60 missions, including three on D-Day. His fighter pilot days were honored by many awards and medals, and the nose of his bomber plane and photos of his unit are on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

He earned a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in education from the University of Texas at Austin. He began his career in Texas, where he was a teacher, a principal and an assistant professor.

He moved to Las Vegas in 1964 with his family and worked as director of education for the Clark County School District. He was a curriculum coordinator and implemented the r eading improvement program.

He retired in 1988. He kept a garden and built a home in Brian Head, Utah with his family, Blanche Bozarth said.

Evelyn Bozarth was a straight-A student during her school days, Blanche Bozarth said.

She held a triple degree in mathematics, biological science and education from Louisiana State University. Twelve years later, she received a master’s from the University of Texas at Austin.

Her 41-year career was spent in elementary schools in Louisiana, Texas and Clark County, where she wrote the math curriculum for fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders in the 1960s.

She received the Lemuel Scarbrough Award for excellence in teaching in Austin, Texas in 1955.

Evelyn Bozarth died in 1990.

Blanche and Henry Bozarth met on a blind date and were married in 1994.

On April 8, the library of the school was dedicated to Blanche Bozarth, who is active at the school. She’s also the one who nominated her late husband and his first wife for a namesake distinction.

Blanche compiled letters from friends and colleagues of her husband to submit with the application. She now keeps them in a three-inch keepsake binder in her home.

Saunders said Blanche Bozarth has brought in Henry Bozarth’s war memorabilia and talked to the students about the Bozarths.

“She’s a superstar when she shows up,” he said.

Blanche Bozarth, who lives in Summerlin, said she enjoys frequenting the school.

“I just feel so comfortable being there,” she said. “The atmosphere there is amazing. (Henry) would be amazed.”

Henry Bozarth died Jan. 22, 2005, in Las Vegas. The Clark County School Board approved the naming of Bozarth Elementary two years later.

The Bozarth s’ home was always open to students eager to learn, said Penny Ramos-Bennett, a spokeswoman for the Clark County School District.

An obituary for Henry Bozarth listed two sons, James and David, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Blanche Bozarth and the Bozarth sons were present during the school’s ribbon cutting.

“People who have done outstanding things for our country deserve recognition,” Blanche Bozarth said. “The school is a good reflection of who he was.”

Contact Centennial and Paradise View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.