Interview with Mary Lenzen

Polly Lenzen was born in Webster Groves, Missouri, on May 27, 1924. She is not
married, and she has no children. Ms. Lenzen attended Harris Teachers College in St. Louis,
Missouri during and after World War II. After college, she began her teaching career in Ladue,
Missouri, and then moved to Maui, Hawaii, where she taught eighth grade for two years. She
returned to the mainland and began teaching in South Florida, first in Dania, then at Stranahan
Elementary in Fort lauderdale, and then she spent the next 35 years teaching mainly
kindergarten at the Davie School in Davie, Florida. She was able to experience the many
changes that took place there between the 1950s and the present and was able to take part in
the Orange Blossom Festivals, attend the rodeos, and be a part of many school events.
Teaching and traveling have always been Ms. Lenzen's two passions-she has traveled
extensively, both domestically and internationally, taking approximately 100 cruises over the
years. In 1963, for example, she took a trip around the world on three ships, spending three
months abroad; one of those months was dedicated to travel in the Middle East. She also
owned an RV and took a number of road trips in that vehicle.
The best lessons she was able to teach her many young students involved, in her words,
"fair play and kindness.'' Ms. Lenzen would most like to be remembered for her two passions:
teaching and traveling.