Iowa City Press-Citizen from Iowa City, Iowa • A4

4A 16,2017 Iowa City Press-Citizen Eliza Ann Dixon, 86, of North Liberty, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family on Wednesday, January 11, 2017. Visitation will be from noon until 2:30 pm on Friday, January 20, 2017 at New Life Community Church, 1703 2nd Street in Coralville, with funeral services to follow at 2:30 pm with Pastor Paul Smith officiating. Burial will be at noon on Friday at Lincoln Cemetery in Chicago, IL. Memorial contributions may be made to The American Cancer Society. Eliza was born on February 19, 1930 in Ramer, AL, the daughter of William and Mary Frances (Myricks) Dabney.

She was raised in Montgomery, AL. On July 8, 1951, Eliza married Richard Dixon in Chicago. She was a Nabisco factory line worker for 25 years. Richard later passed away in 1990. Eliza moved to Coralville, IA in 2000 and just recently relocated to North Liberty, IA.

Eliza was an avid quil- ter who not only quilted for herself and her family, but also quilted for The Senior Center in Iowa City, where she was a dedicated volunteer for many years. She was also a devoted member and an Elder at New Life Community Church. While living in Chicago, Eliza was a member of Shiloh Baptist Church for over 45 years, where she served as Chief Usher for numerous years. Eliza was a wonderful lady who will be dearly missed. Survivors include her three children: Theresa (Douglas) Shackelford of Phoenix, AZ, Alfreda Dixon of North Liberty, IA, and Richard W.

(Betty) Dixon, of North Liberty, IA; 9 grandchildren, 15 great- grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. Eliza was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Richard, a son James Dixon, a brother Ezekiel Dabney, grandmother Eliza Dabney, and a former son- in-law Kenneth Gatlin. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.lensing- funeral.com Eliza Ann Dixon, 86 Dixon Robert Richard Crum, 86, lifelong resident of Iowa City, IA went on to his heavenly home with Jesus on January 14, 2017. Bob passed away at home where he had been cared for and comforted by his wife and family. His cause of death was from Masto- cytosis, a genetic mutation disease.

Bob was born June 10, 1930, in Iowa City, IA, son of George and Margaret Banger Crum and joined his sister, Betty Jane, nine years older. The family home on Magowan Avenue would be his home while attending K-12 grades at University Elementary and High School and the University of Iowa, where he graduated with a degree in political science. As a young boy, Bob was industrious, mowing neighborhood lawns and delivering newspapers. He enjoyed hunting rabbits with his dad in the area which is now Normandy Drive, then an open field. Attending Old Brick Presbyterian Sunday School then walking to the Whetstone Drug Store, where his father managed the soda fountain and store front.

There he could read comic books until his father and he walked the long way home to Magowan Avenue for his afternoon break. The family had no car until Bob was a senior in high school. In high school he secured a job with the University lawn mowing crew, mowing with hand pushed reel mowers, four men abreast, back and forth on the Pen- tacrest. Two summers, while in college, he and 3 friends, found jobs in Fairbanks, Alaska helping in the construction of the air base. After college graduation, he began his sales career with Pharmaceutical companies, starting in the Quad Cities, where he met his wife Joanne Jensen.

After marrying in 1955, they relocated permanently back to Iowa City, where they raised four children; Beth, Tom, Sarah and David. After the death of Joanne. Bob married Velma Stubbs Kelso, also an Iowa City native, on September 17, 2006. Being retired, they traveled extensively from Alaska to California. Texas to Missouri and Wisconsin.

South Carolina to Maine and time at their home in Estes Park, Colorado. They found a fitting summary to their life together. in a while, in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy Author Unknown Being a Christian, Bob was a member of the Iowa City Nazarene Church, at 1035 Wade Street and served several years on the church board and the IC Compassion board. Volunteering in the compassion center and weekly free community meals, were especially rewarding to him. Survivors are, his wife, Velma, children; Beth (Roger) Wombacher, Tom (Pam) Crum, Sarah (Patrick) Mulligan, David (Marcy) Crum, Brian (Nic) Kelso, Julie (Lon) Marshall, Nancy Kelso, 14 grandchildren and their spouses and 5 great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be Wednesday from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at Lensing Funeral Cremation Service in Iowa City. Funeral Services will begin Thursday at 11:00 am at the Nazarene Church in Iowa City, Iowa with Pastor Michael Lynch officiating. Visitation will also be held at the church Thursday morning from 10:00 am until service time. Bob requested no flowers, but to direct memorials to the Nazarene Church or the IC Compassion Center, both at 1035 Wade Street in Iowa City. Online condolences may be made at www.

lensingfuneral.com Robert Crum, 86 Crum Alvina J. Irving, 91, of Iowa City, passed away Sunday, January 15, 2017. at home surrounded by her family. Arrangements are with Lensing Funeral Cremation Service. Alvina J.

Irving, 91 Obituaries Obituaries now going to rookies. see it said Anderson. know how it could In some areas, even kindergarten positions which used to be so popular they often required experience are hosted this month by the School Administrators of Iowa. concern is if we go three to four years, and it sneaks up on us, we have quality teachers to put into said Roark Horn, executive director of the professional association. In addition, schools are upping recruiting efforts, especially for hard-to-fill areas such as special education, English language learning, and in more rural areas, math and science teachers.

Teaching jobs that once drew hundreds of applicants in Creston Schools 20 years ago are now attracting only 10 or 20 applicants, said lower elementary school Principal Callie Anderson. Special education jobs have been particularly difficult to fill, and last year she asked contacts in the Des Moines metro area for suggestions. just come to you Anderson said. takes a nontraditional graduate or a small-town resident to even apply here in southwest With increased competition for applicants, others are increasing incentives. Des Moines Public Schools is offering a $3,000 signing bonus to special education teachers, for example, plus an 18-month contract to insulate against unforeseen budget cuts.

Another incentive for beginning teachers is a free program, which helps woo Des Moines applicants, Sullivan said. Recruitment often starts in early January, with job fairs and on-the-spot interviews. Many cultivate relationships with local colleges to identify prospects. get any Adearth of new teachers likely has complex reasons, from greater degree require- ments to increased challenges and responsibilities in the classrooms. But some blame a political backlash they believe unfairly scapegoats the profession, weakening its perceived respectability and the interest of college students.

my elected leaders, from the top down, really saying they support or respect education or public schools, it would really make me question whether the route I would want to said Tammy Wawro, president of teachers union. But others point to a different shift: now harder to become a teacher. Seeking to overhaul college education programs, in 2009 Education Secretary Arne Duncan derided their reputation as and that do a job of preparing teachers for the realities of the 21st century In the years since, many states, including Iowa, rewrote degree stipulations and required a national exam before completion. And while the changes are heralded as a way to better education, it could also be narrowing the In Iowa, educators must now earn a score in the top 25 percent nationally in order to pass, said Laurence Bice, an Iowa Department of Education consultant. More coursework is also required.

To become an elementary teacher, for example, students must take 12 subject courses: three each of math, science, social studies and language arts. Before, students only took four one in each subject. are making sure that we have the most highly qualified said Wawro. way to do that is by making sure they come out of the teacher prep programs as prepared as Teachers Continued from Page 1A REGISTER FILE PHOTO Between 2009 and 2014, enrollments in teacher prep programs nationally dropped 35 percent, from 691,000 to 451,000 students, according to the Learning Policy Institute. Obituaries Inspiration in Indiana Guth said working on legislation in conjunction with the national advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom that will be modeled after a bill signed in 2015 by then- Indiana governor and current Vice President-elect Mike Pence.

That bill originally said the government intrude on a religious liberty unless a compelling interest to do so and the government is imposing that burden in the least restrictive way. Though legal experts were divided omthe practical effects of the law, civil rights groups and others said they worried it would allow business owners to deny services to gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender individuals on the basis of religion. When a host of companies, athletics organizations and convention organizers threatened to pull their business from the state, Pence agreed to amend the bill, signing a that clarified it would not allow businesses to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. Guthsaid Indiana had it right the first time. think it does infringe on other he said.

we have a difference of opinion one of our feelings is maybe going to be offended. But really not that taken away your right or taken away my right. Does any of us have a right to never be offended? I think a part of our Matt Sinovic, executive director of the advocacy group Progress Iowa, said the proposal is as extreme as it could opens up sort of a box of unintended consequences where you could have a business owner or a restaurateur reject service for an out-of-wedlock he said. could have a whole variety of situations where using religious beliefs to discriminate against another person could come into According to the National Conference on State Legislatures, 21 states have enacted their own RFRA bills. Kicking in the door, with caution Senate Majority Leader Bill office did not return a request for comment about whether he would support such legislation.

But Dix has said often since the GOP took control of the Legislature in November that Senate Republicans plan to the door at the statehouse by taking action on awide range of conservative issues. In the House, where Republicans have held the majority for six years, leaders said important to stay focused. House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow, R- Windsor Heights, said a religious freedom bill is not part of the things the cau- cus has discussed pursuing this session. heard a few members talk about it, but it risen to any higher level than that he said. House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, said House Republicans start filing bills in earnest until taken care of the 2017 budget.

Lower-than-expected revenue returns are forcing legislators to make about $110 million in program cuts in the current budget year. Gov. Terry Branstad made his proposals last week, but lawmakers must finalize the spending plan. really want people distracted by a lot of other things until we get that Upmeyer said. working on things, so I anticipate have a lot more bills filed next Religion Continued from Page 1A.