In the words of a colleague and friend, Delania was a REAL teacher — one who did MORE than just put in her time in order to go home, one who really saw each student as a person of worth and one who truly cared about those who came through her door each hour. Delania was a planner. In fact, one of her favorite sayings was, “If you fail to plan, plan to fail.”  This advice continues to resonate with her four children, students and friends.

 

Delania was a lover of Coca-Cola. Classic. Not Diet, not Coke Zero. When a server informed her that the restaurant served Pepsi products, she always said, “I’ll have water.” She was a lover of QVC. Anyone could tell you that she found the best deals and was not just a customer, but a valued customer. Her husband, Dan, and the kids could tell you that there was hardly a week that went by without a little brown package from QVC at the doorstep when they came home.

 

Delania had a great sense of humor. She was always laughing about something in life and that lighthearted spirit was contagious among her family, friends, colleagues and students. Whether it was her Texas-sized accent or just her sunny disposition, people were always laughing with Delania.

 

Delania had quite the entrepreneurial spirit, but her passion was teaching. After starting The Education Station, which was one of the state's largest childcare facilities in Sallisaw, OK, Delania returned to Roland Public Schools in 1994. Here she continued to teach Home Economics, now called Family & Consumer Sciences, as well as Food & Nutrition, Marriage/Parenting, Career Orientation, Adult & Family Living, Housing and Psychology. Delania also helped establish Roland’s job shadowing program through which many students have found job placement. 

 

The Roland Public School system was Delania's community and she supported it for over 20 years, helping students from kindergarten to 12th grade when they needed something like a coat to keep them warm in the winter, a pair of shoes that fit or pants without holes in them.  She was even known to loan out her husband's ties to students going on job interviews.  So, the Delania Baumann Benevolence Fund will support Roland Public Schools, continuing her legacy for years to come.