Mundell Retires from Teaching After 37 Years

Retirement Celebration

This past April, Joe Mundell retired as a teacher at Lamar High School, following a 37 year career in education, 33 of which were in Lamar. His contributions were recognized this spring during a presentation/retirement ceremony that will see him begin a new chapter in his life, caring for his aging mother and father and looking after the family ranching operation on 2,000 acres of open rangeland around Walsh.  He’s planning to spend weekdays on the ranch and return to his wife Darla, and their home in Lamar, just yards away from the school where he taught hundreds of students during his career.  Harold Bohl said Mundell was honored as the ‘Teacher of the Year’ with a ceremony on May 18^th at the Lamar Masonic Temple.  A retirement party was held at the Rodeway Cow Palace Inn by the high school.

He began his career in Alamosa at Central and East Elementary schools and coached three sports at a high school level there. Several years later he transferred to Walsh where he and Darla were wed.  With a comprehensive musical background, Joe and Darla moved to Nashville to test their skills in country-western performing and writing.  An opening developed in Lamar to teach physical education and coach which he accepted, as well as ramrod the school’s Knowledge Bowl teams which provided almost as much excitement as a tightly contested football match.

Joe and Darla at the proud parents of two children. Son Blake is a massage therapist for the Tennessee Titans in Nashville and is following his father on the music circuit and is in the middle of his second album.  Joe played with the ‘Black Water Band’ and ‘Prairie Fire’ and will head into his basement with Ray Orozco on weekends to play some tunes.  Their daughter, Mandy, had been employed by the Division of Wildlife in Lamar.  Joe taught PE alongside Carolyn Peyton and recalled when they would use music while the students ran for 10 minutes around the gym.  Several new students asked to play some of their music and Carolyn allowed it, until some of “Big Butt Boogy” came through the loudspeakers.  As the lyrics were a little beyond, “PG” guidelines, Carolyn was the one who got to run over to the control board to shut things down, white-faced and all.  Joe said he got a kick out of watching the expression on her face when she heard that music.  If you see some livestock dancing down Walsh way, take a look as it may be a Joe Mundell melody that has them moving.

Happy Retirement to Joe Mundell.

(information provided by Harold Bohl)