A 1929 graduate of Millsaps College who later earned M.Ed. and M.A. degrees at Mississippi College, Irene Breland taught English in Mississippi for forty-one years, most of them in the Jackson Public Schools. Even at the age of ninety-nine she not only remembered every student she had ever taught but also many details about the students' families, interests, and careers. Her life was long, full, and active, and she was a positive influence on thousands of teenagers. Within twenty-four hours of the mugging that led ultimately to her death, her former students had raised $30,000 in reward money to help catch the mugger, who unfortunately has not been found.
A 1929 graduate of Millsaps College who later earned M.Ed. and M.A. degrees at Mississippi College, Irene Breland taught English in Mississippi for forty-one years, most of them in the Jackson Public Schools. Even at the age of ninety-nine she not only remembered every student she had ever taught but also many details about the students' families, interests, and careers. Her life was long, full, and active, and she was a positive influence on thousands of teenagers. Within twenty-four hours of the mugging that led ultimately to her death, her former students had raised $30,000 in reward money to help catch the mugger, who unfortunately has not been found.
