Audrey Virginia Myers Buffington, age 89 of Franklin, TN formerly of Maryland passed away September 26, 2021. She was a dedicated life-long mathematics educator. She was born on Shady Spring Farm, Uniontown, Maryland, on October 6, 1931, graduated from Uniontown Elementary School in 1944, from New Windsor High School, receiving the Best All Around Student Award in 1948, and from Western Maryland College in 1952, receiving her Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude. She was a member of Beta Beta Beta, an Honorary Biological Fraternity, and of the Argonauts, an Honorary Scholastic Society. A month before graduating, she began teaching at Westminster High School and continued there through 1966. During this time she received a NSF Scholarship or 4 summers at Pennsylvania State University receiving her Master of Education Degree in 1968. In 1967, she was appointed as the first full-time Supervisor of Mathematics for Carroll County Schools and served in this capacity until becoming the State Mathematics Supervisor for Maryland from 1972-79 she retired to accept the position of Senior Editor with Ginn and Co., Lexington, MA. While serving as the State Math Supervisor, she was invited by The University of Maryland to participate in PAMEC (Program for the Administration and Management of Education Change), a doctoral program. She completed all but her dissertation before moving to MA.
She was an active member of Emmanuel (Baust) Lutheran Church, Tyrone, MD, where she was the organist from 1952-1963. She was also active in the Carroll County Hospital Auxiliary, serving as President from 1973-1975.
She was drawn back into the classroom at Wayland High School, Wayland, MA, from 1982-1993 when she again retired and moved to Maine.
Her writing career began in 1973 with a very successful series for grades 3-8, “Meters, Liters, and Grams” published by Random House. It continued with a 3-book metric series for adults published by Educational Pioneers, The Measurement Book for teachers of grades 1-3, an 8-book comic series by King Features, and a 4-book comic series by United Features. Recognizing that many of her students were visual learners, she created Algebra Models, published and distributed by NASCO. She was invited by Charles E. Merrill to be an author of its K-8 Merrill Mathematics, published in 1985. When volunteering in kindergarten classrooms in Maine, she realized that many students came to school poorly prepared, so she wrote You are My Mommy/You are My Daddy, a parenting book written from the child’s point of view, which she gave to all parents of pre-school students in her district.
The success of the metric books created many opportunities to speak and conduct workshops all over the US, including Alaska, where she taught a 1-week course on the Metric System at the University of Alaska during Fur Rendezvous Week. She also conducted workshops on “The Language of Math,” “The Use of Manipulatives,” and “The Holistic Approach to Teaching Math.”
She was invited as one of 2 persons to testify before the US House Sub-Committee on Science and Technology regarding Metric Legislation in 1975.
Although she moved to South Thomaston, Maine to retire, within a week she was volunteering, tutoring, and later, teaching in the SAD 5 school system and at U Rock (Local branch of the University of Maine) and at University College, Thomaston, ME.
She served on the SAD 5 School Board and was the Chair 2005-2007. In 2000, she was a candidate for the Maine House of Representatives.
After an explosion in the garage of her home in South Thomaston and subsequent fire, she moved to Franklin, TN, in 2012, to be near her family. Even then, she served as a volunteer at the Audit Literacy Program, and as a volunteer tutor in several high schools. She was a member of Brentwood United Methodist Church.
She was the recipient of the First Math Educator of the Year Award (Maryland Council of Teachers of Math), in 1978, and of the Western Maryland College Alumni Award in 1979. She was listed in “Who’s Who in America Women,” and “Who’s Who in America.” She was a member of many professional organizations.
Surviving are her daughter, Virtina, and husband Steve, 3 grandsons: Kyle, wife Sarah, great-grandsons Holden, Grady, and Landon; grandson Keith, wife Lauren, great-grandsons, Colten and Reed, all of Franklin, TN; grandson, Blake, wife Carolyn, of Dallas, TX.
She is predeceased by a very special granddaughter, Lynsey Hunter, and two sisters, Viola Hull of New Windsor, MD, and Edna Myers of Westminster, MD.
The family will hold a private celebration of life service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, 116 Wilson Pike Circle #205, Brentwood, TN 37027 or BrightStone, P.O. Box 682966, Franklin, TN 37068.
WILLIAMSON MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES, 615-794-2289. www.williamsonmemorial.com
