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Boyd Ogle never used a textbook in his journalism
classes. Instead, he taught his students to trust their
instincts and find stories outside the classroom.
Mr. Ogle, a Stranahan High School teacher for 31 years,
died Tuesday at North Broward Medical Center after a
three-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 81.
Born in a small Pennsylvania town, Mr. Ogle served in
World War II as an airplane mechanic on a B-24
Liberator. He moved to Florida in 1956 with his wife,
Eileen, and was later hired at Stranahan to teach
English and serve as the school's newspaper adviser.
As a journalism teacher, Mr. Ogle taught his students
how to be responsible when reporting for the school's
newspaper, The Echo, said his son, Patrick Ogle,
of Chicago. "He let them write what they thought was
appropriate and told them, `Don't screw it up,'" said
Ogle, 39, a former Miami Herald reporter. "I
think that's part of learning how to be a journalist."
Mr. Ogle was also a devout family man, said his
daughter, Connie Ogle, 44, of Hollywood.
"He was the kind of dad that was always really
involved," said Ogle, a film and book critic for The
Miami Herald. "Family came first for him. We grew
up in Ozzie and Harriet land. We didn't realize
how rare that was until we were adults."
He retired from teaching in 1992.
In his spare time, Mr. Ogle enjoyed two hobbies:
gardening and watercolor painting. Most of his paintings
depicted Pitcairn, his hometown in Pennsylvania. He also
liked creating metal sculptures, which he dubbed "totem
pogles."
"He told me he wanted to be either a writer, a painter
or a teacher. He picked teaching, but he could've done
anything," said Patrick Ogle. "And he would go out of
his way for anybody."
In addition to his wife and two children, Mr. Ogle is
survived by another daughter, Jennifer Edwards, 37, of
Tamarac and a grandson, Boyd Ogle, 8, of Chicago.
Services for Mr. Ogle will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at
Forest Lawn North, 200 W. Copans Road in Pompano Beach.
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