JOAN TATUM

Legacy Award

     For more than three decades, Joan Tatum was a constant and reassuring presence at Riverview High School. After graduating from Sarasota High, Joan attended the University of Florida where she earned an Associate of Arts, and later completed her B.A. and M.A. at the University of South Florida.

     Joan taught business and vocational education for 33 years at Riverview, beginning in 1969. Her business expertise was well earned, as she owned a dance studio prior to her teaching career, and co-owned and managed several commercia business properties for nearly four decades beginning in the 1970's.

     Joan also used her experience as a dance teacher to become choreographer for Riverview's drama and music departments. In the final years of her teaching career, Joan was the business and vocational education department curriculum coordinator and instructional technology facilitator.

     Her passion for sharing what she knew with others lead to her being named Riverview's Teacher of the Year during the 1991-92 school year.

Joan's influence spanned beyond the Riverview campus. She also taught business and vocational education at the Sarasota County Technical Institute for a decade. From 1988 to 1998, Joan was an adjunct professor at St. Francis College in Illinois.

     Joan has also earned leadership roles in several organizations including the Sarasota Coastal Credit Union, Sarasota County Vocational Adult Association, and Sarasota Retired Educators Association.

     Joan's most important legacy is her family. She's the proud mother of four children, five grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.