Trudy Wheeler​

My husband's name is Charlie Barrett. (Dr. Charles Barrett),  I have three adult step-children, George Barrett (Stephanie), Dr. Charles Barrett, Jr. (Heend Sheth) and Maggie Barrett Keith (Benton)
We have six grandchildren.  We have had two international students that have lived with us while I was a teacher at Kentucky Country Day School:  Xianzhe "Steven" Zhou, who lived with us for 1 year, but is still in our lives and now lives in St. Louis, and Yiliang "Tony" Chen, who lived with us for four years and is now in Washington DC at Georgetown University and still very much a part of our lives.....both boys are like children to us.
AND we have a Silky Terrier Dog, named Lexie.  
 
Colleges and Degrees Earned:  1979 Bachelor of Arts in Education, Northwestern Oklahoma State University.  Major:  Speech and Theatre Education, Minor: English
1982, Master of Fine Arts Degree in Drama, Trinity University (San Antonio) and The Dallas Theater Center
Post Graduate work at Boston University
 
My career journey has taken me from Oklahoma to Texas and finally ending up in Kentucky.  My focus has always been on Theatre Education.  I have taught every level of the learning process, from second grade to graduate students.  I believe that my strength as an educator came from the basis that I was not only a teacher, but I was a working actress and director.  This helped me instill in my students the same discipline that it takes to be a working professional in the theatrical arts.  My background in speech and theatre activities at Alva Senior High and NWOSU gave me the confidence and skills to also become a public speaking coach working with business professionals on their work-related presentations.   Even when I was not in the classroom, I was constantly looking for a way to inspire young people to pursue their passion for theatre.  I had my own children's theatre company for 10 years, where I taught, directed, and produced plays for and by children. TAXI Theatre, Inc touched the lives of many students in the Louisville Area.  I have always had a desire to coach and mentor students, especially young women.  I have utilized my teaching skills as a Regional Collegiate Director for Delta Zeta Sorority, where I trained collegiate sorority members in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.  I have continued my mentoring and teaching through working with the Miss Kentucky Scholarship Competition as a pageant director and now a member of the State Board of Miss Kentucky.  I believe that my work as a mentor has changed the lives of many young women.  As a recently retired educator, I now utilize my teaching skills in ENCORE, a division of Leadership Louisville, where I work on small teams of professionals who train and assist non-profit organizations to develop their boards, grow their membership and make strategic plans.  I believe in lifelong learning.  I strive to learn something new, incorporate it into my existing skills and share that with others.  I also believe that our journeys are a process, but that process usually leads to a product........mine was usually a play!
 
I also believe strongly in Philanthropic work.  As an educator of students from middle school to the university level, I have taught my students to give back to the community in which they live.  This can be by producing a show for free for members of impoverished schools, residents of nursing facilities or senior citizen centers; using a play or musical to raise money for other nonprofit organizations; doing good works for others is also a way to share the theatrical arts with those who might not be able to afford to participate or attend.  Inspiring my theatre students to utilize their theatre and performance skills for others is another way that I continue to use my educational skills. 
 
Career Awards:  
The Kentucky Country Day Middle School Drama Society won five national Awards under my direction.  Two from The Educational Theatre Association and three from The American Association for Theatre in Education.
Recipient of the 2005 Lin Wright Special Recognition Award by the American Alliance for Theatre in Education Association.
Recipient of the Kentucky Country Day Alumni Endowed Teaching Chair 2001 - 2003
I have presented numerous times at National Theatre Conferences and Regional Theatre Conferences. 
 
Many of my awards are based in Philanthropic work, which I believe is an extension of my teaching and mentoring:
NWOSU Outstanding Humanitarian Award, 2006
Miss Kentucky Volunteer of the Year Award:  2017
The Greater Louisville Area Panhellenic Outstanding Alumnae Award 2020
 
I learned to be a confident young woman while growing up in Alva.  That confidence came from being given the opportunity to participate in so many activities.  From running track, playing basketball, marching in the band, being the drum major for the middle school band, to performing on stage, riding my horse with a rodeo drill team and being elected to President of The AHS Student Council (first female president????).  I believed that I could succeed because my teachers believed that I could.    I learned that it is important to show up, because my parents showed up at everything that I did.  Most of our parents showed up at everything that we did!  Even though I was from a small family, (one brother, Ron) I learned to get along with all the other kids, because we all started out in Kindergarten and we went from K - 12 with the same students......we had to learn to fight fair, make up and move on.  I learned that other people's opinions mattered and should be respected because I would see those fellow students every day in the halls, at church, on the sports fields and on the stage.  Respect for all our hard work was important.  The sense of respect for my work, my colleagues' work and the pride of a strong finished product came from my roots in Alva.  I will never forget growing up in Oklahoma and having my feet firmly planted on red dirt while looking west to a beautiful sunset.    We had room to grow and the vast open spaces gave our dreams enough room to take wings.
 
In retirement I am the President of The Woman's Club of Louisville.  A nonprofit organization that has over 500 members, three pieces of property in Old Louisville and we make charitable donations to the community.  Last spring we gave away over $25,000 to community charities.  I feel like I am using my speaking skills every week, when we have luncheon programs and my teaching skills as I lead the Board of Directors...but I continue to learn as I work on the preservation of our historic buildings…teaching was just ingrained in my life while I was in Alva.
 
On another note…when I visit my parents’ graves, I usually also stop by Mrs. Van Pelt's grave.  She was my third-grade teacher and she made a huge impact on my life…I can still recite the poem that I learned in third grade for the Washington School Christmas program!  And Doc Stewart from NWOSU....she taught me to love theatre…I will be forever in her debt!
 
Wow, the list can go on and on and they are not just teachers…Bettielou Lane in the NWOSU admissions office where I worked…she always said to me, "Trudy, what part of N-O do you not understand?"   This was because I was always doing things, volunteering…etc.   I will never forget those powerful words.  More powerful words from Coach Davidson...."Wheeler, get your head in the game!"   Mr. Brown, my Washington school track coach, "Run, Wheeler, Run!"  I don't really "run" anymore, but I do understand the true meaning of "Run, Wheeler, Run".