Ward Ellsworth Biography
Ward Ellsworth was born the seventh of eight children in a sharecroppers family of Rogers, Arkansas in December, 1933. He entered Western Washington University in 1956 and received his Bachelor of Arts degree as a Music Specialist in Education, a Provisional Teaching Certificate, a Standard General Teaching Certificate, an Elementary School Principal's Credential, and finally his Master's Degree in Elementary School Administration by 1966.
From 1956 until his "retirement" 26 years later in 1982, Ward taught grades 4-7 in public schools, boys' chorus, ran the Audio-Visual Department of a Junior High School, as well as both writing and teaching a speed reading course for Bellevue Community College. For 22 of these years Ward sold real estate and also completed a six year obligation with the U.S. Army General Hospital unit on active reserve. Believe it or not, he has had short stints with the Northern Pacific Railroad, worked on the Yale Dam, been a commercial fisherman, logger, mechanic, elevator operator, and security officer too.
Ward married Kay Odell in 1954. They have three daughters and a foster son. In 1983 Ward and Kay established the "WEE Academy" in Issaquah, Washington and supervised home schoolers there until Ward retired AGAIN in 1998.
Baptized into Christ in Vancouver, Washington in 1946, Ward preached and taught in Kirkland, WA, with Roy Rains, Arnold Schnabel, and Conard Estes . He also taught singing classes and helped establish a new congregation in Issaquah. Ward served the Issaquah church as elder for 20 years with Al Bass, and then, after Al's death, with Al's son Dan, and Elden Givens.
Ward's special efforts and success have come in the field of Creation / Evolution / Humanism. He has held meetings on this topics in seven states, and has written and promoted legislation such as House Bill 1021 which would have required that BOTH Creation and Evolution be taught in public schools. In these efforts he has appeared numerous times on radio and television programs, including the Seattle Today Show. He has testified before the House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Education, and on the Senate floor itself. He was a consultant in the writing of the "Balanced Education Act" which was introduced in 16 state legislatures, passed in Arkansas & Louisiana, but then ruled unconstitutional.
Ward has been a panel member and speaker at the University of Washington on the topic of censorship, been a guest lecturer at the Lutheran Bible Institute, and spoke at the 1985 Florida College Lectureship on the topic of "Values Clarification in the Public Schools". He wrote a chapter with that title in the book Humanism: Devotion to Man, 1985, edited by Melvin Curry and wrote his own book entitled, "Identity Crisis: My Brother's Keeper or My Keeper's Brother?"
With his wife Kay, Ward wrote and arranged many hymns, among which are Someday It Will Happen, Marching For the Master, I'm Going On a Journey, and Together Forever.
Ward currently (as of November, 2005) works with the Mt. Vernon Church of Christ in Washington, and may be reached at the following address:
Ward & Kay Ellsworth
3723 Trumpeter Ct., Mount Vernon, WA 98273
Phone: 360-424-8232
E-mail: wardkay@msn.com
