Terrel Howard Bell was the secretary of education in the cabinet of President Ronald Reagan.
14 Facts About Terrel Bell
2.
Terrel Bell was the second secretary of education, following Shirley Hufstedler.
3.
Terrel Bell graduated from Lava Hot Springs High School and the Albion State Normal School in 1946.
4.
Terrel Bell served as a sergeant in the Marine Corps during World War II and returned to Idaho to get his education.
5.
Terrel Bell earned an MA from the University of Idaho in Moscow in 1954, and a PhD in education from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in 1961.
6.
Terrel Bell served as Utah's Commissioner of Higher Education and the superintendent of Weber School District in Utah from 1958 to 1962.
7.
Terrel Bell served as the United States commissioner of education under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford from 1974 to 1976.
8.
Terrel Bell was well-known, admired, and respected in education circles, having risen from high school teacher through college professor to administrative positions.
9.
In 1981, Terrel Bell convinced Reagan to appoint a commission to study excellence in education.
10.
Terrel Bell served for Reagan's first term, resigning effective December 31,1984.
11.
Terrel Bell was succeeded by Bill Bennett and returned to Salt Lake City to join the faculty at the University of Utah.
12.
Terrel Bell published seven other books during his career, covering topics such as improving child intellectual development and reforming the educational process.
13.
Terrel Bell was inducted into Idaho's Hall of Fame in 1987.
14.
Terrel Bell died in his sleep at age 74 of pulmonary fibrosis at his home in Salt Lake City he is interred in Larkin Sunset Gardens in Sandy, Utah.