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— A native of Blackwell, Mike Jeffers attended the Ponca Military Academy (PMA) in 1955, 1956, 1957, went on to become an educator and an administrator in California. He was one of 100 principals across the nation to be selected to attend the Principals Institution at Harvard University.
Six years ago Jeffers returned with his family to Blackwell to care for his parents, who have since passed on. He has been retired from the school system in California for several years. Coming home to Blackwell meant helping care for his parents and to manage the family farms trust.
Because of his strong management and administrative skills, he was tapped by Blackwell city leaders to be interim city manager until replacement was found. A position he assumed as a service to the community. This lasted about 11 months until the position was filled.
Once again Jeffers has been designated by the community to fill an interim position as the Chamber of Commerce manager. He laughingly said, "I hope they find someone soon." One of the first projects was to find a way to help the nutrition center to feed seniors on Fridays. This called for a community wide meeting.
Study Habits Important
Much of his success in education and life, Jeffers attributes to the solid study skills he acquired by attending the PMA. He commented he did not feel strong study habits are taught in public education today. "At PMA even if you were an A student you were expected to sit down and do your homework in a orderly fashion and an hour study hall was set aside for you and if you were having difficulties there were tutors and teachers to help. There was a prime effort for everyone to make their grades and to pass. As a young boy there I don't recall anyone that failed," he said.
As a result of the emphasis on studying, Jeffers was inspired to seek a career in higher education. Following graduation from high school in Bend, Ore., he received a BA degree, College of Idaho, and a Masters degree from La Verne, University.
Jeffers pursued a career in the Los Angeles City School system for three and a half decades as a teacher and administrator. In the beginning it was tough being a principal in East Los Angles school where the students were all minorities. This all black school later became a Hispanic school, during his eight years there at Utah Elementary.
Next Jeffers went to an even more challenging assignment in skid row in downtown L.A. , where he opened up an elementary school. "This taught me a lesson I'll never forget. It taught me that you can not build a fence high enough to keep a mother from trying to feed her kids.

"After I had been there a couple of years and gained some confidence with parents, a mother told me that she would pick up sticks, grass and leaves to make a stew to feed her children. She was that destitute and had no other place to go. They would come into downtown L.A. and work in the sweat factories and make clothes and did not even make minimum wage. I had to remember it was better than what they had."
Jeffers derived great satisfaction from knowing he had in some way helped the children to better themselves for the future.
Showing Respect
Valuable lessons Mike recalls among the disciplines taught at PMA were how to address people and to show respect. He says these traits have served him well in life.
In caring for others, Jeffers learned this first hand at PMA, through the "buddy system," which encouraged cadets to adopt a younger cadet, looking out for them, taking them to the show and other activities.
He recalls his adopted buddy was Ralph Morris, a Choctaw Indian, who spent most holidays with Jeffers grandparents. The new "Serve With Pride" statue at the PMA Memorial Park, reflects this caring for others by depicting an older cadet straightening the tie of a younger one.
Jeffers laughingly remembers being disciplined at the PMA, something most of the cadets had experienced. This was doing a number of turns marching around the flagpole.
Jeffers last assignment in L.A. was in Korea Town at a middle school that had 3,250 students. He was over 17 assistants and 160 teachers and 160 aides and support personnel, and a $17 million budget.
After retiring he was an adjunct professor for California State University, Los Angeles and National University.
Jeffers also served on executive boards of several foundations, including the Nissan Foundation, which helped build a new arts center. This project would bus in students from 160 schools to have an "hands on" art experience. He also was on a foundation that worked with IBM on reading programs.
He said, "I've been very blessed in my career." He and his wife Suzie, have a daughter Meeghan Smith, who works in Enid, and two grandchildren Michael and Jonah.