Brookland-Cayce High School EDUCATOR HALL OF FAME
MISS MARGUERITE BRUCE McCASKILL Inducted 2002
Miss Marguerite Bruce McCaskill was born July 19, 1917, in Blaney, SC. She was the daughter of Thomas M. McCaskill and Ada Irene Maddox McCaskill. She graduated from Bishopville High School. She received an AB Degree in English and French from High Point College in High Point, NC in 1940, where she was Valedictorian of her class. She taught for one year in Jacksonville, NC, then for four years at Aynor High School in Aynor, SC. She obtained a Masters Degree from the University of South Carolina in 1945. The same year, she began her career at Brookland-Cayce High School, teaching English and French. That career lasted 37 years, including many years as Head of the English Department. She became the first English Department Leader appointed by the Administration. During her years at B-C, she led in establishing the English curriculum, including middle and elementary school English, and taught Business English. With the assistance of the Beta Club and other English teachers, she was instrumental in starting B-C's literary magazine for student writing. The magazine was initially published by the Annual staff, and was later named the "Laureate" and published by the English Department. It became a national award winning publication, and has served as a longtime model for high school literary magazines in South Carolina and other states. Another aspect of her career was in the Guidance Department. She took courses in Counseling at USC, and assisted other counselors in Guidance. Miss McCaskill was a member of the Brookland-Cayce Education Association, and helped organize the Lexington County Education Association, in which she served terms as Secretary, Vice-President, and President. She was also a member of the South Carolina Education Association, the National Education Association, and was a charter member of the Palmetto State Teachers Association. She served as an officer in the South Carolina Council of Teachers of English, and was a member of the National Council of Teachers of English. In recognition of her accomplishments, she was named the South Carolina 1974 Teacher of the Year. Miss McCaskill was a member of the Greene Street United Methodist Church in Columbia for 63 year, where she taught Sunday School, Methodist Youth Fellowship, and other programs. Following her retirement, Miss McCaskill traveled some and read a lot! She taught English as a second language to adults at Ft. Jackson for ten years, and taught reading at Logan School. She died August 19, 2008, at the age of 91. Miss McCaskill's impact was not solely on her students. She made a difference in the careers of many teachers, who looked up to her as a role model. She described teaching as “Not a job when you enjoy it so much. One of the blessings of teaching is looking out there and seeing that something you said or did had an influence on lives.”

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