Math Scholarship Honors Three Beloved Manteo Teachers

By Steve Hanf

Norma Houston just knew she had the perfect way to honor her husband after his long career in math education. Yet when she presented the idea to him, something didn’t add up.

Let’s multiply the honor, John proposed, and then we can talk.

Problem solved.

In the spring of 2027, the first student from Manteo High School will receive The Liz Brown, John Houston, and Suzanne Pack Math Education Scholarship. The $1,000 renewable award will be administered by the Outer Banks Community Foundation (OBCF) and help put math teachers into classrooms to carry on the legacy of this inspirational MHS trio.

“Seeing him grade papers on the weekends, seeing him take phone calls from parents at 9 o’clock at night, seeing him go into that school every Sunday to prepare himself for the week to make sure he was ready for his students…” Norma said. “Public school teachers, from my perspective, are so undervalued, underpaid, and underappreciated. I felt that they needed to be honored.”

Norma spent her career in public service as well. She even earned the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine after working as chief of staff and general counsel to legendary state lawmaker Marc Basnight, serving as the Dare County Attorney, teaching at UNC-Chapel Hill’s law and government schools, and assisting UNC presidents Erskine Bowles and Peter Hans.

Perhaps her most challenging job, though, was getting John on board with this scholarship. The couple met in 2003 courtesy of another beloved Dare County educator – the late theater teacher, Beth Kraft – and Norma got to spend the last 23 years watching her husband pour his heart and soul into that Manteo classroom.

But when Norma first approached him about the scholarship idea, John was thinking about his “other” family: He and Liz taught together for 25 years and “were like brother and sister,” Norma explained. Suzanne taught with them for 20 years and they’d all joked about retiring and walking out the door together.

Suzanne and John did get to retire in June. Liz, however, would succumb to cancer in the fall of 2025. Once Norma discussed the scholarship with Suzanne and Liz’s husband, Kenneth Brown, she and Suzanne’s family, husband Stuart and daughter Emily,  threw a huge party to celebrate all three educators – and to make a surprise announcement with OBCF President and CEO Chris Sawin by their  side.

“When teachers retire, there’s always some sort of moment, right? Liz never got that – cancer stole that from her, so adding her name to this and honoring her is our way of giving Liz the recognition she deserved,,” Norma said. “Chris, Stuart, and I decided that it would be really cool to announce the scholarship in our own way in front of a group of people who care enough about these amazing people to come celebrate them.”

Kenneth and one of his sons were able to be there, too.

“It was a surprise for them, and they were excited,” Kenneth recalls of the moment. “I thought it was just a great tribute to three teachers that had given so much to the community and the youth, all of their time for all those years. Those were very passionate teachers who cared deeply about their students and it was nice to see that recognized.”

Suzanne fondly recalls endless lunches together, discussions in the halls, shared lesson plans, taking kids to math contests, teaching each other’s children. Liz’s son, Jake, in fact, met a girl named Bella in Suzanne’s math class … and last year, they got married: “I always tell them, ‘It started in my math class!’”

That family feel that comes from teaching in a small, close-knit community is what led to Suzanne saying yes to the scholarship fund.

“It was like I wanted to do it for the community and for our Manteo High School students, but I’m kind of a private person, so I didn’t really want any public recognition or anything,” Suzanne said. “But I talked to my husband and he was like, ‘You know, I’ve been thinking about something like this even before Norma approached me.’ We love the community, which is one of the reasons why we wanted to continue to invest in the community.”

Like Suzanne, John is a private person and did not want to be recognized by himself. But the chance to honor his dear friends and encourage future math teachers was too good to refuse.

“I’ve seen what good math education means for our students,” he said. “Turning my classroom and three decades of teaching materials over to Skylar (Williamson), the newest member of the Manteo math department (and my son’s high school sweetheart), reminded me of how important it is to develop the next generation of teachers.”  

The Brown family, of course, is still grieving for the ebullient Liz, whose favorite word was “awesome,” Kenneth said.

“Everything was ‘awesome,’ so we try to follow that as best we can,” Kenneth said. “We’re sitting here looking back on all the gifts that Liz gave us throughout our life, and there’s all these wonderful things happening because of the person that she was. At the same time, it’s still kind of soon, and so we’re trying to find the joy in all of the gifts that we were given. And with Norma, this is just another way that the community has just been so wonderful to our family.”

The Liz Brown, John Houston, and Suzanne Pack Math Education Scholarship will be available each year to Manteo High students who plan to major in math education. Should there be a year without candidates wanting to become math teachers, the scholarship also can more broadly support those going into math- or STEM-related fields. Students will apply each spring through the OBCF Scholarship portal.

Once Norma got the green light from everyone to proceed, the rest was a breeze.

“And how does one form a scholarship fund? One calls Chris Sawin. And that’s why I’m just so incredibly grateful to OBCF and to Chris and Nandy (Stuart),” Norma said. “Because when you call them and say, ‘This is what I want to do,’ they take it from there. And they take it with grace, they take it with good cheer, they take it with such a wonderful spirit of service, that in itself is a real joy.”

The Community Foundation manages 90 scholarship programs to help local students pursue higher education. Scholarship applications for the 2027–28 academic year will be available on OBCF.org from January 4 through March 5, 2027. Students and families are encouraged to visit the website during this application period to explore available scholarships and learn more about eligibility and application requirements.

For more information, please visit OBCF.org or call (252) 423-3003.

About the Outer Banks Community Foundation: The Outer Banks Community Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization committed to fostering philanthropy and supporting local causes. Through its charitable funds and grant programs, the Foundation strives to enrich the quality of life for residents of the Outer Banks.