Decker, Clarabelle, 1900-1984

Teacher, librarian, and writer Clarabelle H. Decker was born Clarabelle Douglas in Bellevue, Colorado on November 03, 1900. She and her family moved to Oatman, Arizona, where Decker attended Northern Arizona State Teachers College (now Northern Arizona University) and received her Bachelor of Arts degree. She later earned a Master of Arts degree in English and School Supervision from the University of Washington, and a degree in library sciences from the University of Southern California. Decker's educational experience prepared her for a career as both a teacher and a librarian. She taught in public schools in Arizona, Nevada, and California, and also worked as a librarian in Northern Arizona. Decker later became the first Clark County Supervisor of Libraries and assisted in setting up forty libraries in Clark County. Decker's other accomplishments include her writing and her involvement in professional organizations. As an author, Clarabelle Decker contributed articles to the Nevada Educational Bulletin and to the Wilson Library Bulletin. Decker's other works include a booklet "Old Oatman, Arizona," published in 1970, and her book "Common Sense English Grammar," published in 1980. Some of her poems appeared in a book "A String of Lights" (1970). Decker was active in several professional organizations, including the Las Vegas Business and Professional Women's Club and the Las Vegas Education Association. Decker helped organize the Nevada Library Association, and the Clarabelle H. Decker Elementary School is named after her. She passed away in 1984.