Fair began her teaching career in Anoka and Bloomington, later moving to Brooklyn Center’s Twin Lake School. In the 1940s, she took on the role of principal at Twin Lake, followed by a position as principal of Regent Avenue Elementary in Robbinsdale. Eventually, she became principal of the Adair Avenue School.
Fair was widely known for her dedication to promoting educational equality and fostering international understanding. Her work with UNESCO programs earned her significant recognition, and in 1965, she was awarded a bronze medallion by UNESCO for her contributions in these areas.
Fair served as principal at Adair from the day the school opened until her retirement in 1969. The Robbinsdale School Board renamed the school in her honor the same year. “To have the name of my school changed to Jeanette A. Fair Elementary School is a tribute far beyond anything I might have dreamed of,” she wrote in a letter of appreciation. Her former colleague Lucille Hackbart said of Fair, “She just gave her whole life to children and all the teachers were her family.”
Jeanette Alberta Fair remained connected with her faculty and the parents of her students even after her retirement. She frequently attended pancake breakfasts and special events, continuing to be a visible and valued presence in the community. Parents and students remember her as a firm yet fair disciplinarian who earned the respect and affection of nearly everyone who knew her.
In 1978, enrollment at Fair dropped below 500 students, Superintendent Dr. Leroy Hood proposed closing two elementary schools to help reduce the Robbinsdale School District’s budget by $320,000. Hood suggested Lee and Fair, but the board voted to Close Fair and Winnetka Elementary School in New Hope.
The Minneapolis Star noted the school’s closing. Randall Burg, a Minneapolis lawyer and former Fair School pupil, told the paper that his feelings about Fair were “vastly different from what they were back then. She really did rule with an iron hand. She had to, I can see that now,” Burg said. “She had some definite ideas about how kids should be educated and I don’t think any of those ideas were wrong.”
Adrain Rygg, a former Crystal City Council member who sent eight children and one grandchild to the school, said Fair used to patrol the lunchroom to make sure the pupils ate their lunches. “All the kids respected her,” Rygg said. Fair “remembered each of our kids. She was what made the school,” he added. Pupils remembered her, too. Fair told the Minneapolis Star reporter, Dane Smith, that she recalled a time when she ran into one of them downtown and he kissed her, telling his friends, “That’s my principal”
Jeanette A. Fair passed away in 1987 at the age of 83.
After the school was closed, the district used the building as the Fair Community Education Center. After the building was demolished in 1998, a new magnet school was built on the site. The FAIR (Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource) magnet school specializes in the Fine Arts and educates students in the 4th through 8th grades. In 2008, the school was recognized by the United States Department of Education as one of six schools nationwide that should serve as models for magnet schools.
The image at the top of the post is courtesy of Jeff Vick’s Postcard collection. Some of the other photos are from the RHS Robins face book page.