First female principal of Fresno Unified schools has died. She made Fresno ‘better’
Education Lab Newsletter
Get stories that matter on education issues critical to the advancement of San Joaquin Valley residents, with a focus on Fresno. Sign up, and join the conversation.
Walking into Fresno High School in the late 1990s, there were two dozen pictures of former principals dating back to 1889. They all were white men – except for one. The school’s 21st principal was a woman; she was Fresno Unified’s first female principal.
That pioneer was Jeanne Contel, who led Fresno High from 1976 to 1987.
She passed away in mid-September at 94 years old but not without leaving an impact on those who knew her.
“For many people my age and people younger than me is how much we owe to the women who are pioneers. The farther back in time you go, the fewer people of that stature stand in those positions, so the pioneers stand higher. We owe her,” said 1973 Fresno High graduate Liz Miles, now in her 60s. “We all benefit from her pioneering career in small ways and in large ways.
“That’s what pioneers do — they lead the way through the hard stuff to make it easier for those who are following in their footsteps.”
Contel paved the way for leaders today, such as Fresno High’s current principal, Linda Laettner, and leaders decades ago like Fresno High’s 25th principal, the school’s first principal of color, Bob Reyes, who remembers seeing those pictures with Contel standing out as the only woman displayed.
Considered the best even after she left
When Reyes started in 1997, Contel hadn’t been at the school for a decade, but her influence at the school remained strong.
Even after she left the position, her love and support for the school didn’t fade. Reyes described her as a “legend” among Fresno High leaders, even years later.
She was supportive of the person in the principal role and wanted to make sure that person was taking care of the school she loved, Reyes said.
Reyes met Contel in 2000 when the school formed an alumni association.
“She was very supportive of me as a principal because she knew how difficult of a job it was,” Reyes said. “To have someone of her stature in your corner and supportive of you meant a lot.”
Those who worked for Contel echoed Reyes’ sentiments.
Anna Gade, 82, retired from Fresno High after 25 years teaching there. Contel hired Gade in 1978 for Gade’s first high school teaching job after years in front of junior high students.
Gade called Contel a “very supportive principal” who she had a bond with.
“It was really great to work for her,” Gade said. “She was supportive of me as a young woman. When you have someone who is supporting you in what you do and not criticizing or putting you down, it’s very empowering.”
Faculty and staff respected her and thought highly of her, Reyes said about the stories employees shared with him.
“They talked like she was one of them,” Reyes said. “And that’s unusual when you’re the principal because employees usually see the principal as the boss and unapproachable.
“I modeled myself after her.”
‘Not enough adjectives’ to describe her: personable with a soft touch
When Reyes posted on Facebook about her death, the post included comments from Contel’s employees and students.
One commenter said, “There are not enough adjectives to describe how wonderful she was.”
Gade said Contel was a woman of dignity, fairness and respect.
Hearing about Contel a decade after she was principal, Reyes said he knew she was accessible to staff with an open door policy and was visible by attending events and engaging with the Fresno High community.
Her visibility wasn’t only at after-school events. She walked around the school and talked to her students and staff, shattering the image that the principal is just someone in the office and a part of the administration, Reyes discussed.
“To be effective with kids, you have to be approachable,” he said. “And that’s the kind of person Jeanne was. She put herself out there.”
She also set a high standard for her students and staff.
Contel expected her students – her kids, as she considered them – to make the best of their opportunities, Reyes said.
“She had a way of connecting with people,” Reyes said.
Liz Miles was a student in the 1970s when Contel was the Dean of Girls. She didn’t know what a dean was supposed to do at the time, but she said Contel had a presence as a confident leader who knew what she was doing.
“She led with a soft but effective touch,” Miles said.
Miles now realizes that Contel was ahead of her time in a leadership position as a woman in a man’s world.
“She made a substantial contribution to the school and to many of our lives without her even knowing it,” Miles said.
An advocate for female athletes
Even as an educator, athletics were an important part of her life. Athletics were actually a part of her life before her role as an administrator.
Contel was inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976 as a “standout” third baseman for the Fresno Rockets for 14 years. The Rockets won Amateur Softball Association national titles in 1953, 1954 and 1957 and played in eight other championship games during Contel’s time on the team.
The softball team was inducted into the county’s Hall of Fame in 2002. And Contel and three of her teammates are a part of the National Softball Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City – an accomplishment that led to Jeanne Contel Day celebrated at Fresno High in 1969. She is also a part of the San Francisco State Athletics Hall of Fame.
That recognition opened a lot of doors for her.
That included her first teaching job at Caruthers, where she taught while coaching tennis for nine years and while still playing for the Rockets until 1964.
“She never bragged about any of that,” Reyes said.
Instead, she supported athletics and ways to recognize students, Reyes and Gade said.
In 2006, the Fresno High alum association started a Fresno High Athletic Wall of Champions modeled after the county’s Hall of Fame. With Contel’s knowledge of successful Fresno High students, Contel and Reyes worked closely on the nominations.
Contel was the one who always asked about female teams and athletes because she wanted them to feel as valued as the male athletes, Reyes said.
“She meant a lot to the school in terms of supporting athletics and being an advocate for women’s sports,” Reyes said. “She championed equality and parity for women’s athletics.”
And for that, the alum association also inducted her into its Wall of Champions.
Another Facebook commenter said, “We are a better school, community, and city for having had her as a leader.”
Jeanne F. Contel
Born: April 4, 1928 in Oakland
Died: Sept. 14, 2022 in Fresno
Services: Mass 10 a.m. Oct. 19 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Clovis; Celebration of Life 4:30 p.m. Nov. 21 at Pardini’s
Education Lab Newsletter
Get stories that matter on education issues critical to the advancement of San Joaquin Valley residents, with a focus on Fresno. Sign up, and join the conversation.
