Emma Talbot

A steadfast commitment to improving the human condition is what most clearly defines the long and accomplished life of Ms. Emma Talbot. She is fondly remembered as a humanitarian who prioritized education above all else.

Ms. Talbot spent decades teaching in the Nixa Public School District, where she earned accolades for her style, including Teacher of the Year awards on two separate occasions. It was through her work in the classroom that she came to understand just how large the challenges are for many in our community. When some children didn’t have enough to eat, lacked support at home, or simply couldn’t make it to class, she would lend a hand.

Ms. Talbot’s interest in helping others improve their lives didn’t stop with the children in her classrooms — she recognized that she could help adults too, particularly with basic life skills. After she taught herself the ins and outs of financial investing, she took it upon herself to start an all-women investment group so that she could teach women the skills she had learned, and help them become self-sufficient.

She was a lifelong learner too. When she was not in the classroom educating others, she educated herself. Ms. Talbot was known for diving into a topic and consuming all she could find to read about it. Not only did she teach herself about financial investments this way, but when she was diagnosed with cancer she even borrowed her doctors’ medical journals so that she could be as well-informed as possible about her disease. Perhaps that helped her beat cancer three times.