State education leader, history buff LaRue to speak at Spring Grove

On Sept. 7, Ohio State Board of Education President Paul LaRue will present a free public talk at Medina’s Spring Grove Cemetery focused on historic preservation and the upcoming America 250 commemoration.

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Published August 17, 2025 - 5:56 p.m.

Paul LaRue, president of the Ohio State Board of Education, will speak at Spring Grove Cemetery in Medina on Sept. 7 as part of a free public event highlighting cemetery preservation and local history.

Paul LaRue, president of the Ohio State Board of Education and nationally recognized educator, will be the featured speaker at an upcoming Friends of the Cemetery event titled “I Never Met a Cemetery I Didn’t Like.”

The free public presentation will take place Sunday, Sept. 7, at 2 p.m. at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, near the Soldiers’ Mound at the Spring Grove Street entrance.

LaRue is widely known for his work in history education and cemetery preservation. He currently serves as co-chair of the America 250 Ohio K-12 Education Committee and has received multiple state and national awards, including Ohio History Teacher of the Year, Time Warner’s National Teacher of the Year, and the History Channel’s First Place Innovation in History Education Award.

His talk will coincide with preparations for the America 250 commemoration and supports the Friends of the Cemetery’s ongoing mission to restore historic gravestones, including those of Revolutionary War patriots, in Medina’s Old Town Graveyard.

Spring Grove Cemetery, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is also part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom and functions as a global arboretum.

For more information, visit www.friendsofmedinacemetery.org or call 330-591-4870.