Joseph Krause was a beloved teacher in the West Lafayette Community School Corporation for 38 years (1961-1999) where he taught World History, US History, and Physical and Cultural Geography. During his teaching tenure he was the Student Council sponsor for 33 years and the Junior Class sponsor for 25 years. Krause accompanied students on several study trips abroad to the Soviet Union, the Netherlands, and Germany. He also participated in summer fellowship programs in Israel and Poland to study the Holocaust and the Jewish Resistance.
Krause received a Lilly Fellowship which enabled him to do graduate studies in American History at Indiana University from 1962 to-1964. In 1992, he was a Golden Apple Award Winner for excellence in teaching. During the 1997-1998 school year, Krause participated in the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program and taught at Deak Ferenc Gymnasium in Szeged, Hungary.
Since retirement Krause has been a Wabash Area Lifetime Learning Association volunteer, served in numerous community leadership roles, and is an active volunteer with the Indiana Passenger Rail Alliance.
The West Lafayette community is thankful for Mr. Krause’s years of exemplary service to thousands of West Lafayette students.