East St. Louis's 'Superwoman' Principal Tryphena Cason Remembered

Tryphena Cason
‘s life is a tale of perseverance, her friends and family say.

The celebrated educator and principal of East St. Louis’
Dr. Katie Harper Wright Elementary
was known for her bright smile, humor and commitment to those she loved – all qualities she maintained despite a 14-year battle with cancer.

“That is my superwoman,” said 21-year-old Tra’Lia Winters, who Cason called a bonus daughter. “I was just so happy to see her continue to rise to the top and defeat the odds, no matter what was presented on her plate.”

Cason, 46, worked for
East St. Louis School District
for over a decade. She started as a teacher at Dr. Katie Harper Wright Elementary when Maria White-Burton, now the district’s school turnaround specialist, was the school’s principal. She then worked as an academic intervention teacher at the school before moving to be
James Avant Elementary’s
assistant principal.

Over the years, Cason and White-Burton became close friends. That’s why the full-circle moment in 2023 when Cason became the principal of Dr. Katie Harper Wright Elementary was so special, White-Burton said.

“Everybody knew in the district that the Wright team is a family, so having somebody who came up the ranks from this school to return back into a leadership role meant a lot to me,” White-Burton said. “And, for it to be somebody who I consider my friend, my sister and someone I have mentored to actually take that seat, it just really meant a lot to me.”

For Winters, Cason becoming principal was the embodiment of all Cason had taught her – Cason was living out the success she repeatedly told Winters she too could achieve despite any hardships, even a diagnosis.

Cason’s mother, Shirley A. Willis, said few knew Cason had been fighting cancer the whole time she was with the district. There were days when Cason would get early morning chemotherapy treatments, then cheerily greet her students as they entered school. She’d be at school events dolling out hugs and cheering loudly in the bleachers at school games.

Even when Cason had to take time off this past school year, she really didn’t take the time off, White-Burton said. She was relaying tasks to her team, staying updated and preparing for the next year, White-Burton said, adding “her work ethic was just out of this world.”

“If that’s not perseverance, I don’t know what is,” Willis said. “I have utmost respect for my daughter. I marvel at her myself, and I’m her mother.”

Late principal praised for her care of others

Willis said Cason’s fighting spirit traces back to when she was a little girl. For the first eight years of Cason’s life, it was just Willis and her living in East St. Louis.

“At that time, I was not married, so she saw her mother persevere through a whole lot of things to make a life for her,” Willis said. “She constantly had me in her ear (saying), ‘We don’t fail, we fall and we get up.’ That’s what I taught her.”

Cason passed that lesson on to her own two children, Willis said. Cason’s 19-year-old daughter Kyla joined the National Guard right out of high school, braving intense training and being away from her family for months. TJ, Cason’s 16-year-old son, is an esteemed basketball player in the O’Fallon area, Willis said.

“She cared about my grandchildren having character and integrity,” Willis said. “She was a great, great mom.”

Cason’s career in education was a natural choice, Willis said.

“(She wanted) to help others and give them that push and encouragement to let them know that no matter what, you can succeed,” Willis said. “I think that’s the reason why she decided to go into education – this is where she could have access to a large amount of children to not only teach them in education, but teach them the principles of life as well.”

That encouragement and mentorship isn’t limited to the year students had Cason as their teacher or their principal, White-Burton said. Even after their high school graduation, students would keep in touch with Cason, considering her a mentor, White-Burton said.

Winters didn’t just find a mentor in Cason, though, but a mother-like figure, friend and someone who kept Winters going through the darkest moments in her life.

Winters first met Cason when she was 11. At the time, Cason was a teacher at Dr. Katie Harper Wright Elementary and a colleague of Winters’ godmother. After school, Winters would float from classroom to classroom, helping teachers clean up, hang posters or whatever else they needed.

From there, their relationship grew. They’d share hours-long phone calls and lunch dates. Cason was there for every special occasion, doing Winters’ makeup. Recently, Winters moved into her first apartment, which Cason helped decorate.

“She made it her mission to make sure that I was a priority to her,” Winters said. “It’s very rare that you come across people like this, especially people who didn’t know you your whole life or who you’re not actually blood related to. Just to have a person do that for me, that spoke volumes.”