The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
This book continues from last week and was a project of the Henderson County Retired Teachers Association (HCRTA) by president Mary Alice Huntoon of Stronghurst who produced, between Nov. 13, 2000 and March 12, 2001, a storybook of “Memories” from retired teachers in the HCRTA organization.
Ms. Huntoon asked HCRTA members to share things they remembered when teaching.
She also included any articles from the last ten HCRTA newsletters where people had shared “Teacher Spotlights” or articles about “Graham School $1.00”.
We began the series on 12/29/2021 thanks to Ms. Huntoon.
School Days Memories (continued with Evelyn Davis)
Article appeared in the “Henderson County Retired Teacher’s Newsletter” Copy 4, Year 2001
Edith, Mrs. Eldon R. Duncan, was born February 2, 1923 in Norwood, Georgia, a small town located fifty miles from Augusta and one hundred twenty miles from Atlanta. She was the youngest of eight children.
Attended Grade School and Junior High in Norwood, then two year in Warrenton High School where she played basketball, just barely made the team. From there enrolled in Bessie Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia. Her uncle Dr. C. L. McGinty was president of the college at the time, before and after she attended there.
She had always wanted to be a nurse so after graduation from Tift she enrolled at Georgia Baptist Hospital, located in Atlanta, Georgia. Edith met Eldon Duncan shortly before graduating from Tift College. They met at Macon, Forsyth, or Norwood, Georgia when they could find time to take short visits.
Edith worked as a nurse for a year and a half at the Baptist Hospital while Eldon was stationed at Robbins Field in Macon, Georgia. They were married on February 23, 1946, in Norwood Baptist Church by her uncle Dr. C. L. McGinty. When Eldon was discharged from the service, Edith also left the Georgia Baptist Hospital.
They came to Illinois and lived in a little house near Eldon’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Duncan, about a mile or so out of Raritan. Edith was a homemaker and mother to two children, Eliot and Susan. After they started school she began her teaching career in 1970 in Raritan. She taught kindergarten for two years and established the first section for kindergarten in the school system. From there she went to teach second grade in Stronghurst until 1976. After retirement Edith continued substituting.
Eldon had spinal surgery twice and was advised to leave farming if he could find some other way to make a living. Edith was not positive of details but Waldo Erickson, president of the Raritan Bank at this time came to Eldon the day of their farm sale and offered him a position at the bank.
Presently (in 2001), Edith is very active in the Raritan Baptist Church and has held many offices. She is an active member in the Missionary Group and a willing worker in all church activities.
She writes articles about our HCRTA meeting and sees they are in the local newspaper following the meeting.
Edith still resides in the home in Raritan where she and Eldon lived for forty-severn years. She enjoys and cherishes her two children and their five grandchildren and the two great grandchildren.
In the Illinois schools, beginning in 1942, Dolores Ewing taught Twentieth Century, Coloma, Carman and North Schools. 1949, I began teaching at a military school, Eglin Air Force Base. Here is were I was assigned first grade and not all eight grades.
Also had a two-year certificate from Western Illinois State Teachers College where I majored in Rural Education. Got my Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education from Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida in 1954.
I returned to Western Illinois University in 1957 to begin my Master Program and majored in Math and Education, graduating in the summer of 1957.
Returned to Florida to teach first grade and then left that teaching job to begin teaching in Colorado in 1959. I was assigned first grade which I continued teaching till I retired in 1984 from East Elementary School in Littleton, Colorado.
Recently one of her students, from the Biggsville area who attended Twentieth Century School has been writing her to keep up with the country school history and has retired to California. He was in her first school.
He remembers very well frightening her to death as he climbed the flag pole after school and came down where the rope twists around to hold the flag in place and hit the arm pit area.
Quickly, in her 1929 CHEVROLET, she drove him to Dr. Simmons (Kirkwood doctor nearest to the school) and he told her “I could not have made that incision as close to that artery as he did without him bleeding to death.”
He wrote to apologize for causing her so much tension that very first year of her career.
Of course, I have had scissors thrown across the classroom when a short tempered six year old tried to hit a classmate.
THE JOYS OF TEACHING but now GUNS, HEAD LICE, SEARCH OF LOCKERS, DRUG SNIFFIN’ DOGS, DRESS CODE VIOLATIONS, PHONY BOMB SCARES-REAL BOMB SCARES, which involves much more for a school teacher than in the earlier days. Kids came to school to listen, and today-wonder how much they actually learn by listening or do they even listen?
My philosophy - be persistent, consistent and love is your reward.
Article found in the “Henderson County Retired Teacher’s Newsletter.
Copy 5, year 2000
Meet Blanche Keener Galbraith, graduated from Stronghurst High School. She attended Illinois State Teacher’s College at Normal and finished her degree in summer school.
Blanche started teaching at Burrell School located northwest of Stronghurst, in 1934. The first school had twenty-one students. For the first year, teachers received $50.00 per month, the second year salary was raised to $70.00 per month.
It was a real challenge for Blanche to teach at Burrell School as she had never attended a country school. She followed the state course outline of study.
Mr. Chris S. Apt, county school superintendent, felt she did a fine job.
To get to school each day she rode a horse. It was nine miles to and from school. The horse’s name was “Nick.”
Her next teaching experiences covered two years in Media, two years at Danville, Illinois and nine years in Galesburg.
When she married Everett Keener, her teaching career went on hold. When she did return to teaching, she taught six years at Media. Blanche spent a total of thirty-five years in the classroom, teaching first and second graders.
One unusual teaching experience she notes was while teaching at Media.
She had the opportunity to teach the Gipe triplets, Connie, Ronnie, and Donnie. Her first love was teaching at Burrell School and the students she taught there.
J