Random Thoughts from a Random Memory

By Edward Master

I received a letter the other week that has really stirred my memory, or maybe I should say put my memory to a test above all tests--who were my grade-school (elementary if you will) teachers. Here goes.

My first grade teacher, south end of building, first floor, turn left as you walk in the building, was Phyllis Hale, who became Phyllis Jordan when she married Paul Jordan from Knox. Paul had a hardware business in Knox. I think Phyllis eventually gave up teaching for family and the hardware business.

I swear once I went with my mother on a visit to see Phyllis at her home in Knox. When and where I don’t recall. I was a youngster, but she lived sort of in the middle of town on the east side.

As I grew older I would see Mrs. Jordan at the hardware store on occasion, especially on a trip with my dad to buy special nuts or bolts or screws or whatever. Phyllis was always happy to see one of her first-graders. She always called me “Eddie,” after all she was also a Turkey City native. The one thing I remember about first grade was that I was absent a lot, I think 20-plus days.

The last time I saw Phyllis was at UPMC Northwest. She was on an elevator on a visit I believe and I was getting a blood test for my marriage license. I recall reading in her obituary that she was a Clarion State grad back in the 50s and that she had belonged to the Delta Zeta sorority. The D-Zs were still going strong when I was on campus in the 70s. I just wish I would have known her sorority connection when she was alive as we could have shared a laugh or two about Greek life.

Second grade was all about all in the family as Isabel Jones was my second-grade teacher and a cousin to my Grandpa Master. First, my Grandpa M was born in Jones’ Corners, just up and over the hill west from Turkey City. The urban legend is he was born in a log cabin. I’m not sure how much time passed before I realized she was a relative. I just remember her working in her garden in Turkey City in her pith helmet until she passed when I was in college. Miss Jones was a grad of the Clarion Normal School and had my dad in school, too. She missed a younger sister by a year I believe by retirement.

For third grade I had Mrs. Erle. I recall she had a son who was a few years older than me.

My fourth-grade teacher was Mrs. Kelso. Her husband was the school superintendent. I believe there were some questionable goings on under his tenure, which I believe was short in duration. I think we got Emlenton kids in a merger.

My fifth year began with a pregnant teacher Mrs. McCamey(?). We got a substitute (?) whose name escapes me. My fifth-grade memory is that was the year my cousins, Ruthie and Bob Dunkle, moved to the Keystone School District. Bob was in grade five with me, but Ruthie was older by at least a year or so.

Grade six was in the Foxburg school and a mini adventure. My teacher was Gladys McCoy, one of three teachers in the building. The other two were Mrs. McCardell(?) and Mr. Zissis.

In the Foxburg building, my room was connected to the fire escape on the south side of the building. A small clearing into the hillside served as a playground. Fortunately, or unfortunately, my sixth year until the end of November was consumed with me having a broken left wrist and thus an arm in a cast. The building library was in my room. It was a room partition--one side was the classroom, the other side had extra shelves with extra books.

I recall once having to square dance for a music class in that cutout playground. Every so often, a train would zigzag up the hill, going back and forth. I do remember the train running over the top of the bridge. How about those set of steps up to the school? I think the Foxburg kids used that school until fourth or fifth grade then went to St. Pete for the remainder of school. Even with a middle railing, those steps could be treacherous.

Sometime in fourth or fifth grade we had a special writing (cursive) teacher visit. We were done with that business by sixth grade. We had additional music classes (Mrs. Corbett) and periodic art classes (Mrs. Wessner(?) from Knox). I don’t recall much about any of those specialized classes. I think we may have had kazoos to play in music.

What I recall in particular about grade school was in about third grade, we began having in-school lunches and trays that we carried back to our room. Before that, the most we did was have a milk break in the morning. We were supposed to avoid walking on the grass at St. Pete.

Our St. Pete ballfield didn’t have a left field; it had an alley way and a hillside bank. Across the street to the east was the grove with a pump merry-go-round. In my opinion, it was an accident waiting to happen. A neighboring field had a longer, wider left field. In St. Petersburg, I think a few local kids actually may have gone home for lunch. School lunches became a big thing. I think a Mr. Russell was our janitor in St. Petersburg. I remember my dad telling me that his class was the first to go a whole twelve years through the St. Petersburg building. He graduated in 1942.