LAHARPE — During the 1940s, everyone’s focus was on World War II.
The front pages of the Register were filled with news about such things as German atrocities, Allied advances and efforts to support the troops back home.
But the back pages of the paper told of more personal, everyday community news such as social gatherings and club meetings, although those clubs likely were collecting items to support the war effort.
Take, for example, this gem about a one-room schoolhouse, dated Dec. 13, 1943:
“Miss Charlotta Kincaid, teacher at Wise, brought her pupils, 20 or 22 of them, to the Larkey sale Tuesday for lunch. And boy! If that lady wasn’t having herself some time rounding those youngsters up and getting them back to school, and we are not sure she ever did get them all back. Those kids were sure enjoying things.”
Among the class that day would have been Linda (Henegar) Sweany, Mary (Ulrich) LaCrone and James Heinrich, all now aged 87.
The trio gathered recently at LaHarpe to share stories from their days at a one-room schoolhouse. They were inspired by a recent Register story about a painting of a one-room schoolhouse by local icon and nationally renowned artist, the late Gary Hawk. The painting was restored and moved to Iola Elementary School.
Turns out, Gary and his brother Dale went to school with them, too. The Hawk family said his school painting wasn’t based on any particular school, but it evoked precious memories for the trio.
And the more they talked, the more they remembered.
YES, THEY walked to school.
Linda walked down Virginia Road about a mile before she stopped to pick up Mary and they continued on another three-quarters of a mile. Linda recalls seeing big, intimidating horses on one side of the road, so they walked on the other side.
Sometimes, Mary rode her pony to school. Even after her pony had a baby, she’d ride her pony to school, tie the reins around her pony’s neck and send her back home, riderless, to take care of the colt at the barn. Then, Mary would walk home after school.
“Since we’re telling tales, I remember when her pony would go in the water with her and she’d slide down its neck,” Linda reminded her.
Mary nodded. “She knew how to dump me.”
James also rode a horse to school most days, but he remembers attending two schools: Deer Creek on Texas Road and Wise on Virginia Road. Both were one-room schoolhouses, but when Deer Creek didn’t have a teacher available, students like him went to Wise.
