A must-have for working in education is a love for children.
And Faye Yockey fits that to a T.
As a former school secretary for 26 years, Faye numbers her kids at Humboldt High School into the thousands, in addition to her son, Wayne, and grandsons, Aaron and Seth.
She keeps track of them by buying a yearbook each year 60 and counting.
One day a first-year English teacher came for advice.
I have a girl who is a borderline B+ or A- student, she told Faye. Im not sure what to do.
In walked another teacher of long-standing, known for being tough with grades.
Give her a B+, was her advice.
Thank goodness for that, the new teacher sighed in relief as her elder left the office. The girl is her daughter.
FAYE, 87, was the ninth of 10 siblings. The Norman family moved often between farms in Allen and Bourbon counties, which had her attending several country schools.
When she was only 16 she wed Tim Yockey, who at 21 was home from the service.
To get around her parents unwillingness to sign off on the marriage, she claimed to be 18.
We were married at the (Allen County) courthouse on June 6, 1948, a Sunday evening by Judge Dunlap. My folks didnt want to be involved, afraid wed get divorced and Id blame them.
They settled in Humboldt. Tim, now 92, worked at Monarch for 42 years while Faye had several jobs before she settled in at HHS in May 1958.
Incidentally, she earned her high school diploma by correspondence after marrying so young.
I got broke in fast, working the last two weeks of school on my own, she said.
Her introduction to everyday school chores was under the tutelage of Principal Carl Killion, who easily could have passed for a WWII drill sergeant.
