Memories

My last article about "Mister Rowley" started at his birth, followed by his education and teaching positions.

In 1925 he learned of an opening of the principalship of the schools in Ekalaka, Montana - he applied and was accepted.

From "Shifting Scenes Vol. II:"

"The Ekalaka Grade School was located just south of the Carter County High School which in 1925 was in the building now occupied by the Farmers' Union. The grade school was a two story frame building with two classrooms on each floor divided by central hallways. A wooden outside stairway served as a second exit from the second story. Each room was heated by a pot-bellied stove which burned lignite coal. The next year these stoves were replaced with circulating heaters which also burned coal."

As I read this information memories came back to me. My folks, George and Jessie Townsend, came to Ekalaka in the spring of 1936. At the time I was six years old and entered the "old, old" grade school building that fall. The classrooms were as described by Mr. Rowley. My first and second grade teacher was Miss Gaer; third and fourth was Mrs. Cleveland; fifth and sixth grade I don't remember the teacher; seventh and eighth grade I was taught by Mr. Kenneth K. Kins. I also remember the "old, old" high school as we learned some basketball there.

I started seventh grade in the "old" grade school and Mr. Kins was our teacher and principal. He was a wonderful man and I always appreciated him.

During my freshman year at CCHS, on Halloween the "thing" to do was to tip over outside toilets. Several boys were involved.

The next morning in English class, under Mrs. Tavlin (later Buck), the door opened and Mr. Rowley said "Loyd, I want to see you in my office."

After arriving there I joined several other boys. Mr. Rowley's statement: "You sit the toilets back up or you do not get to play in the football game this afternoon."

They were all sat back up in no time.

For missing English class I had to diagram ten simple, ten compound and ten complex sentences from the "Reader's Digest." To say the least, I learned to diagram sentences.

More to come.