Memories

I would like to share more information on the Rowley family.

To follow up, I said Mr. Rowley's first times of teaching was the day after Labor Day in 1920. Now a little bit about Ruby!

Ruby Johnson was born on June 16, 1903 at Ridgway, Missouri. Her background was of German immigrants and Ruby lived on a farm, I think. Mr. Rowley and Ruby were married August 10, 1929. She was hired to teach in Ekalaka August of 1926.

Two additions to the family came forth: On September 27, 1931 a son Clarence was born at the house with Dr. B.B. Sandy and Mrs. Abbie Sipes attending. The second was a girl born on March 24, 1934 with the name of Rose Ann, again with Dr. B.B. Sandy and Abbie Sipes.

In the mid thirties, then school board members and others felt there should be a new high school. With financial help from the WPA and the PWA, the county passed a bond issue for $20,000. The total cost of the new high school was $65,268.74.

The first senior class to graduate was 1939.

In reading the "Shifting Scenes" article on the Rowley family, I learned that Ruby taught for 21 years: Four years in Missouri, one year at Pine Hills School and sixteen years in Ekalaka. Now to Mr. Rowley; fifty-two years including a short time in Camp Crook, South Dakota.

His final retirement was May, 1975 at the age of seventy years.

Here's another short story about one of my encounters with Mr. Rowley:

I was a senior in high school in the fall of 1947 and two men returned from the service to finish their senior year, Bud Gundlach and Leland Gundlach who only went to school in the morning. There was a freshman boy who was growing a beard and Leland didn't like it. He talked Boyne Gundlach, Coleman Meyer, I believe Benny Padden, and I into giving the boy a shave. Leland had the equipment and we were all in study hall just before lunch. The teacher was gone and we took the boy into the library and did the "deed."

After lunch, Mr. Rowley came to my class and said: "Loyd I want to see you in my office."

Upon arrival the other boys were there except for Leland since he didn't go to school in the afternoons.

Mr Rowley said: "What on earth were you thinking?"

One of the fellows replied: "We thought he needed a shave."

Mr. Rowley stated: "He didn't think so because he went straight to the sheriff's office."

As I understood, his mother came to the school also.

I have asked the Lord to forgive this un-Christian deed.

More to come...