Jasper # 2

My older brother, Ron, has been on my mind so much this week; hadn't talked to him for a couple of months. I anticipated seeing him at our cousin's 50th anniversary celebration but he wasn't there. So-o-o-o last night I just picked up the ole phone and called him! Marvelous invention that phone.
One thing led to another and we started reminiscing about Jasper #2 - the school we both attended for eight years. (His twin grandsons started school this year and had asked him about his first school years.)
There are markers in Adams County where all the old one-room schools were once located. Our marker says "Humbert School", also known as Jasper Center or Jasper #2. The Humberts were an early prominent family in our neighborhood. Ernest Humbert served as a State Representative but he and his father Leon were best known for their Percherons. Leon Humbert emigrated from France. He and his son made many trips back there to purchase stock. I vaguely remember going up to Humberts with Dad and seeing all the huge Percheron horses. I find it interesting that the advent of tractors ended their business of breeding, raising and selling the big work horses and now, sixty years later, the Percherons and Clydesdales are once again notable breeds.
I started first grade at age five. In those days, you had to be six by November 15 or wait until the next year. I don't know if it was because Dad was secretary of the school or if I was deemed old enough or because I turned six only three days after the cut-off date but I headed off to school the fall of 1949; riding on the back of my big brother's bike.
First grade was the only time I had a classmate. Mary Wilson and I were most likely equally intelligent but I always felt like we were in competition. Maybe Miss Ternahan encouraged that; pitting us against one another so we would try harder. All I know was I was glad when the Wilsons moved away.
Miss Ternahan also moved on. My second grade teacher was Miss Flowers. She was young and single and more interested in school day visits from her boyfriend. She would put one of the older kids "in charge" while she sat in his car down at the driveway. Of course we all ran to the windows to see what was going on. Not only that, but she smoked! A woman smoker was unheard of in 1950 rural SW Iowa.
The county superintendent at the time was Maude Friman. She had a reputation of being really tough. Generally she advised the teachers ahead of time when she was going to make a school visit so we could all be on our best behaviour. Miss Friman made a lot of unannouced visits to Jasper #2 that year.
From third through eighth grades, I had Mrs. Kimball for a teacher. Ron says she was brought in to restore discipline and make sure we learned something. Boy! We were disciplined all right. She even kicked one of the eighth grade boys out of school for three days. For the first few years I was afraid of her. By the time I was in sixth grade, I had learned to respect her, even like her.
My seventh grade year she took me, the eighth grader and the sixth grader (all girls) to Chicago on the train. We rode the train all night, toured Chicago all day and rode the train home that night; a whirlwind trip for $25.00.
Mrs. Kimball and the whole one room school experience prepared me well for highschool and beyond. It was her recommendation that helped me get my first job as a bookkeeper in a small insurance agency. I began after school and on Saturday my senior year and then went to 40 hours a week at $1.00 an hour after I graduated.
My sister Betty had Mrs. Kimball for all her eight years at Jasper #2. School reorganization was the thing in the late 50's, early 60's, so our little brother, Leslie, only attended school there a half year before being bused to town.
The building an contents were auctioned off. The school yard grew up in weeds and silver poplars; eventually being cleared and returned to crop ground. Mom bought the teacher's hand bell. It now resides in Missouri with my brother Les - the last of us to attend Jasper #2.