More on 1913 MHS graduates

As promised, Agnes (Clark) Young caught up with many of her fellow 1913 classmates and reported in her journal on their progress in life.

What a lot of readers don’t realize is that many towns did not have high schools at that time and so if you wanted to further your education, you had to attend in a town that did.

McCook’s school district was one of those and the school district from which the students came paid a stipend to McCook for the high school students.

At the SWNGS library, we have some treasurer books from outlining school districts that show what they were paying for each student to attend school in McCook.

In 1923, Agnes returned to her journal with notes on classmates’ lives. Here are a few of what is probably some of the grandparents or great grandparents of current residents. Avis Rector married Harry Stillman in 1915-16. Has two children and lives on the Stillman ranch near McCook. In 1917 Florence Wilson married Roy Drain. I saw her in Alliance Nebraska when I took the Civil Service exam (May 7, 1918). Later talked to her by telephone at McCook where she lives on the farm. Helen Couse was County Superintendent in 1918-19. She had gone to Berkley, California and graduated there. Taught mathematics in McCook Junior High. Later she studied chiropracting, married one of the instructors. Edwin Summerville lived on the farm after graduation, taught one term of school then went to Boulder, Colorado to the U. Of C. In 1917 he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was killed in an automobile accident at Camp Grant, Illinois in the fall of 1918. Florence Enright taught school for some time. I saw her several times and enjoyed her as much as ever. Florence married Jack Langdon in 1920. Julia Barnes was elected County Superintendent in 1914 and visited me officially at Marion Nebraska. She served for 3 or 4 years and was succeeded by Helen Couse. Julia then attended University for one year and was married in 1921. She lives in Ames Iowa. Frank Emerson worked at McCook for a while then went to University attended school of Pharmacy. He died in 1920. John O’Brien when last I was in McCook in 1920, John was still in the Post Office, same old John. Helen O’Brien works in the McCook National Bank. I heard she was engaged but I don’t know if she is married. I spent an evening with her in August 1920. Ray Harr married Avis Rector. I don’t know his vocation. He was in the Navy during the World War. Martin Lawritson surprised us. He graduated from Agricultural College at Lincoln and finally became an assistant instructor, Regular Prof! Ray Donnelly is a salesman, very good they say! Stephen Miller married a girl from home and was living on the farm in 1917.

Agnes was a busy woman after graduation and she noted everything that she had done in the back of her journal. She taught school in Frontier County (Aunt Nanna’s school she notes) 1913-1914; Marion Nebraska 1914-15; Attended University of Nebraska 1915-16 and the Nebraska School of Business in the summer of 1916. She was then a Commercial Teacher at Bridgeport, Nebraska 1916-17; Principal and Commercial Teacher at Bridgeport 1917-18; U.S. Civil Service, War Department, Ordinance Corps August 1918-December 1918; Transferred to the A.G.O. in December 1918 the to the Federal Board in 1920; Left Washington DC in June of 1920 going to Denver where she taught in Vocational School, transferring to Salt Lake City School in 1923.