A large old Victorian house with a porch, sat on the hill outside of Prague, Oklahoma. The porch wrapped around three sides. Stepping in the door she greeted her residents with a beautiful grand, curved stairway. This was where the Emerson's lived, Maggie, Delbert, their four children, Oren, Faye, Orbie (who they called Jiggs), and Dee.
Maggie was an industrious young woman, saving package string to crochet into bedspreads and table coverings. She also saved the bright calico cloth the flour and calf feed came in, to make dresses for herself and Maggie. The darker fabrics she made into shirts for the boys. She always had a large garden to provide food for her family, and shared what they couldn’t use with others less fortunate than themselves. She was one of the first women to vote in Oklahoma, that state giving women the right to vote a full year before the 19th Amendment was ratified. With Delbert running a dairy, if she needed something done, she did it herself, only asking his help if absolutely necessary. Maggie had married Delbert when she was fifteen and he twenty, in 1917. By the time she was twenty one, she had given birth to her four children, three boys and a girl.
Maggie never remembered a time when her daughter Faye, couldn’t read. Faye was precocious, always in the middle of everything. When her older brother, Oren, started to school, Faye devoured every printed word he brought home. Maggie would be working patiently with Oren on his reading when, peeking over the back of the chair, Faye would correct a word he had missed. Oren would leap over the chair and a fight would ensue, Maggie stepping in to break it up, sending Faye to her room.
When Faye was six she finally go to to the two-room school house down the road with Oren. There was a bridge on the way to school which had slats that were widely spaced. While walking over it, looking down, the long drop under the bridge was visible, to the water. Faye had never walked over the bridge before. She and Oren set our for school, clean and tidy, but when they returned home, Faye was in shambles, her dress torn, her shoes filthy with dirt, mud and socks missing. Maggie didn’t expect her to come home like she had left for school, but every day another torn dress, more lost socks and wet shoes.
Finally Maggie decided to wait for them on their way home from school. She was horrified to find that while Oren was walking across the bridge on the way home, Faye was going into the brush down the banks, taking her shoes off, walking through the water in the brook and then scaling back up the steep rocky bank. As Faye topped the bank, there stood Maggie, furious. “What on earth are you doing??? Why didn’t you just go across the bridge??”
“She won’t do it Mom,” Oren said with a sly grin on his face.
“She is scared when she looks through the slats in the bridge, she thinks she is going to fall through the slats.”
Maggie looked again at Faye.
“Is that why you won’t go over the bridge?” Faye, now totally humiliated, tears making a trail down her dirty little face, slowly nodded her head. Maggie took Faye’s hand and walked her to the bridge. Then putting her foot as far into the opening between the slats on the bridge as she could, said, “See even my foot won’t go through the slats.” Faye nodded her head. “Faye there will be no more going under the bridge. Do you understand? You will hold Oren’s hand and walk across the bridge with him."
The next morning Faye and Oren left for school holding hands. When they got to the bridge though, Faye balked. Oren begged pleaded and coaxed. Finally he had to take her hand and drag her screaming across the bridge.
On the way home Faye was telling her brother about her day, as he took her hand, she didn’t notice, continuing in a rapt discussion as they crossed the bridge. She never realized she had walked over it. From then on Oren was careful to engage her in conversation and hold her hand tightly until they got over the bridge. If Faye looked through the slats, she still would freeze, so Oren worked his magic of conversation until they got over the bridge, then they dropped hands and took off running to meet their school buddies.
Finally Maggie decided to wait for them on their way home from school. She was horrified to find that while Oren was walking across the bridge on the way home, Faye was going into the brush down the banks, taking her shoes off, walking through the water in the brook and then scaling back up the steep rocky bank. As Faye topped the bank, there stood Maggie, furious. “What on earth are you doing??? Why didn’t you just go across the bridge??”
“She won’t do it Mom,” Oren said with a sly grin on his face.
“She is scared when she looks through the slats in the bridge, she thinks she is going to fall through the slats.”
Maggie looked again at Faye.
“Is that why you won’t go over the bridge?” Faye, now totally humiliated, tears making a trail down her dirty little face, slowly nodded her head. Maggie took Faye’s hand and walked her to the bridge. Then putting her foot as far into the opening between the slats on the bridge as she could, said, “See even my foot won’t go through the slats.” Faye nodded her head. “Faye there will be no more going under the bridge. Do you understand? You will hold Oren’s hand and walk across the bridge with him."
The next morning Faye and Oren left for school holding hands. When they got to the bridge though, Faye balked. Oren begged pleaded and coaxed. Finally he had to take her hand and drag her screaming across the bridge.
On the way home Faye was telling her brother about her day, as he took her hand, she didn’t notice, continuing in a rapt discussion as they crossed the bridge. She never realized she had walked over it. From then on Oren was careful to engage her in conversation and hold her hand tightly until they got over the bridge. If Faye looked through the slats, she still would freeze, so Oren worked his magic of conversation until they got over the bridge, then they dropped hands and took off running to meet their school buddies.
At school there were two rooms, one with first through 4th grade and the other with 5th through 8th grade. The year started with Faye in 1st grade and Oren in 3rd grade.
It was only days until the teacher could see that Faye was going to be completely unmanageable, correcting other students mistakes and trying to take control. She answered all the questions for the the first grade recitation and then wanted to participate in all the other grades as well. Her brother Oren was horrified that his sister was such a know-it-all. The teacher realized Faye was going to be a major challenge.
There were many Czech immigrants in Prague, with quite a few children starting to school speaking only the Czech language. Thoroughly flustered with Faye being so much ahead of the other first graders, the teacher decided to let her work with the first graders who needed help. Since most had yet to learn English, she told Faye teach them their letters. She was delighted and taught them talking non-stop. In the middle of class one day Faye loudly proclaimed. “I know what I want to do when I grow up! I am going to be a teacher!” As the year progressed and the other first graders started to read, Faye was allowed to recite with the other grades as well. In her first four years of school she honed her teaching skills.
Faye was 9 years old when the stock market crashed. The Great Depression defined her childhood, but her memories were happy ones. The Emerson’s still rented the house on the hill and the dairy. Although they didn’t have much money, because of Maggie’s garden, and Delbert running the dairy, they had a place to live and plenty to eat.
Maggie was one of the oldest of a family of eleven children. In the midst of the Depression, when her brothers started to lose their homes and farms, she insisted they come with their families and stay with them, until things got better. The upstairs of the old victorian house was one large room. To give everyone a little room of their own, she strung wires across the upstairs ceilings both ways. Then she took quilts and hung them from the wires making as many “rooms” as she needed for who was currently staying with them. Faye loved having relatives around, with three brothers having her girl cousins there, was a treat.
Maggie was one of the oldest of a family of eleven children. In the midst of the Depression, when her brothers started to lose their homes and farms, she insisted they come with their families and stay with them, until things got better. The upstairs of the old victorian house was one large room. To give everyone a little room of their own, she strung wires across the upstairs ceilings both ways. Then she took quilts and hung them from the wires making as many “rooms” as she needed for who was currently staying with them. Faye loved having relatives around, with three brothers having her girl cousins there, was a treat.
“But that’s a lie.”
“Not if you don’t say anything!” Maggie told him sternly. Jiggs nodded his head saying "Yes mam", the other three kids knowing full well he could never keep a secret.
A few days later, in a big cloud of dust, a big black car came rolling up. It was long, shiny and amazingly clean. A man dressed in a black, double breasted, pin striped suit stepped out. Seeing the kids playing, he walked casually across the street and asked, “You kids know anyone around here who sells moonshine.” Faye’s head whirled around to see where Jiggs was, but before she could grab him he said,
“The 'ole man up the road makes it in his bathtub.” By then Faye had grabbed him, twisted him to the ground by the ear, looked up and said,
“Can’t you see? He is just a little kid and doesn’t know anything!” But before the words were out of her mouth, the man had gotten in the car, and rolled away, hardly visible through the dust from the road. Faye took off running to tell her mom, with Jiggs running trying to elbow his way in front to stop her.
Each night before bed, the children would gather in the light of the fireplace, or a kerosene lamp, as Delbert would read classic literature to them, always finishing off with a couple of folk songs accompanied by his ukulele. Delbert brought home books he had been given or had pinched pennies to buy. There never seemed to be enough new books.The little town of Prague had no library, only the little school. The children used the books that had been bought for their older siblings or that had been passed down from other family members.
Maggie with only a 4th grade education, was determined her children were going to have more of an opportunity. She decided that Prague needed a library, and that not seeming to be a possibility, she decided she would come up with another idea. The colleges all had books in abundance. She kept brainstorming about how some college could loan books to their community.
Delbert had a friend in Kansas who was a college professor. Maggie convinced him to write his friend. With the help of the professor, the university agreed to loan the books to Maggie and the little town of Prague. They suggested Maggie buy a wooden coffin and send it back to them on the train, in care of the professor. The university library would fill it with books of all kinds, for all ages, and put them on the train and send it back. The books could be borrowed for nine months. At the end of the time Maggie would need to inventory them, load them in the coffin, send them back and the process would start over again. She was thrilled with the idea!
Delbert had a friend in Kansas who was a college professor. Maggie convinced him to write his friend. With the help of the professor, the university agreed to loan the books to Maggie and the little town of Prague. They suggested Maggie buy a wooden coffin and send it back to them on the train, in care of the professor. The university library would fill it with books of all kinds, for all ages, and put them on the train and send it back. The books could be borrowed for nine months. At the end of the time Maggie would need to inventory them, load them in the coffin, send them back and the process would start over again. She was thrilled with the idea!
Delbert built a nice sturdy coffin sized box, which was sent on its journey to Kansas for the books. When they were notified that the books were in, Maggie, Delbert and kids took the wagon to the train station to pick up their greatly anticipated books. Faye was beside herself with excitement and wanted to open the box at the train station.
The next day the books were taken to the school. Faye, her brothers, mom and some other ladies sorted though the books leaving some in the two classrooms for the children to use. The others were made available for the townspeople to check out. The program continued for several years until the little school gradually acquired enough books of its own, for a library.
Faye never quit loving teaching or books. Her teaching career spanned 45 years, elementary to college and three states. She organized the first engineering library at Amoco Oil Refinery in Texas City, Texas. Later in her life she became librarian of the Bertie Hetherington Memorial Library, at First Baptist Church in Texas City, Texas. On her tombstone is engraved;
“If I had another life, I would still be a teacher.”
Faye Emerson Greenlee
March 23, 1921-September 10, 2007
Happy 94th Birthday!
Happy 94th Birthday!
