The Big Gray House and the School House

By J. Henry

The Big Gray House and The School House is a collection of stories that traces the life of Franklin Meyers as he interacts with his family, his school, his church and his community. Each story has lessons in family relationships, family aspirations, and family growth and successes. Follow the Meyers family through the difficult social and economic times of the late 1940s and early 1950s. The section on Made Up Games shows how Franklin, his siblings and friends entertained themselves before they had electricity. At the end of most chapters there are prompts for additional reading and study.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Sep 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9781490714486

Book preview

Copyright 2013 Henry J.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4907-1449-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-1448-6 (e)

Trafford rev. 09/26/2013

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Contents

Dedication

Acknowlegements

Foreword

Preface

I.   Corn Shuck Chair Seat

II.   Electricity Comes To TBGH

III.   Mary’s First Teaching Job

IV.   Dad Goes Back To School

V.   Franklin Gets A Double Promotion

VI.   Lost In Town

VII.   Traveling Salesmen

VIII.   The Three M Man

IX.   Homecoming For Mary And Guest

X.   Made Up Games

DEDICATION

I DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO MY FIRST FOUR TEACHERS. TWO OF THEM WERE PART OF MY FORMAL EDUCATION, AND THE OTHER TWO PROVIDED EDUCATION IN MANY WAYS, SOME OF WHICH I AM JUST REALIZING.

MRS. MABLE COLCLOUGH WAS MY FIRST GRADE TEACHER. SHE TAUGHT ME AND MOST OF MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS DURING THE DAY AND OUR PARENTS AT NIGHT. AS OUR FIRST GRADE TEACHER, SHE WAS OUR FIRST MOTHER AWAY FROM HOME AND SET THE STANDARD WE EXPECTED FROM TEACHERS TO FOLLOW. SHE WAS ALWAYS HELPFUL, AND ENCOURAGING, LONG AFTER WE LEFT HER CLASSROOM. SHE MADE EVERY CHILD AND EVERY FAMILY FEEL SPECIAL

MRS. HELEN LUTHER JACKSON WAS MY SECOND GRADE TEACHER. SHE WAS THE WIFE OF THE PASTOR OF EBENEZER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AND LIVED RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE SCHOOL. I WAS BLESSED TO HAVE HER FOLLOW ME THROUGHOUT MY ACADEMIC CAREER, ATTEND MY COLLEGE GRADUATION AND PRESENT ME WITH A BIBLE THAT I STILL CHEERISH. I KEPT IN TOUCH WITH HER WHEN SHE RETIRED AND LIVED OUT THE REMAINDER OF HER YEARS IN LUMBERTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

THE OTHER TWO TEACHERS WERE MY PARENTS: HENRY AND JANIE. MY MOTHER WAS MY FIRST TEACHER, INITIALLY AT HOME, AND THEN IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. MY FATHER WAS MY FIRST TEACHER AROUND TBGH, ON THE FARM AND THEN AS SUPERINTENDENT OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. MY MOTHER LEFT SCHOOL IN THE SIXTH GRADE AND MY FATHER LEFT IN THE FOURTH. COMBINED, THEY HAD ADVANCED DEGREES IN SPIRITUAL WISDOM AND COMMON SENSE. THEY WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE DEDICATION SECTION OF EVERY BOOK I WRITE, AND FEATURED IN MANY OF THE STORIES.

ACKNOWLEGEMENTS

T hank you Betty! You have given love, support, encouragement in all of my projects. I repeat the statement I made at one of the book signings, I am the author, but you are the inspiration.

You also helped with proof reading, research, photography and the testing of my string games. You even represent me at book signings. When I make appearances, the first question I am asked is, Where is your wife? I know who is important in this family, and I thank you.

I also thank you readers for receiving this series, and for the valuable feedback I get from you.

Some of the pictures in this book came from the family archives. All of the others were taken by Betty and me, except those that are identified in the credits. I thank my many relatives who contributed their inspiration and stories, many of whom are no longer alive. It is good to be able to say that they can now touch the lives of people they have never met. Family is important.

FOREWORD

IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD

T he home is the nucleus of the family. This is where the children start the process that leads them to becoming productive citizens. In their infancy, parents begin to watch for certain indicators. They look for alertness, the first smile, the first step, and the first word. The timing of each, they feel, will give them some clue as to whether he is average, or she is superior. This is where the spark for learning is ignited.

The church is the nurturing source for the family. It adds the spiritual component to the child and allows him to build on what the family started. It helps to establish value systems, teaching right and wrong.

The school has the challenge of taking the child from the first two institutions, fanning the spark of learning, with the intention of producing a raging flame that devours knowledge at every opportunity. Through study, discipline, hard work and exciting learning experiences, the school can produce a knowledgeable person of good character. The school should work with the family during all stages of the child’s life, helping them make choices that will affect the rest of their lives.

With a healthy balance, these three institutions can produce persons of integrity and good reputations. The stories in this book, and the entire series, show how that balance was demonstrated.

The Dyson (Meyers) family, like many other families in their community, achieved the goal of educating their children. They all graduated from high school, trade schools, or colleges, and have become responsible citizens in their communities.

I was initially introduced to the family in my official capacity as a teacher, but our interactions over the years have produced a genuine and lasting friendship.

JANIE W. WASHINGTON

Ebenezer High School

Mrs. Washington received a B.S. in Home Economics from South Carolina State College (Now SC State University) and a Masters from Hampton Institute (Now Hampton University). She taught for 40 years in Sumter County, mostly at Ebenezer and Hillcrest High Schools, and was nominated twice for District # 2 Teacher of the Year, and received the honor once. She was honored in 2012 by the South Carolina House of Representatives for community service. She lives in Sumter, SC, and is active in her church and community.

PREFACE

T he purpose of this book, and the others in the series, is to encourage children to read. I now wish to expand that purpose to include everyone. Many of my readers have enjoyed re-living their childhood through the series, fondly remembering simpler life styles, while still appreciating much progress we have made through the years. They have talked to me about experiencing some of the same activities that Franklin did and identifying with characters in the books that resemble