ROBERT PHILLIPS Correspondence

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 09: BIOGRAPHY
Robert (“Bobbie”) Phillips (1925-1994)
Student, September 1936 – September 1937
Correspondence, July 1936 – September 1937

Page 003. [98_students_1930-49_0003.jpg]

TAGS: Robert Phillips, Bobbie Phillips. Lida Christian Phillips, Christian family, Ruth Christian, Lela Christian, Lucille Christian, student application to PMSS, Little School, E.K. Wilson, Esther Weller, student counselors, forest fire, teacher evaluations, work appraisals, achievement tests

ROBERT PHILLIPS Correspondence

Summaries: July 3, 1936 – September 30, 1937

[Note: Letters from PMSS staff in the PMSS Collections are carbon copies, typewritten and often unsigned, and meant for the Office files. The original signed documents were sent to the correspondents. The following summaries are in the order of the image numbers and not necessarily in chronological order.]

ROBERT PHILLIPS Correspondence: Application To Pine Mountain

001-002 July 3, 1936. STUDENT APPLICATION BLANK, Pine Mountain Settlement School, Pine Mountain, Ky. [Pages 1 & 2]

Name: Bobbie Phillips
Born on October 1, 192[5], in Wallins (Harlan County), Ky. ….
Previous School: Flat Lick, (Knox County), Ky. ….
Ready to enter 4th grade ….
Father: George W. Phillips, 52 years old, coal miner
Mother: Lida (Martin) Phillips, 50 years old
[The applicant provided three references, all in Lynch (Harlan County), Ky.] ….
Address: Cumberland ….

001a [Lower part of page 1, Student Application Blank]

….Why do you want to come to Pine Mountain? To be in school regular[ly] and we know and are so well acquainted with rules & regulations. [Notation in top margin: “Please don’t forget I send my mail to Lynch.” Notation in bottom margin: “Application filled out by Bobbie’s mother.”]

002a Page 3, Student Application Blank

I have 3 brothers and 5 sisters, one dead
Those who have left school: Ruby, age 23 [unmarried, unemployed]
Those now in school: Lucille, age 16; Ruth, age 17; Lila, age 19.

002b Page 4, Student Application Blank. IV. My Education Thus Far and Plans for More [NO ENTRIES]
002c Page 5, Student Application Blank. V. What I like — My Interests. VI. My Future Occupation***Occupational Preferences. [NO ENTRIES]
002d Page 6, Student Application Blank. VII. Group Contacts [NO ENTRIES]

003 Tuesday night. [n.d.] Handwritten letter to Mr. [Glyn] Morris from (Mrs.) Lida Christian (sic), who is disappointed not to have heard from Morris and supposes that Bobby (sic) is too young to attend PMSS.

ROBERT PHILLIPS Correspondence: Pine Mountain Student

004 July 16, 1937. Handwritten letter to Miss [Esther] Weller from Lila, asking if “Bobby” can work off his debt during the weeks before school begins. “Would you please let me know as possible so Bobby can be brought over when we come for Ruth and Lucille.”

005 August 14, 1936. To Mrs. Lida Phillips in Lynch, Ky. from [unsigned], Director, who “is sorry that we cannot take Bobby at Pine Mountain this year because of his age.” He suggested she try another school for him, such as Hindman Settlement School, Hindman, Kentucky, or Red Bird Settlement School at Beverly, Kentucky.

006 August 27, 1936. To Mrs. Lida Phillips in Cumberland, Ky., from Glyn Morris, Director, who sends another copy of his August 14th letter in case she did not receive the first one.

007 September 16, 1936. To Mrs. Lida Phillips from Morris, informing her “that there is a vacancy in our Little School,” so Bobby can attend PMSS after all.

008 September 17, 1936. To Mr. Bobbie Phillips in Cumberland, Ky., from E.K. Wilson, Student Counselor, telling him that his application has been accepted for admission to PMSS. He instructs Bobbie to bring $10 entrance fee, $ 1.00 for breakage fee, and his first month’s tuition of $5.00 if possible. Wilson will be sending a Pine Mountain catalogue to be read carefully by Bobbie and his parents. Before arriving at the School, Willson suggests that Bobbie visit a dentist, have his eyes examined, and tonsils removed, if necessary. “…[W]e understand that you intend to come, that you intend to withstand the pangs of homesickness…and that you will put forth every effort in your work here. We also expect the support and cooperation of your parents in this.”

009 Postmark on the address side of a postcard: “Aug 11, 1938, Cumberland, Ky.,” addressed to “Mr. Wilson, ℅ P.M.S.S., Pine Mt. Ky
009a N.D. Handwritten note on a postcard to Mr. Wilson from Mrs. Lida Christian, asking “if Bobbie’s application for school holds good.”

010 Postmark on the address side of a postcard: “Sep 19, 1938, Cumberland, Ky.,” addressed to “Mr. Glyn Morris, P.M.S.S., Pine Mt. Ky.
010a N.D. Handwritten note on a postcard to Mr. Morris from “Bob’s Mother,” who expresses her gratitude that the School has accepted Bobbie. She will send or bring him soon.

011 N.D. Handwritten letter to Miss Weller from Mrs. Lida Christian, “Ruth, & Lucille’s Mother,” concerning Bobbie’s school bill and how she can pay it. She is recovering “from a very serious operation.”

012 December 23, 1936. To Mrs. Lida Phillips from E.K. Wilson, sending teachers’ evaluations of Bobbie’s work and summarizing their comments: “Bobbie is quite sincere in his efforts to learn…. He likes to read and does so with fair comprehension….” Wilson concludes that “Bobbie is making a satisfactory adjustment to life at Pine Mountain. His first case of homesickness has been well overcome…. Both teachers and students are very fond of Bobbie….”

013 August 14, 1937. To Bobby (sic) from Esther Weller, Student Counselor, welcoming him to the School, expecting Bobbie, Ruth and Lucille on August 28. “The girls have worked some toward your tuition….”

014-14a September 1937. [Notation in top margin: “Original Group D 9/37”] A two-page handwritten narrative by Bobbie Phillips titled “Forest Fire” in which he describes a two-day fire on the mountain and the School students and teachers’ effort to fight it. Mentions Miss Smith and Mrs. [Barbara] Faulkner.

015-021a See “Restricted” below.

022-022a Friday, [N.D.]. Two-page handwritten letter to Mr. Arthur Dodd from (Mrs.) Lida Christian in Cumberland, replying to his letter concerning Bobbie’s debt.

*********

RESTRICTED IMAGES

[Note: Images of the full set of student records are considered private material and are not generally publicly displayed. Their access may be provided on request, pending approval of Pine Mountain Settlement School and the archivist of the PMSS Collections. Contact the main PMSS Office for information.]

015 N.D. Teacher Evaluation – Activities, Educational Level, Interests for next year, KEW
016 N.D. Teacher Evaluation – Art, V.F.
017 N.D. Teacher Evaluation – Woodworking, B.C.C.
018 N.D. Work Appraisal – Farm, [Howard] Burdine
019 September 26, 1936 (arrival) – September 30, 1937 (“Left to go home. His will.”) Counselor Evaluation – Faulkner. “Plans very definitely on being an aviator or a school teacher.”
020 Health Record – Bob (sic) Phillips
021 May 10, 1937. New Stanford Achievement Test
021a N.D. Educational Profile Chart, New Stanford Achievement Test

GALLERY: ROBERT PHILLIPS Correspondence

IMAGE TITLES: [phillips_bob_1936-37_rec_001.jpg] through [phillips_bob_1936-37_rec_022a.jpg]

RESTRICTED & REMOVED: [phillips_bob-1936-37_rec_015.jpg] through [phillips_bob-1936-37_rec_021a.jpg]

NOTE: Images of the full set of student records are considered private material and are not generally publicly displayed. Their access may be provided on request, pending approval of Pine Mountain Settlement School and the archivist of the PMSS Collections. Contact the main PMSS Office for information.