HISTORY PMSS Summary 1948-1949

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 01: HISTORIES
HISTORY PMSS Summary 1948-1949

“Senior Play 1949.” [nace_II_album_103.jpg]

TAGS: History PMSS summary 1948-1949, staff, events, number of students, plays, farm and maintenance, home economics, medical, visitors, trips, Chapel speakers, trustees, future of PMSS

HISTORY PMSS Summary 1948-1949

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History of the Pine Mountain Settlement School
1948-49

Staff Members:

Myra Binford, Dietitian
Annie Briggs, Hospital Assistant (Jan.-Mar.’49)
Carrie L. Brown, Big Log Housemother
Frank Cheney, Woodwork
Abby Christensen, Folk Dancing, Mechanical Drawing, Weaving
Edith Cold, English, Library
Louie Davis, West Wind Housemother
Arthur Dodd, Principal
Lois Fenn, Library
Louise Fliermans, Home Economics
Mary Ruth Heil, English & Office
Dr. Elizabeth Henderson, Doctor
Ronald Henderson, Science
Gladys Hill, Co-op Teacher, Store
Mary Holsinger, Far House Housemother
Ruby Lanier, Bookkeeper
Mrs. Caroline Little, Big Log Housemother (1 mo.)
Josephine Merrill, Mathematics, Boys House Housemother
Margaret Motter, Publicity (1/2 time)
Dorothy Nace, Secretary
Martha Redmond, Big Log Housemother (Oct.-Jan.)
Burton Rogers, Counselor, Civics
Mary Rogers
Grace Rood, Nurse, Community Group
Minerva Sparrow, English, Ass’t Housemother
Edna Spinney, English
Drs. Tucker, Summer
Brit Wilder, Maintenance, Transportation
Hobart Wilder, Farm Assistant
Rev. and Mrs. Baker, Line Fork
Anna Pishzak, Big Laurel Medical Settlement
H. R. S. Benjamin, Director
Sally Cornett, Laundress
Alice Pennington, Kitchen Assistant

Number of Students: 114

Events Traditional: Fair Day, Mountain Day, Halloween Party, Thanksgiving Peasant Party, Christmas, New Year’s, George Washington Ball, May Day, Dogwood Bkfst,…

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Page 2, 1948-49

…Commencement.

Plays: October 9, “The Razor’s Edge”
“Ghost of Mrs. Muir”
“Get Up and Bar the Door” — Freshmen & Sophomores
“You Can’t Take It With You” – Seniors
“Guadalcanal Diary”
“The Sullivans”

Events:

Radio Station WLW, Cincinnati, broadcast “Uncle William Creech’s Story of Pine Mountain Settlement School,” December 9, 7:15 p.m., a script sent by Margaret Motter.

Stir-off at Henry Creech’s.

Boys worked at fighting forest fire were supplied with K rations.

Pine Mountain Eagles softball team acquired new green and gold uniforms.

The basketball team played their first game on a gym floor at Kingdom Come.

Farm and Maintenance Report:

Care of crops, supplied kindling wood, built concrete wall, repaired fences, tended chickens and dairy herd and cared for campus lawns and roads.

The woodwork department did remodelling and repair at Far House and West Wind. Swimming pool bridge rebuilt: new bridge at Toolhouse, shed constructed for sawmill, campus phone system connected office, hospital, shop, schoolhouse, Laurel House & Zande House.

Home Economics Report:

The class studied colors, redecorated the dressing room, made Christmas presents, made formal gowns for the George Washington’s Day Ball, and wove scarves and rugs.

Medical Report:

The long-established policy against student smoking was revised to permit boys over age 16 to smoke at specified times if they have parental consent.

In addition to care of students and community members at the Infirmary, Dr. Henderson held a clinic every other Thursday at Cedar Chapel, Miss Mabel Snyder’s…

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Page 3, 1948-49

…mission below Big Laurel.

Visitors:

Richard Chase, Folklorist

Mr. Scoville, Philadelphia Lawyer and Nature Author (with daughter, former PMSS staff member Alice Barry)

Mr. (retired Univ. of Michigan mathematician, brother of Mrs. Holsinger) and Mrs. Bradshaw and Mrs. McGee

May Gadd, Country Dance Society, & Elsie Averill, English Folk Dance & Song Society

Trips:

Seniors to Kingsport, TN, to see “Freedom Train”.
Dancers to Berea College Spring Festival, April 8.
4 adults and 2 students to Council of Southern Mountain Workers at Gatlinburg TN.

Chapel Speakers:

Professor Luther Ambrose, Berea College
President F. S. Hutchins, Berea College
President Raymond McLain, Transylvania College

Board of Trustees – Decisions for the Future of PMSS:

The Board of Trustees, meeting in New York November 13, 1948, considered the critical financial situation documented in the auditor’s report and appointed a committee to survey the future of Pine Mountain Settlement School. It was hoped that such a study could show how the school could re-organize its program so as to meet some distinctive need of the mountain area, within the limits of the school’s financial resources. Because of the urgency of the situation it was hoped that the committee could submit a report to the Board by January 15, 1949. Selected for that committee were Dr. Wm. Jesse Baird, President of Morehead State Teachers College, Chairman, Dr. Howard W. Beers, Head of the Department of Rural Sociology, University of Kentucky, and Dr. Leonard E. Meece.

The Board of Trustees, meeting in Lexington KY March 18, 1949, considered the report of the survey committee, which recommended that the property, endowment, and all assets of PMSS, together with the name of the school, be paid over and delivered to Berea College without restrictions in order that Berea College could continue educational and other programs at PMSS in accord with the general…

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Page 4, 1948-49

…purposes for which the school was organized.

The Berea College Board of Trustees passed a resolution April 22, 1949, that “Berea College will undertake the operation of PMSS if the present Board of Trustees of the School will resign and a new Board composed of present members of the Board of Trustees is elected, provided that the proposed plan is approved by counsel and provided further that it is understood that Berea College is not to contribute any funds to the cost of operation of the Pine Mountain Settlement School.”

Supt. Cawood and Mr. Ellis of the Harlan County school system met with the Board, and reviewed the plan for Harlan County to consolidate five surrounding one-room schools and operate an elementary school in PMSS facilities, with Burton Rogers as administrator, Ronald Henderson, Gladys Hill, Dorothy Nace and Atha Stahl as teachers.

At the meeting of the PMSS Advisory Board May 7, 1949, the following persons resigned from the PMSS Board of Trustees, to take effect May 31, 1949: Dr. Bailey, Dr. Cressey, Mr. Crutchfield, Mrs. Gratz, Mr. Price, Miss Smith, Dr. Seay. Written resignations had been received from Mrs. Hook, Miss Wells, and Dr. Van Vleck, Mr. Dabney, who is a Berea Trustee, will be a member of the new PMSS Board. The following persons were elected as Trustees, to take effect June 1, 1949: Thomas P. Cooper, Richard Bentley, Barry Bingham, E. S. Dabney, Elmer Gabbard, Francis S. Hutchins, Louis Karnash, Carl Mickel [Michel?], and Charles Ward Seabury.