GEORGE WILLIAM TYE Correspondence 1943-1946

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Students
Series 19: STUDENTS – Bill Tye
George William Tye Correspondence 1943-1946

Dr. CLARK BAILEY Trustee ; GEORGE WILLIAM TYE Correspondence 1943-1946

Senior Class of 1946. Front row: Millard Selvey, David Martin, Lester Centers, Frank Richards, Jerry La Rue. Second row: Nelle Jones, Genella Boggs, Hazel Kilgore, Bill Tye, Shirley Holbrook, Dr. Clark Bailey, Evelyn Ayers, Maxine Moses, Coleen Day, Glen Brown, Jeanette Lucus, Faye Trail. [nace_1_042b.jpg]


TAGS: George William Tye, correspondence 1943-1946, Billy Tye, 1946 Graduating Class, students, school records, Student Application Blanks, student autobiographies, student evaluation letters to parents, Arthur W. Dodd, Citizenship Committee, Berea College, The Pine Cone


GEORGE WILLIAM TYE Correspondence 1943-1946

PMSS Student 1943-1946

CONTENTS: George William Tye Correspondence 1943-1946

[Note: Letters from PMSS staff in the PMSS Collections are carbon copies, typewritten, unsigned, and meant for the Office files. The original signed copies were sent to the correspondents. Letters from George William Tye and his parents are handwritten and original, unless indicated otherwise. The following list of contents is in chronological order and not necessarily in the order of the image numbers.]

1943: Application to PMSS

[04] August 7, 1943 (postmark). Address side of postcard to Mr. [Glyn] Morris, PMSS, from Billy Tye, Liggett, KY.
[04a] August 7, 1943. To Morris from Billy Tye, expressing interest in enrolling as a freshman at PMSS; requests information about “courses, expenses, and possibilities of work.”

[01] August 12, 1943. STUDENT APPLICATION BLANK for George William Tye with handwritten entries.

Born: Youngs Creek, Whitley County, Ky, – July 19, 1929.
Ready to enter grade: 9
Father: George Earl Tye – coal inspector
Mother: Beulah Francis Tye – housekeeper
Tye provides the names of three references, all in Liggett, Ky
Why PMSS? “For the vocational training.”

[02] MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY, page 1 – George William Tye
Address: Liggett, Kentucky
Father: (George) Earl Tye, 35 years old, born in Oklahoma, completed 8 elementary school grades and 1 year in high school
Mother: Beulah Rose Tye, 31 years old, born in Williamsburg, completed 8 elementary school grades.

[02a] MY BIOGRAPHY, page 2.
Tye have 3 sisters: Sylvia Rose (age 12 yrs) in 7th grade at Liggett, Mildred Joyce (age 10 yrs) in 5th grade at Liggett, Virginia Ann, 17 months old.

[02b] MY BIOGRAPHY, page 3.
We have about 50 books in our home. We read Boy’s Life, Colliers, American Western Recorder, Field and Stream, Knoxville New-Sentinel.
My regular duties are; coal & kindling, garden work.
Lists his previous schools & teachers.
I should like to stay in school through the 12th grade and then take 4 years in college. (His parents agree.)

[02c] MY BIOGRAPHY, page 4.
Earned money in these ways; Errands for neighbor, setting out tobacco.
Leisure activities: Read, swim, fish, hike, play ball, build things, go to show.
Favorite studies: Mathematics, Science, and History
Interested in a future occupation in: Bookkeeping

[03] HOME AND PARENTS RECORD, page 1, Family. See [02].
[03a] HOME AND PARENTS RECORD, page 2, Family, continued. See [02a].
[03b] HOME AND PARENTS RECORD, page 3, Home. Family Recreations: Reading, radio, picture show. See [02b].
[03c] HOME AND PARENTS RECORD, page 4, Home, continued. See [02a].
[03d] HOME AND PARENTS RECORD, page 5, Home and Recreations, continued. William Tye’s duties: Feed hogs, cut kindling, carry coal, garden work.
[03e] HOME AND PARENTS RECORD, page 6, Physical and Educational Data. William Tye’s attitude towards school: Wants to get all education possible. Where are you planning to send Tye to college? Cumberland.
[03f] HOME AND PARENTS RECORD, page 7, Indoor interests: Table tennis jigsaw puzzles, handcraft, read good books. Parent’s occupational preference: Bookkeeping or Dentist. See also [02c]

[05] August 26, 1943. A record of entries for “INVITATION FORM LETTER” To Billy Tye.

1943-1944: PMSS Student

[06] December 29, 1943. To Earl Tye, Liggett, KY from [unsigned, likely Arthur Dodd], Principal, providing “a brief supplement to Billy’s letter” with quotes from the teacher’s report about his performance in English: “Billy is an excellent student. He has read widely and has a richer vocabulary and a better style than anyone in the class. He also shows mature insight and judgment. He is always interested and alert…..” Also, assessments of his work in Miss Hill’s classes (“excellent”), music (“fairly good”), and biology (“somewhat inconsistent”). The Principal explains why Tye was taken out of Printing class. “He has made a very fine adjustment to live at Pine Mountain and is responding in a satisfactory way to all of its offerings.” Comments on Tye’s potential.

[07] through [07b] December 26, 1943. Three-page letter to “Dad” (Earl Tye) from Billy Tye, who describes his studies and accomplishments in the past semester in Economics, English, Biology, Mechanics, Music, Co-op; his conduct “in the house” and jobs in the print shop, farm, grounds, and on the truck; cooperation with fellow students. He best enjoys “the co-operative spirit of both students and workers.” He spends his leisure time “in the library or reading in the dormitory. Sometimes I just cut up with other boys.”

[09], [09a] May 25, 1944. Two-page letter to “Dad” (Earl Tye) from Bill Tye, evaluating his performance in the second semester in Co-op and Economics (“good grades”; Miss Gladys Hill, teacher), Music (“difficult for me”), English (“good grades”), Biology, Mechanics, Shop (enjoys “very much”) “In the house I have improved a little.” He best enjoys “The plays at the end of the term.”

[08] May 30, 1944. To Earl Tye from [unsigned, likely Arthur Dodd], Principal, providing a supplement to Billy’s letter “evaluating his progress. Bill leads three of his classes in scholastic achievement. In others there has been a slight tendency to clown….” The Principal hopes this is a passing phase that Bill needs to learn to control; mentions Bill’s rapid physical growth which may be affecting his behavior.

[10] August 1, 1944. To PMSS from Earl Tye, enclosing $10 for “Billie Tye entrance fee for the coming year.” Asks if Sylvia Rose Tye will be accepted this year.

[11] N.D. To Mr. [Burton] Rogers from Bill Tye, asking about Sylvia [Rose Tye]’s entering PMSS; has received no dental certificate.

[12] December 20, 1944. To Mr. and Mr. George E. Tye from [unsigned, likely Arthur Dodd], Principal, enclosing “the letter written by Bill appraising his work at Pine Mountain this first term. … Bill continues, on the whole, to develop in a most satisfactory way” but should remember that the PMSS standard “is always the best that an individual is capable of doing…. [He] should set an even higher standard for himself academically… He is well liked by everyone and his election to the Citizenship Committee is an honor….” Suggests a conference with the Counselor for more details.

[13] through [13c] December 21, 1944. Four-page letter to “Dad” (George E. Tye) from Bill Tye, evaluating his work in the past semester, including sociology, Bible, Current Events, Math, English (“I am rather proud of my achievements in English class”), community work (“monotonous”), woodwork (teacher: Mr. [Glenn] LaRue), farm (Mr. [William] Hayes), grounds (“I am most proud of…a flagstone terrace at Girls’ Industrial Building“); will do his best on the Citizenship Committee. He most enjoyed “the thoughtfulness of my fellow students,” several of whom visited him while he was ill in the Infirmary.

1945

[15] January 8, 1945. To H.R.S. Benjamin from Mrs. Earl Tye, asking that Billy, since he had lung congestion, “gets a job on the inside out of the rain and cold until he gets well.”

[14] January 11, 1945. To Mrs. Earl Tye from [unsigned], Counselor, responding to her letter asking Mr. Benjamin to give Billy indoor work. “Our doctor advised that he have light work for the next two weeks and he asked to be indoors,” so this was arranged.

[16] May 31, 1945. To Billy (G.W. Tye) from [unsigned]. Responds to Billy’s request to take the Kentucky State Test. Regretting that Billy may be leaving PMSS, the writer states that “We make every effort to keep a student who has been accelerated one year until he has gotten his diploma from Pine Mountain, and usually do not accelerate a student unless we are pretty certain he wishes to finish here.” Explains also that Billy would have a better chance to enter Berea College as a Pine Mountain graduate than from a high school division because of a quota system. Suggests other reasons to stay with PMSS: “You have made an unusually high record in all academic areas here…. The new science instructor is a specialist in Physics and Chemistry and I am arranging for several to have both Geometry and Algebra if they wish it.”

[18] through [18b] May 24, 1945. Three-page letter to “Dad” (Earl Tye) from Bill Tye, sending an evaluation of his accomplishments in the Junior class. Describes what he’s learned on the Citizenship Committee and feels he will be better prepared to deal with the students’ problems on the committee next year. Contrary to public schools, “The students here are bound together by strong cords of harmony and amity. This is very valuable to each student as it has a great deal to do with molding one’s character and making him a better citizen.”

[17] June 4, 1945. To Mr. and Mrs. Earl Tye from [unsigned, likely Arthur Dodd], Principal, enclosing a final report for the school year, which, along with Bill’s letter, will show his growth this term. He has been promoted with his class and we are holding a place for him in September. The Principal advises that Billy doesn’t become too “absorbed in things academic…. He needs the socializing influences” of the students, who “are bound together by strong cords of harmony and amity,” which he quotes from Billy’s letter. Postscript: “The medical department recommends that he should exercise more than usual care in avoiding respiratory infections.”

[19] June 15, 1945. Carbon copy of letter to George William Tye from Charles T. Morgan, Director of Admissions, Berea College, declining Bill’s request to be accepted by the college before he graduates PMSS; suggests that Bill discuss this with Mr. Dodd.

[20] June 15, 1945. To A.W. Dodd, PMSS, from Charles T. Morgan, Director of Admissions, Berea College, enclosing his letter to Bill Tye, asking for advice, and stating “under no circumstances do we wish to take an undergraduate from your school without your recommendation.”

[21] June 28, 1945. To Dodd from George W. Tye. “I am contemplating seriously taking my Senior year at Berea.” Asks Dodd if he would supervise Bill’s taking the necessary three tests: General Scholastic, Math, and English. 

[23] through [23b] December 20, 1945. Three-page letter to “Dad” (Earl Tye) from Bill Tye, evaluating his past semester: English and Journalism, advanced Social Studies, Chemistry, Plane Geometry. “In the journalism class I was asked to serve as editor of the school paper, The Pine Cone, a position of which I was really proud and felt highly honored at being chosen.” 

He served on the Citizenship Committee last semester for the second time. “I received Full Citizenship, the highest citizenship rating the school offers to its students.” He was most impressed with “the way visitors react when examining the campus and school activities. Sometimes aloof at first, the simple friendliness of the students and workers soon melts the ice and they become one of us.”

[022] December 28, 1945. To Mr. and Mrs. Earl Tye from [unsigned, likely Dodd], Principal, sending evaluation letters from Bill and Sylvia with a few remarks about their first term. “Bill has done an outstanding job as editor of the Pine Cone. In some ways this year’s Pine Cone[s] are better than those of the past few years.” He’s less interested in the sciences than in more literary subjects. “He has been a good citizen,…a pleasant guide to and for visitors to the grounds and his house conduct has been exemplary.”

“Although Sylvia has been here only a few months, her reports show much promise.” Mentions her helpfulness as a member of the chapel choir.

1946

[24] March 2, 1946. To Director of Admissions, Berea (KY) College from [unsigned, likely Dodd], Principal. Tye applied to Berea last summer at the end of his Junior year of high school. “He was accepted, but we encouraged him to withdraw and to continue at Pine Mountain until he graduates in May of this year.” Tye re-applied and asked the Principal to send in certain papers, including his transcript. The Principal asks that the former papers be returned to him and he will send in updated ones. 

[25] August 6, 1946. Typewritten letter to Mr. Dodd from George W. Tye, who thanks him for assisting with getting “my credits straight.” Reports that he received a scholarship to U.K. and will attend in the fall. “I have been working all summer and with my earnings and the scholarship I don’t think that I will have too much trouble with finances.” 
Mentions Sylvia (his sister) and Don’s withdrawal from PMSS. “Sylvia just wanted to be home this year and go to Hall Hi. She was urged by her parents to return to Pine Mountain. As for Don, he was anxious to try his luck on the football field.”



Next:
GEORGE WILLIAM TYE Correspondence 1957-1961

See Also:
GEORGE WILLIAM TYE Student
– Biography