JOHN T. HARBER Student Records

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Students
Series 19: STUDENTS
John T. Harber (1922 – 1995)
Ted Clarence Harber (1923 – 1990)
Student Records, 1936-1937

154 Glyn Morris, Director and students. Photograph by Virginia and Ray Garner, funded by Harmon Foundation, 1941.[garner_ray-154]

JOHN T. HARBER Student Records 1936 – 1937

Includes mention of his brother, TED CLARENCE HARBER, Student 1936 – 1937

TAGS: John T. Harber, student records, Ted Clarence Harber, students, Pine Mountain Settlement School, school applications, My Autobiography, family histories, aptitude, academic readiness, economic need, progress reports, teacher evaluations, Arthur Dodd, Glyn Morris, E.K. Wilson, Esther Weller, student counselors

CONTENTS: JOHN T. HARBER Student Records

[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 others are typewritten originals unless specified otherwise. The following list of contents is in chronological order and not necessarily in the order of the image numbers.]

[Note: Images of student test results 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.]

01 August 26, (no year). STUDENT APPLICATION BLANK
Name: J.T. Harber
Born: March 31, 192[2] in Wallins, Harlan Co., KY
Last School: “Ky King”
Ready to Enter: “First year of high school”
Father: C.D. Harber – “repairs mine cars”
Mother: Missouri Harber
Reason to attend Pine Mountain: “For the different training.”

02 (n.d.) MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY, cover page.
Name: J.T. Harber
School: Ky King
Address; Walkins, KY
“Prepared by the Southern Woman’s Educational Alliance, … Grace-American Building, Richmond, Virginia”

03 MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY, page 1.
Name: Harber, J. T.
Address: Wallins Creek, Ky.
Born: 1922, March 31 at Wallins Creek, Ky.
Father: C.D. Harbor, 40 years old,
Father’s occupation: car repairing. “He has also been a tipple boss.”
Mother’s maiden name: Cox; 34 years old; completed 8 grades in elementary school and 1 year high school.

04 MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY, page 2.
“I have 4 brothers and 2 sisters, all in school.”

05 MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY, page 3.
“We have about 100 books in our house.”
We subscribe to: “Household”
Musical instruments: Radio
My home duties: “coal, milking”

“I am planning to stay in school through the 8(th) grade and then take 4 years in high school.”
“My parents would like me to stay in school through … college and then take 3 years in the Navy.”

06 MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY, page 4.
Earned money: “Cutting wood, cutting grass”
Likes; “Hunting, fishing, swimming, and working in shops.”
Reads: “War books, adventure books”
Likes to study: “Science, arith., history”
Interested in: “Aviation, mechanics, blacksmith[ing]”

07 MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY, page 5.
Belonged to: Boy Scouts for 2 years; was “assistant patrol leader”

1936

08 June 7, 1936. Typewritten letter to Mr. (Arthur) Dodd from J.T. Harber. “I would like very much to come back to P.M. but I have a job selling Rawleigh products. My father said that if you still needed me the last five weeks I could come and work and then just stay and go to school. I sure will miss going in swimming and eating the strawberries.”

09 October 30, 1936. Handwritten letter to Mr. Wilson from J.T. Harber in Kistler, West Virginia. “Rec’d your card and we are sure glad that we might be able to get in Pine Mountain School.” He then gives directions to his home in the Buffalo Chilton Coal Camp, West Virginia.

10-11 November 7, 1936. Two-page handwritten letter to Mr. Wilson from J.T. Harber in Kistler, West Virginia. “We have everything ready to come.…” He repeats the directions to his home. [Much of the letter is faded and illegible.]

12 November 10, 1936. To J.T. Harber from [Everett] .K. Wilson, Student Counselor. “I am glad to tell you that we have some vacancies now and that your application and Ted’s for admission to Pine Mountain Settlement School have been accepted.” He tells them to come immediately and each brings a $10 entrance fee, $1 breakage fee (returnable), and $5 for first month’s tuition. They will be sent a catalog to be read by both boys and their parents “very carefully,” including instructions about clothing, seeing a dentist beforehand and having their “tonsils removed if necessary.” Wilson writes that he expects the boys 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. … P.S. George Brock sends his regards to you and Ted.”

13 November 13, 1936. Handwritten letter to Wilson from J.T. and Ted Harber, informing Wilson that his father will bring him and Ted to PMSS on the 22nd.

1937

14 February 12, 1937. To Glyn A. Morris from J.T. Harber, Lisle, KY. He can’t return to PMSS until after February 21 because he “had an accident and cut my foot pretty serious(ly) with an axe.”

15-16 May 28, 1937. Two-page letter to Mr. C.D. Harber, Kistler, WVA, from Arthur Dodd, Principal. [15] “At the close of the school year it is our custom to send out to the parents summaries of the work their children have done. Dodd provides a list of quotes from J.T.’s teachers, evaluating T.J. second term activities. Their positive statements include:

“In Ethics he was thoughtful and attentive. … Seems to enjoy looking up things in the library.”

“J.T. has a good mind and can reason.”

“In Literature he shows appreciation for some things and skill in interpretation.”

“In General Science he stands second in the class, and is doing good work. He is interested in all types of mechanical devices.”

[16] “[His Vocational Civics record indicates] considerable conscientious work;…willingness to consider a new point of view and attack a social problem from a different angle. (This shown by his gradual change in attitude toward the mining situation in the county.)”

According to Dodd, a place in the School is being saved for him next year.

17 June 1, 1937. To J.T. Harber from Arthur Dodd, Acting Director, who offers summer work at PMSS for four or five weeks as payment of his entrance fee and several months’ tuition.

08 June 7, 1936 [sic, 1937?]. Typewritten letter to Mr. (Arthur) Dodd from J.T. Harber. “I would like very much to come back to P.M. but I have a job selling Rawleigh products. My father said that if you still needed me the last five weeks I could come and work and then just stay and go to school. I sure will miss going in swimming and eating the strawberries.”

18 July 23, 1937. Typewritten letter to Glyn Morris from J.T. Harber in Man, WVA. T.J. could not come to work at PMSS in June, but he tells Morris he’s willing to do so in August.

19 July 31, 1937. To J.T. Harber from (unsigned), Bookkeeper, asking him to come to work at PMSS as soon as possible. “Be prepared to stay here until the opening of school, and afterwards, too….”

20-21 [Notation in upper left margin: “September 9, 1937”] Two-page handwritten narrative by J.T. Harber for English class about the explorer of the Arctic, [Vilhjalmur] Stefansson.

22 December 7, 1937. To PMSS from Mrs. Clarence Harber, J.T.’s mother, concerning a letter she received from J.T. about his suspension and asking for more information.

23 December 11, 1937. To Mr. C.D. Harner, Kistler, WVA, from Esther Weller, Student Counselor, explaining J.T.’s suspension from school.

Teachers’ Evaluations – RESTRICTED IMAGES

24 (n.d.) Vocational Civics
25 December 1936 and August 1937 – Ethics; December 1937 (Sophomore) – American and Current History
26 (n.d.) Mathematics
27 1937 (Sophomore) and 1938 – Mechanical Drawing
28 1937 (Sophomore) and 1938 – Wiring
29 1937 (Sophomore) and 1938 – General Mechanics
30 1936-1937 – Farm (Teacher, [Howard] Burdine); 1937-1938 (Sophomore) – Mech. Shop and Woodshop
31 (n.d. and May 1947) General Science (Teacher, [August] Angel); December 1937 – Biology

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32 (n.d.) A note to Glyn Morris from Dr. W. Gus Laughrun, Wallins Creek, KY, reporting that “J.T. Harber has had a bad injured foot for the past 10 days.”

33 [DELETED INCORRECT IMAGE]
34 (n.d.) Reverse side of [32] with the address of Green-Miller Pharmacy, Inc., Harlan, KY.

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Health Record and Achievement Tests – RESTRICTED IMAGES

35 (n.d.) “J.T. Health Record” – “6 ft 2 (inches), 180 lb.”

36 May 10, 1937. “New Stanford Achievement Test; Advanced Examination: Form Y for Grades 4-9” for J.T. Harber, grade 9; 15 years old. Next Birthday: March 31, 1938. [No results shown.]

37 May 10, 1937. “Educational Profile Chart: New Stanford Achievement Test, Advanced Examination.”

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38 File folder tab for “Harber, J.T., 1935-1939,” with attached note: “Folder #3, Box 44 PMSS Records, Series III, c. 1919-1949, Ham-Hos.”