MULLEN AREA RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

by Mary Haney

Entry T30 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Mullen Area Retired Teacher Association

The idea for a retired teachers organization
in our area developed through the interest of
Fern Reigle, who discussed the idea with
Ruth Stoughton and I. We were interested
but didn't know how to go about organizing
a unit. Fern suggested she write a friend who
was a member of the North Platte unit. From
this letter came an invitation to a dinner
meeting of the North Platte unit for any who
were interested. Fern, Ruth, and I attended
this very enjoyable meeting and there we met
Mrs. Estella LaRue, who was Assistant State
Director. She was happy to help us organize
a new unit and we set the date of May 15,
1975.

Ten persons attended this meeting and our
unit was organized. Officers elected were
Mary Haney, president, Fern Reigle, vice
president, Ruth Stoughton, treasurer, and
Florence Haney, secretary. Harriet Isom,
Ruth Huddle, and Alice Giles, were appoint-
ed to write the bylaws and we were on our way
with a very enthusiastic group.

Our unit includes members from Grant,
Hooker, McPherson, Thomas, and south
Cherry counties.

Our motto is "Service To Others" and
many hours of volunteer service are given by
our members. We have sponsored four Driver
Education courses with nearly one hundred
persons taking the course. We take an active
interest in community projects, in legislative
matters and matters of health, and have held
informative meetings to which the public
have been invited.

We are proud to have had member Ruth
Stoughton, elected to the position of State
Secretary for two years. She also served as a
workshop instructor for a time. These
workshops are held in June each year at
Ogallala (for our unit), Grand Island and
Lincoln. Officers and members also enjoy
attending the State Convention at Kearney
in September of each year. Ruth Huddle,
Harriet Isom, Fern Reigle, and Ruth Stough-
ton attended the National Convention at Salt
Lake City, Utah and three members, Harriet
Isom, Ruth Huddle, and Ruth Stoughton
attended National Convention in San Diego
another year. These conventions are very
informative and we enjoy the reports brought
back to our unit.

Another member, Fern Reigle, was chosen
by State Bi-Centennial Chairman, Alma
Ashley, to collect stories from members about
their early teaching experiences. Two former
members, Gussie Osborne, and Frances Sher-
man, have their stories included in the State
Bi-Centennial book called Telling Tales Out
Of School Our unit gave one of these books
to the public library.

Our present president, Ruth Huddle, has
been our faithful photographer and has kept
the scrapbook of our activities for the unit.
All our members work together on any
project we undertake. We meet six times a
year beginning in January. The July meeting
is a family picnic and the November meeting
is a Thanksgiving dinner, also a family
meeting. The September meeting is related
between Tryon, Thedford, and Hyannis.

We have thirty active members and five
deceased members. Deceased members are:
Lawrence Jones, Clara Crawford, Genevieve
Hayward, Erma Cooley, and Ruth Stough-
ton. We welcome new members who would
like to join at any time.

          To A Teacher

Of all the many tasks that confront you
In leading youthful minds to heights above,
If you can teach a child to read for pleasure
Then call your work a glorious task of love.

If you can teach him more than words and symbols
Or black faced letters on a page of white
If words are keys which open wide the portals
That lead him out into the world of light;

If you can clear away each mist obscuring
The view beyond his mental window pane,
Or recreate a world of hope alluring
From which he will reluctantly return;

If you can see him meditate and ponder
On things that reading brought within his ken,
Producing thoughts which cause him joy and wonder
Or hear him say, "I'll read that book again";

If you can see him choose a book with pleasure
Each page regarded as a faithful friend,
With whom he'll lovingly and gently linger
Or dread to have the final story end;

If reaching out, an eager youthful reader,
Has grasped your hand to find a higher plane,
You well may say, "Indeed I've been successful
No smallest effort made has been in vain."

Anonymous