Notes from May Justus Remembered, Feb. 10, 2007

This is from my notes made during the presentation. At times I had to leave the room to handle other needs, so these are missing some information. If you want to send other memories to be added to this list, please send to sccs@blomand.net .

Principle speaker, Dorothy Minkler, assisted by Karen Tittle, librarian

Also by Bill Moon and William Ray Turner

Bill Moon’s recollection of his teachers at Summerfield

Sally Cheek

Frances Tate

Ruby London

Louise Sherrill

Marlee Crabtree Hill

They had kerosene lights at school. The got electric lights later. They were single bulbs suspended on a cord hanging down from the ceiling. Bill Pirtle put them in. There was a coat room in the back with no light. When it was time to leave each afternoon, often people couldn’t tell which coat was which and wound up wearing someone else’s home. There was another coat room near the front of the building.

The rooms had 2 pot-bellied stoves. They oiled the floors. Two people were in charge of the fire each week. They would get the coal and put slate rocks in it so the fire would pop. One morning they came back to school and saw where fire had popped out and burnt big circles in the floor.

They had a softball team.

School picnics

School trips

Miss Justus would bring pears to school. They were small, brown and tasteless. Everyone went after them, but Bill just waited till he got home and got some good pears.

Vera McCampbell drove a 1950s Ford. Miss Justus didn’t drive. Ms. McCampbell wanted that car clean and Bill used to wash and wax it for her. There were no hoses, so it all had to be done with buckets of water drawn from the pump in the kitchen.

In the kitchen they had a daybed for naps. Usually took a nap about 1:00 in the afternoon, and by the time the car was clean, they were awake. Miss Justus paid Bill for his chores with a book of his choice. Bill lived on Slate St. across from Miss Justus.

May Justus was born May 12 1898. She weighed 85 pounds and had long hair. Her mother’s name was Virginia and her father was Marlow. Mother was from England. Father was ___

She brought her two softballs and bats and taught the children how to play ball, how to lose, how to win, how to share. She could hit a ball as far as any of the boys.

Dr. Johnson was from Memphis, and had taught at Vassar, UTK and was a college president. She was interested in opening a school for mountain children and found May and Vera and asked them to join her.

May and Vera were Presbyterian missionaries.

Miss Justus always had a soup pot going. The people around grew vegetables and contributed to the soup pot and Miss Justus supplied the soup bone. The soup tasted pretty bad, but that was sometimes the only meal the children had all day.

She made delicious rice pudding with big raisins in it. It was great.

She made cookies and would offer the visiting children one. She  made oatmeal with raisin cookies. She also made gingersnaps that were good.

Karen—the library has all of Miss Justus’s books, many of which are signed. There are personal items that belonged to her, a VHS interview by W.R. Turner of Miss Justus. Lee Stapleton has about 30 of Justus’ books including some anthologies with her poetry.

There was discussion about who holds the copyright. Dorothy believes May gave rights to University Press at Knoxville. There is a CD coming out with some of her songs on it.

The school had about 40-50 children and had 2 rooms. Miss Justus’ home was in Cocke County, the moonshine capital of the US. Father taught school. Old brother Hal who was in the military and a sister Helen who was an RN at Erlanger. Her mother taught her ballads from England.

Dr. Johnson made a deal with Grundy County and said she would pay for everything to run Summerville School but that she wanted a free hand. The County gladly agreed. It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened for the kids at Summerfield. At that time Grundy was 88% on relief. Miss Justus had access to wealth and bough a jigsaw, wood and paint and taught the boys how to make shelves, etc. Taught the girls how to make rugs, etc. and then sold the items to purchase more supplies.

There was a Book of Knowledge. She taught them how to make kites. Ruled with love and let them fight. She considered it a part of life.

The slingshot incident

She and Miss McCampbell came in 24 to teach for 2 years and they stayed the rest of their lives. There was a sand box in Justus backyard. She had a 12.12 grape arbor and if she had visitors in the summer, that’s where she entertained. Her house had 3 room, a kitchen and upstairs. Her upstairs was loaded with books, and she would loan them. You didn’t have to sign them out. People just brought them back.

McCampbell died in 1971.

Craig Shelton came in 1932 and was the only new boy in school. He became an artist in Fair Hope AL. Craig introduced Justus and Archie Stapleton, the priest at the University. They became good friends.

Justus was generous and gave away everything.  She had been in the Redbird area of Kentucky.

She taught SS and gave students one year candlestick holders from the Mount of Olive. This was the first time Jesus became real to some of the children.

She started the Girl Scouts and they hiked to Monteagle Falls, Forest Point, Sunset Bluff, and on Jan. 1 in 1932, they had a picnic and that was the first hot dog Dorothy ever had.

Billy started Summerfield in 47 after Justus had retired from teaching. He lived across the street from Justus and did chores for them. Mowed yard and washed car. She brought reading materials to the family and it was the only reading they ever got.

She would read the latest chapter of her books to the class. If she hadn’t finished any work, she would read Joel Chandler Harris stories. She told stories about the peddler, Step-along, who rode horseback with toys and kitchen items. They didn’t know his real name, but every time a family would ask him to stay longer, he would say he had to step along to his next family.

She never was seen irritated or mad at anyone. She had a great sense of humor. She was amused one time at church with the preach said Jesus turned water into grape juice. McCampbell said if he were smart he would have turned it into wine.

Hated segregation. Two books, New boy in School and New house for Billy are about segregation.

Spiritual supper

Dr. Johnson was the Chair of the School Board in Grundy County for a while.

Hardy, Dickens, Trollep and Thackery were her favorite writers.

She lived to reach 90 years of age, dying following surgery for breast cancer. She had had one previous surgery in her 40s. She threw a blood clot that killed her.

Scott Bates family would get her books to read from the Sewanee book mobile. She read 10 books every 2 weeks.

When she taught SS she would buy her students a Bible if they would first read the bible. She paid 65 cents for the Bibles.

She was paid $65 in script from the GC. It had to be spent at Janis’ meat market and store. He was the Supt of Ed in the county.

Jean Meriman Tallet illustrated some books.

Lee—in NC had veg garden and had pretty rhubarb in it. They cooked the greens and almost died from them. She made elderberry wine.

Joan Dicks was an illustrator for Harper House.

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