Tanner: Dedicated teachers inspired, became friends for life

Caring teachers instill a sense of pride in students.

In today's society, with the population booming and new schools popping up "in-the-blink-of-an-eye" to keep up with student growth, it's hard to imagine a one-on-one student/teacher atmosphere in our over-crowded classrooms.

Thank goodness that's not the way it was in the 1940's and 50's when grammar school/high school grades were under the same roof of then Bluffton High School. Various teachers there over the years implanted moral teachings and the desire to teach to young minds.

In the first and second grade, there was Mrs. Ruth Niver with her famous saying to a complaining pupil, "Mr. CAN always tries, Mr. CAN'T always cries". Even to this day, that quote comes to mind when the feeling of giving up rises to the surface. It gives give a little "extra-push". Mrs. Niver taught my mother, me, and my children during grammar school years -- three generations.

In the third and fourth grade there was Mrs. Eugenia Pinckney, who had a love of poetry. We all had to memorize and recite in class the writings assigned to us, which became a very helpful tool, even to this day, (even though it was only tolerated then) for committing to the mind.

In middle school, Mrs. Lilla Kirk Peeples opened our eyes to geography and history.

Mrs. Mary Lou Ulmer, in high school, when she wasn't teaching Home Economics, taught English along with Mrs. Mary Wright, who also served as librarian. They both had the knack of burrowing into you the desire to read, read, read and then excel in writing reports on what you had read.

Being in a school with classes that had an average of 12 students at most, teachers taught multiple subjects during a school day. For instance, in grades 9-12, Mrs. Mary O. Merrick taught the sciences, general math, 1st & 2nd Algebra, geometry, biology, chemistry and even classes of English & Spanish -- a very versatile teacher. She made classes so interesting I even took biology another year, replacing a study hall period and not earning a credit for it -- just for the fun of it.

Mrs. Merrick was a "whiz" of a teacher. Born in 1921, she completed high school at an early age and graduated from FSU at the age of 19. After graduation, she taught classes there for a year. As she was younger than most students in classes she taught, the constant flirting of young men finally took its toll and she returned home to Bluffton down Pinckney Colony road and worked several years at Union Camp before returning to teaching. Meanwhile, she met and married her husband, Eddie Merrick and they raised five children on Calhoun Plantation, all the while not missing a beat with teaching her students at Bluffton High School.

During physical education classes in high school, she and Eddie taught square dancing lessons that were really energizing. They even chaperoned our junior-senior trip to Washington, D.C. They were a super energetic couple while showing us all the historic monuments which made for a very memorable trip.

All of these teachers served under the umbrella of Bluffton High School, which was built in 1928. That was the same year Henry Emmett McCracken arrived in Bluffton, where he met and married the love of his life, Naomi, a lovely and demure young lady. He took on the job of teaching vocational agriculture while, also, serving as the school principal. In 1933, he became superintendent of the Beaufort County school district, (south of the broad including Hilton Head and Daufuskie Island schools) while remaining principal of Bluffton High School.

From 1942-1945 he served in the U.S. Army during World War II before resuming his position as principal at Bluffton High School and superintendent of the district, retiring in 1977 after serving 50 years in public education.

Mr. "Mac", as everyone called him, although in a supervisory position, was always congenial, never condescending, and retained an open-door policy in his office. He was a great speaker and when teaching, if a student asked a question concerning one of his favorite topics, he would go 'in-depth' with his slow-southern drawl and, before you could blink an eye, the bell would have rung ending class time. One of his favorite quotes was: "DON'T do as I do, DO as I say do!"

He liked his students and gave them praise when earned. Born Sept. 12, 1906, his birthday fell between cousin Ethel's birthday on the 11th and sister Carolyn's on the 13th, so he always celebrated his birthday with them by walking to the corner store for a Coke and bag of chips.

Most students view their teachers as being stern and untouchable, but that wasn't the way ours were in the small community of Bluffton. Not many students get to have their teachers attend their wedding two weeks after graduating high school, but mine did, including Mrs. Wright, Mrs. Ulmer, Mrs. Merrick and Mr. "Mac".

Still staying in touch through the years, in 1972 Mr. and Mrs. McCracken came to have supper with us and our three sons and we dined sumptuously, at his request, on squirrel with grits and gravy, baked sweet potato and collard greens.

More recently, in 2011, we had the pleasure of attending Mrs. Mary O. Merrick's 90th birthday celebration, so that proves that those teachers we thought were stern figures clothed in authority when we were in school can come to be friends for life as adults.

It's all in appreciating a person for who they are and staying in touch; not only being brought up right by our parents but also having the dedication of good teachers during our "reading, writing, and arithmetic" years.

Contributor Jean Tanner is a lifetime rural resident of the Bluffton area and can be reached at jstmeema@hargray.com.

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Tanner: Dedicated teachers inspired, became friends for life."