This was sent to me by Roberta
Thursday, April 13, 1967 DeRidder Enterprise
Teacher Appreciation Week, April 9-15
This is the second in a series of stories on the life of educators of this area.
It is appropriate that the community and parish honor an educator this week-Teacher Appreciation Week-and especially this man that has given so much of his life to the training of youth and to whom so many are indebted for the knowledge that he imparted and for the principles and high ideals that he has lived by.
Appreciation is expressed to the McReynolds family for the factual information furnished.
THE HOOSIER SCHOOLMASTER
By Esther N. Terry
Wilbert McReynolds (“Mr. Mc”) was born on September 25, 1889, the youngest of three sons of L.A. McReynolds in Posey County in the Southern tip of Indiana. His mother died before he was two.
He graduated from High School in 1908 and attended two terms at Indiana State Normal at Terra Haute. At 19 he left Indiana and went to Western Oklahoma and taught his first school near Fairview in 1909. He taught in Major County, Oklahoma four years. This school was a large one-room school, with eight grades in the one room. His salary was $45.00 per month and he received good room and board for $10.00 per month.
In 1913, the Wyoming Homestead fever struck and he staked his claim to a half section of land near Wheatland, Wyoming. He lived on the homestead and taught school there one year, but a four-foot snow and a girl he had met in Kansas made Wyoming homesteading less attractive.
He returned to school for two terms at Gunter Bible College, Gunter, Texas and one term at Harper College, Harper, Kansas where he was graduated in 1916. On August 27, 1916, he married Ruby Elston, the oldest daughter of the late Ben J. Elston. After a honeymoon in Kansas City, he moved to Harrison County, Missouri near Eagleville where he farmed and taught school for four years. The two oldest children were born here.
In 1920, attracted by the promises held in sunny Louisiana, he sold out and moved to the old homesite two miles West of Carson, in Beauregard Parish, La. The remaining seven children were born here.
His first school in Louisiana was taught at Grabow, one mile West of the Old Grabow Townsite. His larger students, Elmer Cooley, Roy Alston and Roy Hickman and others helped clear the big pine stumps to provide space for playgrounds. At Grabow he taught grades one through five.
In 1921 he was moved to Carson as Principal of the four-room school there.
He spent the next two summers at S.L.I. in Lafayette, meeting the requirements for a degree in Louisiana, which he received in 1925.
His next assignment was to Sugartown, where he taught High School two years, then became Principal over the six-member faculty. While he was Principal, he was told by the State High School Supervisor that he had the best High School in the Parish and that Sugartown would be recommended for accreditation. It was recommended and the school was accredited.
Mr. Mc. Was then assigned to the Principalship of Hyatt High School. After two years of service there, it too was accredited. The next school year Mr. Mc. was given the choice of continuing as Principal of Hyatt or moving home to DeRidder as the Science and Math teacher at the same salary of $185.00 per month. He chose to come to DeRidder mainly because he could be near the family home. This began his thirteen years at DeRidder High School.
The first year he had three sections of Physics of twenty-five students each and two large Math classes. The highlight of his first year was the winning of First Place in Physics in both the District and State Rallies by Harry Manning. In the years to come, there were many first or second place winners from his classes.
Mr. Mc. was troubled during the last years of his teaching career by failing hearing and vision. After unsuccessful surgery in January of 1942, Mr. Mc. was totally blind. After thirty years experience and twenty-one years service in Beauregard in the teaching profession, he was offered $23.00 a month retirement.
Mr. Mc. presently lives in the Carson community, South of DeRidder. Last August he and Mrs. McReynolds celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary, and were honored by the presence of all nine children, the first time in over twenty years, that the family had all been together.
Mr. Mc. stays well informed on current events through radio and talking books. He spends much of his time corresponding with the children and grandchildren. He maintains an intense interest in the Public School System of Beauregard with the desire that every child may receive a superior education.
brentwrogers.com