SPOTLIGHT
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SPOTLIGHT |
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Gertrude Callaway was born August 18, 1900, in Locust Grove,
Georgia. She met Louie Emerson Jones in Locust Grove when he attended
the Locust Grove Institute. They were married December 4, 1922,
and resided in Alpharetta until her death May 1, 1984. Most of the time
they lived in a big white house in the center of Alpharetta with Louie's
Mother, Miss Oma. |
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"Miss Gertrude" attended school at the University of Georgia,
Emory and Oglethorpe. She began her teaching career and was principal at
Midway School. Midway School was a two-room Milton County school located on
Highway 9, just north of Green Lawn Cemetery. While she was there, she
planted a water oak tree which is standing between Byers Furniture Store
and Greenlawn Cemetery. |
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She was very active in the First Methodist Church in Alpharetta. She
taught a Sunday School Class for 35 years. She also served as Church
Secretary and Treasurer for 35 years. She was also active in various civic
activities, but she is best remembered as "Miss Gertrude," fourth grade
teacher at Milton School. She was called "Miss Gertrude" by the hundreds of
fourth grade boys and girls she taught. Her classroom was in the southwest
corner of the second floor of Milton School, by the fire escape which was
located just outside her classroom. This fire escape was only to be used in
case of fire, but it tempted many of us over the years Miss Gertrude was a very loving and highly respected teacher and very seldom had a disciplinary problem with her students. However Lester Samples reports she did give him a whipping. She had a way of gaining the love and respect of all her students. While studying geography in her classes students imagined travel all over the world in her fourth grade classroom. They all learned how to dress in the various countries they visited and what kind of weather that country had. Her students also learned all their multiplication tables in the fourth grade. One little boy knew the two tables so well he could just sing them out. Miss Gertrude commented on how well he knew them and asked another little boy if he would recite them. The other little boy said, Miss Gertrude, I don't know what tootum is." She was called "Miss Gertrude" until the board of education required the teachers be addressed by family names (ie: Mr., Ms. or Mrs. Jones). However to those who knew her she will always remain: "Miss Gertrude"Copyright 2007-2009 by Elsie Knight | ||