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PAGE FOUR
IWlty ~*^rutobioffraphy
By Virginia Anne Ballew
Everyone in the little town of
Fair mount, Georgia wondered why
the Barber Shop closed its doors a
little before lunch time on the day
of August 31, 1927. It was rumored
wildly that the barber seemed in a
nervous state, and as he ran
across the little square, leaving his
customers behind, his only thought
was to get home by the short cut
through the alley, and get there on
the-double. Later his customers
learned that he was off to see his
new daughter for the first time.
My very first trip was to the
movies. It was supposed to be
something very special, for I was
to see myself on the screen. There
it was, so they tell me, and in big
letters about it, “The Barber’s New
Daughter.” That was my welcome
to Fairmount.
Exactly one year, one month, and
one day later, I was carried to see
my new sister. I called her my
doll, and we were always seen to
gether, even to this very day.
My first day at school, I am
sorry to relate, was a very trying
one. I was forced to hug the little
girl next door (she was a brat) for
pulling her pig tails. But after that,
things went smoothly, and I finally
learned my A B C’s.
I was very happy when I grad
uated from Grammar School, be
cause I had a Gold Star on my cer
tificate. It was second honor from
Gordon County.
To be in High School was "some
thing special,” for then we could
have plays, and play on the basket
ball court. I helped run the store
for the Home Economics Depart
ment and we had grand arguments
in science class.
I entered the Junior class at
John McEachern High School,
which was formerly the Seventh
District A & M College, and is
built like West Georgia which is
an old A & M College itself. This
being a Commercial High School, it
gave me many more opportunities
than I had had at Fairmount. I
became a member of the Beta Club,
and an officer in the Commercial
Club. In my Senior year I was on
the Annual Staff. The dedication
of our Annual was held in the Rose
Garden on the front campus, and
we dedicated it to Mrs. L. D. Mc-
Sachern, the founder of M. H. S.
On the night of May 21, 1946,
twenty-four seniors received di
plomas.
“What can I do now?” That was
the only question in my mind
after graduation. I wanted to join
the Cadet Nurse Corps right away,
but to please my father and
mother, I took my first job at Bell
Aircraft. Bell was in full produc
tion at that time, and my job was
in the Write-up Division and office
files. I became known as “The
Youngun,” for I was the youngest
employee in our section of 500.
In less than a week’s time, I be
came a “Bell Bomberette.” This
was the All Girls Choir, composed
of twenty-five girls from all over
the plant who met each morning
for practice. The “Bomberettes”
were directed by Bernard C. Keim,
of Cartersville, Georgia, and we
sang at the lunch hour on B 2 Hill,
and also in the cafeterias. We gave
programs at churches, and differ
ent clubs in Marietta, and neigh
boring cities.
On V-J night, I worked overtime,
helping send thousands of tele
grams canceling orders for B-29
parts. And so the famous B-28 was
no more in production.
On September 4, 1945, I resigned
and decided to go to college. On
September 18, 1945, I entered West
Georgia College. I didn’t know
what I wanted to be, but I did
want to escape mathematics in any
form, so I chose a Commercial
Course. Little did I dream that ac
counting was to confront me in my
Sophomore year. My first year
seemed to fly by, and on June 8,
1946, I was again at home, and
asking myself, “What can I do
now?” I had had one year of
shorthand, so I applied for a posi
tion at the Veterans Administra
tion in Marietta, and was accepted.
Later I learned that the VA had
moved into the office buildings of
Bell Bomber, so there I was in my
old office again.
I became office stenographer for
a little force of twenty people
known as “General Records Sec
tion.” I was with them three
months, and in that time saw the
files come in from Washington by
the millions. Our office space was
expanded, and the little force soon
had twenty-seven people. My duty
was to keep all the time records,
send out all office memorandums,
and office correspondence, keep the
supply cabinets, and order the nec
essary equipment. My work was
done on an electromatic typewriter.
It was very hard for me to decide
what to do about completing my
second year at West Georgia, for I
had a good job with Civil Service,
but I just couldn’t leave the job
half finished.
On September 25, I again return
ed to my studies at West Georgia
College. This year there were many
new students, one of whom was my
sister who is my roommate. The
faculty has changed quite a bit,
and West Georgia is rapidly grow
ing. This year I am working part
time, and am a member of the A
Capella Choir. The choir is my fa
vorite school activity, as it was in
my freshman year.
I am looking forward to gradu
ation, and hoping that I shall be
one to receive a Certificate. After
that, I suspect it will be the same
old story as before —“Well, what to
do now?”
An Interview With
Mary Liza
Mary Liza Luke has been around
West Georgia for a longer period
than most of us can remember.
During this time she has acquired
some very definite views about life
in general, and has become “a
friend to the boys,” as Mrs. Webb
puts it.
Mary Liza has had a romantic
life of note, which was thoroughly
covered in the West Georgian a
few years back, so we won’t go into
that. John Luke, her husband,
raises beautiful flowers and folks
who have been around a while re
member his famous lotus ponds,
now destroyed by drought.
Last year, when a person was
needed to play Mary Liza in stunt
night, some intelligent creature
suggested that the genuine article
herself be drafted for the part. She
stole the show. People say that it
was a dramatic triumph of the first
order.
One of Mary Liza’s favorite ex
periences is her trip to Tuskegee,
Alabama, for an operation. Mary
Liza’s trip and operation at the col
ored people’s hospital were made
possible by the members of West
Georgia’s faculty.
Another of her delights is fishin’.
She spent her entire week’s vaca
tion at the landward end of a
fishing pole last year, but with
typical fisherman’s luck, nothing
happened until the last day.
It is said that Mary Liza has also
served as a sort of bank for the
boys in the past, but we haven’t
found anyone who actually took
advantage of the service. We’re
going to try for a loan anyway,
though.
THE WEST GEORGIAN
New Dancing
Class Organized
In order that the number of wall
holder-uppers (both male and fe
male) may be greatly reduced,
dancing lessons are being held
three times each week during va
cant chapel periods. Miss Jenkins
acts as chaperon.
Several of the more experienced
dancers teach various basic steps
and anyone who doesn’t already
know how to dance is invited to
enroll. The class is being limited to
beginners only (boys, that is), and
those people merely interested in
getting a little practice are re
quested not to attend.
My Philosophy Of
Education
Agnes Abercrombie
The chief aim of education
should be to teach children how to
live in a way that will be both per
sonally and socially satisfying. Edu
cation might well be defined as “a
study of those things which will in
crease the conveniences of life, les
sen human misery, improve our
country, promote population, exalt
the human understanding, and es
tablish domestic and political hap
piness.” But what is the use of a
knowledge of these things if one
cannot apply the facts to life? Edu
cation, then, should be concerned
not only with the teaching of facts
but also with how to apply those
facts to life for the enrichment of
the life of the individual, his home,
community and country. It has
been well said that “we learn what
we live.” So why not make of
school a process of living rather
than dull, meaningless routine
work?
Education begins very early in
life. It is during the early years
of life that parents have the great
est influence on a child’s educa
tion; but when a child enters
school, the teacher is added to the
group whose influence is felt in the
life of the child. One of the first
steps on the part of the teacher to
ward exerting the right influence
should be for the teacher to under
stand herself and why she acts and
feels as she does. Then she is in a
position to understand children.
Understanding of children is neces
sary before any teacher can make
of her philosophy of education ft
living and working philosophy. She
must realize that each child is an
individual person with thoughts
and feelings of his own, rather
than just one in a group which
must be taught a certain number
of things before the end of the
school year. When a teacher learns
to accept a child as he is and
where he is in his studies, she has
learned a lesson which will be of
great benefit to her in teaching
each child how to live. Each child
has already developed certain emo
tions before he enters school. It is
the duty of the teacher to gain an
understanding of these emotions
and why they have been developed
in the particular way they have.
She should then strive to help the
child use those emotions which
will be of most help to him in life
and to discard the undesirable emo
tions. She should be particularly
careful to see that the correct emo
tions are developed while the child
is in school, for a person is always
developing new emotions, particu
larly while he is young. By the
right training of children today,
we insure better parents for future
generations.
Another thing that a teacher
should do is to see that the chil
dren work, play and have exper
iences together. Children learn
what they live, and it is for the
teacher to decide what living is
best for the children. By teaching
children to work and play together
harmoniously in a group, the teach-
er has taken a big step in making
good citizens of her pupils. Chil
dren want to know the reasons for
everything; and children under
stand why they can’t impose on the
rights of others and how much
happier they are when they work
together without friction, she is
teaching them democracy in a way
that they can understand. All his
life a person must live with other
people; and the best place for him
to begin his training in learning to
live in harmony with others is
while he is in school. Then is
when he can begin to learn to re
spect the rights of others, to think
for himself, and to live a full life.
A country is no better than the
citizens which comprise its popu
lation. What better place can be
found to teach people the right way
of life than in the schools?
Education is a personal thing.
It can be developed no further than
the individual desires. It is the
duty of both parents and teachers
to create in the children the desire
for a well-rounded education which
will enable them not only to earn a
livelihood but to get the most
from life. This desire can be devel
oped during the earlier years of
life and particularly during the ear
ly school years. Once a child’s in
terest is captured, he desires to
learn more about what school is all
about. If he can be made to think
of the subjects he studies, not as
just so much that has to be learn
ed from books or otherwise, but as
something he himself lives and ex
periences, then he is going to learn
as much as possible about those
subjects. This is particularly true
of children in the elementary
grades. For instance, if a young-
WHERE FRIENDS MEET
Jones Drug Company
STUDENT HEADQUARTERS
Compliments of
DR. P. N. HUFF
Newnan Street Carrollton, Ga.
FOR YOUR SWEETS VISIT
WcQee’i Bakery
Mrs. J. G. Robertson
Florist
Opposite Martin’s Funeral Home
11 West Center St. —Phone 151 —Carrollton, Ga.
TUESDAY, MARCH 18, 1947
ster thinks of arithmetic as some
thing which he must know if he is
to “play store” or to carry on the
many other adult activities he likes
so well to imitate, then arithmetic
becomes vital for him. When he
realizes that reading and writ
ing are necessary if he is to be
able to understand and write let
ters to “Aunt Julia” or “Cousin
Jim”, then he wants to learn to
read and write. So it can be with
all the subjects taught. Once the
child discovers that the subject
has something in it for him and is
something he himself can live, ex
perience, and enjoy, he then be
comes determined to learn.
Braves Romp to Victory
Over Piedmont—sl to 42
Throwing the biggest upset of
the season, the W. G. C. Braves
romped onward to victory over the
lads from Piedmont College by a
score of 51 to 42.
The highly favored Piedmont
boys led the Braves all during the
first half only to relinquish their
lead to the Braves in a thrilling
finish that carried them to victory
over the Demorest boys. The
Braves never allowed Piedmont to
get into the game in the second
half as 31 points were racked up to
Piedmont’s 17. Hugh Hudsputh
played an exceptionally good game
under the basket along with high
point man Yates, 15 points, and
Wilkenson who had 7 points.
Although Burch and Gilson were
both out, the Braves played first
class ball and made an excellent
showing.