Grove High School ~ Profile of Professor A. S. Weston

Professor A. S. Weston To Retire This Spring
After Completing 25th Year At Grove

Professor Alfred Sewall Weston will retire this spring after completing his 25th consecutive year as a member of the Grove High School faculty, but he will be remembered affectionately and respectfully for many additional years by all who have set in his classes and others who are included in his wide circle of friends.

Professor Weston's phenomenal memory, his keen interest in sports and all school activities, his teaching skill, his love for students have made him one of Grove High School's finest traditions.

He came to Grove in September 1921, as Latin instructor and Latin has remained his chief subject. With the exception of one year in which another teacher had a part of the Latin students, Professor Weston has been the only Latin instructor on the hill. Occasionally he has taught civics and American history, but these courses were only supplementary.

This year there were 70 students in his Latin classes, but there have been as many as 100 or more Grove students learning the language. He does not attribute the present decreased enrollment in Latin classes to a decline in student interest but to the fact that required courses make it difficult for some students to take Latin and to take the business preparation courses many undergraduates take in order to obtain immediate employment. Grove's enrollment is smaller now than in some prewar years.

Born In Maine

Born in Mt. Vernon, Maine, the son of a Universalist minister, Professor Weston lived in the New England states and Southern Canada until he was 13 years of age, when he moved to New Jersey. He entered Princeton University where he studied history under the late Woodrow Wilson, and was also coached in debate by the former president. Mr. Weston received the Bachelor of Arts and the Master of Arts degrees from that institution.

Professor Weston came to Tennessee in January 1909, to accept a position in the Huntingdon High School. After six and one-half years there he taught at Centerville for three years and returned to Huntingdon for an additional three years.

The late Joe Routon, then superintendent of education in Henry County, invited Mr. Weston to come to Grove in 1921.

The white-haired educator has been a familiar sight to football fans during his 25 years here. He was official timekeeper for all home games up until about four years ago, when he gave this activity upon the advice of his physician.

Today Mr. Weston can recall more about the season records and individual games of Grove gridiron teams that the actual participants.

He believes that the 1929, 1938 and 1939 squads were among the greatest to wear Grove's blue and white.

The '29 team tied it's first contest and won all the others. The '38 team went undefeated through the regular season and lost to Jackson in a post-season tilt. In 1939 the Grove team lost only to Dyersburg, and won the West Tennessee championship.

There was no West Tennessee meet in 1938 or 1929, so no comparison of the strength of the three teams can be made in this respect.

On Trophy Committee

One of Mr. Weston's most pleasant responsibilities has been serving as chairman of the Fiske Trophy Committee, which selects an outstanding football player each year from the Grove team. He has announced this player each year at the annual football banquet.

Taking only a moment for recollection, Professor Weston called off the names of all these Grove athletes, starting with Charles Butler, whose name went on the plaque in 1933. The others were James Enoch, Jesse Turner, Jimmy Warmack, Leo King, Fred Holder, Billy Horner and Alfred Dick (both in 1939), Billy Warmack, Billy Inman, Vayden Waddy, and the 1945 choice, Bob Vaughn.

Serving on the Fiske Trophy Committee with Mr. Weston are Dr. H. A. Atkin, C. D. Trevathan, Dr. Horace McSwain and Dr. George McSwain.

Although he never coached at Grove, Mr. Weston was in charge of football and baseball at Huntingdon and has always been interested in all sports. The only sport in which he attained a degree of proficiency is the mile walk, which was dropped prior to 1900.

The old heal and toe gait employed by contestants was "horrible to look at and worse to do," according to Mr. Weston. "No human being would travel that way if he were in a hurry."

"As a matter of fact," Mr. Weston added with a twinkle in his eye, "I wasn't at all sorry when the sport was dropped."

His other interest, in addition to competitive sports include chess and bridge.

Many honors have come to him while he was on the hill. Among these was the dedication of the 1936 "Futurist" high school annual to him, and a special tribute at the commencement exercises in 1941, upon completion of his 20th year at Grove.

Right now the soon-to-be-retired professor has no definite plans for the future.

"I'll be glad to recall any of my past activities that might interest you," he says, but adds that no one can tell what lies ahead.

Friday Afternoon, November 8, 1946

Professor A. S. Weston Dies in Paris Early This Morning.

Professor Alfred Sewell Weston died early this morning about 3:00 a.m., at Nobles Hospital. He was stricken on October 1, and had been in critical condition since that time.

Funeral service will be held Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at Spicer & McEvoy Funeral Home, with Rev. W. M. Bigham, pastor of First Presbyterian Church Officiating. Pallbearers will be members of the 1946 Grove football team and burial will be in Maplewood Cemetery.

Professor Weston is survived by one sister, Mrs. W.R. Keely, of Hamilton, New Jersey; two brothers: Arthur H. Weston of Appleton, Wisconsin, and Rolfe Weston of West Haven, Connecticut. A nephew also survives.

Professor Weston retired this spring after completing his 25th consecutive year as a member of the Grove High School faculty. He will be remembered affectionately and respectfully for many years by all who sat in his classes and others who are in his wide circle of friends

Reprinted from THE PARIS POST-INTELLIGENCER
Friday Afternoon, November 8, 1946 ~ Edition