Robert E. Lee School ~ Faculty

WE HAVE STARTED THE LEE SCHOOL HISTORY. ALONG WITH THE HISTORY WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AS MANY OF THE SCHOOL'S FACULTY MEMBERS AS FOLKS CAN REMEMBER. PLEASE ADD TO THE LIST IF YOU KNOW OF NAMES THAT ARE NOT LISTED. IF YOU REMEMBER OTHER DETAILS OF THE SCHOOL, PLAYGROUND, LUNCH ROOM, ETC. , PLEASE PROVIDE THE INFOMATION. PLEASE USE THE E-MAIL LINK ON THE HOME PAGE.

Buddy D. ('52) remembers

Miss Charlie McGehee, Principal

Miss Alice Lampley, 2nd Grade

Miss Edith Carter

The playground in the low area, on the west edge
of the property. The metal circular fire escapes on the south side of the building. (they were always rusted on the slide bottom until we had a couple of fire drills.)
Mrs. Bandy Brookshire, school nurse. I don't know how many times I convinced her I had 'pink eye.' Also she confused me with Richard Ross, called me Richard all the time.

Bob Higgs ('50) remembers:

Mrs. Edna Earl McFadden (nee Diggs)

Miss Stella Dunn

Mrs. Marshall (math)

Miss Alice Lampley
As a youngster I was up early and delivered Miss Alice's morning paper when she lived at the T, end of north Brewer and Greer Streets.

Ted Jenkins ('52) remembers:

1st     Miss Valentine on the left going in ~ Miss Turner on the right going in

2nd   Miss Stella Dunn on the left down the hall ~ Alice Lampley on the left past Miss Dunn's room

3rd    Rebecca Bayer upstairs

4th    Mrs. John..... I know, the name will come soon.

5th    Mavis Miller upstairs

6th    I believe Mrs. Herman Cravens and Edith Carter

My corrections:
It was Valentine Cooper, not just Valentine, in 1st grade,

Ernestine Turner, 1st grade, she got married a short time after I had her in 1st grade.
The next time I saw her, I was working at River Road Inn. She came back to visit and
recognized me as I was carhopping.

Mrs. John Butler (Sara) 4th grade.

I had forgotten Mrs. Littleton, 5th grade, English?? Her first name was
Lurline, lived 306 Washington St.

Mavis Miller taught math when I had her in 5th grade. She lived in
Caldwell Hotel. I'm sure these teachers rotated to different classes.

Mrs. Brookshire's first name was Ada.

Bob Higgs said Mrs. Marshall taught math. Leon Brisendine always told that she would make him sit on her lap. Guess that was the only way she could keep him quiet.
She tried to teach me algebra 1 at Grove.

Virgil Wall ('46) remembers:

I remember most of the teachers I had at Lee during my six years there. Here is what I recall. Of course, I think all grades had two teachers and I was in only one of them during the first four years. I was older than some who have submitted, so some may have changed grades from year to year.

1st grade   Miss Lucille Dinwiddie (I was in her class); and Miss Valentine Cooper

2nd grade Miss Alice Lampley (I was in her class); and Miss Stella Dunn

3rd grade   Miss Rebecca Byars (I was in her class); do not remember the other one.

4th grade   Edna Earl Diggs (I was in her class; do not remember the other.)

5th grade   Miss Mavis Miller (I was in her class; do not remember the other.)

6th grade   Miss Edith Carter (I was in her class; do not remember the other.)

Music for all grades Miss Adams

Principal    Miss Charlie McGehee

Another tidbit of Lee was the school nurse, Mrs. Brookshire. Her husband was a motorcycle policeman (and part-time railroad conductor) on the Paris force. She covered both Lee and Atkins-Porter, but her office was at A-P with visits every day or so to Lee. I always liked her because she was pretty easy to convince you were sick when you only felt bad. Miss Charlie wasn't very easy to fool, and few had the nerve to test her. She might use that "electric paddle" that myth held was in her office, just waiting to be used.

John Bucy ('46) remembers:

I was in Virgil Wall's class at Lee School and I can fill in a few missing links there.

Steele Stevenson was the other third grade teacher;

Annie Warren Looney was the other fourth grade teacher;

Mrs. Lowell Littleton was the other fifth grade teacher;

and the other sixth grade teacher (at least part of the year)
was Margaret Webber Trevathan.

The custodian was a very nice person named "Mac".

Ray Harding ('59) remembers:

I started to first grade at Lee in 1947, and the teachers who were there then were:

Principal - Miss Charlie McGehee. She started teaching there in 1909, became principal in the mid-twenties and worked until forced to retire by age rules. She then moved to Florida and taught several ( 10, I think) more years.

First Grade Miss Valentine Cooper
Miss Mary Margaret Richardson

First and Second Miss Ann Blanton (became Mrs Bill Crosswy shortly after coming to Lee) (living) ( Starting around 1948)

Second Grade Miss Stella Dunn
Miss Alice Lampley

Third Grade Mrs. Rex Lashlee (living)
Mrs. Sidney Boone

Fourth Grade Miss Mildred Snyder
Mrs. Herman Cravens

Fifth Grade Miss Mavis Miller
Mrs. McRee (Coach's Wife) (living)

Sixth Grade Miss Edith Carter
Mrs. Rassie Mae Ridgeway

I did not know the lunch room staff because I very seldom ate their food. I didn't like the way the commercial kitchen looked, and I refused to eat the food. I brought a sack lunch.

The janitor's name was Mac. I am sure he had a last name, but I don't think I ever heard it. He went about his work in a quiet, dignified way. Any time anything needed done, Miss Charlie would yell for Mac. He could clean up large quantities of vomit without batting an eye.

Larry McGehee ('54) Remembers (1942-48):

First Grade, Valentine Cooper and Mary Margaret Richardson;

Second grade, Stella Dunn and Alice Lampley;

Third grade, Rebecca Bayer and Mrs. ___ Boone (Sidney's mother);

Fourth grade, Edna Earle Diggs McFadden, Elizabeth Cravens (Frazier's mother), Sarah Butler (Harry's mother), Opal Lashlee;

Fifth and sixth grades, Mavis Miller,Edith Carter, Rassie Mae Ridgeway, Nova Montgomery; Seventh grade (briefly, about 1948), David Loudy and John Underwood.

Janitor was Mac ___,
Cook was Corinne ___;

Principal was Charlie Irene McGehee. (Ed. note - Miss Charlie was Larry's aunt.)

Additions:
I recall Melva Headon teaching music (vocals). She later married Stark Johnsonius. When I was in the sixth grade, Billy Crosswy started teaching band. Both music teachers were part-time at Lee, because they were also teaching elsewhere (Atkins Porter and Grove). I also seem to recall Anne Blanton teaching part-time my sixth-grade year. She and Billy Crosswy later married. W. O. Inman was the superintendent for the Paris Special School district, in which Lee School, A-P, and Grove belonged. He was one of the smartest, gentlest gentlemen I ever knew. He lectured to our morning study hall (in 7th grade) on the virtues of playing chess.

Mrs. Clyde Patterson (wife of John Patterson) lived on Lee Street and was an occasional substitute. She usually let us play 'fruit-basket turn-over' instead of teaching us.

Charles McMillen ('43) Remembers:

I was born across the street from the school, and had my first six years there before graduating and going to Atkins Porter.

My first grade teacher was Ione Thompson, who was a sister to Buster Thompson.

In 2nd grade, was Alice Lampley (not Lampkey);

3rd grade, Steele Stephenson;

4th grade, Annie Warren Looney (Mills);

5th Grade, Mavis Miller;

6th grade I'm not sure but I think Mavis Miller and Edith Carter both were my teachers.

Miss Charlie McGehee was principal and Edith Carter was a 6th grade teacher, and I believe Valentine Cooper was a second grade teacher.

The colored custodian was "Mac" McDougal and his wife, Ludy. They lived on Blythe St. just around the corner from the Church of the Living God, (the former Nazarene Church).
Mac lived to be over 100 yrs. old and retired, I think he told me, at about 90 years old, without any social security or retirement of any kind. I would usually drop by to see him when I came back to Paris visiting, until he died. I had known him and Ludy all my life.

By the way, Miss Charlie was my mother's teacher but I don't know what grade that was.