DEDICATION OF POSTVILLE'S NEW SCHOOL IS MADE HOME-COMING DAY
The fourth new, modern rural school in Platte county to be dedicated this winter was that in district No. 31, the Postville neighborhood, which was formally opened with appropriate exercises last Saturday afternoon. In some respects the affair was also a "home-coming," several of the speakers and a number of the people in the audience, being former residents of that vicinity who made the occasion one of a visit to the scenes of the old home community. Among them, in attendance from Columbus, were Judge John Gibbon, who taught there thirty years ago; Louis Lightner, Mrs. C.N. McElfresh, Mrs. Henry Ragatz and Mr. and Mrs. Will H. Thomas, who attended the district school in their childhood days.
District 31's new school compares very favorably with the others recently dedicated. Of frame construction, it is 38 by 28 feet in dimensions, has a 12-foot ceiling, a full basement with a 9-foot ceiling, and cost in excess of $6,000. Across the front is a full porch with concrete floor and brick balustrade and pillars. Windows on the north and west admit light to the class room in accordance with scientific standards. The seats are the latest type adjustible, the blackboards are standard height; in fact, in all respects it conforms to the state standard for rural schools. The front door opens into a hall at the end of which are two cloak rooms. A door in one of these rooms open to the basement, giving access from the outside without passing through the class room. Lining the partition which separates the hall from the class room are spacious built-in book cases. The interior woodwork is light oak, and the front door is of oak with French bevel glass. In the basement is a large community and play room, a furnace room and dust-proof coal bin. The furnace is of a type that keeps a constant flow of fresh, warm air circulating through the building. Under the front porch is a store room and space for an indoor toilet, which may later be installed.
The old building was sold to Mrs. Parry.
The Dedication Exercises. The dedication exercises Saturday afternoon opened with a program of recitations, dialogues and songs ably rendered by the children of the school under direction of their teacher, Miss Martha Brockman. County Superintendent Fred S. Lecron was then called upon to preside. He urged the people of the district to make their new school a community center and to resume the literary and debating societies for which the district was known far and wide in years gone by.
County Nurse Grace A. Hanly gave a talk upon the health program in the schools, explaining that its purpose was to ascertain the children's defects in time to have them remedied before they became serious.
C.N. McElfresh spoke in an entertaining vein, directing some good natured raillery at Judge Gibbon, Mr. Lightner and Mr. Lecron. Mrs. McElfresh, Mrs. Ragatz and several of the former teachers of the district, including Mrs. Pearson, Mrs. Peterson, Mrs. Louis Jones, the Connelly sisters, Miss Ethel Obrist and Miss Cunningham, teacher in district 42, were then called upon for brief informal talks.
Rev. Fr. Francis, of St. John's parish, declared it was good for the people of the community to assemble regardless of creed, and he, too, urged revival of the old-time literary societies.
Not the least enjoyable of the talks was that by Judge Gibbon who recalled how thirty years ago he had come from Picatonica, Wis., at the invitation of his brother, to teach in Postville. "I was married then," he said. "That's more than Rees Williams is now." He recalled many incidents of interest in the old days, and the names of some of the youngsters who were in his classes--John and Miss Mamie Elliott, Louis Lightner, Louis Jones, Mrs. R.H. Jones, Will H. Thomas, John Lewis and others, and spoke of their successes in their various lines of life-work after leaving the little country school.
A Eulogy to Robert Parry. < Louis Lightner gave a short sketch of the history of the district and then spoke a beautiful tribute to the memory of Sergeant Robert Parry, who entered the army from District 31 and was the only Platte county boy to meet death in battle during the world war. Regarding him, Mr. Lightner said:
"Sergeant Robert Owen Parry was born on the farm in the Postville neighborhood, School District No. 31, Joliet township, Platte county, Nebraska, on the 1st day of August, 1893, and was killed in action at the second battle of Argonne, France, on the 15th day of October, 1918. His age at the time of his death was 25 years, 2 months and 15 days. He entered the service on the 20th day of September, 1917. His soldierly qualities are indicated by the fact that a farm boy without travel or experience could become an important officer in the army in so short a time. Young Parry attended school in the old school house which this new building was erected to replace. He began attending school when he was about 5 years of age, and continued here until 1910 when he entered the Platte Center high school. In 1913 he entered the Mosher and Lampmun college in Omaha for a six months' course.
"If his soldierly qualities are indicated by his rise to that of an important officer they are much more indicated by the fact that he went into the service with a sure conviction that death awaited him. He frequently stated that he had a premonition that he would be killed in battle. He so stated to Rev. Hughes before he came to Columbus to entrain for the training camp. He made the same statement at the banquet which was held in Columbus on the evening just before his departure. The fact that he did not mention such premonition to his folks at home indicates a generous wish to shield his mother from unnecessary worry. Whether this premonition remained with him throughout his creditable career in the army and in France I do not know, but the chances are that the same overruling Providence which gave him the first hint of his approaching doom gave him a still stronger intimation thereof of the fateful morning of October 15, 1918, and we can well imagine that on that day he went forth to battle knowing that one of the flying messengers of death would lay him low. Nevertheless, he did not shrink. He met his fate like a brave man and soldier. Perhaps he felt that the same power which could give him a hint of his impending doom could also sustain him in the hour of death and could enable him to triumph over death in the assurance of a more perfect life beyong the grave so that he could say with the Apostle Paul:
"'Oh, death where is thy sting?
Oh, grave where is thy vistory?'
"In any event, he met his fate like a soldier. He died a glorious death. So far as I know or have been able to ascertain he was the only soldier from Platte county killed in the world war. He is a credit to his family, his neighborhhod and his nation. We cannot think of him with regret; we think of him rather with envy. So young, so honored, so assured of his position in our estimation for all time.
...
"I notice upon these walls the pictures of two great Americans, the one a martyr, the other the hero of the Revolutionary war. Personally I would like to see added to them a third picture, that of this boy from our own neighborhood who gave his life for as great a cause.
Formed in 1873. District 31 was organized out of a part of District 14 in 1873. The first school house in that locality was built of sod on the old Farrel place, while the first school house of District 31 was located half a mile north of the present site. The board which made the first tax levy was composed of William Lewis, J.N. Lewis and Robert Lewis.
The present board members are: Louis Jones, director; Thomas Jones, moderator; August Loseke, treasurer.
At the conclusion of the exercises Saturday afternoon the ladies of the district served an elaborate dinner in the basement, and afterwards the young people of the community enjoyed a social evening in the building.[The Columbus Telegram, February 11, 1921]