  Henry
County, Tennessee was the birthplace on November 14, 1870, of Mary Eva
Crutchfield, first-born of the seven children of Evaline DeDocia Porter
Crutchfield and John Wesley Crutchfield. When Mary was fourteen years
old, her family moved to Sherman, and she attended Washington School
and, later, Mary Nash College, otherwise known as Sherman Female
Institute. Mary Nash was a girls' finishing school, one of several
educational institutions flourishing at the time in Sherman, the
'Athens of Texas." Following graduation in 1889, Mary Crutchfield attended Sam Houston Normal in Huntsville. Her first teaching assignments were at Fitch, Loving, and Hyde Park Schools in the Sherman-Denison area. In 1892 she joined the faculty of the Franklin School in Sherman as teacher of the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. From 1895 to 1897 Miss Mary taught sixth grade at Washington. In 1898 she transferred to the new high school building on Travis Street as a history teacher. During the summers of 1914 to 1924, Miss Mary attended the University of Texas from which she earned the Bachelor of Arts degree on August 30, 1924. She was one of the first summer students to be elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most prestigious academic fraternity in the United States. Come rain or shine, Miss Mary, who never owned a car, walked from her home at 1305 South Crockett to nearby central High at Crockett and King. On November 14, 1933, to celebrate her birthday and fortieth anniversary as a teacher in Sherman, former pupils, co-workers, and charter members of her Sunday School class at Travis Street Methodist Church planned a surprise celebration. "Well, for the first time in my life I have nothing to say," Miss Mary exclaimed as she entered her home to find it elaborately decorated with autumn flowers and crowded to capacity with her friend. Miss Mary was presented with hundreds of cards, letters and telegrams, at least a dozen boxes of cut flowers, and numerous gifts including a diamond pin and $200. After retirement in 1943, Miss Mary continued with her favorite activities; gardening, tending her chickens, rocking on the front porch, crocheting, reading, and visiting with friends. Shortly after midnight on August 2, 1952, Miss Mary suffered a stroke and died fourteen hours later. Perhaps Miss Mary was best described by R. M. Carter, a principal of Sherman High School in the 1920s.: "It was my good fortune to be associated with Miss Crutchfield in the teaching profession for a number of years and I know of no teacher who has taught in the Sherman public schools who wielded a better influence for good than she. Her general regard for her students and her overflowing kindness made life happier for those who came in contact with her. Teachers may come and teachers may go, but Miss Mary Crutchfield will go on forever."   Crutchfield Elementary School History Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any links inoperable, please send me a message. |