Cantabile Spirito Honors Choir

another day I'm gonna get my little speech out of the way and let these kids get started I have a couple of things I'd like to announce um first of all I want to welcome all of you it's a great turnout and we are very glad back in the back the five rows in the back are for the chorus to sit down in so if you're in one of those rows would you please move forward there's plenty of room out front okay um I see a lot of new faces tonight I'm Mary Jones I'm the executive director for the Stewart Heritage can you all hear me good we have good microphones we have a couple

of announcements that I'd like to make first of all a lot of you know Betty Hardwick who has been with us for 18 years and she retired in November and we got Joanne Blackstone Smith in her place and she's great I'm pleased to have her but Betty called me this afternoon and said she had a heart attack and she is home she had heart surgery sometime this weekend she didn't even know what day it was so I couldn't get much sense out of her but if you want to send her a card a lot of people are long time friends you can send them right to us at the Museum and we'll see that she

gets of it and you can just call the museum and we'll give you the address we'll take care of it we are trying to get our programs up and I want to thank Main Street for what they're doing here it's turned it into a beautiful facility which it has been and should be and got new chairs and they're working to get it back to a facility that we can all enjoy so let's give Stuart Main Street a round of applause all right I'm going to get out of the way this this program it's wonderful um I have had planned for a long time with Faye James and I'm sure a lot of you know who

Faye is and they were doing a program with her sons and um one of the boys I'm not sure which one got sick and she had to cancel and Sandy Thurlow immediately he picked it up and got the Anderson family to come out and give us their story and we're very pleased to have them so here comes totally let's let this is our president totally gonna get in and sit down yeah okay yeah so and gratitude I'm going to turn this program over to Sandy and let her handle it from here on out so thank all of you for coming and this is Sandy Thurlow I am just thrilled that Tony Anderson accepted uh my

my record request another program it's been a long time since I gave a program and it was before he became a member of the school board and it was just as he was beginning to teach Middle School at Anderson middle school but now that he's on the school board and I made a mistake in mind but blessed me he is in Pahokee in Palm Beach because believe it or not in just two years he will have been with the school system not teaching as a as a middle school teacher but in the system for retirement 30 years and he seems like just such a young man but he has honors school board and he is

going to introduce are the director of the choir and the children they aren't young men and women and uh Tony when you come forward thank you so much Mrs darylow and what a delight it is to see all of you here tonight uh for this program uh I I know that I was invited to like come and kind of share a story but you know what uh life is far bigger than myself or the Anderson family and uh being on the school board I knew that I had access to some wonderful y'all you know they're our future and I'll never want to ever uh turn out an opportunity to get them involved in something good

because as I look back over my life a lot of things started when I was very small being involved and it made a tremendous impact positive impact on my life so I am just so thrilled tonight I went down to a modern middle and I met this uh this young lady Dr Anita Coswell was raise your hand please and she is an amazing lady amazing teacher and these kids are just wonderful and so tonight we're going to get a chance to Showcase some of Martin County's finest uh students and I'm going to kind of like emcee this along I'll take a few minutes a little bit to to talk but right now I want them

to give you your money's worth you know what I mean since you came out here but at this time we're gonna all stand and we're gonna sing they're gonna sing the national anthem after that the women they we also had what was called the black Lasher after so if you were remain standing and you can hear them say okay all right foreign we're so good let's leave for the land of the freedom Hello friends foreign but my name is marionette jobs Josie um I've known Dr Caswell a few years now and my daughter proceeded so I've never replied she asked me to see him I said I'd do my best Earth ahead forever see a

song full of the faith that the darkness has taught us face we pray from the from the places Our God will be there may be forever birthday s thank you can you make me see it you gotta now be favored with the number being that this is Black History Month there will be some Negro spirituals that will be sung and at this time they're going to sing a song I think it's how is it great day this is the Murray middle school cavali spirit show these are seventh and eighth graders these are 12 13. I don't think I have a 14 year old I may but we are delighted to be here Mr Anderson we

want to say thank you for inviting us these are some wonderful young people this is our honest group they have to audition to be in this group so that's who's singing for you tonight including the young man we will do um several songs one is great day because of it being black history month we do sing a lot of spirituals across the county not just our choir but all choirs send a lot of spirituals and so that's what we're going to do tonight so this is how young ladies group and we're gonna do a great day for you of course it is righteousness thank you if I'm not mistaken I think at this time we're

going to have a drama by Michael Josie is it or are you going to do another number Christina Joseph girl hi my name is Christina Josie and I represent Michigan 88163 since 1976 the month of February has been designated as as a celebration of black history in America Scholars politicians Educators and all citizens all around our great County focus on the achievements and successes of black men and women throughout history let's pause for a moment to reflect on some of these pivotal individuals Frederick Douglass so turn our truth Harry Tubman Dr Martin Luther King Jr Malcolm X Nikki Giovanni w e b DuBois and Rosa Parks how different would our country be without these leaders

who fought for civil rights these people have helped us learn what strength is what perseverance is they broke down barriers they stood against Injustice they helped us pull together as a nation and we have established a rich and layered Legacy for future Generations together today we are gathered here in Stuart Florida to not only reflect on the importance of honoring black history in America but to shine a light on three important and essential figures that deserve significant attention all three men that I will be speaking about tonight held education to the pillar and Bedrock of a civilized society the three extremely important figures that I will be addressing tonight are Dr Martin Luther King Jr

probably the most well-known and famous advocate for civil rights Dr Charles Ernst Murray an integral part of our an integral member of our local community and his brother Dr Robert Murray the namesake of V Murray middle school and Martin County tonight I will be reciting excerpts of Dr Martin Luther King Jr's I Have a Dream speech inters first with information and facts about who Charles Ernst Murray was and his brother Dr Robert Murray was and the Legacy that continues today I have a dream that one name that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its Creed we hold these streets to be self-evident that all men are created

equal more than 90 years ago Murray Middle School was a one-room schoolhouse and the only hope for education for many black children I have a dream that one day on the Red Hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of Brotherhood the first people who came into this remote underdeveloped Paradise struggle now known as Martin County arrived August of 1842. when settlers from Georgia Alabama Kentucky and Virginia brought their black slaves with them mistreatment and abuse were commonplace of the dark and the dark days before the Civil War and the black men who were transported to the Samsung State

of Florida received no better treatment these men worked long hours cultivating the lands fighting the insects poisonous snakes wild bears and Native Americans Dr Charles Ernst Murray and Dr Mark and Dr Robert Murray along with Dr Martin Luther King Jr made momentous contributions to not only education for all but equality and justice for all these men are true models to every citizen in America today it has been my honor to speak about these men and great men and share a brief glimpse of the Monumental contributions they have made to today to today's culture and Society thank you for your time and attention to three truly inspiring leaders please come out to our long walk to

Freedom program on Friday February 8 28th at 6 pm at the Murray Middle School to hear more about Dr Martin Luther King Jr Dr Charles Ernst Murray and Dr Robert Murray once again it has been my honor thank you thank you so much Christine how nice was that huh all right here comes the group again are you gonna sing this election called Jordan's angels actually we're going to think my good Lord has done been here foreign never did I think that it was foreign my good Lord bless my soul bless my soul thank you thank you now we're going to have a group of students come forward with what we call black history facts uh

the drama club good evening we are Murray Middle School theater good evening we're in the drama 2 class of Murray Middle School today we'll be today we are proud to be celebrating Black History Month Tom Joyner who was a well-known black disc jockey had a radio program for over 25 years and retired last year Mr Joyner had a little-known black history facts moment every day on his radio show today we will be taking a page from his radio show and sharing with you this evening his little-known black history facts for Black History Month education is important for all an examination of History lets us view the colleges and universities that were developed in order to

help African-Americans strive for excellence and education is the door to Freedom once we have it no one can take it away because the African-American ancestors knew this they opened many colleges and universities the oldest black college is Cheney University in Cheney Pennsylvania it opened in 1837. many others have stood the test of time to name a few of the historically black colleges and universities we have Lincoln University and Lincoln Pennsylvania Lincoln had among its alumni Thurgood Marshall the first African-American Supreme Court Justice Shaw University in Rowling North Carolina the oldest historically black college in the south Fisk University in Nashville Tennessee which has the distinction of producing more African-American physicists than any other university in

the nation Howard University in Washington DC which was founded to train African-American teachers and ministers Hampton University in Hampton Virginia which was founded to train African Americans through the head by classwork through the Hand by manual labor and vocational training and Through the Heart by emphasizing service selflessness and Christianity Tuskegee University in Tuskegee Alabama where more than 60 percent of the nation's African-American veterinarians receive their degree Central State University and Wilberforce Ohio where they are celebrating their 123rd year of academic Excellence leadership and progress Morehouse College Morehouse is where Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Jesse Jackson did her undergraduate work who has a distinction one of our great teachers Dr Benjamin Mays he composed

a little poem that is our guide I have only just a minute only 60 seconds in it forced upon me can't refuse it didn't seek it didn't choose it but it is up to me to use it I must suffer if I lose it give a count if I abuse it just a tiny little minute but eternity isn't it we would be remissed if we did not acknowledge the top historically black colleges and University here in our Greek City Florida Bethune cookman University who is named after Dr Mary McLeod Bethune who is a strong leader in education Edward Waters College in Jacksonville Florida at Florida Agricultural or Mechanical University or FAMU as it is known

for in Tallahassee Florida Althea Althea Gibson who is known for the first 10 the first black female tennis player to win a grand slam foreign Dr Martin Luther King says and we quote the function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically intelligence plus character that is the goal of true education thank you it just keeps getting better and better huh now at this time we don't have this one group two and then another number called Jordan's angel okay thank you foreign courageous David was playing my soul shall be free I shall be free All Day gifts people watching my Lord today foreign foreign just coming for me sorry my

Lord love yourself foreign thank you but I was asked to come here tonight to share some remarks about my growing up here in Martin County and uh I want to just take a few minutes to do that I don't want to take up much time because that was great we want to of course see the uh short video of Costello Williams The Beloved first African-American teacher here in Martin County um let me just say my story actually started here in 1924 my dad migrated here from the Bahamas he was 14 years old he came to Martin County in 1924. and if my mom was from Tallahassee and uh they settled there in Portland just off

a Cove Road and believe it or not uh they raised 12 kids there in in off of Cobra we all grew up here in Martin County there were 27 girls and five boys and I just happened to be the last um I'd say that I fell in love with Martin County doing the late 60s when I was like 12 13 years old I used to deliver to Stewart News and during that time things were so slow uh the paper was only delivered twice a week believe it or not Wednesday and on Saturday and actually Wednesday Edition was uh dated for Thursday and Saturday's Edition was dated for Sunday the old joke was they just went

on and published it because things were so slow they knew that nothing else was going to happen so they gave them Sunday's Edition on Saturday but I will say that during my time uh going from door to door I've met so many wonderful people of all backgrounds black white hispanic people had so many encouraging and motivated words and that's where I said I fell in love with Martin County the people and the place I mean it's beautiful now but man can you imagine back then just just how it was so this has always been um where my heart has been to hear it in Martin County now uh during the the thing that I am

most proud about is doing this this education of schools like in every little town it had to be done it was a matter of not uh if it was just a matter of of when and the thing that I'm proud about in Martin County is that and I have to say that uh my father was was one of the leading uh black spokesmen during that time for a change and you can go to The Archives of the student news in the 60s and you can see all kinds of articles there where he would uh speak passionately in front of the Martin County School Board about the time has come so I mean and the things

I'm telling you tonight it's a primary source and you historians and you could appreciate that because it's beautiful it's authentic it's not what somebody told me it's what I experienced and I remember I was a young boy but I had a front seat on what was going on during that time I don't know if that had something to do with my motivation as I now sit on the school board or not but I can tell you that it had a profound impact on my life you just want to be a positive contributor uh to this town and so because of efforts like his and other leading uh African-Americans at that time they met with the

white leaders and they decided you know what because all over the states things were going on in the country and it was not too smooth it was ugly it was nasty in some cases and if I could backtrack a minute one of the reasons why uh uh a lot of times people steer away from black history and and the question has been asked and it hurts me as a history teacher and as an African-American because I still hear it now why do we have to have a Black History Month we don't have a white History Month well that statement alone tells me more than I need to get into but it was never properly incorporated

into mainstream America even now it's not there's a lot of things that have never uh been to the Forefront but during that time change was no doubt about it it was inevitable and all across America a lot of places did not take two County to this change but I am so proud of the leadership here in Martin County because because of the efforts of the leaders we were actually able to integrate the schools a year before the federal mandate and I think that says a whole lot about the leadership and it says now having said that I'm proud of that and there were a lot of good things but I don't want to give you

the uh uh illusion that things were always great what I'm saying there was none of that blatant real vicious ugly stuff where people burn down buildings and broke out things and and and you know fought and carried on but I will not be accurate if I don't tell you a few things that happened and here's what I would would uh categorize it as I called it an innocent ignorance and innocent ignorance and you know to be ignorant it's just simply to be unaware or it is just to be uh the way people were raised and so people just don't know any better so you know they say that I'm a bleeding hard but I give

people a pass because if you don't know you don't know it could be me if I was taught with my mind was filled with hate and this man I would grow up the same way but let me just tell you about a few things Murray Middle School was the black high school the new black high school at that time if you all know where spectrum is now that was really the main high school and it was they were lobbying for a black school for for a new high school for African-American students this was prior to immigration and the time had come where pressure was on the school board and they decided to build a school

now the old school did not have a gym major and so their basketball courts were outside and of course if it rained I don't care where a school came from you would have to cancel the games so they we were happy to know that the schools at uh Martin was going to be built well they got three quarters of the way there and uh they were saying that uh we're not gonna have enough money to build this gymnasium and so we're gonna have to uh cut that out and my father being the Swift guy that he was he said you know we understand that sometimes money runs short he says no problem but since the

change is now coming uh here's what we can do we can schedule our home games me and the black high school will schedule their home games on the nights when the so-called white Martin County High School will not be playing and we can play our games in that gym because you know we're separate but we want to be equal so since you don't have the money to build a gymnasium that's what we'll do well lo and behold guess what they found the money they build the jail so that was that was that was one of the things that and I'm just saying persistence and how people have to stand up about things and you did

it in a very nice way another uh incident I remember about Murray and I I really remember this when the schools were finally finally integrated Murray of course was going to be turned into another it would still be called Murray but it was going to not be the high school anymore because all the students would be going to Martin County High might got to have by the way was the only black school at that time and Murray would be turning into this to something else and again this is where I call it innocent ignorance well there was a custodian a little black custodian that worked out there by the name Aletha Johnson and I remember

this just as just as sure as my name is Tony I think I might have been I don't know 12 13 years old Mr Murray's picture used to hang there I don't know who did it but somebody took it and threw it in the trash bin because I guess they figured there was a change coming out with that okay she retrieved that picture brought it to my dad's house I could see her coming up the steps that night Reverend Anderson look at what has become a Mr Murray's picture he said really he said thank you so much morning could not come fast enough for him to make it downtown to the superintendent's office to say

look is this the way we're going to start doing business well to fast forward I went to Murray about two years ago to meet with another teacher and I knew that story and I knew it like the back of my hand anything much on it but I had not been to Mario a long time I was teaching at Edison at the time when I walked into the office the first picture met my eye was Mr Murray I actually broke down and started crying I said nobody would really know the story how this picture was saved and retrieved I'm telling you this is a primary assortment these are and one of the reasons why people shy

away from black history of course there were some ugly stories there but you know what history is history and being a history teacher I take great pride in teaching it not to sow the seeds of this chord that's what people heard about you tell all these stories but do you know the wonderful stories that can balance out the bad stories do you all know how many whites were killed during the Civil Rights Movement trying to help blacks if you tell the story you need to tell the good the bad that you need to tell the whole story and if you would tell the whole story then people would not be so shy about hearing about

history that that's just the way it was but when I think of the whites that went down in the Deep South Alabama Mississippi to help register black voters and to see about equality a lot of a lot of college students came down with the Freedom Riders and people would come down from the north these people had everything to lose and nothing to gain and they sacrificed their life for a good cause so there's no need to be ashamed of talking about black history there's enough good there to tell you that for the most part that's just good and bad in every race and good people come in all sides and shapes and colors and ugly

mean Lowdown people come in all sizes shapes and colors and we need to know that but seeing Mr Mars picture there I couldn't help but wonder what if what if Mrs Johnson did not retrieve that picture and what if my dad didn't have nerve or nothing because I have to tell you as a little more I remember my mom crying on many nights Jesse please don't go out there to that meeting tonight Let It Go Let It Go but I tell you I am just so proud smooth as he could be and you know what in spite of what was going on and this is the truth I never remember him othering like a mean

word it was all about people just got to be educated and here today I say as an educator education is perhaps the last and the best hope for all of us give us another situation this is an elderly uh real prominent white gentleman in the community and I know he was a great man he loved my family he loved me he wanted the best for me he helped me through college but again we're talking about the times but for whatever reason he was dead set telling my daddy calling Jesse Jesse I just got to tell you the kids just not they should not go to school together what happened what he believed that's all he

knew and his parents that might sound I have to tell you he was a good man again ignorance and at some point time we all could claim all the ignorance okay I mean it happens all the time all right but here's the story I want to tell you about that so this same man who loved everything he just thought that we should not be together that was his belief and I found out a lot of reasons why he didn't want it to happen but anyway it had nothing to do with education but that was his beliefs but I'll never forget early one Saturday morning he showed up to our house he had on some dark

classes where he had been crying all night and and talking with my dad we found out that his daughter who was a young girl I think she might have been eight years old she came down with a blood disease it's like a blood disorder and she needs to have a blood transfusion and she had a very rare type of blood and he came down to ask my dad can you go out in your community and see if you can get some of your people to go up and volunteer to be tested to see that they can match her blood type you see all of a sudden now it was okay but these are things that

just what I could not for the life of me be upset with that Jennifer he just didn't know any better but when it came down to reality I hope he finally saw that people were just people another quick Story one of my sister-in-laws Diane Anderson she came down to Hollywood and Florida she married my brother Jesse Jr in the 60s dying was the first African-American to integrate the library system it used to be their own uh East Ocean Boulevard well prior to that we all know she retired it after 30 some years as a Frenchman but let's back up a minute proud of the Atticus there was no African-American working there and their diet was

that day working at the front desk and one of the people in town who was very influential I don't know if he was left out in the loop and he didn't know but he did not expect to see somebody like dying at that front desk and he made it known that this could not be and so they took Diane and they gave her what we call a bookmobile any of y'all remember the global and her job was to drive around she went out to Indian town she went down to Battle Lake she drove all around to service the black community the point that I'm making and this is a lesson for everybody and especially for

young blacks as well things may not always go the way they should go but sometimes you need to hold your peace suppose she jumped up and act just as bad as the person who didn't think that she should have been there she never would have had almost a 40-year career in the library system some things you just got to wait on time and then that leads me to this point story that my dad told me a long time ago he said be very careful how you entertain strangers because they may very well be an angel you see people every day you better not sign them up by how they look and what they have on

you just never know so here's Diane coming in hearing all of that stuff but sticking it out having a career there fast forward to like 2 000. I'm on the planet Johnny Boy a group of County Commissioners called me over and said hey Tony we want to build a library down in the southern part of town and as you know it now the mortgage Library that's there uh any River Campus there and we're really looking we're gonna need some money we need some money to build this thing you know the company can only do so much but we want one in the south southern part of our town it's really useful that with the college

so they entered a joint venture with the college and the school district and the county to build that but they said to me it would be really really nice that we can have some type of donation from an African-American family and why they single me out I don't know because I didn't have the money but maybe they knew that I would be the one to make things happen I went and I heard the talk I heard what was there and what they offered I went back and I told my family you know this is a wonderful opportunity uh when we think about the career that Diane has had there we think about the history of

it we think about all the things that my dad did here uh you know he would be so proud to know that we would because his thing was getting an education take care of yourself and then do some good in the community and help somebody else's less well that is what he always said get yourself straight first and that just makes sense you have to and so here was an opportunity for us to do something really wonderful and I don't usually talk about that but miss Thurlow already put it out there okay so here's the deal I thought about all that went down and as a result of that that little unknown black girl that

came down to work who people did not accept the family that she married into gave a hundred thousand dollars toward that Library down there be very careful on how you entertainers they may very well be an angel when the little league baseball field was finally integrated here believe it or not and it's just probably luck I don't know I was the first African-American to play Little League Baseball to integrate the deals at that year what happened is that a lot of parents did not feel so comfortable I lived in Port Salerno and by right that's where we should have played but a lot of the parents still set their kids to eat Steward because they

were afraid my dad said nope you're going to Port Salerno that's where you're going to play I went there the only African-American there that whole year we won the championship and I can't tell you of one incident that we had it was a wonderful experience I mean that's just primary songs so here I will end with this people here's what I would tell you because I don't know what's going on but don't get caught up into that mean vicious stuff I don't care who you are black white hispanic Asian don't get caught up into that there's good and bad in every race here's what people are doing now the world is evil so the problems

is really not race they're using race to separate us but you know what the problem is it's Evil versus good evil person is good evil people will try to their best to destroy and to do all sorts of damage okay and they don't care what Avenue they use they're using race but it really amounts to evil people versus good people try your best to be a good person because a good person I don't have to tell you about attributes of a good person you already know stop generalizing one size do not fit all stop picking everyone with a broad breast give love a chance give hope a chance give peace a chance we are a

Melting Pot okay that's what we are we're made up of a diverse group of people and not just the way it's gonna be and again in that diverse group that would be good and bad in every race let's just find ourselves on the good side of things and I'll end with this I am just again so happy and humbled that you all thought enough of me to come I don't didn't want to to bore you with my story of course I could go on and on about a lot of other things but having this group here tonight to me was a highlight and I got some nerve to try to come behind them and talk

but uh I'm gonna cut it short but I'll leave you with this I'm pressing on the other way New Heights I'm gaining every day still praying as I onward bound Lord plant my feet on higher ground I want to scale the utmost Heights and catch a glimpse of Glorious Pride but still I'll pray until Heaven I found Lord plant my feet on higher grounds my soul has no desire to stay where fears arise and doubts dismay till Sunday dwell where these are bound my a my goal is Higher Ground God bless you and now we want to show that we need of the Beloved first African-American teacher Costello Williams it's not that long foreign foreign

foreign Anderson I'm a Martin County native and my family was among one of the first to settle in an area called new Monrovia near Port Salerno my grandfather migrated here from the Bahamas in the early 1900s and generations of my family have grown up here in Martin County my father as well as my Aunts Uncles and cousins attended the school you see here behind me the Salerno colored School built in 1930 isn't a remarkable structure as you can see it's a basic 25 by 30 foot one room wood frame Schoolhouse but what it lacks in structure it makes up foreign stature in the new Monrovia Community the building itself believed to be the only surviving

one-room schoolhouse on the Treasure Coast may be small in scale and simple in design but it's the history and the stories told From Within These Walls that had such an impact on those who were educated here that make it truly remarkable the Salerno colored school was one of the first schools built in Martin County to educate African-American children the school featured a low stage and chalkboard at the front of the room potbelly stove in the corner for heat and a row of deaths for each grade level and although it was officially called the Salerno colored school it had a more affectionate name in the community Costello Williams was a beloved and respected teacher who taught

here for many years to her students she was their world the school and Mrs Williams became the center of the community and everyone that attended classes identified themselves as students at Mrs Williams School Williams school attended by some of Martin County's most prominent citizens eventually shuttered its doors and fell into disrepair now save from Demolition by Martin County this educational gem has been preserved and restored to its original Glory it's a beautiful reminder of a community's past an important piece of an area's history many students that attended the Salerno colored school still live in Martin County it's the fascinating stories of those students that went to school here all those years ago that create the

fabric of the new Monrovia Community today their stories of this historic treasure have never been told until now foreign centered around our family life and church we we went to school together we played together we went to various searches together and it was just wonderful we had a great time life in the new Monrovia Community centered on the Salerno colored school and the grounds that surrounded it Not only was it a place of learning it was a place for social Gatherings a spot for children to play and were generations of residents made lasting memories Helen Quintana was one of those children we came from every home in the community and that's where we all gather

together for our formative years well because the school was like the center of the community Boise hearing is Helen's cousin they live down the street from each other while they attended Mrs Williams School in the 1950s you looked to that day when you would start schooling starting school was a big it wasn't much more to do besides go to school and come home and play and shoot marbles there wasn't any Recreation we didn't go to the movies even when the school day was over we played at we played at the school ground we played in the swing we played in the Seesaw and because that's where the the play things were in the community my

uncle Dr David L Anderson also known as doc attended the Salerno colored school and went on to become the first African-American to serve on the Martin County School Board back brilliant now the only activities we had was a school and church that was the central uh place where we had our activities and little socials that Mrs Williams saw that we had as I think about that building I even visualize girls like me going every day to school with a half freshly braided and with the bows and our socks on and dresses that our parents made we had a lot of pride in ourselves when we would get to school we had a period of free

time before School took in as we called it because we all got there a little early and we played games we played jump rope or we did things like that until officially the school day began and our signal to come in was the ringing of this big hand bell the first rain map that we needed to get water use the restroom wash our hands or whatever the second Bell we were to line up I remember us saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag in the schoolyard the flag was a ceremonial thing for business from Mrs Williams we walked out to the flagpole said the Pledge of Allegiance raised the flag and then we would

March back into the schoolhouse and we would have devotion we would line up and and lines the buy because the school had two doors in the front and that's how we would enter girls in one door Boys in another door she always had assignments on the board when we got there what you know first and second graders will be doing in third and fourth graders will be doing the school only went to four grades when I was there now I understand before me and maybe after me I might have gone as much as six depending upon the population I was the only one in my uh my grade level every day the schoolhouse was filled

with children eager to learn teaching multiple grades in one room was certainly challenging but at the end of the day each student received a well-rounded education and Mrs Williams would write the lessons on on each Blackboard and then she would go over the lessons she taught row by row we sat in rows according to our grade levels I can remember wanting to rush out to to be the one to put up the flag or to help the two or three guys to put up the flag because the flag was something that was cherished and respected and irrelevant uh I couldn't touch the ground it could never get wet you know if we were in school

and started rain we'd dash out quick to get that flag down get it full up and get it in and everybody had to say a Bible verse and I remember that my my favorite Bible verse was Jesus wept that's the shortest verse in the Bible like there was a book we read called Mr Bones and I was reading and I go and Mr Bones walked on and Mr bone stopped by the barn that's the way I read for a long time it took him a long time for me to be broken from that you know and I and the kid who started laughing and this is shut up at least he knows what he's saying

you know the students who attended Mrs Williams's School felt the Educators lasting impact throughout their lives Mrs Williams left an undeniable and indelible mark on the children she taught it's one thing I think I learned from Miss Williams follow instructions she I remember she would say uh read and follow instructions she would say if you can file instructions you'll pass anything you can do it she didn't steal that in all of her students don't quit don't quit the game isn't over until you quit Costello Williams had a strong influence on Marion m Carpenter as she went to become a local educator and principal she was a very positive person and she made us believe that

we can do anything we could accomplish anything if we work hard Mrs Williams played multiple roles as a teacher she was motherly she was Stern she commanded respect she was an amazing teacher everybody at some point was on that stage you either saying you were either reading something saying something reciting a poem but I think that spoke volumes to us not being bashful you know being able to uh face people face an audience because she had you do that Williams told us when and always dry between your toes and that was something I thought wow I never heard that before and when I bathed my little grandchildren now always make sure that I wash between

their toes Williams is loving caring and she meant what she said and said what she meant she wore a lot of hats I mean she was the teacher she was a nurse she was a guidance counselor you know I mean she was everything and Mrs William Kappa with us all the way in our accomplishment and when she found out we'd move from one step to the other one level or whatever she was so proud of us that she would call us and she said I know you could do it I knew it I knew it would happen she was just a wonderful person you know that lady should have written a book before she she

had such a treasurer of things in her heart and soul and body that should have been spread it across the nation across the world for decades the schoolhouse sat neglected in an estate of disrepair many felt that the building was an eyesore and should be demolished that's where Martin County stepped in undertaking an extensive project to rebuild and restore this historic structure a lot of uh Montana's most productive citizens attended that school so I think we we needed to preserve it in 1999 following its use by the school district the one-room schoolhouse began its stint as the home for the Martin County Parks and Recreations department after school program the building endured heavy use over

the next five years in 2004 the school was damaged when the roof was breached during hurricanes Francis and Gene and although temporary tarps were installed later storms caused additional damage the question then became whether or not the building should be saved Consultants recommended demolishing the building believing it was beyond repair the community in Martin County General services staff fought to save the building but it sat neglected until in 2011 Martin County had the necessary funds to begin the process to restore the eyesore our school was a fiber in our community that we're intertwined with our school with our church and our families that was our school it's very important to have that building because it's

it's a part of our history part of our heritage and there were other buildings in other communities that were not saved they were torn down so that one the fact that that one remained is a blessing actually money to save the structure was pieced together from the insurance settlement General Services dollars and the County Commission District 4 funds the county went to work and the entire building had to be disassembled to the frame two of the original walls were saved a new roof ceilings and Floors were installed replica wood panel doors were placed in the original location of the twin entry doors and the windows were replaced with period single hung versions to make the

interior of the schoolhouse appear as it did in its Heyday County staffed worked with South Fork High School Woodshop students to construct 24 student desks similar to those that once filled the classroom the stage at the front of the room was rebuilt replicas of the original kerosene lanterns now hang from the ceiling for light green chalkboards were installed in their original locations the restored one-room schoolhouse was officially rededicated on March 9 2013. elected officials staff former students and historians gathered at the site to celebrate the importance of this historic structure then on April 29th of the same year the Salerno colored school was honored with the distinction of being placed on the Martin County local

Registrar of historic landmarks a bronze plaque just outside the doors marks the historic significance of this building that was once the center of the new Monrovia Community there are things in life that are worth keeping and the easiest thing to have done would have been to to push that building down which some people suggested okay but thank God someone heard a voice and heard our cries and uh came to the rescue and I just want those people that were responsible for restoring that school to know how appreciative our community is to them Mrs Williams was all things to many she may be gone but her Legacy lives on and the hearts and minds of the

students who spent much of their childhood learning at her school even though decades have passed since their time spent at the schoolhouse the students can easily recall how at the end of each day they join together to sing I'm Kyrie Anderson thank you for watching if I have wounded any Souls today if I have caused one foot to go astray if I have walked in my own willful way dear Lord dear Lord forgive night Miss Williams thank you it's been our pleasure we want to say thank you it's been a long day for them they got to school this morning at 9 o'clock so they work today they have to have a 12-hour day almost

so thank you for inviting us thank you we are done we're going to get on the bus we're going to school meet us there they have to change they have to get their books and stuff and they'll be right out thanks so much thank you again for having us this is our message for everyone with God as our brothers Brothers now with everything foreign