MARY LINN SPENCER

I was born in the Clarke County hospital August 17, 1966, to Royanna and Steven (Steve) Spencer. I have a brother, Monty Ray, four years younger. We had a wonderful childhood. The two of us did everything together and got along well, except for one time that I remember when he was six and I was ten. We were wrestling and I reached around to get up and knocked out his front teeth.

We lived out in the country from the time I was six years old and had lots of parties - wiener roasts during the summers and ice skating parties in the winter. Lori Burrell Helgevold, Ronda Muller Wishon, Mindy Ogan, and Mary Beth Emary Burken always came. Our parents were supporters for these as well as all other aspects of our lives. For skating parties, for instance, Dad would blade off the pond, build igloos, and make sure we all had rides on the snowmobiles. They attended school activities for both of us, encouraged and helped us with everything that was important in our lives. Parents may not realize how important it is to their children that they, like my parents, are always there for them.

Our grandparents, also, were involved in our lives. Our mother's parents were Linna Mae Fisher Hukill and Roy Glenn Hukill, who lived in Osceola. Our paternal grandparents were Mary Anna Wickett Spencer and Herbert Spencer of New Virginia, now living in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The four Hukill boys had the barbershop where Larry Page's barbershop is now. Roy was a barber for 62 years, 28 years in Ed Davis' former shop, and from there he moved to what is called "the pink store." Linna was head cook at the high school. She set up the kitchen for the present high school when it was built in 1961-'62. Our mother, Royanna, was in the first class to graduate from the new high school in 1962.

What I remember best about Grandpa Hukill was that he smiled a lot and called every single night to make sure that everyone was home and all was well. I saw these grandparents almost every day. On the rare occasions when my parents left us with a baby sitter, it was Grandma Hukill.

Our Spencer grandparents, with the great-grandparents, owned the hardware store at New Virginia. Other family members succeeded them. When the most recent owners were ready to retire and were unable to find buyers, they closed the doors January 1, 1997.

Mom followed Grandpa's footsteps, became a beautician and owned her own shop for more than 20 years. She is presently employed at Flowers 'n More. Dad was involved with moving, working on and setting up mobile homes for 30 years.

All my schooling through high school was in Clarke County, beginning with Kiddie Karousel which was held in the basement of the Presbyterian Church. Teachers were Julie Dougherty and Carrie Talbott. This is a pre-school for three- and four-year-olds whose parents pay tuition. The three-year-olds attend two mornings a week, the four-year-olds three mornings a week. The purpose is mostly social. The children learn to take direction from others than their parents and, in general, learn readiness skills prior to their entry into kindergarten.

During elementary school I particularly remember Mr. Mike Boldon who taught 2nd grade and Miss Lynn Kellogg who taught 3rd grade. Mr. Boldon helped me even after I graduated by writing to me during my first year of teaching. I also had Linda Yeager Bachman for music. During those years I was in Girl Scouts. My leaders were Peggy Woods and Mom. I also took dancing lessons.

Teachers I particularly remember from junior high were Mrs. Beverly Greene Seeberger, Mrs. Maxine Woods and Mrs. Sandye Kelso. I was in cheerleading and played the xylophone in band. In 8th grade and as a junior and senior in high school I was band majorette. This meant that I was in marching band for football games, parades and the like. Mr. David Twombley was our band director in junior high and, as I continued in band throughout high school, we had Mr. Marty Brenden as our leader. We participated in contests and probably won some ratings but at the present time there are more students involved and they are more professional. They seem to take it more seriously than we did and there is more enthusiasm. However, music has never had the importance or the attention given to sports.

I took piano lessons from Mrs. Lyle (Orpha) Cobun for nine years but that is part of the past and I don't play now other than for my own amusement.

During high school and for some years afterward, motivated by my desire to help people, I wanted to be a nurse. I was in a Medical Careers group led by Mrs. Virginia Ogan. We went on field trips, one of which was to the Iowa Methodist Hospital and we visited the School of Nursing. That will become part of the past, as it is being phased out when the present class graduates.

I enrolled in college in a nursing program but didn't go on with it because I recognized my tendency to empathize too much and become too involved in the lives of people. Ability to care and still remain objective is one that all care takers and counselors must have or be able to develop. I couldn't do that.

While I was in high school and for a year afterward, I worked at Li'l Duffer Restaurant for David and Carol Twilligear. It was located where the Clarke County Drive-In Bank now is. In college I worked several jobs to pay my own way.

During my high school years, there were several driving incidents that stand out in my mind. One time, when I was practicing my skills, Ronda Muller Wishon was with me and Mom was in the back seat. We were cruising and went under the underpass just off the square. Well, Ronda started laughing. I was too close to the wall and she patted it as we went by.

After I had received my license, I was too chicken to drive on the mud road on which we lived. Monty, who was 12, would drive the 4-wheel-drive to the main road and then we would change places. I would drive him to town to be with his friends and then, when it was time to go home, I would get us to the driveway and Monty would make sure we got the rest of the way home.

I graduated in 1984 and went on to Graceland College. This school is under the auspices of the church of the Reorganized Latter Day Saints, but there was no attempt to proselytize. I found it a very homey school. It was intended to be a "dry" campus. They expected students to behave, to study and do what they had come for.

I lived in a dormitory. There were not enough students the first year for me to have a roommate. Perhaps partly because it was church school, partly because of the times, students had a curfew. As I recall, the doors were locked at 10:00 on weekdays and midnight on weekends. Boys could come and be in the dorm during certain hours but had to have an escort. At that time there were students from other countries - they have more now - but they were attracted because of the church. I met a lot of nice people in college.

Lori Burrell Helgevold lived on the same floor. She and I had gone through elementary, junior high, high school and then we went through college together. While I was in Graceland I changed my choice of careers, and both Lori and I became teachers. I graduated from Graceland and began teaching in Brownsville, Texas. There had been thirty of us who were in college together and, when one went to Texas to teach, she encouraged me to apply. I was hired, by an interview over the phone, to teach 7th grade reading.

We were just two miles from the Mexican border but it was like another world. Monty and the folks took me and on the way home he told them he couldn't believe they were leaving me there. It was a culture shock. I lived in an apartment across the street from the high school where there were more students than the population of Osceola. The mother of another teacher at the school would drive us to school because, if not, our cars would be destroyed during the day.

The school where I taught was predominantly Hispanic and particularly one member of the staff seemed prejudiced against white people. I was there only one year. The second year I taught 2nd grade in Los Fresnos, Texas, which was a completely different atmosphere - more like Osceola. Nevertheless, I came home at the end of two years and it was wonderful to be back!

Having no opportunity to teach, I found a job at Conoco, owned by Mike and Lucile Roe and managed by Kevin Emanuel. It is now Kum and Go. After that I began teaching part time in the Mormon Trail Community School District. I taught junior high chapter reading in Garden Grove, working with students who need help with reading skills. This program is now called Title 1 reading.

Following that I taught 4th grade for three years at Humeston and then, again, Title 1. I carpooled with Fran Christian and now with Lisa Huffman Lentell, daughter of Dennis and Vicky Huffman. We leave home at 7:00-7:15 in the morning, and it is 4:30-5:00 before we get home at night. Our work facility is very nice. Humeston built a new building last year, for kindergarten through 6th grade.

My heart goes out to children in low economic areas. There are a lot of emotional consequences related to that, and we teachers have to work through the emotions before we can effectively teach. Children are often defiant, seeing no reason to follow rules. If we attempt to discipline them in any way, they have a ready answer - "We'll sue." In some cases, when parents are on welfare, the children have an impression that it isn't necessary to work. A check will be coming in either case. Basically, the children are unhappy and it manifests itself in various and often surprising ways. I sometimes wonder what chance these children will have.

I was married in 1993 and later divorced. In 1995 I applied for a part-time position to follow Jan Lloyd as Christian Education Associate of the Osceola United Methodist Church. I had always had a strong relationship to the church. My parents attended and I grew up attending Sunday school. Edith Brown and Joyce Turner were teachers I particularly remember. I had gone through confirmation class and joined the church when I was in 8th grade. Rev. Dick Eis was the pastor.

I was accepted as the Christian Education Associate to begin in December, 1995. It is an interesting and challenging job of which there are many facets: making sure that each of the 14 Sunday school classes have a teacher, ordering and dispensing supplies and curriculum materials. Because of that position, I am on the Education Committee, which plans and conducts Vacation Church School which in 1996 was attended by 86 youngsters. We arrange an Advent event and raise funds for the camping program. Last year 30 young people went to camp. Additionally, there are various small tasks that continue to arise. The position puts me on the church staff which meets weekly and we have come to feel like a closely knit group.

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Last Revised May 20, 2012