Mt. Gay Elementary School, Logan County, WV Class Photos
Top row, 3rd boy is Luther Adams known as Teddy. Identified by his daughter, Katy Adams.
2nd row, 4th boy is Zeffie Brogan and the last photo in this row photo is Danny M. Greene. Bob Piros has identified the teacher as Hazel Parsons and possibly this student from his Junior High photo: 3rd row, 2nd boy is Homer Vaughn (?).
4th row 5th boy is Johnnie Elliott Browning, Jr. Info submitted by his son, Richard Browning.
2nd row, 3rd boy is Johnnie Elliott Browning, Jr. Info submitted by his son, Richard Browning.
3rd row, 5th boy is Raymond Hensley, 7th boy is Zeffie Brogan.
Bottom, 1st photo is Danny M. Greene killed in Vietnam May 9, 1967.
*The above photos courtesy of Frances (Dillow) Greene Browning.
Mt. Gay Elementary School Photo Gallery
Principal, Mrs. Buena White
Taken from the School Memories 1955-1956 Yearbook - Courtesy of Bob Piros
Front Row: (1) Ms. Damron, (2) Betty Varney taught 5th grade teacher (3) Mrs. Marie Grimm, (4) unknown. Back Row: (1) Ms. Sally Gore, (2) Ethel Parsons taught 6th grade, (3) Ms. Alma Evendoll, (4) Ms. Spaulding, (5) unknown, (6) Ruth Butcher white blouse on taught 4th grade.
Taken from the School Memories 1955-1956 Yearbook - Courtesy of Bob Piros If anyone can ID any other of the teachers, please leave a reply.
Taken from the School Memories 1955-1956 Yearbook - Courtesy of Bob Piros
(1) Clifford Collins, (4) Charlie Davis, (6) Patty Earlywine, (8) Thelma Williamson, (9) Ronald ?, (10) Margaret Adkins, (11) Larry Collins, (13) Dana Ferrell, (15) Curtis Gore, (17) Donna Browning, daughter of Elmer & Exel Browning (19) Linda Adams Huffman, and (20) Sherry Browning Workman. Thanks to all of those who helped to identify these students. Numbers 2, 3, 5, 7, 12, 14, 16 and 18 are still unidentified. If you can identify any of them or see an error, please leave a comment. 1169
If you can identify anyone in these photos, please leave a comment. If you have any Mt. Gay Elementary School photos you like to share here, please email it to the admin at loganwv.us@gmail.com.
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Does anyone recall their experiences with being hit with a spitball in grades 4th to 6th while at Mt.Gay? Was the paper wad shot through a straw or just thrown at a person? Was the intent made to hurt someone you didn’t like?
The following info was found at the familysearch.org site.
Many different records were found for Buena Vista White ( Adkins ).
A family tree chart shows her birth as April 29, 1892 in Lavalette
Wayne County, WV. Census records from 1920 to 1940 show birth
1898,1899 and 1901. A birth record shows September 15,1902.
It also says a record of birth was made on January 24, 1966.
Buena parents were William ( 1868-1947 ) and Elizabeth ( 1876- ? ) Adkins.
They were married April 30, 1892 a day after Buena was born.
They owned a working farm in Lavalette which is near Huntington,WV.
Buena married Frank White on April 13, 1917 in Wood County WV.
Record shows her age of 22, born in 1895.
Frank was born April 20, 1892 in Logan,WV.
His parents were Eli ( 1851- 1931 ) and Angeline White ( 1853- 1934 ).
They owned a farm in Logan County,WV.
The 1940 census record shows Buena as a public school teacher.
Shows Frank as a Police Officer in Logan. He had been a Train Brakeman.
Buena and Frank are buried in Oaklawn Memorial Park Cemetery
in Barbournsville, Cabell County, WV.
Buena died in 1980 and Frank died in 1969.
Online record shows that the
Mt.Gay School was built in 1928.
For Darrelene Rachavong,
What were the job duties of
the Student Council at Mt.Gay School?
My cousin Bob Szakal wanted to be
in the Patrol Group but he was
told he wasn’t tall enough.
He is in the Student photo with you.
What are your memories of him?
Do you recall the 1956 Johnson kids
issue with all of the crazy white people
not wanting them to go to the school?
Did you play with them when they
lived in lower Cherry Tree?
They lived next to that big white
two story house. Same area
that Jerry Johnson lived.
Do you have any photos of you
and your family during your
school years that you can post
to this website?
My uncle Tommy Dale Aldridge attended Mt. Gay Elementry from 1950 to 1956. He lived up at Milk House Holler. He now lives in Texas. My older brother Elwin Ray Justice attended from 1957 to 1959. We moved to Columbus Ohio and I started the first grade in 1959.
Darwin, thanks for the info.
Do you have any photos of
them that you can post?
I should have read all the comments before I posted. I thought the last lady on the top right was Ms Spears.
I went to mount gay school 1956. My name is Brenda, I was one of the first black kids to integrate the school. teacher was Ms. Spears. My grand mother was employed by the principal, Ms.white. If any one remembers me please reply!!!
Hello Brenda, I don’t recall your name.
Do you have a photo of yourself during that
time period that you can post to this Logan site?
Can you please write up something about your
experience on that day?
Do you recall the names of Katie and
Robert Johnson going into the school
with you?
How many years did you stay at Mt.Gay?
What was your Grandmother’s name and
your parents names?
The teachers’ photo doesn’t show a Ms.Spears,
what grade did she teach?
Hello Bob, My full name is Brenda J.Ford. I’m 75 y/o, so the dates may be a bit off. I lived in Shamrock.
I was bused to the school, the first day, when my bus arrived at the school, there was a mob of white people.
They were carrying signs, protesting the integration process. No one was allowed to leave the bus until
police officers arrived. There was (as I remember) chains with locks at the entrance.
There was some racist slurs yelled aloud!!!
My grandfather, who was employed, at the Holden, coal mine drove by as his shift had ended, and he was
there to ensure my safety.
I remembered my teacher being Mrs.Elizabeth Spears, however, she could be in my memory from another school I attended.
In my class I do remember very clearly, two girls, very friendly. Gayenelle Mullins, Diana Pritchard.
Diana, lived near the school at the time. Her house was surrounded by a chain link fence.
a few times myself, and another friend from Shamrock, would go to her house to visit, but we weren’t allowed
inside her yard, because we were black!! We understood!!!!!
I don’t remember how long I attended school there.
Brenda, you have a remarkable memory and you
have helped me in my memories of that day Sept. 1956.
Please look in the photo section on this page as
I have posted my 1956 Mt.Gay Report Card.
I have all of my report cards from Grade to High School.
Please look at the teachers photo as there are two
unknowns. Mrs. Spears was born in 1918 so she
would have been 38 in 1956. She died in 2008.
She is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Pecks Mill.
Her obit says a school teacher and Principal for 40 years.
You can find the info on the Find a Grave website..
On this Logan website go to Search and put in
Elsie Szakal, you will see her story,photo & school
bus # 50. She was my Aunt and she drove the bus
that I was on and the Johnson kids were on.
Do you recall riding on her bus?
Their parents were Robert and Ruth Johnson who lived
in Holden. The kids were staying in Cherry Tree with relatives.
So they went to Mt.Gay Grade School.
I recall the white people yelling and banging on the school
bus on the right side as it was parked. Lots of the people had
signs with nasty words written on them.
Katie and Robert were lead off first and then the rest of
us behind them. Some of the white boys carried the
signs into my teacher Betty Varney’s 5th grade classroom
and they were using foul language. She told them to
throw the signs out the window which was on the
second floor and to shut up and sit down.
Brenda, can you give me your Grandparents names?
No luck in finding your friends. Do you know when
they were born? Are they in the school photos on
this website?
My mother was marie grimm others know her as maruuerite marie cummings grimm thompson
Brenda, if you use your cellphone’s search
you can find Elizabeth Spears obit online.
Just put in her name and Logan County WV.
There is also an interview that she did which
tells about her early life in Logan County.
Bob, I have no memory of any other classmates at this time.I have no idea of how long I actually attended the school. Another memory though is my next door neighbor (Shamrock) was a “cook”
at the school for many years. She, my Grandmother, and Ms. White, were more than employees, they were friends.The Johnson’s. and my Grandmother, Ms. Holloway, worshiped together for a while, and remained friends until some relocated. I have no memory of the bus driver, male or female.Sorry. Also, none of any other kids on on the bus. It was traumatic experience, at such an early age, I may actually
be subconsciously, unable to remember more than I do!!!! I, of course did not realize the signification.
until I became a mature woman of color, and had a family!!!
In the Teachers photo, I have to challenge the identity, of the Lady in the back row. last on the right. Long sleeve blouse, scarf around neck, and her hand bag on her left arm. This is Ms. Spears!! Standing behind a Lady, with a buttoned up coat. Ms. Spears, (as I remember, grey streaked hair) I could be mistaken, but I’m 99% sure, that’s Ms.Spears!!!
Wish I had more in my memory bank for you/myself !!!! Typo, A traumatic experience
Its been too long but I think the teacher in the top row on the far right may have been Mrs Spears. Her son Joe also went to school at Mt. Gay. Joe and I were both patrol boys He would have graduated from Logan High with me in 1961.
I remember for a while (maybe when I was in junior or high school) they also ran that store on the left after you cross the Holden bridge. In the patrol boys picture….middle row…,.first boy on the left is Cliff Collins and next to him is Larry Collins, both from Dempsey Branch…I was one year ahead of them, so I would have been in the 7th at what would be Logan Central. I may be wrong about the pic of Mrs Spears but she did teach there, very nice lady.
Brenda, so glad that you were able to
get through those years and you had a
good support team.
In the photos there is one of three cooks
standing up, maybe you can ID them?
Sorry I have to disagree with you as the
person you are saying is Mrs. Spears is
my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Butcher.
Please read down the page as some others
have also ID Mrs. Butcher.
In the article that was done in 1984 online
Mrs. Spears said she was a1935 grad of LHS.
Maybe someone on this site has a LHS
Yearbook for that year and hopefully her
photo is in it.
I remember Mrs. Spears but I’m not sure what grade. I do remember her son, Joey. Again, I’m not sure what grade. The 55-56 school year I was in the seventh grade at Logan Central Jr High. My 6th grade teacher was Mrs. Parsons. This was the 1954-55 school year. The other 6th grade teacher that year was Ms Roberta Kendall. Mrs. Parsons was an older teacher and may have retired after that year, I’m not sure. Perhaps Ms Spears replaced her. Hope this helps.
We were there at the same time. I was Capt of patrol boys, Joe Spears was one of them. Grace Ann Chirico was Capt of patrol girls. I was from Dempsey Branch and at Logan Central the same as you. Johnny Napier is the only other one I remember, his father owned a grocery store about a mile from the school on the Holden road.
Chuck, thanks for your comments. It would
be wonderful if you could ID yourself in the
photo and what years are you talking about?
Also please go and read the 1934-1935 story
about Elizabeth Spears ( Kark). See her photo.
Her brother was Joseph Kark.
On this website go to site index, down to story.
Chuck, just looked up info.
Joseph Spears born in 1943 in Logan.
He died in 2014 in Huntington,WV.
He was Elizabeth’s son.
Hope that you can ID those in the
Patrol Photo. Its from a 1955 to 1957
Mt.Gay School book when I was
at the school.
Mike Ratz who I grew up with is on
the left hand side, first boy.
The patrol boy pic is 55-56 a year after I left. I was in the sixth grade the year before 54-55. I can’t
identify any of the others in the pic. I only have one pic of me at Mt Gay and that is 54-55. I’ll dig it out
and post it later…54-55 is also the year we went to Washington, DC for the school trip. Took the train out of Logan. Congress, the White House, Washington Monument, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and a bunch of other places. All twelve years I was the youngest in my class, I see Joe was born in 1943. I was born in 1944. Yesterday 3-3-21 was my 77th birthday.
Chuck, thanks for posting your Mt.Gay photo.
Do you recall the teacher who took your class
to D.C in 1955?
Is she in the teacher photos?
So you went on to Logan Central, any teacher
names while there?
Do you have any photos of yourself while there?
This site needs a Logan Central Yearbook,
can you put the word out to your friends?
Ms White led the trip, must have been other adults but I don’t remember any of them. Had a camera but must have exposed the film, not one picture developed. Logan Central for three years. I think a Ms. Blackburn taught history but I mostly remember my 9th grade home room teacher..Ms Witt, very young and attractive. My memory of those times isn’t really that good.
Chuck, you have a good memory,
might be better if you could find a
1961 LHS Yearbook and a Logan Central
yearbook.
Johnny Napier was born in 1944 and
he died in 2012 in Huntington.
He married Linda Adams in 1963.
They both lived in Mud Fork.
Grace Chirico was born in 1943 and
she married Myron Staton in 1965.
Unknown about her death.
Might have moved to another state.
Not able to find your teachers.
Chuck, just found this online,you’re in luck.
There is a Logan Central Jr. High Facebook page.
Also put in your search the following,
Logan Central Jr. High School,Logan,WV.
There is a website that shows lots of
students who went there .
Clarence Baily, 1955 to 1959.
Hope you know some of them.
Mrs Parsons was my 6th. Grade teacher 1956.
I went to My Gay 1949-approx 1956. Mrs Spears was my 5th grade teacher
Brenda, I have posted a comment on the
1934 to 1935 LHS Yearbook page.
Shows the photo of Mrs.Elizabeth Spears.
Then please look again at the Mt.Gay
teachers photos.
I think she is the woman standing behind
Mrs.Grimm, someone has ID her as
Mrs.Spaulding.
Compare the hair, way its cut and her
head bent to side.
Also there is an eight year difference in the
years of Mt.Gay in 1956 and 1964 for
the photo.
Regarding the School Patrol photo
on this site. Mike Ratz is on the
left side of photo in a white shirt.
One can see his badge & belt.
As a crossing guard his duty was
to help younger students to cross
the street.He had authority over
the students as they crossed the
street but no authority over the
traffic on the street. He was trained
to teach safety and role model it.
The School Safety Patrol program
was organized in 1920 by the
American Automobile Associatiion.
I went to Mt. Gay grade school 1958-1960. Miss Damron for 1st grade. Mr. Slate for 2nd. I’m glad to see his name mentioned. Does anyone know his first name?
Deborah, lots of the Slate
names at familysearch.org.
Maybe you could go to the
site & go down the list to see
if you recall the name.
WOW, it was so wonderful to find this. I attended Mt. Gay grade school grades 1 thru 4. Miss White was our principal. In the first grade I won the LUCKY EGG find. My 4th grade teacher was Mrs. Ellis (she was a great teacher) and she had a daughter named Nedra Kay Ellis. My mother worked at the Mt. Gay Coal Company store under the management of Colonel Tabor. Don’t know if I spelled the first name correctly. His wifes name was Mary. I grew up with the Comptons, the Staley’s, Sellards, Nidas and the Kitchens. Thanks everyone for sharing your memories.
I went to Mt Gay Elementary grades 5 and 6. Had Mr. Bias in grade 5 and Mrs. Laura Austin grade 6. Mrs. Austin inspired me to become an elementary teacher. She was firm but fair. I just loved her.ha
I had the same two also Willa…I’m trying to recall what years that was,,,Did you know any Tackett’s,,,,….!!!!!!!!
Mr. Bias for the 5th. and Mrs. Austin for the 6th. They were great teachers…Does anyone remember me ? ? ?
I came to this site as a result of searching Laura Austin, Logan County teacher. There are a number of references to her as a wonderful teacher at Mt Gay Grade School. I remember a conversation about her at a Logan Lions Club meeting maybe 15-20 years ago. Charlie Brown had her at Mt Gay Grade School, The late Gerald Bradford had her at Aracoma (maybe before schools were integrated) and I had her at Earling Grade School in 1960 and 1961. My fourth grade was dreadful. Having Mrs Austin in the fifth and sixth grade probably saved me academically.
Roger, thanks for your input. Hopefully someone can find a photo of Laura Austin. Familysearch.org shows her in the 1940 census record for Logan County WV. She was born June 15, 1907 in Alabama and she died December 8, 1973 in Hartford Connecticut.
I attended Mt. Grade 63,64,65. Sixth grade was the best I was a patrol boy badge and all. We had our own table in the lunch room. We thought we were something.
Yes I remember Charles, I was the lieutenant, Oval Adams was the Captain. Ricky Compton, Michael Jones were Patrolmen, remember the best Teacher ever Miss Butcher 4th Grade?
Bobby, what were your duties
while you were on patrol?
Did you keep the kids from
fighting & cussing?
Did you clean up the hallways?
School yard?
What times did you patrol?
How did you keep up
with your classes?
Do you have any photos
of your time era to share
with this website?
In the MT. Gay Teacher photos standing next to Mrs. Butcher in the back row I believe it is Mrs. Shad 6th Grade.DO you remember the 3rd & 5th Grade classes in 63 were in the annex building, also the cafeteria. In 63 Bias & Slade were the 5th grade teachers, back when they still had corporal punishment, Mr. Slade had a paddle with holes in it.
Bobby, I was there from
1955 to 1957.
I was hoping that you could
provide some history about
the Patrol Group at the school.
Yes I recall some of the
teachers having the paddles.
Bobby you might want to read
this site, FindLaw, WV. state laws
regarding corporal punishment.
After 50 years WV. in 1994 banned
the punishment of students in
public schools.
Also just wondering how your
Patrol members earned
their ranks?
Margaret Adkins first on far left. School patrol
Sherry nunley 3rd row. Last girl in top picture. Bottom picture top row. 2nd picture
anyone remember miss verrassie if it is spelled right and miss shdd and of course phillis dillion or adkins still living in justice addition and taught kindergardebn in her home
I went to Mt. Gay in the 4th. 5th. and 6th. Mrs. Ross was my 4th. grade teacher My 5th grade teacher was Mr. Bias,,, MY 6th. grade teacher was Mrs Austin. My name is John Tackett…If anyone remembers ,contact me at..John Tackett @ Aol.Com…I’m the one with the US and POW and MIA flag…..May GOD Bless,,,,,,,,…….!!!!!!!!
John I tried to send you a email and it came back. Do you have a different email address you can be contacted at.
John”Tommy”Mangus
Yes,,,,….!!!!!!!!
I remember a Debbie Simpson, Paul Hughes and Margret Steele
I remember Bonnie Sexton also,,,,…..!!!!!!!!
Yes John” Thomas” Mangus,,,How are you these passed years ? ? ?
I attended Mt. Gay Grade School. I was in the 4th grade in 1950. My teacher was Ruth Butcher.. I really liked her.. And the following year 1951 was in 5th grade. My teacher was Ms. Poling..She was a good teacher..Anyone having pictures og these yeard would you please post them? Thanks
Velva, I was at Mt.Gay School 1955-1957.
Ruth Butcher was my 4th grade teacher.
I enjoyed her teaching. You can find her in the
1940 census, she was born in 1916, she lived
in Cora with her husband Alex who was a coal miner.
Thanks Bob Piros..
Velva,you are welcome.
Velva there is a photo of
a group of students in 1950
on the 3rd row,3rd photo.
Could you please look at it,
see if you’re in it or know any
of the students.
The teacher known as Mrs. Grimm was a widow and later married William H. Thompson. She taught in several schools in logan county for 28 years. Her full name is marguerite Marie Cummings, Grimm, Thompson. This is my mother. She taught at Chapmanville middle, Earling , Verdenville, Henlawson, and Mount gay grade schools
I had missgrimm in the 1st grade when or has she passed away I know all the names of the teachers except mi poling if it is spelled right I remember a misspullings
I couldn’t find you on face book . mom passed away in 1994
I’m so excited to see a picture of my mom I didn’t have thank you for sharing !!!
In the first group of pictures,the second roll of students,,The third girl from left is Billie Jo White, my late husband Jack M. White Jr.’s sister. She was killed by a train at age 10 ,, The children of Jack M. White Sr. operater of Whites Cleaners
Patty, I remember your husband, Jack, and Billie Jo. We lived not too far away from the cleaners. My Dad, Zeb Bigler and Jack, Sr. were friends. I remember we attended the funeral. I was told that Billie Jo and Jackie (he was called then) were racing to get home and ran across the tracks. She looked up and saw the train and froze. I was a couple of years older than Jackie. It was a horrible thing. I’ve always remembered it.
Attended Mt. Gay School from 1957 thru 1963. 1st. Grade: Miss Lilly, 2nd. Ms. Merritt, 3rd. Ms. Bonham, 4th. Ms. Butcher, 5th. Mr. Bias, 6th. Ms. Cherico. . Remember Lucas’ Feed Store and Davis’ Drive Inn. Also remember other teachers, Austin..Strickler(Stickler?)Reynolds..Barnhart..Slate..Balengee..Gore..Shadd..White..Turley..others I can’t recall at the moment.
Herbert, could you please look at the Mt.Gay teacher photo
& see if you can ID any of them.
My name is Deanna Adams and I attended Mount Gay Grade School. I remember the teachers you mentioned.
Beulah White was the principal at that time.
Deanna, the 1940 census shows
that Mrs.White was born in 1901 &
died in 1980 in Logan.She was
married to Frank White,a patrolman
with the Logan Police Dept.
I went to Mt. Gay Grade school first through sixth grades (two years in second grade) we moved to Cleveland in Sept. 1967, I remember many of the teachers mentioned by Herbert Harvey,seems like everyone had Mrs. Butcher in fourth grade. I had Mr. Slate in fifth grade, and Mrs Austin in sixth grade.Mrs White was principal until about fifth grade then it was Mrs. Dingess. I also remember the Adams family, Dana and Orval, there are too many of them to name all of them, they lived next to the Turner family.
I worked at Davis Drive Inn as a curb girl in 1959 and 1960..
What a thrill to find this site! I lived in Mud Fork and went to Mt Gay from 1st thru 6th grade. I guess the year I started 1st grade would have been 1952. The Student Council /1st row 1st girl on the left is my sister Sharon Dingess and the last girl on the same row is Maria Baisden, my cousin. Thanks so much for this site. Brings back childhood memories.
The photo description was updated. Thank you! — Admin
Robin the first girl I ever had a crush on was your sister Sharon.
Hello Larry Cox, I am just now seeing this message. I will tell her. I remember a boy named Billy Cox.
Billy Cox was in the 5t. grade with me,,…
John, do you have any
school photos that you can
share with this site.
Can you write up some history
about your school days when
you went there?
I was in the first grad at Mt. Gay for a month or to and we moved to Ohio I think my teacher’s name was Culander. 1951 or 1952.
Brings back a lot of memories. I grew up in Mt. Gay and went to grades 1 to 6 there.
Thanks
Front row #1 is Ms. Damron, temperamental and seemed to like using her paddle. #3 is Ms. Grimm, a very sweet person. I think back row #5 might be Ms. Spaulding, but not sure.
Updates applied. Thank you! — Admin
Thanks for putting all the info on here.
Hi Saw these as I was looking thru W.Va. Photos Logan Co. I grew up in Mt.Gay. My Dads name was Wilburn Robinson. He was a miner at Gay coal & coke. Love to look at all the photos, brought back a lot of memories. We moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1950. Mom and Dad have both passed away. I still have an older sister in Cleveland and an older brother in Phoenix, az. My name was Gloria Ann Robinson. Thanks for the memories.