I was already aware of the quality of
early Lucasville education through reading several biographies of
Branch Rickey and discovering the tremendous influences the
“two-story school” in the village and its superintendents Frank
Appel and James H. Finney had on the young boy. Without the education
provided by Lucasville, Branch Rickey would have likely remained
forever a farmer.
Finney was described as “vigorous,
talented, and athletic.” He was said “to have developed a
reputation as a pedagogic innovator and firm proponent of a humane
liberal arts education with stress upon classical literature.”
Rickey recognized Finney as “a born psychologist, too.” Rickey
once said of his mentor Finney …
“He was a pacesetter, a man who
understood boys, who could wind their confidence and merit it. He was
a big man.”
But, I had never heard of Professor
Alley except for a small paragraph in the Sesquicentennial
publication. The entry reads …
“Also in 1909, Mr. Frank Alley
took charge of the Lucasville schools. It was mainly under his
leadership that the new high school building of the time was built.
He drew the plan. He raised the class of Valley Township schools from
third to first place in the State.”
Such a claim as this made me wonder
more about Alley. After all, this exalted standing for a small rural
school was remarkable. I longed to read more about Alley and the
schools of that time, but I could never find any other reference.
Then, I discovered The Whittlers'
Gazette. The Portsmouth Library has several editions of the
wonderful publication on public view. And guess what? In Brant's
newspaper I found a story about Professor F. S. Alley. It is a gem
for those who hold Lucasville schools near and dear. Allow me to
share it with you ...
“I went to our High School
Alumni Banquet and had the pleasure of listening to an address by
Prof. F. S. Alley. Professor Alley is past 85. He spent 48 years
supervising schools in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, seven at the head
of the Lucasville schools. He is now a successful poultry raiser and
lives on Cockrell's Run.
“Contrary to precedent, Mr.
Alley deliberately left a large city school to devote the rest of his
active school life to work in the hills, in response to a call from
the forward-looking, local board of education which had asked the
head of Ohio State University to recommend the best educator in Ohio
to assist in carrying out its revolutionary plans.
“Under his leadership, Valley
Township was the first in all Ohio to centralize its schools and
establish a first grade, rural high school. Mr. Alley said in his
address that he had never known of any other school that supplied
free text books. So new and successful was the whole idea, Dr. Graham
from Ohio State University paid the school several visits and made
*lantern slides which he used in lectures and duplicate sets were
sent to colleges in every state in the union, to South America,
Canada, Mexico, and even to London, England. Mr. Alley has one of
these sets in his possession.
“Dr. Graham is now at the head
of a department of our Federal Bureau of Education in Washington and
no later than last summer, in a lecture before the 4-H Clubs of Ohio
again told the story of the development of the Lucasville Schools.
“It is significant that Mr.
Alley who had lived in and was familiar with every nook and cranny of
at least two states should choose from among them all to come back to
the hills of Lucasville to make his permanent home. And the
Whittlers' Gazette for one herewith pays tribute to his exceptional
abilities and accomplishments. Proud indeed are we to call him a
fellow citizen.
(The
Whittlers' Gazette. Official publication of The Whittlers'
Clubs of America. National Headquarters Brant's Store, Main Street,
Lucasville, Ohio. July 1930 Edition.)
With this link, I soon discovered an
article from The Newark Weekly Advocate…
“One of the best examples of
what can be accomplished in a centralized school through better
trained teachers and more complete equipment is found in the school
at Lucasville, Valley Township, Scioto County, Ohio.
“The valuation of this township
is but a million and a half dollars. Still, through the leadership of
Superintendent F. S. Alley, a centralized school has been erected and
a fine equipment for industrial work installed in the building.
“A regular four-year course is
given in the high school by three trained teachers, each of whom
conducts a particular phase of the industrial branches, manual
training, domestic science, and agriculture. A large basement room is
divided into laboratories to aid in the teaching of chemistry,
physics, biology, manual training, and domestic science. The manual
training room contains 15 individual work benches and the domestic
science room 10 individual stoves, two sewing machines, dining room
table, and dishes. All counters, lockers, and tables were built by
the boys in their manual training work.
“There is also a room in the
building which is frequently used for public lectures. Three acres of
land space for a school garden and plans are being made this spring
to set out shrubbery in desirable places about the grounds.”
(“Lucasville Valley A
Progressive School. The Newark Weekly Advocate.
http://old.minford.k12.oh.us/mhs/history/PortsmouthHistory/Schools/Valley.htm.
May 28, 1914.)
Professor
F. S. Alley's long history as an educator is full of praise. He was a
native of Union County, Indiana, and he was employed as
superintendent of Preble County schools from 1884 until 1891 when he
removed to Ripley, Ohio, to take charge of the schools there. He
organized the first rural high school in Preble County. A description
of Alley:
“To Professor Alley,
perhaps, more than any other single individual, was due the credit of
the organization and development of the New Paris schools, which has
made them among the best in the county. He revised the course of
study and systematized the work of the high school, which had not
previously reached that stage or real organization.”
(Robert Eaton Lowry.
History of Preble County, Ohio: Her People, Industries and
Institutions. 1915.)
Professor Alley also worked with
distinction in Dayton, Kentucky ...
“When the present
superintendent, Prof. F. S. Alley, came into charge (1896) a notable
change was inaugurated in the school management. It had been the
custom to adhere to the Cincinnati course of study and the methods
there, but these have largely been superceded in the more advanced
and progressive schools of the country. Prof. Alley has reconstructed
the course of study in harmony with the best of educational thought
and practice of the foremost educators of the day.
“HE has introduced
new principles of classification, or of grading. Promotions from
class to class are made according to the pupil's advancement, and not
with an arbitrary interval of a year between classes. This does away
with the final examination, and with that, of course, goes the
practice of 'cramming' for the occasion. The reward is given for
every-day work, and affords a continuous stimulus instead of a
spasmodic one - the former as healthful as helpful, the latter often
positively injurious, and never an unmixed benefit.
“Where there are two
or more classes in the same grade, as it often happens, the pupils
are divided according to ability to do work, so that the quicker
pupils may not be held back by the slower, nor the slower unduly
urged or discouraged by their more rapid fellows.
“By these advanced
methods the Dayton schools have been brought to the front rank in
scientific education, far ahead of others in this vicinity, a matter
of proper pride in parents and of momentous interest to the coming
generation.
“There could be no more hopeful
indication about the schools than the fact already mentioned, that
the attendance in the higher grades is increasing, in comparison with
the aggregate attendance. This is a testimony to the wise and
efficient management, as well as to the appreciation of the people.
(“The City of Dayton,
Kentucky.”
http://www.nkyviews.com/campbell/GAR/GAR_texts_hist.html.)
The Whittlers' Gazette article
also mentions Albert B. Graham, another famed Ohio educator and
friend of Professor Alley. Graham (1868–1960) was born near Lena,
Ohio. He was a country schoolmaster and agriculture extension pioneer
at The Ohio State University. He received his teaching certificate
from the Ohio State University in 1890. For the next decade, Graham
taught in rural schools in Champaign, Miami, and Shelby Counties. He
organized a Boys' and Girls' Agricultural Experiment Club in 1902.
Graham became superintendent of
Agriculture Extension at Ohio State and continued his work educating
rural youth. He also worked for the Federal Extension Service from
1919 to 1938.
His utltimate fame? Alfred Belmont
Graham established the earliest 4-H club (a Boys & Girls
Agricultural Club) on January 15, 1902. Members learned production
practices to improve corn yields and also learned "the 4-H Way"
through hands-on activities. The four "H's" are for head,
heart, hands, and health. And, the rest is history.
* * Addition to original post from local historian, Jim Detty:
"Had to dig some more into Mr. Alley's past. Born March 8, 1850 in Franklin County, Kentucky. He was Superintendent of Valley Schools from 1909 to 1915 and retired in 1921 following 49 years in the education field. In March 1917 he and his wife Emma purchased a 100 acre farm on Cockrells Run from John and Martha Kelley and this is where they retired to. Emma passed away on June 2, 1933 at the age of 75 and is buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in her hometown of Brookeville, Indiana (about halfway beteen Cincinnati and Indianapolis). Spending his remaining time continuing to educate others at agricultural shows, etc., Frank passed away at his home on August 14, 1936 at the age of 86, and is buried next to his wife in Brookeville. He was survived by four sons."
No comments:
Post a Comment