One of Bovina's Last Teachers - Ed Schneider

It has been over fifty years since the era of the one room school house ended in Bovina.  The Bovina Center school (District 4) closed in June 1961, with Mary Jardine as its last teacher.  This was the last operating school in Bovina, but it wasn't too long before that that Bovina had two schools.  The District 1 school district, the Maynard District, closed in June 1959.

Recently, Jim Hilson allowed me to borrow some photographs taken by his uncle Ed Schneider.  Ed was the last teacher at the Maynard school. He taught there for about the last three years the school was open. He was a very dedicated teacher - because of his concern for the money available to the district he did not cash his paychecks.

Here are some of the pictures. Thanks to Mary Parsons Scorzafava and Linn Trimbell for help in identifying the students.

Bottom to top: John Weber, Mary Weber, Byron Trimbell, Linnell Trimbell, Dawn Hobbie, Glenn Hobbie, Bob Krisel, Richard Parsons, Mary Parsons.

This photo has 1958 stamped on it

This photo has 1958 stamped on it. This is one of the few photos in Ed's collection showing Ed.

Easter - Richard Parsons, Mary Parsons, Glenn Hobbie, Bob Krisel, Dawn Hobbie, Linnell Trimbell, Mary Weber, Byron Trimbell, John Weber

Visit to the Delaware Republican offices, probably Spring 1959 - Linnell Trimbell, Carl Waterman, Jim Bathen, Byron Trimbell, XX, XX, Artie Bathen, XX

And if anyone else knows the still unidentified students in the pictures let me know at bovinahistorian@gmail.com.

Here's Ed's high school graduation portrait.  

This entry is being posted today because it is the 100th anniversary of Ed's birth.  Born in Bovina on the family farm on Coulter Brook on February 2, 1914, he was the son of Emil and Marguerite (Butler) Schneider (and the brother of Lillian Hilson).  He taught in a number of schools before and after teaching in Bovina. 

And Mr. Schneider still is with us, only recently having moved to a nursing home.  So Happy 100th Birthday to Ed. Here's a picture celebrating his day.

This picture was on Peg Hilson's Facebook page, so I quietly 'stole' it.  Here's Ed with his nephews Tom and Jim Hilson. I envy his beautiful white hair.