Evans.Nell.1983.Union.OBIT

Appeared in The Sturgis News, Oct. 12, 1983, I have a photocopy with a few
lines at the bottom cut off :(

NELL EVANS, TEACHER FOR 40 YEARS PASSES AWAY ON WEDNESDAY.

When Nell Evans of Sturgis, died last Wednesday, she took a little history
with her. For not only had she taught American history through many ofher
forty years as an instructor, she had lived a slice of it as well.

Nell's father was a champion tobacco farmer in the Pride Community of Union
County. Only once in all his years of growing the broad leafed plant did he
miss a season of harvesting the leaf. Even then he set out two hundred
tobacco plants so as to have enough tobacco seed to sell to his neighbors.
He was noted as the best burley grower in these parts, accordign to Nell's
brother H'Earl Eans.

She came from a typically large rural family of nine children, all born in
Union County and all but one born in the same house near Pride (now the home
of nephew Billy Joe Evans).

Brother H'Earl maintains that he was closest to Nell among the brothers and
sisters, adding that as a rule his sister was "very independent and self
sufficient". He observed, "I think that's what hurt her in her last years;
having to ask other people for help when she got older just went against her
grain. She would apologize for needing aid from others."

The class room became her second home. After graduating from Sturgis High
around 1920, and from Western Kentucky College, she continued her love of
teaching. Comments H'Earl, "she got her education the same way a lot of
teachers did in that day, she taught in the autumn and winter and went to
summer school."

Nell's early days of teaching touched home with a colorful era of education
- - the one room school house.  Her first assignment was instructorship of 
the "Pond Fork" school house on Number Nine Camp road near Sturgis.  After 
about two years there of slate tablets, an apple a day, and a wood stove she
taught at an equally compact school, "the Clements School" near Uniontown.
Consolidation of many small schools in the county channeled Nell into the
Pride School. As the county continued the trend of consolidation, the
teacher followed the flow moving to teach at Sturgis,and finally at Union
County High School.
(missing part of it here, it picks back up with -) that school.

The Pride native never chose to marry. H'Earl explains, "I think if Nell
were here and you asked her why she never married, she'd tell you that she
just never saw a man she wanted. It's not that she didn't like men, she
liked everyone, but marriage wasn't in her catalog."

The scholarly, Nell, funneled hours of her time into the study of history.
She once found two glaring errors in a history text book that the high
school was using for the first time. She wrote the author and demanded an
explanation. The author wrore back that he had no explanation, only an
admittance of the mistake. Nell never told the students of the boo boo,
feeling it might undermine their confidence in the course.

                                        ****            *****

Miss Nell Evans, 79, died, 11pm Wednesday, Oct 5 at Union County Hospital.

Surviving are one brother, H'Earl Evans of Sturgis.

Services were held Saturday, October 8, at Pride Baptist Church with Rev.
Doris Fulkerson officiating.

Burial was in Pride - Bordley Odd Fellows Cemetery. 

(my note, Nell born Dec.15, 1903 - died Oct. 5, 1983 )


Contributed by: Maria & Tim Troutman <troutman@snoopy.bunt.com>
Date: 5 Jun 1997