Livingood, Anna E. died 1929

STACY, LIVINGOOD

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 11/22/2003 at 07:16:23

ANNA E. LIVINGOOD

Elkader Register, July 1929

Anna died July 18, 1929

The funeral services for Miss Anna Livingood, whose death in California, was mentioned in the Register of last week, were held at the home and at the Congregational church Sunday afternoon, July 28, Rev. Kilbourn officiating, and interment was in the East Side cemetery with her parents.

The following brief sketch of her life as given to us shows that practically her whole life was given to teaching.

Anna E. Livingood, eldest child of the late Mr. and Mrs. David Livingood was born and reared at Elkader and receiving her early education in the public schools here. Graduating at an early age, passing a first grade examination for a teacher's certificate at the age of 15 years under the guidance of Prof. J. E. Webb, who recommended her as the most brilliant student he had ever sent out from the Elkader High school up to the time of her graduation in 1883.

She began her profession as a teacher in District No. 6 Boardman Twp. She advanced rapidly till she accumulated sufficiently to take her to her chosen school, the Iowa State Teacher's College. She graduated there with the class of 1891, completing a four year course in less than three years.

She was principal of the High school at Bedford, Iowa, and Fairfield, Iowa. The call for broader fields came to her and she accepted principalships at Miles City, Montana, and Pueblo, Colorado. She continued her further education and teaching in her chosen state, beautiful California. She lead a busy life for the cause of education and teaching, in Eureka, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino.

She spent most of her vacations instructing in Teacher's Institutes and attending universities for self advancement. Completing a Commercial course during one of her vacations in California. She was a graduate of three schools, held State Certificates in four states and gave the last 21 years of her life to the schools of San Bernardino, Calif., where she was taken seriously ill July 16 and passed to the great beyond July 18, 1929, leaving to mourn her departure one sister, Miss Mattie Livingood, and one brother David Edward Livingood, at home in Elkader.

That Miss Livingood's character and ability was appreciated, is shown by the statement given on behalf of the San Bernardino board of education and published in the papers there. It is as follows:

"Miss Livingood has lived in the lives of her former students long after these left her classrooms. Many of the younger business men and women of San Bernardino and thousands of boys and girls who have been under her firm but kindly approach and interest in their personal problems. Miss Livingood was especially enthusiastic over sports and athletics. Until the last year or two when she was physically unable, she was a regular attendant at many of the high school athletic events. Her entire life was given to education and to the children who came within her contact. Even within the past two weeks many of her former students called at her home."

Rev. Kilbourn in his sermon paid a beautiful and well deserved tribute to her life as a teacher and molder of the character of youth, a service covering over four decades.

Following Mr. Kilbourn, Valmah T. Price, a schoolmate and also a lifelong friend of the family gave the following eulogy:

Forty-one years a teacher; twenty-one years in one city. A great teacher is gone. I say a great teacher and mean every word of it. None other that a great teacher can stay on and on thru 21 years in one city. Politics, petty jealousies or falling behind in the march of progress, usually terminate a teacher's career long before any such record is made, her guidance will always rememb- and not man, speaks more eloquently of her ability than can any appreciation by the Board, superintendent or the press, now that her lips are stilled and hearing gone.

Anna was somewhat older than I and in a class or two ahead of me at school. Never-the-less we may be said to have grown up from childhood together. We had the same teachers, were members of the same H. S. Literary Society, and I had ample opportunity to measure her ability, industry and judgment. She was not infrequently called upon to take charge of the classes both in the high school and in the grades. J. E. Webb and J. N. Hamilton, very different in their teaching methods, were her teachers and mine for six years. She had early determined to become a teacher and she studied their methods. Both were great teachers and she profited enormously by her experience under them.

She was possessed of a marvelous memory, fine reasoning power and splended intellect. She loved the outdoors, animals and children. I have heard her grow eloquent on a horse or a dog many times. I have heard her analyse some dirty, mischievous boy time and again and find excuses for the things he did to the annoyance of others and wind up by saying: "How I love the little rascal."

She was a girl and at a time when girls did not engage in all the sports of boys she was ever ready to take a hand in their games. It is said in press accounts of her passing that during her years at San Bernardino she was always present at their contests encouraging this player and that and consoling the losers with words of cheer. She was almost as important to their successes as the coach and loved far more.

Garfies once said "School houses are the fortifications of the Republic." The truth of this was then only suspected but is now everywhere recognized.

The children gathered in the school houses of the land, are the rookies soon to march forth trained and equipped to guard the supreme law of the land, the constitution, against never ceasing attacks both open and covert.

The teachers who watch over these rookies day after day, month after month and year after year, are the captains. They organize their work and their play. They aid them in the acquisition of knowledge, they teach them to be honorable and truthful. They teach them to be generous in victory and cheerful in defeat. They teach the beauty and wisdom of our form of government; the history of the long struggles in England and the Colonies that made the constitution possible and of the never ending struggles to preserve it. They send these rookies out into the world ready and equipped for the battles of life and firm in the purpose that the Government at Washington shall live.

Ordinarily, so brief are their commissions, that worth or lack of it, in these Teacher-Captains remains undiscovered and neither words of encouragement are whispered to them or praise spoken of them. Those who stay on year after year usually make substantial monetary sacrifices. They do it because they are in love with their profession and with their children.

The voices and laughter of children, the unfolding of many and varied minds, the victories and defeats, their progress are to them as great a joy and stimulus as the buds and fragrant flowers of a well kept garden to the gardner. There is this difference, the flowers of the garden throw out their gorgeously colored petals, wither and die, while the gardner turns to new-comers and new loves. Not so the rookies of the Teacher-Captain. Their interests have been awakened, their ambitions whetted and their desire to grow up good men and good women aroused and the Teacher-Captain thru-out years, not seasons, follows them thru rejoicing in their successes, sorrowing in their defeats and ever ready to lend a helping hand. She is happy when they become leaders in the civic or religious life of their communities. She grieves greatly when one of her boys or girls goes astray. Anna was an outstanding Teacher-Captain and her work will be reflected thru long years in the army of good citizens she has sent forth.

Some one has said that the country carpenter who in his declining years rides about the countryside and looks upon the white farm houses and red barns and granaries he had built has as much or more reason to contemplate his work with pride than any other. The statement needs re-examination.

The research worker who wrings from Nature one of her myriad secrets; the inventor who adapts it to man's use; the painter of a Madonna or a Saint or who catches the passing beauty of a landscape and fixes it upon canvas for the ages; the architect of a vast building of state, a great emporium, a magnificent cathedral; the designer of a span across a raging stream would seem to have an even better justification for their pride of achievement. But these though are the product of a brilliant mind, a vivid imagination, fixed determination and perserverance working with animate objects.

Not so the teacher. She works upon human minds, human fears, human superstitions, human desires and human wills and largely shapes human lives. She sees young men and young women go from her classes directly or shortly, into a busy world. She sees them struggle toward the goal they have chosen. And when thru long years she serves, or lives in, the same community, she is ever ready with a word of cheer or encouragement. She becomes their confidant and adviser. She is their never failing fountain of good counsel to whom they go more often than we know.

Anna knew everybody in San Bernardino and everybody knew Anna. Its business men, its professional men, its civic leaders, its club women, its laborers, had no hesitancy in going to Anna for help. And Anna answered every appeal to the extent of her ability. She helped boys and girls find places to work that they might go on with school work. She helped them with money when in need. She helped them after they left school and misfortunes overtook them. Anna was a great teacher, a great captain, a valued friend, adviser and splendid citizen.

Great is the consolation of her who dies in the contemplation of a well spent life. Great indeed must have been Anna's consolation. Her consolation should be your comfort.