Our records show that in 1893, 1894, 1895, and 1896 that a Mr. [E. F.] SANDERS was Superintendent. There was no graduating class in 1897.

L. J. LITTLE was Superintendent in 1899 and 1900. He was followed by Charles MURRAY as Superintendent through 1908; R. E. DAVENPORT in 1909. No graduating class in 1910. E. J. ENGLE was Superintendent in 1911 and 1912; Jas. L. McCRORY, 1913 through 1916; 1917; W. J. DENNIS in 1918 & 1919; Mae F. COIE and J. E. BENUKE in 1920. Chas. E. KARN became Superintendent in 1921 and remained through 1924; he was succeeded by J. J. HURWITZ from 1925 through 1933. Delbert PIDGEON came in 1934 and was our Superintendent until 1938. W. K. SAVILLE was in charge for two years and then M. H. OBERMEIER was Superintendent through the year 1944. Following him was H. C. WISEMAN in 1945 and Gladys KIBURZ from 1946 through 1948 when Gayland McGINNIS came for the following two years. M. H. OBERMEIER returned in 1951 and was in the Tingley School System as Superintendent until it was reogranized in 1960.

Tingley Vindicator
Tingley, Ringgold County, Iowa
May 28, 1903

Charles MURRAY was born in [Greenfield] Ohio [February 8] 1876, and moved to Iowa in 1881. He attended school in Russell until he was fifteen years of age. He attended school at Humeston Normal school one year; taught in rural schools one year and a half, and in Chariton Academy one winter.

He went to Woodburn, Clarke county, as principal in 1895 and remained there two years. He was also at Lucas two years.

In 1899, he was in Drake [University, Des Moines], teaching in the Academy, and taking work in college.

He came to Tingley in 1900 where he still [1903] has charge of the school. He has attended the summer sessions of Drake for the past seven years - except last year [1903] he attended Chicago University. He goes to Drake this summer as assistant in Zoology.

Leaving Tingley in 1908, Professor MURRAY was director, and finally director emeritus, of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University. He retired [1954] to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and passed away [January 21, 1962] at that location.

NOTE: Dr. MURRAY received a Bachelor of Pedagogy from Drake University in 1906, a Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State Univesity in 1910, and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Iowa State University in 1912. He was the Superintendent of Lucas and Tingley High Schools from 1896 to 1908. He worked for Iowa State Collge [present-day ISU] as Instructor of Bacteriology from 1908 to 1912; Associate Professor as a Bacteriologist in Veterinary Pathology from 1912 to 1914; Head of Department of Veterinary Research 1914-1916; Professor and Head of Veterinary Researc Institute 1916-1943; Professor and Head of the Department of Hygiene and Dean of Veterinary Division 1936-1943. He was named Dean Emeritus in 1948.
Dr. MURRAY was an active member of the Iowa State Veterinary Association, the American Veterinary Medicine Association, the Osborn Research Club, Sigma XI, Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Zeta and Gamma Signma Delta. His research interests included the enteritis of swine, brucellosis and avian leukosis complex.

'Obie' was what he went by . . . He came to Tingley as Superintendent, Coach and Math Teacher in 1940, was with us through 1945, then moved on to Beaconsfield and Shannon City, but returned to Tingley in 1951, and was here through the last graduating class in 1959. . . in fact, I've heard him say that they had to 'close the school to get him out!'

Obie appeared to be a very gruff man but it didn't take anyone very long to discover that he was kind-hearted. He worked well with both the boys and girls and was very much respected by all.

Obie was a fine teacher, but he will be remembered for his love of sports. He took girls' basketball teams to the State Tournament in 1952, 1954, and again in 1957. Also, the boys' baseball team played in the State Tournament in the Fall of 1951. (See Tingley High School Sports.)

Obie, Editha and Lynn were very much a part of Tingley's history! He passed away in 1964.

NOTE: Melvin Hanks OBERMEIER, son of Theodore and Bertha (HANKS) OBERMEIER, was born in New London, Henry County, Iowa, on March 17, 1903, and died in Mount Ayr on December 15, 1964. Editha Arleen (DeGARMO) OBERMEIER, daughter of Edd and Beatrice (DANIELS) DeGARMO, was born August 13, 1905, New London, Iowa, and died at the age of 98 years on January 29, 2004, Mount Ayr Health Care Center, Mount Ayr. They were interred at Burge Cemetery, New London, Iowa.

SOURCE: Tingley, Iowa Centennial: 1883 - 1983. Pp. 139, 143, 157. PSI, Inc. Belmond IA. 1983.

www.lib.iastate.edu/arch/rgrp/14-1-14.html

Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library, September of 2011