| 59 | Our Home Town | 59 |
that time they were all living and kept in touch with each other by round robin letters. Not long after Celia's letter was written Burton Richardson died. The April, 1954, roll call of the class of 1899 follows:
Burton Richardson—Chicago, IllinoisErnest Bean—Madison, WisconsinA. James Tisdale—Union, IowaE. John Tisdale—Zearing, IowaGrace Bean Campbell—Zearing, IowaOllie Schuler Bryant—Chino, CaliforniaNina Cook Matison—Earlville, IllinoisCelia Mead Schuler—Welcome, Minnesota
George W. Phillips, county superintendent of schools, presented the diplomas to the class of 1899.
The Zearing school was enlarged to four rooms in 1899. The four teachers starting the fall term in 1899 were :
Frank Bronson—PrincipalDenison A. Tisdale—6th, 7th, 8thLena Richardson—4th, 5thLouise Heidenreich—1st, 2nd, 3rd
Zearing teachers for the fall term of 1900 were:
Denison A. Tisdale—PrincipalAgnes Arnett—7th, 8thLena Richardson—4th, 5th, 6thLouise Heidenreich—1st, 2nd, 3rd
Denison A. Tisdale was elected the principal of the Gilman, Iowa, school in the spring of 1903. He moved to Gilman in July, 1903.
In the fall of 1903 there were two teachers in the high school.
George Failor—Superintendent—1903-05Hattie McCall Roberts—1903-05
The following superintendents served during the period 1905-1921:
| Austin Johnson | 1905-06 | Ben M. Smith | 1914-16 |
| Frank S. White | 1906-07 | John H. Wetzler | 1916-18 |
| Ira Bradley | 1907-08 | Donald M. Smith | 1918- |
| Asa Woods | 1908-09 | (Resigned to enter the | |
| Frank Faggart | 1909-12 | armed services) | |
| S. R. Davis | 1912-13 | Clara Grimm | 1918-20 |
| Walter Ernst | 1913-14 | A. B. Ward | 1920-21 |
The voters did not approve consolidation at the first election. The issue was not approved until November 28, 1919. At the election held on that date the town voted 123 to 9 in favor. The vote in the country was 72 to 43 in favor.