Pulaski County, Illinois
Genealogy Trails
Submitted & Wrote by; Paul E. Echols
ULLIN SCHOOLS
1917-1974 (Page 2)
My sister Rhomane Echols-Webb recalled, as a grade-schooler during the late 1950’s, movies of Francis the Talking Mule (the predecessor of Mr. Ed the talking horse), were shown in the gym as a fund raising event. For one dime, children could come in after school and watch films projected to a screen on the stage. She also recalled one of the reasons she wanted to attend high school at Ullin, was so she could go up-stairs to the second level classrooms and spit water out the window onto grade-schoolers below—like the upper classmen did to her and her friends! Fortunately for grade-schoolers, Ullin consolidated before she made it upstairs.
Many games of marbles and mumblety-peg were played in and around the school building. Mumblety-peg players threw their knives from various positions with the object of having the blade stick firmly in the ground. Often, a loser’s penalty was to pull up a peg, driven into the ground, with his teeth. Mumblety-peg lost favor as political correctness forced pocket knives out of boy’s trousers but marbles continued to flourish. No doubt, buried in the earth where the school once stood, there are marbles that were lost from the pockets of boys, who once wore out the knees on their pants, challenging their classmates in a game of marbles. Just west of the school, several Maple trees shaded a red gravel walkway, parallel to the road, made a great play area for kick ball and other types of recreation during recess. Many of those Maple trees still exist today.
Freshman initiation was something sanctioned at the Ullin High School through the years. While seniors sometimes got carried away with some of the antics, most were harmless and amusing. Freshman girls dressed like boys and boys dressed like girls. Seniors would mark the faces of freshman with lipstick and at times, freshman had to sweep the floor with a broom in front of seniors, as they walked to class. The initiation was discontinued after the school consolidated.
In the early 1900’s a school was created to educate the African American population in and around Ullin. This is of course was before the schools were integrated. The school carried a few names, including the “Black” School, the Westside School, and the Dunbar Grade School. The last building that held the school was known as the Old Bell Chapel. The Bell Chapel still exists today on the west edge of Ullin. While school buses were integrated earlier, the segregation of high school students ended at the beginning of the 1956-1957 school year. The Ullin High School class of 1957 included, for the first time, African American students. Grade school students began attending the Eastside School in about 1963 bringing the end to segregated schools in Ullin.
In 1950, for the first time, the Ullin High School began offering driver education. An article found in an Ullin High School newspaper dated January 13, 1950 states:
The Ullin High School will offer a course in driver education, the last semester of the school year. Through the co-operation of the Wilkins Chevrolet Sales and the AAA, the school has acquired a 1950 model Chevrolet with dual purpose controls. The class will be limited to about ten students because of individual behind the wheel instruction. The instructor of the course, G. L. Patrick, attended a Driver Education Seminar at Champaign, Illinois, last fall to fulfill teacher requirements for such a course.
For many years, Wilkins and then Dickerson Chevrolet provided cars for the driver education program. Dickerson Chevrolet continued to provide cars for the driver education program for many years, even after the consolidation.
In 1957, Ullin celebrated its centennial in a big way. In addition to hosting the largest parade in the small town’s history, several events were held in the Ullin High School gymnasium. A basketball game was held with all the basketball players dressed in only “long johns,” while the cheerleaders wore old fashion dresses and bonnets. A play was held in the UHS gymnasium, which involved the marriage of two local Ullin men (one in drag). A few hundred people attended the mock wedding (the identity of the two men is being withheld as they are still alive and still quite ashamed!).
In the late 1950’s the Ullin School Board, because of increasing expenses, and increasing enrollment, began to discuss the advantages of consolidating with other Pulaski County Schools. While the subject of consolidating was controversial, the advantages convinced the board and it was approved. In 1963, the school districts in Ullin, Karnak, and New Grand Chain agreed to consolidate and Century School District #100 was created. From that point forward, the schools became known as Ullin-Century, Karnak-Century, and Grand Chain-Century Schools. Land was purchased near a central point, on the Ullin-Grand Chain Road (now known as the Shawnee College Road) and a new school was built. The new school housed the 7th through 12th grades (today all grades attend the Century Campus). Early on, the kindergarten class was held at the Century building. During the school years of 1963 and 1964, the three schools merged several functions, including their sport teams and for the first time contended as Century High School Centurions. In the fall of 1964, the new Century High School opened and students began arriving on the new campus. The class of 1965 was the first class to graduate from the new Century High School.
While the 7th through 12 grades were bused to Century High School, the 1st through 6th grades continued to be held in each town, housed in the old school buildings. The Ullin High School then became known as Ullin-Century Grade School. In 1965, some of the grade school teachers at Ullin included: Miss Leona Brust, 1st grade; Mrs. Beatrice Ragsdale, 2nd grade; Mrs. June Taylor, 3rd grade; Mr. Van Lingle, 4th grade; Mr. Ralph Isom, 5th grade; and Mr. Elvis Miller, 6th grade and principal. Cooks at the Ullin Campus during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s included: Sophia Carmen, Mae Sichling, Ruth Echols-McClellan, Florence Brown, Erma Richards, and many others.
Field trips and senior trips were of course part of the Ullin School experience. One of the field trips made frequently by grade school students included riding the Illinois Central Railroad passenger train in the days when it stopped daily in Ullin. The children would catch the train at Ullin and ride it south to Cairo, where they would disembark and be picked up by an Ullin School bus. The trip generally included a stop by the Cairo Evening Citizen for a tour and group photo. The group then drove over the Mississippi and Ohio River Bridge on the school bus. After lunch at the Cairo Whataburger Restaurant, the group would return to school.
A long lasting tradition at Ullin High School was the senior trips. For several years, UHS Seniors safely traveled to many places. Some of the locations included: The Smokey Mountains and Gatlinburg, Tennessee, St. Augustine, Florida, New Orleans, Louisiana, and others places near and far. The night before the trip, seniors would decorate the bus, marking it with their names and the name of the destination. On one trip, bus driver, “Baldy” Echols convinced a security officer at the Daytona 500 Raceway, to allow him to drive the Ullin High School bus and those seniors aboard, around the speedway. Even today, those seniors who were aboard the bus remember that lap around the Daytona 500 on an Ullin School Bus.
Many Ullin students walked to school when weather permitted. One of the crossing guards, who helped students across U. S. Highway 51, while on their way to and from school was Mr. Al Peeler. It took many individuals like Mr. Peeler to help keep the students safe as they traveled to and from school.
Many excellent teachers, staff and administrators passed through the doors of the Ullin School. During my conversation with Miss Brust and others, they recalled some of the teachers who taught at the Ullin School. They included (in no particular order): Miss E. Cantral, Miss Truly Minton, Miss Anna Bishop, Miss Lilly, Miss Aletha Palmer, Miss Edith Bishop, Miss Mary Wiggins, Mr. Artie Brown, Mr., Arlie Woolard, Mrs. Cornenia Bise, Mrs. Dorothy Bise, Miss Casper, Mrs. Afton Johnson, Mr. Clement Johnson, Mr. A Eddleman (Principal), Miss Ruth Stroud, Mr. Corby Carlock, Mr. Eugene Werner (Principal), Miss Naomi Ross, Mr. Holbert Sitter (Principal), Mr. Roy Smith, Mr. Alfred Cross, Mrs. Beatrice Ragsdale, Ms. Eunice Slayter, Mr. Allen Edwards (Principal), Mr. Benson Britton (Principal and Teacher), Mr. Guy Runyan (Principal), Mr. Loren Lemon (Principal), Mrs. Ford, Mr. Lavern. Patrick, Mr. John Mings, Mr. Thomas Baston (Principal), Mr. Troy Pierce (Principal), Mr. Charles Mayfied (Principal), Mr. Leo Cummings (Principal), Miss Annabelle Hassler, Mrs. Francis Bondurant, Mr. Bob Robinson, Mr. Ted Hase, Mrs. Sanford, Mrs. Gail Ritter Johnson, Mrs. Kay Miller, Mr. Ron Ellis, Mrs. Shirley Adkins Law, Mr. David Sistler, Mr. Russell Inman, Mrs. Betty Inman, Mr. Leland Wells, Mr. Eggiman, Mr. Shenosky, Mr. Haddox, Mr. Leland Wells, Mr. Charles Lamer, Mr. Harold Herring and Mrs. Ruth Littell.
Two of the few African American teachers who taught at the Ullin Eastside School were Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Hopkins. They also taught at the Ullin Westside School prior to segregation and were substitute teachers at Century High School after consolidation. The husband and wife team experienced a long teaching career in Pulaski County and were highly respected by students and teachers alike.
Another highly respected teacher was Mr. Alfred E. Cross. Mr. Cross taught school for 40 years, beginning in Kentucky and Florida before landing at Ullin High School. He taught, coached, and even drove the bus in the early days. Mr. Cross taught at Ullin High School and later moved to the Century School when it opened. Among many things, Mr. Cross was famous for the phrase “boy, don’t steal my biscuits” when students interrupted him in the class.
Two of many secretaries through the years were Betty Bingaman Taake and Lucile Sickling Davis.
There were several teachers who transcended the generations of students at the Ullin School. Most of these teachers began their careers in small country schools and were dedicated to the profession. Many stayed after school and volunteered their time to coach and mentor young lives. We owe so much to these special men and women who touched our lives.
My father, Maurice “Baldy” Echols worked at the Ullin School from 1948 until his death in 1972. He enjoyed working at the school and in addition to engineering and janitorial duties, drove a school bus for the Ullin School District. Dad was a popular school bus driver and was the choice for many senior trips that journeyed hundreds of miles without an accident. My mother, Doris would also go along for the trips as a chaperone. I can remember Ullin High School Seniors coming over to our house the day before the trip and decorating the bus for the trip. The decorations included many creative phrases written on the outside of the bus like, “New Orleans or Bust,” or “Constipated, Can’t Pass a Thing,” just to name a few.
During cold weather, my father would get up early and go to the school building to get a fire going in the boiler. He would then return home for breakfast with the rest of our family. He then would leave home with the school bus to begin his route. My dad’s day did not end until the school was cleaned late in the evening. Students arriving in the winter to a warm school probably never guessed how much work went into getting the school ready before their arrival. I was very much aware of what efforts my dad put forward to get the school ready. As I grew up, I would go with my dad down into the boiler room hidden below the north east corner of the school. For many years, the coal was moved by shovel from the coal room to the boiler. After the coal burned, the cinders would be removed and placed in a wheel barrel. The only way to remove the cinders was to push the heavy wheel barrel up a steep walkway and dump them outside near the cafeteria. This was hard work but my dad made it look easy. I can remember taking the challenge of pushing the cinder laden wheel barrel up the concrete ramp to the dumping area. Sometimes, I would need an extra boost from my dad’s strong hands. Eventually, an electric auger system was installed and coal was moved from the coal room into a coal bins near the two boilers. Some shoveling was still needed, but not as much as before. Even though the system became more automated, the removal of cinders remained a manual process. In about 1971, the system was converted to natural gas, ending the dusty laborious work of coal fired boilers. As the years have passed, I have learned that many older boys found the boiler room as a place of refuge to escape the stresses of school. It was place where my father would allow senior boys to sneak a cigarette and relax without getting in trouble. Of course smoking in those days was more socially acceptable than it is today.
My three older sisters became supplemental school janitors as they grew up. For many years, after school, they were required to help clean. One of my sisters related that my dad had to remind them that sweeping beside the desks was not good enough, that they actually had to move the desks and sweep underneath them. She also told me they were reminded the rooms were not round as my dad noticed they were ignoring the corners. My sister Rhomane also told me that cleaning blackboards was also one of the after school chores. She said she once decided if the furniture polish was good enough to clean the desks, it would be excellent for the blackboard. My sister said she was very proud of Miss Brust’s shiny blackboard. However, the next day, Miss Brust did not find the shiny blackboard as exciting. In fact, Miss Brust was unable to write on her blackboard for a few days. Needless to say, my father removed the furniture polish from her arsenal of cleaning products. As we grew up, one of the cleaning activities my sisters and I enjoyed was sitting on top of the electric floor buffer as our dad polished floors. I think the extra ballast increased the shine. I think our dad did it just to humor us.
For many summers, my dad managed a full crew of young people who were generally hired by the Federal CETA Program. The summer was spent stripping floors and repainting rooms. While the work was hard, everyone seemed to have a good time. Working at the school during the summer was the first paying job for many kids.
The location where the brick Ullin School existed is quiet today. The Ullin School building was vacated after the end of school in May 1973. Many reasons were given for abandoning the building. At the same time, the Karnak school building was also abandoned consolidating the grade schools at the newer Grand Chain School building. One of the reasons were Federally mandated safety improvements that were cost prohibitive. Another was the declining number of students. Whatever the reason, without being used, the building began to deteriorate quickly. On December 3, 1973, the Ullin Village Board agreed to take over the gymnasium at the Ullin School site hoping to preserve at least part of the complex. On October 7, 1974, The Ullin Village Board appropriated $2,500 dollars and purchased what had been the Ullin High School property including all buildings. On November 14, 1977, the Ullin Village Board voted to tear down the abandoned school building, which by this time had become a target for vandals. Ironically, the vote of the Ullin Village Board resulted in the destruction of what another board 60 years earlier voted to build. The Ellis Construction Company of Murphysboro removed the building a few years later. The bricks were salvaged and somewhere in the Midwest, the bricks that once made up the walls of the Ullin School survive in the walls of other buildings. The remaining buildings at the school complex, with exception of the gym, were used for storage for a period of years, but were eventually torn down. The old Agricultural building was torn down many years ago. The cafeteria existed until about 2004 when it too was finally removed.
The gravel parking lot where young men once parked their cherished hot rods, and where school busses entered and exited, is vacant now. The school yard is today void of school bells and the chatter and squeals of school children playing during recess. The squeak of the old school playground equipment is now gone.
The children, who play on new playground equipment located nearby today, have no idea that many of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents once played on similar equipment only yards away. The old gymnasium, now known as the Leona Brust Civic Center, still stands as a symbol of days-gone-bye. Members of the now defunct Ullin Civic Club and Village of Ullin Officials are to be commended for their actions which resulted in saving and refurbishing the old gym. The late Bob Cheek (owner and operator for years of Cheek’s Shell, Cheeko’s Restaurant, and Cheek’s Best Inn) and the late June Reagan (Ullin news correspondent) were instrumental in their own way in saving the old gym. Bob Cheek, Bill Beggs and Ocal Mowery labored months to restore the building. There are many others who remain nameless.
Time continues to march on and memories fade as those who attended school in Ullin grow older. The few that live today, who attended the first Ullin School, are now reaching the century mark. Those who last attended the brick school in Ullin are reaching middle age. No matter how old, each share a common bond. They obtained either part or all of their primary education in an Ullin School building. This elite group, who attended school in Ullin, will forever carry those memories with them. As a member of this elite group, it is important we never forget our roots and the significance the Ullin Schools and those teachers who taught in those schools made in our lives. The memories will fade, and the students will continue to pass away, but history will never forget.
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