Teacher?s forward thinking provides glimpse of Viola School?s history

After the new building was finished in Viola, schoolteacher Edna Talley and her second-grade class moved into their new room on April 4, 1955. To commemorate the event, she put together a scrapbook page of her students.

Although not much is known about why she decided to commemorate the event, the explanation may be with Talley herself, as she enjoyed genealogy and history. According to her nephew, Charles Talley, ?She also traced our family ancestry back to Irish decent.?

What we do know is Mrs. Talley obtained pictures of each of the children and placed them on a poster board and wrote their names under each one. Along the bottom she typed:

?Not pictured: Robert Fults, Junior Gann, Gerald Harris, and Jim King. This second grade class, 1954-1955, were the first to occupy this room. They moved in on April 4, 1955. Three members of this class withdrew before they moved to the new building: Jerry Porter, Roger Porter and Joyce Smith.?

For the children in her class who are now adults, many remember moving into the new building as a very special time, which could also explain why she wanted to remember.

John Locke, who still resides in Viola, remembers Ms. Talley, ?I knew her all my life. I don?t remember my second grade, so I?ll be interested to see the photo. I do remember moving into the new building. The old gym floor was made of wood and when it rained there would be puddles everywhere. The new one was made of concrete. They tore the old building down shortly after we moved into the new building. I just didn?t remember that I was in second grade at the time.?

Remembering the second grade is not a problem for Susan Galligan Martin.

?I remember Ms. Talley. I remember Betty Ramsey and George Thaxton. I could probably name several more,? Martin said. ?I also remember the old school. It was scary. The building was old and the boards squeaked. I was there from the first grade to half of the second grade. It was something to move into the new building.?

Charles came across this piece of his aunt?s past after she passed away recently. After realizing that this time in his aunt?s life must have been special to her, he wanted to share this story with others.

?I just thought it was amazing that she held onto that for so many years,? said Charles. ?Now it?s something that I want to hold onto, because it must have meant so much to her.?

Edna Talley was a teacher in the Warren County School System for 42 years in different schools including Vervilla, Viola, Morrison, Irving College, West Elementary, William Biles and Central High School. She passed away on April 16, 2006.