Butch Remembers School Secretaries

   School will be starting up here again soon. The kids are eager to see their friends, teachers and coaches after the summer break. They also want to see another favorite person…the school secretary! In the good old days, most small schools here in the county did without the services of a school secretary. The principal, with the help of the school trustee, did the bookkeeping and took charge of all accounts . . . ticket sales, paychecks, supplies, etc. High school girls often helped out in the office by greeting visitors, answering the phone and doing a limited amount of record keeping. But as enrollments increased in the 1950s, most schools decided to hire a full-time school secretary.

   Just like the school custodian, the school secretary was a “jack of all trades.” Their duties included recording grades, typing reports and letters, monitoring accounts payable and receivable, sorting and distributing mail, preparing memos, depositing funds, answering the phone and greeting visitors and typing up lunch menus and announcements. And to top it off, the school secretary was the unofficial school nurse…taking a student’s temperature, administering first aid and passing out aspirin and band-aids. Sometimes just a soothing and calm voice was all that was needed to make a young child feel better so they could return to the classroom.

   For many teachers and students, the secretary was a trusted counselor and confidante. Teachers, in particular, often voiced their concerns, worries and gripes to the secretary, who patiently listened to all of their troubles. High school girls asked for advice about boyfriends and affairs of the heart. Little kids might have the secretary call their home and explain why they happened to forget their lunch pail that morning. The school secretary never complained about all of these unofficial duties. They enjoyed their job, and wouldn’t have traded it for anything.

   One of the longest serving secretaries at Darlington school was Edythe Cain. She was like a second mother to all 500 children in grades 1 through 12. She related this to me. “My job was more than being a school secretary. I know where the expression ‘butcher, baker, candlestick maker’ came from. No two days were the same. Each day was a new challenge, and there were many interruptions in each day’s work, but I loved every minute of it.”

   The Class of 1964 dedicated their yearbook to Edythe…”Mrs. Cain has always been ready with a kind word when we were low, the needed encouragement when we were doubtful of our own abilities, and the suggestions that made our thoughts fall into place. Ever considerate, our Mrs. Cain, tempering her remarks with compassion, no matter her state of health, quick and to the point when necessary, quietly helping when needed, always with time to listen to our small problems, and always quietly helping in our personal moments of crisis.”

   When Darlington school closed, Edythe told me, “The building that was my school, my son’s school, and even some of my grandchildren’s school…will be no longer. I will miss it greatly. Saying goodbye to my wonderful school family of kids and teachers was just heart breaking.”

   To all of the school secretaries that served, and those who now serve our schools here in Montgomery county, we appreciate your work and dedication.

John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 36 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.