Remembering a teacher and a coach

Around 1920, Oscar Edwards, a graduate of Wiley High School in Terre Haute, Indiana, won first place in the long jump at the IHSAA State Finals with a leap of 20 feet, 20-1/2 inches. Edwards not only made his mark around the track, but also in education.

A graduate of Indiana State Normal, Edwards earned a degree in physical education in 1929. He then started his master’s degree at Indiana State Teachers College, but left in 1931 when a job opened up at Booker T. Washington High School in Miami. A physical education teacher, Edwards also coached football and basketball. Eventually, he earned graduate degrees from Indiana State Teachers College and Indiana University.

According to Vigo County Historian Mike McCormick, “Throughout his teaching career, Edwards was outspoken in his efforts to improve the academic environment for black children. His reputation for activism may have affected his advancement but, in 1963, he was named assistant principal at Miami’s George Washington Carver High School.”

McCormick shares Edwards’ story in “Wabash Valley Profiles, a series of tributes to hometown heroes who have made a difference.” This series was presented by First Financial Bank. Edwards’ tribute appeared in 2006.

Union Christian College: progressive for its day

In tiny Merom, Ind., a progressive college opened its doors in 1859. Union Christian College was a co-educational school where women were encouraged to enroll in any class that men took.

Pictured at right is the Linconian Hall, so named in honor of President Lincoln in 1863. The Linconian Society met in this room.

Union Christian College closed its doors in 1924. For the next 12 years, the facility was opened only in the summer for various camps. In 1936, the campus was reopened as the Merom Institute. Owned by the Indiana-Kentucky Conference of the United Church of Christ, the facility is now known as the Merom Conference Center.

This image is part of the Sullivan County Public Library collection. Check out a larger image of the Linconian Hall.

Leading child psychologist a Terre Haute native

One of the country’s leading child psychologists in the early to mid-twentieth century was born and raised in Terre Haute, Ind. Paul A. Witty entered this world July 23, 1898, at 1423 Poplar St. During his years in Terre Haute he matriculated at Wiley High School and then Indiana State Normal, the forerunner of Indiana State University.

Paul continued his education, earning a master’s degree in education from Columbia University. In 1931, he received his PhD from Columbia. Dr. Witty spent his career as a professor of education at Northwestern University. Additionally, Paul helped to establish “The Quiz Kids” radio program. After returning home from World War II, he worked with the television show by the same name.

Dr. Witty’s papers have been preserved in the Northwestern University Archives.

The article about Dr. Witty by Vigo County Historian Mike McCormick appeared in the June 9, 2005, issue of the Terre Haute Tribune-Star. The ad, Wabash Valley Profiles: A series of tributes to hometown people and events that have shaped our history, was sponsored by Terre Haute First Financial Bank.

It’s back to school time!

Soon, students of all ages will be returning to school — hitting the books and getting back into a routine. The sweet days of summer are quickly coming to an end.

This fantastic photograph at right shows three young women with their luggage returning to school at what is now known as Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind. This photograph is from the Martin’s Photo Shop collection. Martin’s Photo Shop was once located in downtown Terre Haute on Wabash Avenue from 1906 to 1976.

The photograph shows Eiko Nishimura, Carolyn Huntington and Beverly Lebo. Learn more about this image.

The photo is part of the collection of the Indiana State University Archives.

Honoring a Terre Haute educator

“Imbued with an insatiable desire to improve her skills, Sarah Scott was an unpretentious Terre Haute school teacher for 40 years.”

This descriptive sentence of educator Sarah Scott (1856-1915) begins a Wabash Valley Profiles ad sponsored by Terre Haute First National (Financial) Bank and written by Vigo County Historian Mike McCormick. The ad appeared in the Aug. 30, 2001, issue of the Terre Haute Tribune-Star.

Indeed, Sarah Scott was “imbued with an insatiable desire” for education. Soon after graduating from Terre Haute High School in 1874, Sarah enrolled at Indiana State Normal. While teaching school, she spent her summers attending classes in Chautauqua, N.Y. She pursued classes via correspondence and enrolled in more summer classes. Sarah later earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Indiana University.

Two years after her death in 1915, the Terre Haute School Board voted to name a new school at the corner of Ninth and Minshall streets in her honor. Today, Sarah Scott Middle School is still one of the fine schools in the Vigo County School Corporation.

To view this ad more closely, click here.

Turkey Day Game

Thanksgiving and football — at one time in Terre Haute, Ind., these two things were inseparable. In the late 1990s, Mike McCormick, Vigo County historian, wrote about the Wiley-Garfield Turkey Day Game in an ad sponsored by Terre Haute First National (Financial) Bank, Wabash Valley Profiles: A series of tributes to hometown people and events that have shaped our history.

In this article, McCormick noted that for nearly 40 years, a football game was held on this holiday. By 1953, the game was no longer played on Thanksgiving, but the Turkey Day Game moniker stuck.

The victor of the Turkey Day Game took home the prized bronze turkey. With school consolidation in the early 1970s, the turkey trophy found a home at the Vigo County Historical Museum, 1411 S. 6th Street, Terre Haute.

To read the entire Turkey Day Game profile, click here. To view images from Wiley High School, visit here. To view Garfield High School memories, click here.

The Educational Heritage Association collection also features memorabilia from Vigo County schools. The association is a volunteer-based organization focused on collecting, preserving, and promoting education in the Wabash Valley.