This time, instead of a history article, we’re having an historical picture. This picture shows a group of students at Rising Fawn Junior High. At this time, Rising Fawn went through the ninth grade, and we’re guessing that this might be the ninth-grade group. I know that my uncle, who is in the picture, was born in 1925, so I would estimate the picture was taken around 1939 or so.
We couldn’t identify every person, but we’re hoping that someone might be able to identify the unknowns for us. I’ve given the girls’ married names when we knew them. Thanks to my mother Verenice Hawkins for identifying most of them.
Front Row: Clara Belle Steele Bridges, Dee Bell, Elizabeth Forester Davis, Unknown, Mary Lou (Jo) Morgan Brown Wilkie, Kathleen Warren Page, Hester Bell.
Back Row: Unknown, H.G. Hawkins, Unknown, Brody Hawkins, Teacher/Principal, Max Forester.
Brody Hawkins is my father and he was born in 1927. One year when his class was overcrowded, he was moved up a grade and so ended up in the same class as his older brother H.G. Hawkins, born in 1925. My mother believes that one of the unknown boys might be Ed Bible. My father greatly admired their principal Max Forester. Forester taught and was a principal at Rising Fawn and Trenton, before becoming principal at Lakeview High School in Catoosa County.
The only person in the picture that I know is still living is Mary Lou (Jo) Brown Wilkie.
Please contact me, Linda Wilson at lanew@tvn.net if you can identify any of the unknowns.
--Linda Hawkins Wilson
