Remembering a beloved teacher

Everyone has a favorite teacher, an instructor who inspired and challenged them.

For two generations of Cape Girardeans, that most esteemed teacher was May Greene. She was so beloved that a school in the south end of town was named for her. To this day, the pocket park at the northeast corner of Themis and Fountain streets bears her name.

Seventy-five years ago this week, Miss May passed away.

Published April 13, 1948, in the Southeast Missourian:

Beloved of the thousands who passed through her school, Miss May Greene, a teacher in the Cape Girardeau public school system for 53 years before retirement in 1933, passed away early today. She is shown above in a photograph made at the time of a public celebration in her honor in 1929. (Southeast Missourian archive)

MISS MAY GREENE, TEACHER HERE FOR 53 YEARS, DIES

Miss May Greene, beloved teacher of thousands of the city's children in her 53 years of teaching in the community and a guiding light in public education from the time of the erection of the first public school, passed away at 12:10 a.m. today at Southeast Missouri Hospital.

Miss May -- she was never known otherwise to any of her pupils or friends -- had been in failing health for some time. It was not until April 5, however, that her condition became such that she had to be taken to the hospital.

Members of the family, addressing their request to the "many friends of Miss May Greene," said in an announcement to them: "In anticipation of what we know will be your desire to send flowers for Miss May, we are requesting you not to do so, but to add what might be spent for them to a fund which the children of May Greene School wish to present to the Cape County Crippled Children's Society."

Funeral likely on Thursday

Funeral services will likely be held Thursday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock at the Episcopal Church, of which Miss May was a member. Burial will be in Lorimier Cemetery an pallbearers will be her former pupils. The body was taken to the Walther Funeral Home.

Supt. Louis J. Schultz announced that schools will be closed during funeral services.

Miss May is survived by a sister, Mrs. W.A. (Nell) Nicodemus, a brother, George H. Greene, both of whom resided with her at 324 Themis St.; a half brother, Herbert O'Donoghue of Chicago; a nephew and six grand nephews and nieces.

Miss May began her teaching in the city in 1879 in Old Lorimier School and completed her work in 1932, at which time she was principal of Washington School. Through those 53 years she won the respect and love of the thousands of children who came under her guidance

Crowded school

It is told that when Miss May began her teaching at Old Lorimier School, the one (public school) building in the city, the room was so overcrowded that some of the pupils of the first grade teacher had to sit on boxes until additional desks could be provided.

Whenever the city had an event concerning the schools, Miss May was called on to participate, even after her retirement. At the time of dedication of the present Lorimier School in 1937 she turned the first spade of dirt and said, "I hope the children who come to this new school will find happiness in their work as I have in the 53 years that I taught school in Cape Girardeau."

Then in 1941, the 20th anniversary of the construction of the school named in her honor -- the May Greene School -- she was once again honored. She was on the platform with its principal, Miss Alma Schrader, a former pupil.

Honored by state association

Miss May was further honored by the State Teachers Association on Dec. 4, 1941, for her long years of service to education in the state. A member of the district association as well as the state group, it was said of her that she never missed a meeting.

Neither, it is recorded, was Miss May ever tardy at school. The few occasions on which she was forced to miss her classes came only in case of sickness or death in her family.

The traditions of Miss May are being continued in Cape Girardeau's schools. No less than 16 of her former pupils are still engaged in teaching in the system. They are Miss Schrader, Miss Edna Haman, Miss Naomi Pott, Miss Cornelia Gockel, Miss Lucille McLain, Miss Clara Krueger, Miss Nellie Krueger, Miss Irma Huters, Miss Helen Mueller, Mrs. Neta Hudson Short, Miss Helen Hirsch, Mrs. Ruth Deevers, Mrs. Norma McLean, Mrs. Barbara Sackman, Mrs. Olga Wood and Miss Elizabeth Walther, the latter secretary to the superintendent.

Friend of children

Though Miss May guided the footsteps of Cape Girardeau school children for 53 years, she herself walked haltingly with the help of a crutch. When a child, she suffered a leg injury from a fall and never regained full use of the limb.

But her triumph over the frailty brought encouragement to all with whom she had contact. Her own misfortune was transferred to children through her love of them.

She made regular contributions to the Crippled Children's Society and it is because of her work on behalf of children throughout her life that her family has requested that any money which would be spent for flowers be given in her name to the County Crippled Children's Society.

The move in this direction was initiated by the youngsters of May Greene School, who asked permission of the family to follow such a plan. Today they were bringing their change to be applied to the May Green Fund as a memorial to her.

In home for 77 years

May Greene was born in Marble Hill, then called Dallas, on May 7, 1861, but as a small child moved with her family to Cape Girardeau. She was a daughter of the late Sen. George H. Greene, who served in the state legislature, and Ruth Templeton Greene.

Miss May, whose passing came only a few days before her 87th birthday, had resided in the same house on Themis Street (at the corner of Fountain Street) for 77 of those years. When the Greene family first came to the city they lived on Broadway. But in 1871, Sen. Greene purchased the house at 324 Themis St., where she had lived since.

She grew up in the city, attended the school conducted in the Presbyterian Church at that time and then went to the old Normal School as a student in one of the first classes to enter the institution, which was founded but a short time before in 1873.

Started teaching

It was at the age of 18 that Miss May began her long teaching career which was to give guidance, sympathy and a profound understanding to thousands of children in the 53 years she taught in the system.

In the passing of Miss May, Cape Girardeau loses a member of a family which actually founded public education in the city. Her father, president of the city's first board of education, wrote the contract for the construction of Old Lorimier School, the first public school building erected in the city.

The building was completed in 1878. Prior to that time public education had been held in the Presbyterian Church. Because of his work in behalf of education in Cape Girardeau, Mr. Greene became known as "the father of the Cape Girardeau public school system."

In first Lorimier

And in his daughter, Miss May, came the distinction of teaching a year after it was opened. She became a teacher at Old Lorimier School in 1879 and watched, through her teaching years and afterward, the growth of the system to its present stature.

When Miss May began her teaching career, there was only the one school and 100 pupils. She watched the system grow to its present size of more than 100 teachers, seven schools and almost 3,000 pupils.

Through most of her years of service in the schools and community, Miss May was principal of Lorimier School. But she also taught for five years at old Broadway School and finished her teaching in 1933 as principal at Washington School.

School bears name

When she had been 42 years in the system, the Board of Education honored her by naming the new school in the south part of the city May Greene School. That was in 1921 and the community concurred wholeheartedly in the board's selection.

On May 7, 1929, her birthday, the entire town expressed its feelings for Miss May with a public observance at Houck Field House on the occasion of her 50th year of teaching in the city. A processional and formal presentation of $500 in gold pieces went to her in a token appreciation for her work. Speakers paid tribute to her unceasing efforts in behalf of education.

During the day preceding the formal community program, her pupils at Washington School honored her with flowers and gifts. Parents and children greeted her when she arrived at her usual prompt hour at the school and during the day delegations from each of the other schools called on her with gifts of flowers which her pupils had brought.

After her retirement in 1933, Miss May took keen delight in visits of her former pupils. She reminisced with them on the experiences they had shared. It was said that she could call practically ever pupil she ever taught by name when he called, and if she did not know immediately who he was, would soon have gleaned enough information from him to identify him by name.

Published April 14, 1948, in the Southeast Missourian:

FUNERAL SERVICES FOR MISS MAY GREENE TO BE HELD THURSDAY

Funeral services for Miss May Greene, teacher for 53 years in the public schools of Cape Girardeau, will be conducted at 2:30 o'clock Thursday afternoon at the Episcopal Church.

The Rev. Bayard C. Clark, rector of the church, will have charge of the rites. Pallbearers will be George Phillips, Ted Regenhardt, Narvol A. Randol, Jewell Clark, Allen L. Oliver and Louis J. Schultz. Burial will be in Lorimier Cemetery.

At the request of the family, friends are joining with the children of May Greene School in making contributions to fund for the Cape County Crippled Children's Society instead of sending flowers.

Miss Alma Schrader, principal of May Greene School and former pupil of Miss May, is caring for the fund being given the society in the educator's memory.

Editorial published April 15, 1948, in the Southeast Missourian:

HER MEMORY WILL LONG REMAIN

While the end has come, as it must come to all, the impress that Miss May Greene left upon Cape Girardeau and upon those with whom she came into contact in the school room will live much longer. That is true of those who serve others as did Miss May; hers was a full life devoted to seeing that the better things it has in store comes to all.

A teacher in our schools for 53 years before her retirement a few years back, Miss May Greene enjoyed the esteem and the friendship of all. In the span of her teaching career she taught children and in turn their children, imparting to them the ideals she held and giving them the basic teachings that in later life were to help make many of them successful.

Not one, but many business and professional men of today can trace the beginning of their careers to the teachings of this fine woman and if it were possible to bring them together they would in a great outpouring of personal felling pay a great tribute to her.

Miss May never forgot any of her pupils and it is equally true that none of them ever has forgotten her and although she may be gone her memory with them will live forever.

Miss May Greene leaves a great heritage: a heritage of friendship, of esteem and of service. To those in our schools she will ever remain a constant example of what the great teaching profession means and to the rest of us she will be remembered as one of the great citizens of our community, who in her quiet way has written indelibly a record that will live always.

Want to learn more about Miss May and her legacy? Check out these blogs:

The modern features of May Greene School

From the archive: Namesake school honors May Greene

May Day at May Greene School

Saving the May Greene Garden

20th anniversary of May Greene School

May Greene Garden

And this photo gallery of historic May Greene Garden:

May Greene Garden