DAY 16

 

We intend to start a “Literary” after the holidays and Dorothy Johnson and Henry Shockley and I are already planning a short play for part of our program from down here. Later we hope to give a longer one. It would be fun if we could manage a three-act play later, but there aren’t so many young people here and it may be rather difficult, but we are talking of it. Tonight a sleigh load of us are going up to the upper schoolhouse for the program, the Millers and the teacher, Henry and Ed and myself probably will be all. – Shirley Dobson, 1932

[Just a reminder – we are celebrating Christmas with Ina Dobson and her family in the agricultural community of Gilbert, Idaho, on Russell Ridge south of Orofino in the early 1930s. The above quote is from a letter written by Ina’s daughter Shirley, a young adult.]

I admire the dedication of Miss Dorothy Johnson, the teacher at the one-room Dickson School at Gilbert. With just the little I’ve gleaned of her character from yesterday’s posted quote and the one above, I see her as willing to give of her time not only to her students but also to the enrichment and socialization of the young adults of this dwindling agricultural community. I suspect she was young herself.

Perhaps you noted in an earlier post that Ina gave Shirley “a pair of brushed wool gloves which she needs for going out these winter nights. Henry Shockley comes along and takes her to the singing bees, play practice, etc.” Miss Dorothy Johnson was the instigator of those activities. And perhaps we can thank her for providing the means by which Henry would court Shirley. They married in June 1937.

I once heard that another man, Jay Cordell, was interested in Shirley, and when Henry began to call on her, Jay backed off. Searching for Jay, I found that he was born in 1893, making him close to 40 in 1931, a good 17 years older than Shirley. If indeed he was interested in Shirley, the fact that he was not a member of the younger set might have deterred his interest as much as Henry’s involvement.

Jay Cordell died in Orofino in 1970. KW