Three alumni visited Emerson Elementary on Thursday morning, April 4, to help third graders learn more about local history. It was 1928 when Robert Morris, Helen Thomas Hogue, and Jean Frye Elliot attended school there. All are in their mid to late nineties today. It has been a long time since they wandered the halls as first and second graders. A lot has changed in both school and in the uptown area of Westerville, current students learned.
The special visitors shared stories about when they were children and told what they remembered about growing up in Westerville. Their learning was focused, they said, on reading, writing, and arithmetic. They were surprised by the amount of tools and technology found in today’s classrooms. They liked the posters, bulletin boards, and other items hanging on the walls. They were also impressed with how much students have learned about energy resources and the world in general.
Current pupils expressed surprise at the simple recess games that were played and appreciated back in the day. The seniors talked about going home for lunch and leaving school to eat in Uptown Westerville – if, that is, their parents could spare some change. Going to a movie at the State Street Theater was fun, they said, and it only cost 25 or 50 cents. That was a lot of money for families during the great depression, however, when many people were out of work or had lost lots of money in the stock market or at their bank. The trio remembered Westerville having just one police officer when they were growing up, and he did not even have a car. He patrolled on foot! The meeting proved to be an eye-opening and memorable experience for all.