Cass County’s oldest teacher remembered
Louise McGee turned 103 in January to continue as Cass County’s eldest— and likely favorite—public school educator. She died Jan. 22.
Former students continued to visit her, saying, as Tommie Hannon did on the occasion of McGee’s 100th birthday party three years ago.
“I still go to see her, to learn from her,” he said at that time.
Katherine Allday Stubbs, music teacher in the Atlanta schools, said then as well, “Even in my adult years. she is special to me. I go to see her regularly. She is a timeless person. I pattern my classes after Louise’s.”
“She never had to raise her voice. Her gift was to love every student. She always had a sparkle, and she still has it,” Julia Stephens Mays said then.
McGee might have received 1,350 birthday cards Jan. 29 at her Wesley House Assisted Living residence. That is how many thirdand fourth-graders in Cass County she might have had in her classrooms, averaging 30 students each year for 45 years.
“Louise is thoroughly identified with the historic Miller Grade School for all of us,” former student Ed Stanley said.
As for herself, McGee said her winning philosophy was to love teaching.
“I loved my third grade. They know a little bit and are so eager to learn. You just brag on them a little bit, and they’ll work their heads off for you,” she said at her 100th birthday.
McGee said she made certain her classes got a lot of practical, fun activities involving performance outside the textbook. One of her favorites was a “Day in School in Mexico.”
“In third grade, near the end of school, we’d have a Mexican unit. I didn’t know a lot about Mexico, but I had taught for a short time in Corpus Christi, where I learned a little.”
The third-graders would make up their own school day program and speak, sing and act in Spanish.
“Some would learn whole poems in Spanish. Then, we were asked to put the program on for the whole school and would be bused over to the other campuses. Parents would come along and help us.”
“The homeroom mothers every year would give us a Mexican dinner. And I remember once we had a School Day in Mexico program and the next day the parent sent a note with the student pointing out the mistake we’d made in our Spanish grammar at one point.”
In her retirement years, McGee would have visitors, a call, note, gift or something from someone almost every day, those who knew her said.
Her parents were Will and Mary Caroline Brabham Robinson. She had married Tillman McGee in 1938. The marriage lasted 46 years until his death in 1985. She had prepared for teaching by graduating from McMurry College in Abilene and later earning a master’s degree from then East Texas State University at Commerce. She retired from public school teaching in 1981. After teaching, she and her husband traveled to nearly every state and Mexico.
At her funeral Monday, about 40 members of the family filled six rows of seating. Dr. John Wilkey said all who knew her were better people for having known her. The Rev. Jacob Smith, pastor of Atlanta First United Methodist, McGee’s church, said she was an example of the “greatest among us being those who serve.”