Staff & Faculty
Past staff and faculty members will be added as pictures and information becomes available. If any readers have pictures and anecdotes they would like to share, please pass them along so we can all enjoy a little bit of our past.
At left we have Howard "Pop" Watson who taught at Watson for many years. I personally remember his problems trying to teach this writer algebra, or was it geometry, or maybe both. I made it through life using what little ability I had when manipulating numbers. Maybe he was a good teacher. I don't know about that, but I danged sure was not a good student. This information was from your webmaster, Billy Charles Covey, Class of 1952.
At right you can see Mr. David Aiken. Mr. Aiken was the Physical Education faculty member in the year 1971. It may well be that he was a teacher at Watson for both years before and years after 1971. Unfortunately this is all the information available at this writing.
At left you will see Lorene Abernathy. Ms. Abernathy was on the lunchroom staff in the year 1955. The source of this picture was from a Watson Yellow Jacket Annual. Unfortunately it did not give me the full name of the subject. For those of you that know this young lady please contact your webmaster in order to complete name.
At right you will see Coach David Bryan. The picture was cropped from the 1952 Watson Yellow Jacket Annual. Mr. Bryan died in the year 2000 leaving his students with many pleasant memories.
The very nice lady smiling at your left is Mary Alice "Bokey" Austin Patterson. She was known to many of us as a fellow student and to others as a respected teacher. I, Billy Charles Covey, Class of 1952, don't remember her as a teacher. To me she was a very popular and well liked student. This picture shows her as a First Grade teacher in 1967.
At right is Clara "Tootsie" Saeler as she appeared in her home in Monticello in 2009. Ms. Saeler was the Watson School Secretary for many years, at least the years this writer was a student there. She went on to become the postmaster in Watson until she retired. I used the term "Postmaster" because that is what the presidential appointment said.
Here we have Wanda James Rana who was a teacher at some time in Watson. Growing up she was a resident of Pea Ridge but for some reason she attended school in Dumas although she lived in the Watson School District. It is only a guess but I believe she must have taught in Watson around 1958 or 1959. If any reader of this has something to add, please contact the Bill Covey, Webmaster, at Bill@WatsonYellowJacket.Com or Bill.Covey@att.net . Just click on either of the email addresses and you will call up an email message page.
At right you will see Ms. Frances Maxson, now Frances Roberts. I can't be certain but I think this picture was taken around 1951 or 1952. At any rate it was before Noble Roberts, from Kelso, took her away from us. Frances and Noble are now living in the Commonwealth of Kentucky but try to keep up with Watson folks by reading and contributing to the Watson Yellow Jacket, the newsletter that is.
At right you will see Ms. Wanda Slaten. Wanda was our chaperone on the 1952 senior trip to Rock-Away-Beach on Lake Taneycomo, Missouri. I can't recall any of getting into any trouble so she must have done a pretty good job. Incidentally, Lake Taneycomo was named after Taney County Missouri. The new dam, now an old one, didn't exist then. Obviously the big lake didn't exist either.
At left you can see just about all, or most of the entire faculty for the year 1961. This was extracted from the yearbook but I thought it would be interesting to display, for a while anyway.
Mrs. Mary Willis is to be seen at the right of this writing. I'm not certain about the year this picture was taken but of one thing I am certain, and that is the fact that she was my very first teacher in Watson. I started the third grade in about 1943. We didn't have a schoolhouse then. It had burned to the ground and we attended school in about every vacant space in the town of Watson. The third grade attended in some church or the other. I can't recall which church but it was very near where the old school had burned...twice burned.
At left is Robert "Bobby" Willis a well know teacher on and around the Watson School campus. As I recall, Bobby started his teaching career in Watson by teaching returning World War II veterans in an agricultural program designed to help those soldiers, sailors and airmen upon their return from their various military assignments. My own father, Charles Evert Covey, attended those classes. Unlike the Watson school classes, the vererans classes were not always confined to agriculture. At least that's what my father told me. I'm not certain but I think the year when this picture was taken was around 1961.
At right we have Ms. Dorothy Bell. She was a history teacher as I recall. Miss Bell, as we called her, was not Miss Bell at all. She was married to Mr. Tex Bell who taught the veterans classes along with Bobby Willis. I don't know exactly when this picture was taken but I think it must have been around 1950 or 1951.
At left stands Mrs. Fred Holt. This picture was taken in 1968, the year she was chosen to be the person the 1968 yearbook was dedicated to. There I go again, when writing of a teacher of Englisn I end a sentence with a preposition. Oh well, Mr. Winston Churchill was guilty of that from time to time and he seemed to communicate quite well.
At right stands Mary Alice "Bokey" Austin Patterson as she appeared in this picture taken in 1969. Bokey was a first grade teacher in Watson at the time this picture was made. I, Billy Charles Covey, Class of 1952, don't remember Bokey as a teacher. I remember her as a very nice person just a year or so ahead of me in school. I may have even called her my girlfriend from time to time, but I never did tell her that.
Here we have Emma Lou Harrison. The picture shows her as she was in 1965. She was the Home Economics teacher at the time this picture was taken.
Frances Maxson was a graduate of the Class of 1942. She was also a teacher of English at Watson High School. I am not certain as to the years she taught at Watson, but she was there when I, Billy Charles Covey, Class of 1952 was there. I might add that she had her hands full trying to teach me the in that field of study.
This picture just happened to be on file. It is the faculty for the year 1970.
Mr. Bailey was the Superintendent of Schools when I first arrived in Watson and that was in 1943. I have no idea how long he served in that capacity but he was very much a part of Watson High School at that time.
At left you will see Mr. Lawrence Patton who was a School Board Member in 1968. I have no record of the years he was on the board except for this year. During the years that I knew him he lived at Pea Ridge and raised his family there.
At right you will see Mrs. Wesley Jacobs. Mrs. Jacobs taught 7th grade in 1964. Unfortunately I do not have the given name of Mrs. Jacobs since the practice of using first names were not used until later in time. Times have changed but we will just have to do with Mrs. Jacobs for this reporting.
At left is Mr. J. C. Rapp, County Supervisor. This picture was taken in 1948. I have no idea how many years he served in the capacity of County Supervisor but I am quite certain it was more than just this one year.
At right we see Mr. W. C. Allen. Mr. Allen was the janitor at Watson School in 1947 or 1948 or at least both years. I have no record that indicates exactly how long he served at Watson.
At left we have Cora Bell Douthitt. Cora Bell was listed in the 1948 Yellow Jacket Year Book as being a Lunchroom Helper. Beyond that I have no concrete information as to what she did on the Watson School Staff. I do show her as being a graduate of the Class of 1947.
At right Mrs. Emma Andrews is shown. My records show that she was the Lunchroom Supervisor In 1948. I don't know her maiden name without which I can't determine if she ever attended Watson School. I will, however, welcome any information that can be furnished by anyone interested in the completeness of information shown anywhere on this site.
At left I have placed Mrs. Charles Fehr. I am faced one more time with the practice of society giving the title "Mrs." without the given name. I have no idea as to the maiden name of Mrs. Fehr. I am giving her picture and what information I have, but I don't have to be happy with a practice that, thank goodness, that has slowly dimmed into nothingness. Conservative as I am, I would probably have been called a liberal in those days.
At right is Shirley Newlin Brown as she appeared in 1966 as the Watson School secretary. In addition to once having been on the Watson School staff, Shirley was a well known graduate of 1954. Shirley is still very active in Watson affairs and is always to be found helping to prepare the old gym for the fish fry that is held on the third Saturday of every year.
At left is Mr. Claudell Reynolds as he appeared in 1957. Unfortunately I have no more information on this gentleman. I am quite certain that he was on the staff but I don't know in what capacity he served. Perhaps one of you fine people can help me out.
At right is Mr. Raymond Rice, the Superintendent of Watson School. This picture was taken in 1970
At left is Mr. D. W. Best. Mr. Best was a member of the Watson School Board in 1948. I am not certain how long he served at this writing.
The gentleman at right is Mr. C. C. Stuart. I am not certain when this picture was taken but I suspect it would have been around 1940-1942 and he was probably the Superintendant of Watson School. If anyone can help by giving more concrete information, please let me know.
At left we have Coach Andrew "Amity" Widner with the old two-story Watson school in the background. I have no idea who the football players are. I don't know when the picture was taken but it was probably around 1941 or 1942,
On the water is Ezma Apple, Home Economics Teacher.
Frances Maxson Roberts and her husband Nobel Roberts as they appeared on Mother's Day 2010. In addition to being a well respected member of the faculty, Frances was a graduate of Watson High School in the Class of 1942.
Frances Maxson at the left of the picture with one on her daughters, Marian, on Mother's Day 2010. Frances was both a teacher and graduate of Watson High School. She graduated in 1942.
Frances Maxson as she appeard on Mother's Day 2010. Frances is both a past faculty member as well as being a graduate with the Class of 1942.