| Sources |
- [S104] Cocke County, Tennessee, and its People, Cocke County Heritage Book Committee, (Walsworth Publishing, 1992), 255.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 30 Jan 2014.
School Days 2!
A very influential teacher: James “Jim” Strange
BY BRENDA WILBURN
A few years ago in an English class at Cosby High School the teacher asked the students, “What teacher has influenced you the most? To the teacher’s surprise every student who had attended Grassy Fork Elementary School answered, “Jim Strange.”
Jim was born August 8, 1927, in the New Prospect community of Cocke County. His parents were William “Bill” and Rachel (Freeman) Strange. He grew up in the community where he was born and attended New Prospect School. His first teacher was Grace Ford. Other teachers he remembered were Bernice Brown, Lee Freeman, and Nora Freeman.
After completing high school, he began teaching at New Prospect School at the age of eighteen in 1946.
When I interviewed him in August of 1997, he told me that when he went to clean up the school in the Gulf that there was a rattlesnake in the building and he had to kill it before he could prepare the building for the year. He taught grades 1-8. He said that there were many people living in Gulf at this time because the sawmill was located there.
When Mr. Strange taught in the small one- and two-room schools, one of the things they did for fun was to play ball against other local schools. If the school was close enough, he would walk the students to the other school to play the game. Then they would walk back to their school after the game. If the other school was too far away, he would take the team on the back of a truck. I remember riding in the back of his truck to go to New Prospect to play ball. That was really a treat to most of us because our parents did not own an automobile and we walked everywhere we went.
Jim married Deema Simmons, a daughter of Joe and Lillie Simmons. Jim and Deema had one son, Steve. They built their home on the banks of Big Creek on the Old Fifteenth Road in Hartford.
Mr. Strange continued his education while working as a teacher. He attended East Tennessee State University for two years. Then he took classes at Walter State Community College and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He later attended Carson-Newman College where he earned his degree in Education.
He taught me at Compton Memorial School when I was in the 7th and 8th grades. He was a good teacher. We just had two classrooms, so he had to teach 5th, 6th. 7th and 8th grades. He played ball with us at recess and lunch time. He was very athletic and encouraged us to play ball, jump rope, jump board and other activities like Annie Over, and tag.
Mr. Strange was the first person that I ever saw do a magic trick. When we were through with our classes or on rainy days when we could not play outside, he would show us some tricks. He would pull a quarter from someone’s ear or make something disappear.
In 1963, the local schools were consolidated into Grassy Fork Elementary School. Jim was one of the first teachers that year. Cebo Ford was the principal. In 1965, Cebo went to Hartford Elementary School and Jim took his place as principal. Jim said that when the new school opened there was no tile on the floor yet. There were also no basketball goals. They practiced basketball by throwing the ball against the wall. Their games were played at other schools. He was determined to provide the students in our rural mountain school with some extra activities and experiences.
Jim was the principal at Grassy Fork when I began work there as a teaching assistant in 1965. He was my boss, and he was a good one. I and the other assistants had to go into the classrooms and teach a special reading program that the Central Office had trained us to teach. I think that his wife Deema was one of the assistants at this time also.
He really did not want to be principal, but when the principal would quit or move to another school, he would take the job until they could get another principal. So sometimes he was my co-worker, but most importantly he was always my friend.
I have to tell you this story about him. I mahe a mock pecan pie which has no pecans in it. I took one to school. I would have people taste it and see if they could tell what it was made with. I asked Mr. Strange if he wanted to try it. He said, “That tastes good. What is it made with?” I said, “Soup beans.” He quit eating looking a little sick. He said, “I can’t eat any more. I never did like soup beans.”
Jim was sent to take computer training when computers were purchased for each school. Then he had to teach all the rest of us. He was good at teaching adults, too.
Mr. Strange also taught our daughters, Doris Ann and Mary Kate. Doris said that when she would get caught out of her seat, he would make her write several times, “I will find my seat in Mr. Strange’s room and learn to stay in it.” She also said that high school was easy after having Mr. Strange.
He would run off copies of the assignment, but he made the students write the questions or sentences on their own paper and then do the work, but he took his copy back. She said that high school was a lot less work when you did not have to do all that writing.
Jim spoke softly and when the kids were being loud Doris said he would say, “I hate to have to raise my voice like this” and he would be talking so low that they could barely hear him. He was a soft-spoken man.
When I interviewed Mr. Strange for an article that I did for the Grassy Fork Community Club, I asked him what his most memorable moment was. He said that it was a hail storm in 1952. It happened about the middle of May at 1:00 p.m. He was teaching the upper grades, and Alene Holt Williamson was teaching the primary grades. The storm hit Blacks and New Prospect communities. He said that most of the hail balls were as big as golf balls, but a few were as large as baseballs. The two eighth grade girls had just returned from getting water for the school, water which had to be carried about 2/3 of a mile, when the storm struck. The wind blew terribly and the hail made an awful noise on the roof. The storm was so bad that some of the eighth grade girls fainted in fright. The hail piled up knee deep on the ground. Charlie Rathbone and some of the boys stepped to the door to watch the storm. A hail ball hit the cement and bounced hitting Charlie right in the mouth. His lips became badly swollen.
When the storm was over, the roof looked like it had been beaten with a ten pound hammer. The windows were broken out of the school building. All of the leaves were beaten off the trees. After the storm a dense fog arose from the ground until it was hard to see.
Eual Smith was hauling school kids at this time. When the storm ended, he came and took the students home. The parents were so scared and worried about their children. Mr. Strange was driving a 1935 Ford with a cloth top. The hail tore the top out and broke the back window. When he took the car to Wendy Giles to buy a new top, Mr. Giles went to get the Newport Plain Talk to make a picture of the damage to the car for the newspaper.
Jim’s hobbies were woodworking and gardening. He also enjoyed visiting the flea markets to shop for tools and other items. Mr. Strange spent 40 years of his life teaching and influencing the students in his community to strive for a good education. His career began in a one-room school with the barest of necessities and ended in a multiple airconditioned classroom teaching such modern classes as Computer Skills. His former students will tell you today that he was a fine teacher and influenced them very much.
One commented, “Mr. Strange was one of the nicest teachers I ever had and taught me more things than any other teacher did.” Another added, “No matter the situation, he was always calm and collected. He made you believe in yourself.
Sadly, Mr. Strange passed away a few years ago, and he is still missed in the community.
- [S112] Census, 1930.
Name: Jim Strange
Event: Census
Event Date: 1930
Event Place: District 10, Cocke, Tennessee
Gender: Male
Age: 2
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Birthplace: Tennessee
Estimated Birth Year: 1928
Immigration Year:
Relationship to Head of Household: Grandson
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
Enumeration District Number: 0019
Family Number: 204
Sheet Number and Letter: 11A
Line Number: 49
NARA Publication: T626, roll 2238
Film Number: 2341972
Digital Folder Number: 4548152
Image Number: 00439
Household Gender Age
Harriett Freeman F 74
Rachel Freeman F 34
Oren Green M 12
Jim Strange M 2
- [S124] Brown Funeral Home, Newport, Tennessee, (http://www.newportfunerals.com), 23 Apr 2012.
(August 8, 1927 - April 23, 2012)
James Estel Strange, age 85, of Hartford, went to be with the Lord on Monday, April 23, 2012 at his home with his family around him. He was a member of Valley View Baptist Church. He was a well-known teacher starting at the age of 18 in the Grassy Fork Gulf, New Prospect School, Bell Hill and Grassy Fork Elementary where he also served as principal for many years. He was preceded in death by his mother Rachel Freeman, brother Oren Green, and an infant son Robert Strange. Survivors include his wife of 62 years Deema Strange, who stayed by his side and cared for him the last few years of his life, son Steve Strange (Aileen) of Hartford, granddaughter Stefanie Strange, grandson Christopher Strange, 2 great-grandsons Tyson Cofield and Christian Cooper Strange, nieces Brenda Ownby and Jane Davison of Kingston, TN, nephew Billy Green of Chicago. He will be remembered by his neighbors, friends and the many students he taught as a well-respected and caring person. The family would like to express a special thank you to his special caretakers Phyllis Carpenter, Peggy Sue Brandon, Pat Franklin, and Mozella Ford, and Smoky Mountain Home Health and Hospice. Funeral service will be 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, 2012 in the chapel of Brown Funeral Home with Rev. Steve Blanchard and Rev. Jim Hall officiating. Graveside service will be 1:00 p.m., Thursday, April 26, 2012 at Union Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Wednesday from 5:00 – 7:00p.m prior to the services at the funeral home.
Brown Funeral Home is honored to serve the Strange family.
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Name: W G Strange
Titles & Terms:
Event: Marriage
Event Date: 30 May 1926
Event Place: Cocke, Tennessee
Age:
Estimated Birth Year:
Father:
Father's Titles & Terms:
Mother:
Mother's Titles & Terms:
Spouse: Rachel Freeman
Spouse's Titles & Terms:
Spouse's Age:
Spouse's Estimated Birth Year:
Spouse's Father:
Spouse's Father's Titles & Terms:
Spouse's Mother:
Spouse's Mother's Titles & Terms:
Reference Number:
Film Number: 1928647
Digital Folder Number: 004485962
Image Number: 00283
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Name: James Strange
Titles & Terms:
Event: Marriage
Event Date: 12 Sep 1949
Event Place: Cocke, Tennessee
Age: 22
Estimated Birth Year: 1927
Father:
Father's Titles & Terms:
Mother:
Mother's Titles & Terms:
Spouse: Deema Simmons
Spouse's Titles & Terms:
Spouse's Age: 19
Spouse's Estimated Birth Year: 1930
Spouse's Father:
Spouse's Father's Titles & Terms:
Spouse's Mother:
Spouse's Mother's Titles & Terms:
Reference Number: 4082
Film Number: 1928652
Digital Folder Number: 004485967
Image Number: 00257
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