Rose School
October 13, 2021
The Rose Avenue School, located on Rose Avenue within what was then known as the West End and later Fort Sanders, operated from 1890 until 1915 when it was renamed the Staub School after former Knoxville Mayor, Peter Staub. According to a history of the school, teachers were “assigned the task of educating the youngsters south of Cumberland Avenue and west of Second Creek” although in the early days it was a challenging environment, practically a slum area. A Miss Leah Fletcher, who served as Principal of Rose Avenue School (1902-1914) became known as the “Mother” of the Parent-Teacher Movement in Knoxville. The Staub School continued until 1957 when it closed following the opening of Fort Sanders Elementary. The old, some would say grim, building was used temporarily by Tennessee Medical College and even the fledgling private Webb School before the property was sold by the city to the University of Tennessee in 1959. Shared by Cindy and Mark Proteau.
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Comment
Born in June 1943, I attended Staub School from 1949 until 1955. I seem to recall Nina House was my math teacher.
For some reason, I read Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay, “Self-Reliance”. I occasionally reread it. The library featured a sky-blue biography series. I read a few, in order by the numbers, and noted some dislikes. So I started reading the first paragraph and the last to choose the next biography. I applied that principle to the complete Bible, KJV, and from the last page. I adolescently thought, “A writer/god so weak as to threaten readers cannot motivate me”.
In my 9th decade, I think civic-humans among religious believers and nonbelievers collaborate to discover and practice goodness-which-motivates-good-behavior “to ourselves and our Posterity” (quoting the preamble to the US Constitution). In the United States republic, “posterity” includes legal immigrants. Worldwide, “civic” expresses mutual opportunity to choose good behavior.
I think most Staub-school classmates pursued goodness and am grateful for youth with them.
I seem to recall a playground to the left and behind this picture. I think there was a drainage ditch behind the playground. The University of Tennessee campus was a walk away.
My section, Lilly Avenue, was in walking distance to the upscale Rose Avenue area. There, I mowed the lawn for Mrs. Testerman, whose son, Kyle would become mayor. She played wonderful piano and required me to push the mower on only 50% uncut grass. A contemporary boy at Calvary Baptist Church (Yale Avenue), Victor Ashe, there with his mother, Martha, would also become mayor.
I am grateful for my youth and would love to learn about it from anyone.