tlhonor.html

The Enterprise, White Salmon, WA., May 14, 1964, page 2
Includes portrait

TROUT LAKE WOMAN TO BE HONORED AT PTA TEA SUNDAY

Mrs. Frances Patrick, long-time teacher and resident in the Trout Lake community, will be guest of honor at tea Sunday afternoon, May 17, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Trout Lake Grange Hall. The P.T.A. is sponsoring the tea and they invite all of Mrs. Patrick's past and present pupils and friends to attend. She completes her 29th year of teaching this year and is retiring to a life of a little more leisure during which time she hopes to read, sew, garden, travel, and just enjoy herself.
Francis Brown was born in Trout Lake Valley on the farm now known as "the Brog place." She attended school through the 10th grade there but graduated from Stevenson High School in 1921 since Trout Lake did not have a four-year high school course.
After graduation Francis went off to a nine-weeks term of summer school at Ellensburg Teachers' College with the small sum of $100.00 her sole fortune. She said she studied most of the time, took in the church activities, and was able to afford one show during the summer. She passed the state teachers' exam and obtained a little country school for her first job. It was the one-roomer Fulda School which looked across the Laurel valley (in the Glenwood vicinity) and had an enrollment of three little girls. She boarded with the Melvin Falmers, whose two little girls were her pupils, and the other student was Rose McAnulty from a neighboring farm. On her first day on her first job Mr. Falmer's brother came for a visit and became sick that evening with polio, thus throwing the whole household into a two-week quarantine. The brother died but no one else contracted the disease so at the end of the two weeks the family spent a chilly day in the woodshed while the house was thoroughly fumigated, and then school commenced. When snow piled up in the winter Rose's father brought her to the Falmer's on horseback and she also boarded there during the week so as to be on hand for school. Then when Friday night came and Mr. McAnulty came for his daughter, Francis often rode horseback home with them to spend the weekend as their guest.
In 1922 Frances taught the primary school at Trout Lake and among her pupils that first year of teaching their work Betty Pfister, Walter Schmid, Ben Jermain, Rose Burkel, Genevieve Sickafoose, Spencer Frey, Stanley Hylton, and Edgar and Bob Knoll. And as the years went by she often had the children of these children for her pupils.
She attended two more summers of school at Ellensburg, and then a year at the Bellingham Teachers College. But this time she had acquired enough credits to receive a life certificate for teaching.
Frances taught three years at the little town of Clipper, Washington (close to Bellingham), a year at the Ashland School in lower Trout Lake Valley, a year at Glenwood, two years at Gilmer, and then the four years from 1932 to 1936 at Trout Lake. At this time there were five teachers in the entire school and she received $80.00 per month, which was at the height of the depression. She received $90.00 per month for her little Fulda School.
Frances Brown became the Trout Lake Postmistress in 1936 and in 1937 she became the bride of Earnest Patrick. They continued to make their home here and Frances ran the Post Office until 1946. At this time they moved from their combination home and Post Office (now the Joe Woods residence) to the home where Frances still lives and she was looking forward to a life in which she could be active in the church and community work after having spent half a lifetime in a full-time job. But this idyll was rudely broken in 1948 when Earnest was injured in a fall from the cherry tree in their front yard and passed away in three days.
So in 1948, Frances resumed her teaching career (but at a much better salary) in Klickitat where she taught for 4 years, then 1 year at Camas, another 4 years at Klickitat, and the past 7 years at Trout Lake.
Frances thinks teaching is a very worthwhile profession and that if she had her life to live over again, she would still be a teacher. She feels that there are many rewarding moments in teaching which more than make up for the slights and that if it were not for poor health she would keep on for a few more years. Frances' whole life has been one of giving rather than receiving --- caring many years for her elderly mother, showering attention and interest on her nieces and nephews, serving as an elder in the Presbyterian Church, besides an active interest and membership in many community and county organizations.
Mrs. Patrick is a demanding teacher (ask any of her former or present day pupils), for an "A" received in her class is an "A" well earned, but she is also one of the most respected and loved teachers by pupils and parents alike in our whole area, and she will be sadly missed in the Trout Lake schoolroom.

The Enterprise, White Salmon, WA., May 21, 1964, page 1

150 PERSONS AT PTA OPEN HOUSE FOR MRS. PATRICK

Trout Lake P.T.A. sponsored an Open House, Sunday the 17th, honoring Mrs. Frances Patrick, who is retiring this year, after a teaching career of 29 years.
One hundred and fifty persons came to wish her well, among whom were many First and Second generation pupils as well as her brothers and sisters, one of whom (Lloyd Brown) is also retiring this year from the U.S.F.S. Regional office in Portland, Oregon.
The Open House was held in the hall of the Trout Lake Grange No. 210. The free use of which was given for the event, as she has been a granger for many years.
The day was completed for her, with a dinner in the Grange dining hall for Frances and her visiting relatives, furnished by her brother, Chuck and his wife Nettie.
The P.T.A. wishes to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed either time or money or both to make this occasion such a success.

The Mt. Adams Sun, Bingen, WA., May 21, 1964, page 4

T.L. PTA HONORS MRS. PATRICK

Trout Lake PTA sponsored an open house, Sunday, May 17, honoring Mrs. Frances Patrick, who is retiring this year, after a teaching career of 29 years.
One hundred and fifty persons came to wish her well, among whom were many first and second generation pupils, as well as her brothers and sisters. Among the latter was her brother Lloyd Brown is also retiring this year. He is with the USFS Regional office in Portland .
The open house was held in the hall of the T.L. Grange 210, the free use of which was given for the event as she has been a Granger for many years. The day was completed for her with a family dinner in the Grange hall, furnished by her brother Chuck and his wife Nettie.
The PTA thanks everyone who contributed time and money to make this occasion a success.

The Mt. Adams Sun, Bingen, WA., May 21, 1964, page 5

TROUT LAKE HONORS MRS. PATRICK FOR THREE DECADES OF TEACHING
by Dora E. Johnston

Friends, neighbors, former and present pupils turned out last Sunday afternoon May 17, to pay homage to Mrs. Frances Patrick, the beloved Trout Lake resident who is retiring after 29 years of teaching.
The tea, sponsored by the Trout Lake PTA, was held from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in the Trout Lake Grange Hall.
Mrs. Patrick (nee Brown) was born in Trout Lake valley and attended school there through the 10th grade. She graduated from Stevenson High School in 1921 since Trout Lake did not have a four-year high school then.
She financed her first nine-week summer term at Ellensburg Teachers College with $100; after which she passed the state teachers' exam.
Her first job teaching was the one-room school at Fulda in Glenwood Valley for $90 a month. She had three pupils, all little girls. In 1922 she taught the primary room at Trout Lake.
Frances attended two more summer schools at Ellensburg then took a year off to study at the Bellingham Teachers College. By this time she had acquired enough credits to receive a life teaching certificate.

BACK HOME

After teaching three years at the little town of Clipper, near Bellingham, Frances returned to teach one year at Ashland School in lower Trout Lake Valley. Then came a year at Glenwood, two years at Gilmer and four years (1932-1936) at Trout Lake.
At this time, the height of the depression, there were five teachers in the entire Trout Lake school and Frances received $80 per month.
From 1936 to 1946 Frances was the postmaster of Trout Lake; and in 1937 she was married to Ernest Patrick. Ernest died in 1948, three days after falling from a cherry tree in their front yard.
So in 1948, Frances resumed her teaching career at a much better salary. She taught four years at Klickitat, one year at Camas, another four years at Klickitat and the past seven years at Trout Lake.
Frances says that if she had her life to live over again she would be a teacher. In fact, if her health were better she would teach for a few more years.
After a lifetime of serving others, Frances hopes to have a little more leisure to read, sew, garden, travel and just enjoy herself.
Although Mrs. Patrick demanded "A" work for an "A" grade, she has earned the love and respect of both pupils and parents. She will be sadly missed in the Trout Lake school-room.