Picture a tiny building in the middle of a Texassized pasture in the years before World War II, before oneroom schools were abolished in favor of consolidated town schools. Picture children of all ages, all manner of backgrounds, all gathered in that room to learn their three R's, but best of all, to learn something of the world beyond the ranchland's horizons. Orchestrating the harmony of the classroom was the teacher, who was frequently younger than some of her pupils, and sometimes a skillful ball player, social worker, dramatist, friend, and lifesaver.
Stella Gipson Polk was all of...