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Opal Faye Quinley
Jun 25, 1907 - Sep 23, 1985
Photo submitted by Karen Rost
Miss Faye Quinley
CHS Vocational Department Honors Retiring Colleague
The Vocational Department of Corsicana High School honored a
retiring colleague Tuesday evening with a dinner party in the
homemaking department which the honoree, Miss Faye Quinley, has
headed since 1946.
Vocational faculty members and school administrators, their husbands
and wives, were on hand for the event planned by Vocational Chairman
Emmett McCulley and coordinated by Miss Quinley’s homemaking staff,
including Mmes. Martha Dunlap, Gladys Herring, Vivian Hicks and Edna
Parks.
At the end of the school year, Miss Quinley will close a teaching
career spanning 40 years. As revealed in the “This Is Your Life”
presentation by McCulley, the career began in a four-teacher school
at Cryer Creek.
The only child of Mr. and Mrs. John Quinley, she was born in the
Barry community. Her mother died when she was three and her father
when she was about 11, and she was reared by her grandparents, Mr.
and Mrs. Lee Bingham and aunt, Miss Nell Bingham.
Young Faye attended school in Barry and was graduated from high
school in Fort Worth. She attended Texas Wesleyan College, where she
received a degree in homemaking. She also attended North Texas State
University and later earned a master’s degree in homemaking
education from East Texas State University.
In touching on her first teaching position, McCulley mentioned that
Miss Quinley taught third and fourth grades at Cryer Creek and
shared the teacherage “on campus” with Mrs. Beula Huff and her young
son “Frenchie”.
Since Frenchie was in her class, Miss Quinley was urged by her
friend Mrs. Huff to administer whatever discipline was needed. Miss
Quinley obliged giving Capt. A. F. Huff, whose ship picked up the
astronauts of Apollo 15, his only spanking of his school days.
Miss Quinley taught at Malone in Hill County for five years before
accepting a position on the faculty of Travis Elementary School in
Corsicana. She later taught homemaking at Corsicana Junior High
School and joined the CHS faculty in 1946.
The homemaking department chairman has seen a lot of changes since
that time. In 1954 she assisted with the planning and construction
supervision on a new homemaking building at the high school, and
when the new high school was built two years ago, she helped with
plans for its extensive homemaking department facilities.
The work has expanded through the years. Miss Quinley started the
Home Economics Cooperative Education program three years ago and
helped institute Coordinated Vocation Academic Education in
Corsicana Public School two years ago.
Through the years, she has served not only the schools but the
community as well, offering summer classes for adults since 1954 and
annual Christmas workshops, providing area residents with creative
ideas for holiday decorations, foods, and gifts.
Since Christmas 1955, Miss Quinley and her staff and students have
served an annual dinner to the Corsicana School Board. She has made
countless Christmas stockings for the children of faculty members,
school administrators and other friends.
Sponsor of the Future Homemakers of America, she has attended dozens
of FHA banquets, area and state conventions and has also been
advisor to the Corsicana Chapter of Young Homemakers of Texas.
Professional organizations with which she is affiliated include the
Vocational Homemaking Teachers Association, National Education
Association, Corsicana Classroom Teachers Association, Corsicana
Educators Association, District Home Economists Association and
Delta Kappa Gama Society for Women Educators.
She is also a member of First Methodist Church in Corsicana and of
the Altrusa Club, women’s service organization.
McCulley’s biography, delivered the spirit of fun, also had the ring
of friendship, respect and admiration, as he summarized her
activities and contributions as well as alluding to her skill at
organization. He referred to her long association with a Corsicana
High School tradition, the annual coronation pageant which she
served as chairman from 1953 until the final pageant in 1970.
With regard to her plans for the future, Miss Quinley has a lot of
loafing to catch up on. Homemaking teachers do not get long summer
vacations because of the special programs they implement. She says
that she will probably spend some time in Freeport with her
“family”, Mrs. J. A. Wilkinson, her son James and daughter, Beth,
with whom she lived for many years in Corsicana and with whom she
has spent Christmas vacations and holidays through the years.
The retiring teacher was presented with a gift of pearls from her
colleagues, as well as a cranberry glass bowl, and McCulley’s
closing tribute to her service and faithfulness and expression of
thanks for “helping to make this world a better place to live in”
was underscored by those in attendance at the Tuesday evening gala.
They gave her a standing ovation.
Notes:
OBITUARY Faye Quinley
Faye Quinley, 78, of Freeport and a native of Barry, died Monday in
Freeport after a short illness.
Service is 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Corley Funeral Home in Corsicana.
Burial will be at Rose Hill
Cemetery in Blooming Grove.
She taught in the Corsicana Independent School District most of her
career before retirement in 1972.
She was also chairwoman of the homemaking department at Corsicana High
School.
She is survived by an aunt and two cousins.
Pallbearers are Kenneth Gossage, Glenn Dunlap, Marshall Massengale, J.
C. Roe, H. J. Herring and Doug Magee.
Notes:
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