Rockport Mix Series, Pre-1950.
A Brief Statement About Some Students Plus A Bonus Picture In Most Cases.
The idea, and a lot of the Legwork by Hilma A. Stewart.
Please Scroll Down To View.
Music is an old tune called "Little Brown Jug".
Stat by jrd on 11/21/06.
Rockport, Kentucky.
Mr. & Mrs. Truman Everly.
Russell Truman Everly and Martine Stewart were Rockport High School Classmates and both graduated from Rockport High School in 1940. Truman played basketball for Rockport High and his Junior and Senior years was a member of a mixed and all male quartet. Martine was a cheerleader for the Rockport High School. Truman attended Western Kentucky State Teachers College before serving our country in the U. S. Marines during World War II. He was in the initial landing at Guam, Okinawa and Japan.
Martine and Truman married soon after he was discharged from the service. He and Martine lived in Rockport for several years where he was a deacon and song leader at the Rockport Baptist Church. He is also a member of the Masonic Lodge and a Kentucky colonel. They were married for 61 years and raised three daughters in Rockport. At last count there were five grandchildren. Martine enjoyed being a homemaker and being active in her church. She was active in W.M.U., the nursing home ministries, F.H.A. Chapter Mother and a Kentucky colonel. She was always proud of Rockport and continued to work for the betterment of Rockport, even when she moved to Beaver Dam. She was instrumental in the initial planning and organizing the project that started the biennial "Rockport Round-Up" or as called today, "The Rockport High School Reunion".
After the children were raised, Martine and Truman moved to Beaver Dam and then to Bowling Green. Martine went home to be with her Lord on May 22, 2004. May she always be remember for her smile and for her ability to make others better. Truman now resides in Port Orange, Florida. He tries to make every Rockport Reunion.
Mr. & Mrs. Martin L. Durham.
Martin L. Durham nor Alma L. Russell Durham were Rockport High School Graduates. They were life-long residents of Rockport though and raised a family in this Ohio County town. A child died at a very young age and two boys and a girl were raised into adulthood in the small town of Rockport. Training from Shim McCombs and from the Homer Boyd's was helpful as this married couple started a Grocery/Service Station and made a go of it and Alma Durham followed Homer Boyd's occupation and became the postmistress at Rockport.
Martin L. Durham started his former schooling at Ceralvo and went to the School at Smallhouse for a year or two. The family moved to Rockport and he entered the Rockport School when it was on Bluff Street. Some schooling was completed at Rockport, but times and circumstances prevented him from earning a High School diploma and Martin started his working career before he completed his formal education. Eventually, he became a coal miner and worked at this occupation until retirement. His mining career was mostly with Louisville Gas And Electric Company at the Cherry Hill Mine. This mine was an Utility Company owned mine and operated solely for the purpose of supplying coal to the Louisville Gas and Electric Company Power Plant at Louisville. If coal was needed, to supply the Electrical Generating Plant, the mine worked and if coal was not needed, the mine did not work. Thus, Cherry Hill Mines was a good place to work, but the work hours were not the normal 40 hour work week. In the early fifties Martin decided he needed more to do to supplement his income, and he rented the old Standard Oil Service Station Building from L. J. Hines and started a "Quick Pick" type operation in Rockport. His business venture was a success and he built this small business venture into a profitable Grocery/Service Station type operation. At times he had three or four clerks and one or two mechanics working for him. He worked at Cherry Hill and operated the business until retirement.
Alma L. Russell completed her education in Muhlenberg County and when her parents moved to Ohio county, she moved with them. Prior to this, she had married and she and her husband moved to Mississippi. Her husband died and she moved back home. Now living in Rockport, Alma was attracted to Martin. Why this refined lady from Mississippi went for a "Huff and Gruff" man that had once wrestled a bear is anybody's guess. None the less, Alma and Martin married and they settled in Rockport to raise a family. Martin tried a few jobs before he decided to become a miner. One of those jobs was as a fireman for the IC Railroad in 1943. His base station was in Louisville and it was thought that a move to Louisville would be best for the family which now consisted of Martin and Alma and two boys. They stuck it out in Louisville for two years before they decided to return to their roots and moved back to Rockport. A girl had now been added to the family. Alma played the housewife until the children were about grown. She had been working on a part time basis for the U S Post Office and when Mr. Boyd retired she decided to go full time and became the postmistress for the town of Rockport. She worked this job until retirement. Alma was very active in school functions and her church. She served on several committees and was treasurer for many of these committees including the Rockport PTA.
Wishing you all a great day.
See you......
jrd
Imogene Coleman attended Rockport High School in the Forties. She married Ishmael "Cute" Taylor and they made their home in Rockport. Cute secured a job with Peabody Coal Company, Ken Mine and he and Imogene settled in to raise their family. The family ended up being a large family that consisted of three boys and four girls. This family is spread out all over the country. Two of the girls remained close by, with one being employed by the Ohio County School system and the other the wife of a local optometrist.
Imogene has continued to stay busy after the early death of Cute. She is involved with many projects that benefit the town of Rockport as well as the betterment of Ohio County. She has since moved to Beaver Dam and continues to stay busy.
Martha Reid Chinn, Jean Reid Reynolds and William Reynolds
Picture of Martha, Jean and William taken at the Rockport 2004 Reunion by Harold Welborn. Write-up on Martha and Jean is also by Harold. Thanks a lot Harold.
Martha Reid was a 1936 Graduate of Rockport High School. Martha is the daughter of Elizabeth and Rodney Reid (brother of Bert Reid) and the sister of the late Jamie Reid.
She married Arthur Chinn in the 30's and they later established a jewelry store in Danville. Arthur died about 2004 and Martha still lives in Danville and works part time in the store.
Jean Reid was a 1941 Rockport Graduate. After graduation, she married William Reynolds from Beaver Dam. William (Bill) was associated with Reynolds Pontiac Dealership in Beaver Dam. Bill and Jean raised a family in Beaver Dam and have made their retirement life in Beaver Dam.
Jean worked for the BD KU office and had two children. A son who is a dentist and a daughter who is a teacher.
James and Minnie Lou Geary.
This nice couple that have made their retirement home in Echols are lifelong area residents of Rockport. Although neither are Rockport High School Graduates, their children attended the old high school as they were growing up. James and Minnie Lou lived in Rockport for many years and while James was busy working, Minnie Lou was helping make Rockport and Rockport High School a better place.
James Geary was born and raised in the Echols Community. It is the area of Echols that I call Scottown. He came from a very large family and if you went to High School at Rockport, chances are that you went to school with one of his siblings. I went to school with his younger brothers, Gordon and Homer. Scottown is situated on the Green River side of Echols and on high ground. As a youngster, Delbert and Paul Harris and I, along with others, would walk to their grandparent's farm. In doing so, we passed Scottown. Depending on the situation on the hillside, if we were spotted and outnumbered by the Scottown youngsters, a group of them would come off that hillside and they were not offering us lunch. We would run until out of breath and stop to look back. Those Geary's, Abbott's and Givens' never caught up with us and there was never a punch thrown, but they put a fear in us that has never been forgotten. Now, those were the "Good Old Days". Anyway, James was long-gone from Scottown by the time that I could venture away from home. I am not aware of James ever going to school at Rockport. He probably attended the Echols School know as "Pink Hall", or possibly Number 19 school.
Minnie Lou Cardwell was born and raised in Rockport. Like the Geary's, Minnie Lou had a younger brother that was near my age. She had an older brother that I remember well. Minnie Lou's parents are a memory in my mind, but I can not recall much about the pair. I don't think that Minnie Lou graduated from Rockport, but she certainly attended high school at that nice old school.
James Geary married Minnie Lou Cardwell and they settled in Rockport to raise their family. James tried several area jobs until he was able to go to work for Peabody Coal Company at Ken Mines. He worked for the mines until retirement. Prior to retirement, James and Minnie Lou purchased some property near Scottown and made their retirement home. Today, you will find two content people in that retirement center. I am not sure of the number of children and grandchildren that belong to James and Minnie Lou, but there are plenty. James raises a big garden and when the children and grandchildren visit, Minnie Lou makes sure that all are fed well. Retirement life is good for this pair.
