Rockport High School.

Class of 1935.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was president of the United States in 1935 and Hitler was creating problems for thousands in Europe. Popular movies of 1935 included Top Hat, Mutiny on the Bounty, David Copperfield, and Bride of Frankenstein. "Red Sails In The Sunset" was one of the most popular songs. Fibber McGee and Molly debuted on NBC Radio, and Parker Brothers released the board game of Monopoly which quickly became the best-selling game in America.

There were nine Rockport High School graduates in 1935. I am only aware of three students in this class. I have been informed that two of the Barnard Sisters were in that class and will include them in this web page. Thelma Tooley is the only other 1935 graduate that I knew. I will be glad to add others if and when information becomes available.

The Rockport High School, on Bluff Street, was destroyed by fire on January 5th, 1933. There was no school the next day, but classes resumed on Monday of the following week. Arrangements were made to hold classes in various buildings in the town of Rockport. Maybe not normal for today's standard, but life went on. Plans were quickly made for the construction of a new school and classes continued in public and private buildings. Sometimes bad luck follows bad luck, and just a short time later, an entire block of buildings in Rockport burned. Some of the buildings were being used for classes. Again, the students were shuffled to other sites and the process of educating the youth of Rockport continued. A few months after fire destroyed the school building on Bluff Street, plans were made to construct another, bigger and better, school building at the same location. The plans were never finalized and in July of 1934, land was purchased for the new school. This new school was to be built by the WPA, a government program, and was to be built on the new site located on Highway 62. The old school site property, on Bluff Street, was sold to the town of Rockport in August of 1935. Since that time, the property has become a cemetery and known as "The Mason Cemetery". Construction was started on the new school in 1934 and was completed in 1935. Two years after the fire that destroyed the old school building, and by February of 1935, the town of Rockport had a new school building and a normal education system was ready to continue. The 1935 class should have been the first to receive diplomas.

Thelma Tooley and the Barnard Sitters, Ester and Martha Barnard, were the only three graduates of 1935 that I knew.

1. Thelma M. Tooley. Thelma married Bruce "Pete" Mason soon after graduating from Rockport High School. "Pete" had graduated a few years earlier and was drafted in the Army soon after they were married. The marriage produced a daughter, Suzeane Mason. Thelma's parents, Tom and Kate Tooley were the owners and operators of Tooley's Restaurant when Thelma graduated. After the restaurant burned, Tom and Kate rebuilt in the same location, not as a restaurant, but as a grocery store. Now, it was called Tooley's Grocery. Tom and Kate operated the grocery store until they retired and by now, Bruce Mason was back from the war and he and Thelma made the grocery their occupation until they retired.

2. Ester Barnard Ester married Gledon Brown soon after graduating from high school. Eventually, they settled on a small farm in the Southern section of Beaver Dam. There was one son, Layton Brown. In earlier years, when the Five and Ten Cents store was still open, you would probably see Ester at work. She retired from the five and dime and soon after, the store closed. Change of time.

3. Martha Barnard. Martha married a Chinn after high school. Not sure where Mr. Chinn was from, but like a lot of others, Martha and Mr. Chinn moved to Louisville, where they spent their working carriers and retired in Louisville.

For more information about the Barnard Sisters, please click on the following link. Thanks.