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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
May 17, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
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May 17, 2007
 
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What's Cookin'? Betty has bee n learning all her life By REBECCA WELLS People who talk about having to walk uphill to school have nothing on Betty Wolf. She had to brave all kinds of weather by rowing a boat from her home near Walker Park over to the Agate area and then walking a mile or so uphill to Pioneer School, then a one-room schoolhouse, where she was the teacher. "That's what everybody did then. That's how you got to places was in a boat," Betty remembers, matter-of-factly. She didn't own a car in those days, which was back in 1936, when boats were the pre- ferred way of getting from here to there. "That's what people did." Betty grew up as the daugh- ter of a teacher, living just down the street from Southside School, where she also taught and was a school board member. Her own grandfather helped build the school in 1903. On misty mornings during Bet- ty's early days as a teacher, her mother served as her "fog horn" by standing on the porch and yelling across the bay to help Betty keep her bearings. It was all worth the effort. "I WAS SO lucky all my life to do something I loved, so lucky to be able to do something I really cared about," she says. "I like kids. I like to see them learn. I like to see that 'A_h-ha!' moment come to them. Besides, they aren't the only ones who learn, you know." She spent three years teaching at Pioneer before transferring to teach third grade at the old Lin- coln Elementary School, located where the Shelton Civic Center now stands. Betty married her husband, Frank Wolf, in 1940 and they started a family, tter hus- band, like her father, was a tug- boat captain. He also drove school bus, towed logs for Simpson and ITT Rayonier and served on the Southside School Board for many years. They were part of a commu- laity effort to construct new build- ings for Southside School. They had two daughters, Karen Bergh and Sally Agee, who each later had a son and a daughter and these days Betty also has a great-grandson. They built their home on Hammersley Inlet and lived the rustic lifestyle typical of the era: without a telephone or indoor plumbing, generating their own electricity and hand-digging their wells until more modern con- veniences arrived. Frank Wolf died in 1960 and Betty had to provide for their two teenage daughters. Before she had focused on being a wife and mother while occasionally doing some substitute teaching at vari- ous schools in the community but after his passing she no longer had that luxury. "OF COURSE, back in those days when you got married you know you didn't teach any more because mostly when people got married women were not working outside the home," she explains. 'That was even true in later years." This had held true in the case of her mother, who began teaching at Southside in 1914, married her father in 1916 and went on to raise four children, including Betty, who was born in 1917. However, once Betty became a widow, she began teaching at RETIRED TEACHER, PRINCIPAL and superintendent of Southside School, the same school she attended and her mother taught at, Betty Wolf is a lifelong Mason County resident. Southside, spending most of her time in first-grade classrooms. However, times had changed since she first began her career in edu- cation. After she graduated from Irene S. Reed High School at age 15, she attended the Normal School of Bellingham, now Western Wash- ington University, for two years and then had a third year of high- er education at the University of Washington. Her mother had also studied education at Bellingham, and in her day teachers only need- ed three years of college. SINCE BY THE time Betty returned to teaching she needed a four-year degree she returned to college. She later earned a mastex' d in education from Pacific Liithera4a  . University as she prepared to move up to an ad- ministrative position. Betty rose to become principal ,.at Southside in 1974, later climbing to the rank of superintendent. During most this time she continued to teach, now working with students in the fourth grade. Betty retired in the late Eighties. "Let's just say I learned a lot. It became more political than it had been earlier. Lots of papers to do. Lots of papers to fill out, sign," she recalls of her days working as principal and superintendent. She was really grateful to have very competent office staff to help her Mell Chevrolet where the satisfied customers buy ... Were we helpful, courteous and friendly'? YeS Were you pleased with the way your vehicle was delivered? YeS' Would you recommend us to friends? ec//it/te/Y We would appreciate your comments: te woeldn't 1__ en?where else Kevln own country, and I think it's good for kids to see that when they're growing up," she considers. "If we didn't associate with them, we didn't have anyone to play with." Retirement didn't keep Betty out of the school scene, though. She has been active in Friends of Olympic College and in the early Nineties she was influential in ar- ranging for a counselor from the Bremerton campus to help guide students at the Shelton branch transfer to a four-year college. She has also been a volunteer tutor. The Mason General Hospital Foundation recently named Betty as an outstanding business wom- an in the community. She hasn't stopped learning, either, having just finishing up her doctorate de- gree in family and consumer sci- ence through Iowa State Univer- sity. "I THOUGHT I'D never learn any younger," she jokes, a smile twinkling through her eyes. So far, Betty has completed all of the necessary research and has taken classes both on-line and in person, even staying in the dorms, along with her daughter Karen, who ini- tially invited her to join her in pur- suing a PhD. Carrying on her family's lega- cy, both of her daughters became teachers, as did one of her grand- daughters. One of the reasons she chose to further study home eco- nomics is the fact that the subject reaches far beyond simply cooking and sewing. "They teach personal relation- ships, consumer science, money management. They do all these things that are part of life," she explains. "Some people looked on it as not being intellectual enough, and here they are that we use practically of our lives!" She should know since a tbrmer 4-H club leader, maintained that position for 30 years. Before becoming a 1 er, she participated in 4-tt little girl, doing cooking and! ing projects. "THEY DIDN'T have projects that they have she says, calling the wide topics 4-H offers youngsters days "wonderful!" When she young, a 4-H agent would local clubs, teaching skills and techniques. "For women who didn't have education, that was a thing," she remembers. The ington State University County Extension office vides plenty of resources ticipants to apply to their day life. (Please turn to N.$. - Iloods#ort t0% OFF ALL PARTS AND SERVICE Seniors age 55 and over (Up to =100 savings) Ron McLean with all the .procedures and paper- work. This was quite a leap from her very first job picking strawber- ries at Stets Berry Farm just a few miles down the road from her childhood home, which her par- ents, Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, built. The house still stands to this day. Laboring in the strawberry fields over the summer season earned her and her neighborhood friends less than a dollar per crate "but it was a lot of money for us," she remembers. WHEN SHE was a little girl and still a Southside student about 20 or 30 children were en- rolled in the school. "If you felt like you wanted to leave anybody out, there weren't enough kids to play games," she remembers, "I often think about that, how kids in the country didn't know other kids." Cultural diversity was evident even back then. There were a number of Scandinavian immi- grants living hereabouts during her childhood. "Their language and customs were a little differ- ent, just like people from other cpuntries are different from our Save This event is free Wednesday, May 23 • 6-8 p.m. Shehon Timberland Library 710 W. Alder Street Oakland Bay BCHW PRIZE FIIDEt]I-"" Saturday,----- "'May 26] | ,.. /.! ::, Kennedy Creek iiili|: i i w at marker 369 . Follow signs onto I! Old Olympic HWY :J |','I re, off Hwy 101 :|! Y Food and Great Prizes ] |  a !:  | 1 ,n,o? !!1, r; y On The S YOU New Owner * All New Products * New Store! • BEST QUALITY for Your Money/* Better Selection 330 W. Railroad Ave • (360) 432-3083 Downtown Shelton at Evergreen Plaza Monday - Saturday 9 am - 8 pro, Sunday 10 am - 6 pm ! www.trlib.org 704-1NFO Timberland Regional Professional actors from Seattle's Theatre bring to life the story of MyAntonia by Willa Cather through dramatic readings. The Big Read is an_initiat" tix of the National EndOWa¢° for the Arts in parm ershit e • IIIS¢IIII with the Institute otW and Library Services d Arts Midwest. Page 14 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, May 17, 2007 What's Cookin'? Betty has bee n learning all her life By REBECCA WELLS People who talk about having to walk uphill to school have nothing on Betty Wolf. She had to brave all kinds of weather by rowing a boat from her home near Walker Park over to the Agate area and then walking a mile or so uphill to Pioneer School, then a one-room schoolhouse, where she was the teacher. "That's what everybody did then. That's how you got to places was in a boat," Betty remembers, matter-of-factly. She didn't own a car in those days, which was back in 1936, when boats were the pre- ferred way of getting from here to there. "That's what people did." Betty grew up as the daugh- ter of a teacher, living just down the street from Southside School, where she also taught and was a school board member. Her own grandfather helped build the school in 1903. On misty mornings during Bet- ty's early days as a teacher, her mother served as her "fog horn" by standing on the porch and yelling across the bay to help Betty keep her bearings. It was all worth the effort. "I WAS SO lucky all my life to do something I loved, so lucky to be able to do something I really cared about," she says. "I like kids. I like to see them learn. I like to see that 'A_h-ha!' moment come to them. Besides, they aren't the only ones who learn, you know." She spent three years teaching at Pioneer before transferring to teach third grade at the old Lin- coln Elementary School, located where the Shelton Civic Center now stands. Betty married her husband, Frank Wolf, in 1940 and they started a family, tter hus- band, like her father, was a tug- boat captain. He also drove school bus, towed logs for Simpson and ITT Rayonier and served on the Southside School Board for many years. They were part of a commu- laity effort to construct new build- ings for Southside School. They had two daughters, Karen Bergh and Sally Agee, who each later had a son and a daughter and these days Betty also has a great-grandson. They built their home on Hammersley Inlet and lived the rustic lifestyle typical of the era: without a telephone or indoor plumbing, generating their own electricity and hand-digging their wells until more modern con- veniences arrived. Frank Wolf died in 1960 and Betty had to provide for their two teenage daughters. Before she had focused on being a wife and mother while occasionally doing some substitute teaching at vari- ous schools in the community but after his passing she no longer had that luxury. "OF COURSE, back in those days when you got married you know you didn't teach any more because mostly when people got married women were not working outside the home," she explains. 'That was even true in later years." This had held true in the case of her mother, who began teaching at Southside in 1914, married her father in 1916 and went on to raise four children, including Betty, who was born in 1917. However, once Betty became a widow, she began teaching at RETIRED TEACHER, PRINCIPAL and superintendent of Southside School, the same school she attended and her mother taught at, Betty Wolf is a lifelong Mason County resident. Southside, spending most of her time in first-grade classrooms. However, times had changed since she first began her career in edu- cation. After she graduated from Irene S. Reed High School at age 15, she attended the Normal School of Bellingham, now Western Wash- ington University, for two years and then had a third year of high- er education at the University of Washington. Her mother had also studied education at Bellingham, and in her day teachers only need- ed three years of college. SINCE BY THE time Betty returned to teaching she needed a four-year degree she returned to college. She later earned a mastex' d in education from Pacific Liithera4a  . University as she prepared to move up to an ad- ministrative position. Betty rose to become principal ,.at Southside in 1974, later climbing to the rank of superintendent. During most this time she continued to teach, now working with students in the fourth grade. Betty retired in the late Eighties. "Let's just say I learned a lot. It became more political than it had been earlier. Lots of papers to do. Lots of papers to fill out, sign," she recalls of her days working as principal and superintendent. She was really grateful to have very competent office staff to help her Mell Chevrolet where the satisfied customers buy ... Were we helpful, courteous and friendly'? YeS Were you pleased with the way your vehicle was delivered? YeS' Would you recommend us to friends? ec//it/te/Y We would appreciate your comments: te woeldn't 1__ en?where else Kevln own country, and I think it's good for kids to see that when they're growing up," she considers. "If we didn't associate with them, we didn't have anyone to play with." Retirement didn't keep Betty out of the school scene, though. She has been active in Friends of Olympic College and in the early Nineties she was influential in ar- ranging for a counselor from the Bremerton campus to help guide students at the Shelton branch transfer to a four-year college. She has also been a volunteer tutor. The Mason General Hospital Foundation recently named Betty as an outstanding business wom- an in the community. She hasn't stopped learning, either, having just finishing up her doctorate de- gree in family and consumer sci- ence through Iowa State Univer- sity. "I THOUGHT I'D never learn any younger," she jokes, a smile twinkling through her eyes. So far, Betty has completed all of the necessary research and has taken classes both on-line and in person, even staying in the dorms, along with her daughter Karen, who ini- tially invited her to join her in pur- suing a PhD. Carrying on her family's lega- cy, both of her daughters became teachers, as did one of her grand- daughters. One of the reasons she chose to further study home eco- nomics is the fact that the subject reaches far beyond simply cooking and sewing. "They teach personal relation- ships, consumer science, money management. They do all these things that are part of life," she explains. "Some people looked on it as not being intellectual enough, and here they are that we use practically of our lives!" She should know since a tbrmer 4-H club leader, maintained that position for 30 years. Before becoming a 1 er, she participated in 4-tt little girl, doing cooking and! ing projects. "THEY DIDN'T have projects that they have she says, calling the wide topics 4-H offers youngsters days "wonderful!" When she young, a 4-H agent would local clubs, teaching skills and techniques. "For women who didn't have education, that was a thing," she remembers. The ington State University County Extension office vides plenty of resources ticipants to apply to their day life. (Please turn to N.$. - Iloods#ort t0% OFF ALL PARTS AND SERVICE Seniors age 55 and over (Up to =100 savings) Ron McLean with all the .procedures and paper- work. This was quite a leap from her very first job picking strawber- ries at Stets Berry Farm just a few miles down the road from her childhood home, which her par- ents, Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, built. The house still stands to this day. Laboring in the strawberry fields over the summer season earned her and her neighborhood friends less than a dollar per crate "but it was a lot of money for us," she remembers. WHEN SHE was a little girl and still a Southside student about 20 or 30 children were en- rolled in the school. "If you felt like you wanted to leave anybody out, there weren't enough kids to play games," she remembers, "I often think about that, how kids in the country didn't know other kids." Cultural diversity was evident even back then. There were a number of Scandinavian immi- grants living hereabouts during her childhood. "Their language and customs were a little differ- ent, just like people from other cpuntries are different from our Save This event is free Wednesday, May 23 • 6-8 p.m. Shehon Timberland Library 710 W. Alder Street Oakland Bay BCHW PRIZE FIIDEt]I-"" Saturday,----- "'May 26] | ,.. /.! ::, Kennedy Creek iiili|: i i w at marker 369 . Follow signs onto I! Old Olympic HWY :J |','I re, off Hwy 101 :|! Y Food and Great Prizes ] |  a !:  | 1 ,n,o? !!1, r; y On The S YOU New Owner * All New Products * New Store! • BEST QUALITY for Your Money/* Better Selection 330 W. Railroad Ave • (360) 432-3083 Downtown Shelton at Evergreen Plaza Monday - Saturday 9 am - 8 pro, Sunday 10 am - 6 pm ! www.trlib.org 704-1NFO Timberland Regional Professional actors from Seattle's Theatre bring to life the story of MyAntonia by Willa Cather through dramatic readings. The Big Read is an_initiat" tix of the National EndOWa¢° for the Arts in parm ershit e • IIIS¢IIII with the Institute otW and Library Services d Arts Midwest. Page 14 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, May 17, 2007