Who Is That New Boy?

Marie Attebery first saw Johnie Baxter, her future husband for nearly 74 years, at the Buncombe School Christmas Play in 1934. The one room school house was located just a quarter mile east of the Attebery home — beyond two sand hills — and about 6 miles south of Naylor, Missouri, and served as the community and social focal point.

Marie, along with most of the other members of her family, had come to view this annual treat which that year included four of her six younger siblings. Roy (in the 8th grade), Raymond (in the 5th grade), Cecil (in the 3rd grade), and Herman (in the first grade) went to the Buncombe School. The two youngest Atteberry children, Ralph, and Ermadean (aged 5 and 2), were still too young to attend.

Miss Opal Petty was the only teacher at the Buncombe School that year. She taught as many as 60 students in its eight grades of classes.

The Baxter family had recently moved to the area, but it was too late for Johnie to be given a "part" in the Christmas program ... other than to pull the curtains that consisted of donated sheets stretched across the front of the school room. But he did his part well, since he was so tall.

Johnie was in the Seventh Grade with just over one more year of schooling to go; he graduated the spring of 1935 from the Eighth Grade - the highest class offered there. In fact he and his classmates had to go to the county seat of Doniphan, Missouri, about 15 miles away, to participate in their graduation program.

Not recognizing this new young man, Marie, who had just graduated from that same school the year before they met, had to ask her younger brother, Roy Attebery, "Who is that new boy?"

Little did she realize, other than perhaps a quiet flutter in her heart, that just two years later she would be married to this handsome young man!

2012-07-07 22:05:32 RBaxter

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