South Gate School

This sturdily built brick building now stands vacant, and it has been so for a couple of generations.  The overgrown yard with its grasses, bushes, and trees conceals the fact that at one time it was the scene of activity in which dedicated teachers strove to impart knowledge to the young people of the neighborhood.  In those long ago days, teachers often rotated from one room school house to another and often to a different township.  The pay was uniformly poor, often approximately $800.00 for an entire year.  Most often, the teacher had but little formal education in the business of teaching when he began.  However, he usually made up in common sense for that which he lacked otherwise.  Sometimes, before the turn of the century, the aspiring teacher would manage to gain a teaching “certificate” even though he had an incomplete high school education.

One such quality person was the late esteemed Dr. Edward GLASER whose combined office-residence on Main Street is now occupied by the Tom Davis Real Estate firm.  This story is familiar to me as he was my mother’s cousin.  With but two years of high school, young GLASER obtained his certificate and taught in the county school for a couple of years.  He lived frugally, saved his money, studied diligently, and succeeded in passing the entrance examination to the School of Medicine which at that time was affiliated with Purdue University.  Commonly, at that time, teaching was often looked upon as a stepping-stone toward a better station in life.

Another such teacher was the retired president of the Peoples Trust Company, Alfred DEFFNER.  He followed the familiar pattern: he obtained his teaching certificate, he worked and studied hard, saved his money and each summer attended Ball State Teachers College.  Eventually, he obtained his four-year degree.  Some years later, he abandoned teaching as a profession for that of a banker.  Rising through the ranks, DEFFNER became president of the bank and retained that position until his retirement.

DEFFNER seemed always to be in a hurry.  The late Tony BACK once related the following incident: At one time, DEFFNER taught at South Gate School some four miles distant from his residence.  In order to save money, he often walked to and from his home to work.  One day, a farmer, driving a wagon and going in the same direction, offered the young pedagogue a ride.  DEFFNER declined with thanks saying: “I can’t, as I’m in too much of a hurry.”

The BACK family produced nine children all of whom at one time or another attended classes in this little building.  In addition to Tony, his brother Gene BACK, retired long time businessman, and brother Stanley BACK graduated from this school. Stanley continued his education, graduated from both Purdue and Dayton Universities and began teaching.  Today, he is an assistant professor in math and the sciences at Dayton University, his alma mater.

Appearing on the school roster over the years are the following family names: BISCHOFF, STENGER, BACK, KNECHT, WILHELM, and MERGENTHAL.  Some of the teachers who held forth here were Bertha REIFEL, Alma GESELL, Leroy GESELL, Ezra GESELL, and Alfred DEFFNER.

                                                                                                Elmer E. Peters, MD,

May 21, 1995