About Frances Robinson

Frances Mary (Mc Guire) Robinson
was born September 1, 1914 in Dearfield, Missouri.

When she was 1 1/2 years old, the family moved to a farm five miles northeast of Uniontown, Kansas. They moved in a "spring-wagon". She was the second child of 4 children, the youngest being a brother. She attended grades 1 thru 8 at Walnut Hill, District 62. The school was about 500 feet from their home, so she could go home for lunch everyday.

Farming was the means of livelihood, consequently, in helping her parents, there was numerous opportunities to learn responsibility and discipline through hard work at an early age. Milking cows, working horses, using a cross-cut saw, hoeing in the garden, cultivating corn with horses, putting up hay, threshing wheat and oats, cooking, sewing, and making do with what you have, was a very real part of her experience as a child growing up.

Her parents taught family values and personal faith in God in word and deed. These things have remained throughout her lifetime.

After completing grade school, high school presented a transportation problem since there were no buses. She and her older sister drove a horse and buggy five miles to and from school everyday until bad weather came. During the bad weather, they roomed at a home in Uniontown with other girls, dormitory style, until the good weather returned and the horse and buggy could be resumed.

Later, when she learned to drive the Model T Ford, she was allowed to drive to school in good weather. This replaced the horse and buggy.

During her freshman year of high school, all classes (9 thru 12) met in one big room. A new high school building was completed during her sophomore year, then the classes were divided. There were 25 students enrolled in two freshman classes. Student dropouts were heavy during the depression years. Only 45 students were left to graduate in 1932.

Upon completing high school, she took the examination for teachers and was awarded a provisional certificate to teach. This started her teaching career (1932).

On July 1, 1933, she and Earl K. Robinson married. They raised six children and spent 47 years together until Earl died January 6, 1981.

The responsibilities of being a mother and housewife interrupted the pursuit of higher education and her teaching career, however, being a determined person, she received a B.S. in Elementary Education from Pittsburg State and spent 32 years of her life serving in the public schools in Bourbon County, Kansas where she has spent her lifetime.

Her philosophy of life is taken from two scriptures:
Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Phillippians 1:6 - Being confident of this very thing that he that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Her advise about life to all is:
• Never hold grudges or unforgiveness towards anyone.
• Always focus on a person's potential rather than fault.
• If you can, change an unpleasant circumstance, if you can't change it, accept it.
• Be kind, treat others as you would want to be treated.
• Think before you speak when upset.
• Read the Bible.

The moral of the story behind the picture of Frances at 85 years is:
"Be willing to try, but honest enough to admit that you can't......and laugh about it".