Washington School Graduate 1932
Simply put, a very amazing person
(click on the picture to the right and click "next" to view her graduation picture)
Wilma McManus is the oldest living graduate of Washington Township School. She is 95 years old and looking forward to celebrating her 96th birthday this July.
She is an amazing person, quick wit and very observant. She stated, “Washington Township School holds a dear spot in my heart. We had a good foundation. We might not have had all the frills, but we had the basic things we needed.”
She is the daughter of Clarence and Ethel Todd Capp and was born in Boone County, Iowa. Wilma has two sisters, Winifred and Kathryn and one brother Cliff.
Wilma began her education in a country school in Boone County, Iowa, north of Bouton, Iowa some four miles. It was the Friedrichsen School located on highway 169.
Her parents moved to Dallas County and she entered second grade at Washington School in March 1922. The school had only opened the previous year. The classes in 1921 began in October, as the school had not been completed by the beginning of the fall school year.
Her first teacher was Mary Kautzky Book. Her second grade class was held in a room on the third floor of the schoolhouse. She said this class had their own room. A Miss Murphy from Perry taught her in grades 7-8.
Wilma recalled playing three-court basketball while at Washington. The gym was divided into three courts. Six players were on each team. There were two forwards, two guards, one jump center and one running center. Players had to stay in their respective court.
She mentioned the score of the basketball game was kept by two persons each of whom was seated in a window well on the north side of the gym. As the score changed, one of the persons would post a new number. Her brother, Cliff, would try to be one of the score keepers as this allowed him to get in for the game free of charge as opposed to paying a quarter.
She recalled her studies at Washington School and was proud of her academic accomplishments.
At the end of each school year, a community picnic would be held at the school. All parents could attend and she remarked how the farmers would leave their fieldwork to come to the school for the meal, and then return to the fields.
Wilma attended State Teachers College (now University of Northern Iowa) in Cedar Falls for two summers and got her certificate to teach country school. And so her teaching career began in a country school.
She married Ray McManus and they had one daughter Kathryn (Kay). Ray passed away in 1950. Kay’s career has been a nurse. She recently moved from Boston to the Orlando, Florida area.
During World War II she taught grades 6-8 at the Gardiner School located east of Perry and north of Minburn on highway 169. She was overwhelmed at the time at the amount of money she was offered. She later taught grades 5 and 6.
She then taught second grade students at Adel for five years. After that, she became a supervisor over all the elementary schools in Dallas County. She traveled to a different school each day. Books were borrowed from the Perry Library to supplement reading material available in the schools.
Wilma attended Drake University graduating in 1952 and received a certificate. She continued her Drake education and received an advanced certificate in 1954.
Her final educational tenure was at Waukee. She served as principal of the Waukee School for eleven years. She retired from education in the early 1960’s.
She has resided in Adel for a number of years. She has been active in community affairs and involved in various projects.
Spotlight
A Lifetime In Education--Wilma Capp McManus
A Lifetime With Washington Township School--Joe Book
Joe Book has been very involved in the renovation and continued operation of the Washington Township Consolidated School House. Joe has a vast amount of knowledge of the school as he was born (son of Wayne and Mary Kautzky Book), raised and educated in close proximity to the school.
Joe graduated from Washington Township in 1943. His brothers and sisters, seven of them, all graduated from Washington Township. The youngest in the Book family of eight, David, graduated in the last class at Washington Township. This was in 1958. The school then consolidated with Minburn to form the Central Dallas Community School District.
When Joe began his education, there were 19 in his class. His subjects were arithmetic, spelling, geography, English, history and phonics. Joe always felt he had good teachers.
While in school, Joe played the trumpet. Most of his brothers and sisters also played instruments and their mother played the piano. This made for wonderful family occasions at home.
Joe recalls clothes for school were purchased in the summer from Clarence Hall, the superintendent. Hall would visit each home. Joe remembers having two gray, woolen, long pants and shirts.
When World War II began, Joe remembers the entire typing class lining up their typewriters in the gym and producing Ration Books for the Township folks who would later pick them up at school.
Joe served in the military from January 30, 1944 to June 1945. He was a mechanic gunner in a PBY plane. During World War II, PBY's were used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escorts, search and rescue missions (especially air-sea rescue), and cargo transport.
Farming has been Joe’s life. His father died in 1955 at age 52, so being the oldest in the family, maintaining the farm became his responsibility. Today it is becoming more rare that an individual is born, raised, educated and works in the same location. Joe has certainly accomplished this.
Joe married Alice Foust on March 5, 1977 at a wedding ceremony held in Des Moines. This marriage brought Alice's three children into the family.
We can all be most grateful to Alice and Joe for their work and effort put forth over the last 12 years to help restore the wonderful schoolhouse located at P58 and F31. Our thanks go to them for all they have done.
Joe graduated from Washington Township in 1943. His brothers and sisters, seven of them, all graduated from Washington Township. The youngest in the Book family of eight, David, graduated in the last class at Washington Township. This was in 1958. The school then consolidated with Minburn to form the Central Dallas Community School District.
When Joe began his education, there were 19 in his class. His subjects were arithmetic, spelling, geography, English, history and phonics. Joe always felt he had good teachers.
While in school, Joe played the trumpet. Most of his brothers and sisters also played instruments and their mother played the piano. This made for wonderful family occasions at home.
Joe recalls clothes for school were purchased in the summer from Clarence Hall, the superintendent. Hall would visit each home. Joe remembers having two gray, woolen, long pants and shirts.
When World War II began, Joe remembers the entire typing class lining up their typewriters in the gym and producing Ration Books for the Township folks who would later pick them up at school.
Joe served in the military from January 30, 1944 to June 1945. He was a mechanic gunner in a PBY plane. During World War II, PBY's were used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escorts, search and rescue missions (especially air-sea rescue), and cargo transport.
Farming has been Joe’s life. His father died in 1955 at age 52, so being the oldest in the family, maintaining the farm became his responsibility. Today it is becoming more rare that an individual is born, raised, educated and works in the same location. Joe has certainly accomplished this.
Joe married Alice Foust on March 5, 1977 at a wedding ceremony held in Des Moines. This marriage brought Alice's three children into the family.
We can all be most grateful to Alice and Joe for their work and effort put forth over the last 12 years to help restore the wonderful schoolhouse located at P58 and F31. Our thanks go to them for all they have done.
Please let us know of birthdays, wedding anniversaries and other special events in your life and we will post it on the web site.
Just email your item to wtcsf@tri-school.org.
Just email your item to wtcsf@tri-school.org.