Fifth grade class with Mrs. Floyd Carver, teacher, from Earl's collection
It was Valentine’s Day 1958 and I was in the fifth grade at White Oak Elementary School. The one-story brick building was located at James Avenue and Memorial Drive with two large playgrounds. The school had a spacious auditorium with stage where students presented live plays. I remember playing a pilgrim in a Thanksgiving play.
Mrs. Floyd Carver was our fifth grade teacher and we celebrated with valentine exchanges and delicious cake and punch provided by several room mothers. When we departed the classroom I didn’t have any idea it would be our last time in that building where other members of my family had gone to school. For some reason I left a container of valentines and a brand new box of crayons in my desk. It was a beautiful Friday afternoon and when school was out some of us walked home together.
The next morning (Saturday) we woke up to several inches of snow. I can’t remember if weather reports had forecast the five to seven inches all over the area. The White Oak community was without power for a short time, but other parts of Hamilton County weren’t as fortunate.
As kids we enjoyed the weekend and come Monday morning Superintendent Sam McConnell called Luther to say that Hamilton County Schools would be closed, giving students another day of fun making snowmen and having snowball fights.
Tuesday started out much the same way, but while watching the Bob Brandy show and cartoons in the afternoon with a friend; his sister came into the room saying “our school is on fire.” You could see the billowing smoke all over Midvale Park where we lived. Dozens of volunteers rushed to the school to try and save as much as possible. They were able to get some books, desks and supplies from the library and several classrooms on the upper side of the school, but the fire moved rapidly and soon had consumed the school. Many parents, students, teachers and nearby neighbors watched years of memories go up in flames. Fourth grade teacher Margaret Sanders told me later she lost all her teaching aids collected during her career.
The Red Bank Fire Department had two trucks and pumped water from the nearby Duck Pond. There was no mutual aid, so other fire departments stayed in their stations. I was told that Chattanooga wanted to respond, but insurance restrictions prevented firefighters from going outside the city limits. A retired fire chief told me with additional equipment and manpower it would have been hard to save the aging structure. The Hamilton County investigator ruled the fire accidental and said it probably started in the furnace area.
My mother didn’t allow me to go to the scene, although I walked to the top of the hill on James Avenue with several other students and watched the flames and billowing smoke. I told my mom years later what I’d done and she just frowned. That was her school growing up also and she had many memories.
We turned on WDXB radio and they were doing live two-way radio reports with Luke Wilson and Dewey Bryant. I even remember the number one song being played, “Lollipop” by the Chordettes. It’s funny how I also remember some of the other music, “Sugartime” by the McGuire Sisters and "Tequila" by the Champs. Elvis and the Platters were very popular.
By mid-week Hamilton County Schools reopened, but White Oak Elementary was closed. Three nearby churches, White Oak Baptist, White Oak Methodist and White Oak Church of Christ, came to the community’s rescue and opened their doors. We finished the year going to school in church. Cafeteria workers and volunteers prepared us lunch in the churches' kitchens. Happy Valley, Mayfield and Sealtest Daries pitched in with milk and ice cream. Other businesses donated food for the students. One day for lunch, the Krystal donated two hamburgers each for the entire student body.
One of my classmates was Bill Raines. Mr. Raines was promoted to major general in the Army Reserves and is very successful in real estate. The White Oak Elementary alumnus was a leader in building the new Charles Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage Center.
The new elementary school was being built a few blocks away on county property that once was the Hamilton County Workhouse, so the White Oak churches graciously let us use their worship houses another year.
The fire didn’t dampen school spirit. Mrs. Percy Varner was the glee club director and she made sure our choir performed when invited. We sang before the White Oak and Red Bank Lions Clubs and several of the area churches.
I never went to elementary school in the new building, although both my children did. Mr. Ed Brinkley was very proud of the new White Oak Elementary School and served as principal until he retired.
Years later I asked on my radio talk show if anyone had any pictures of the school fire and a listener sent me one.
There are many memories of the White Oak Elementary School for my wife Julie. When the fire occurred she was in Miss Myrtle Jones’ first grade class. Her great uncle, Professor J.E. Brown, served as the long time principal of the school before Mr. Ed Brinkley. Her grandmother, Mrs. A.E. Brown, was teaching sixth grade. Mrs. Brown’s classroom was on the side next to Memorial Drive and lost most of her teaching aids collected over many years. Family members wanted to try and save some of her collection but the raging fire prevented them from entering the burning structure.
Attorney Hoyt Samples remembered, "I grew up on Lyndon Avenue and my father took me down to the fire when it happened. I was about three and a half then, and somewhere I have some slides of the fire.
"I had Mrs. Carver for fifth grade; Miss Jones for first; Mrs. Parker for third; Mrs. DeLuce (one of my favorites who became a life long friend) for fourth and Mrs. Mullis for sixth.
"I have great memories of the new school and got a great education.
"Bill Raines’s mom was the secretary and the principal worked at Ruby Falls and wrote a book on it.
"All in all, a great time and thank you for the memories!"
Every Valentine’s Day I can’t help but remember the White Oak Elementary School fire that occurred 64 years ago.
Earl Freudenberg
HeyEarl1971@epbfi.com
White Oak School Fire, 1958, picture from a listener