The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 30, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 30, 1985 Page: 2 of 10
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RIO GRANDE HERALD RIO GRANDE CITY. TEXAS THURSDAY^MAY 3#, 1985 PAGE 2 Tfc 1
Retired Teachers Look Back On Careers
?
By KENNETH ROBERTS
Managing Editor
Two recently retired teachers
with careers 'hat total 85 years
combined say that teaching in the
Rio Grande City CISD was a very
fulfilling experience in their lives.
Mrs. Josefina Smedley was a
teacher for 48 years, 44 of them
within the Rio Grande City CISD.
Mrs. Oralia G. Lopez spent 36 of
her 38 years as a teacher within the
Rio Grande City CISD. Both Mrs.
Smedley and Mrs. Lopez are
lifelong natives of Rio Grande City
Mrs. Smedley said, "I don't
regret a single day, a single month,
or a single year...To me, teaching
is the most rewarding profession of
all...I'm a very determined person.
If you take things one step at a
time, you can accomplish a lot. I
feel very appreciative to the
administration, the community,
and a very big majority of my
students."
Mrs. Smedley, a 1936 graduate of
Rio Grande City High School,
recalled that she earned her
Bachelor of Arts degree, with a
major in English and a minor in
Spanish, from Texas A&I Universi-
ty in August 1941 She had been
teaching in Zapata since the fall of
1937.
After attending A&I in the
summers of 1936 and 1937, plus the
long term, and having achieved 54
hours, she was then certified with a
four-year term elementary certifi-
cate.
Smedley continued to work
toward her degree at A&I during
the summers, and also instructors
from the college would come to
Zapata to teach extension classes.
She said, "I knew I would be
getting my degree at the end of the
four years. I was sure of myself I
was because I staved with it." She
earned her master's degree in 1951
by attending A&I during the
summers and also with the help of
extension classes.
As to why she entered the
teaching profession, Mrs. Smedley
said, "My mother was a school-
teacher in Zapata County. I was
her onTy daughter and she was a
very big influence on me."
After teaching for four years in
Zapata, she taught fo. the following
periods at the following RGCCISD
schools: North Grammar Elemen-
tary, two years; Rio Grande City
High School, three years; Ringgold
Jr. High, two years, and Roque
Guerra Elementary, 37 years.
She was an English teacher at
Rio Grande City High School for
three years. From 1958-1960, she
taught Language Arts for two
years at Ringgold Jr. High. She
said, "In other words, I've taught
all the way...I liked teaching the
younger kids best," but added that
she enjoyed teaching high school.
Smedley summed up her philoso-
phy of teaching this way, "My
main objective was to teach them
in such a way, covering all the
subjects, that the results would be
good ...I like to speak with the
truth, whether it's good or bad."
About the importance of subjects
and skills, Smedley said, "Every-
thing goes back to reading. I still
say Language Arts is the most
important subject." She said she
favors the current stress on
mathematics and science, noting
that "We're living in a high-
technology age "
Mrs. Smedley taught in the
Headstart Program for ten years,
and taught in the Chapter I
Reading Program for the past
eight years. To select students that
need help under that program, she
said "you've got to go through the
California Achievement Test
scores, and select the lowest in
LFD
percentile. The criteria is needy
children below the 40 percentile."
She said that the Chapter I
Reading Program works in five
areas: Phonetic Analysis, Vocabu-
lary, Comprehension, Structural
Analysis, and Study Skills, which
Smedley said covers listening and
dictionary skills.
Smedley said, "So many changes
have taken place. In many ways, I
feel we have a bigger percentage of
kids trying to go to college." Of the
reforms put into effect recently,
she said, "I'm in favor of the
reforms, but I'd like to see more
closeness on this between the
school, the home, and the commu-
nity in general."
Smedley said, "I feel that the
teacher is a person in a good
position to strive for the best, and
if they do that, the results will be
good...! keep up with my students.
I believe parents need to do their
part and be aware that they have a
big responsibility."
Mrs. Smedley has two sons, John
and Joe, both graduates of Texas
A&M University. Her husband
Miller, to whom she was married
for 30 years, died in February 1983.
Mrs. Oralia G. Lopez began her
38-year teaching career by
teaching for two years in the Roma
Independent School District. Her
teaching career within the RGC-
CISD is divided as follows: North
Grammar Elementary, four years;
Ringgold Jr. High. 20 years;
Ringgold Elementary, six years;
and La Union Elementary, six
years. She taught every grade from
first through eighth.
Mrs Lopez, after graduating
from Rio Grande City High School
in 1945, attended Texas A&I Uni-
versity, where she received her
degree in Elementary Education in
1955.
She earned her master's degree
in 1955 by studying from Antioch
mm
Two recently retired teachers with 85 years of experience between them, Mrs.
Oralia G. Lopez and Mrs. Josefina Smedley, were honored by the Chapter I Program
with a party last week, and also presented plaques. From left to right are Chapter I
Program Coordinator Joel F. Salinas, Mrs. Lopez, Mrs. Smedley, and Mrs. Telca
Porras, reading supervisor for the Chapter I Program.
College, whose headquarters is in
Ohio with a branch at UT in Austin.
She recalled, "I started my
master's at A&I. I had half of my
master's earned when I started at
Antioch. We went every Saturday
to Austin."
Lopez explained her entry into
the teaching profession, "I always
knew I wanted to be a teacher.
Mother would tell us that our
grandfather was a teacher, and so
on down the line."
Lopez recalled her years in
Roma, calling Superintendent
Florence J. Scott "a very smart
lady; she was our friend besides
being our superintendent." She
said of her first years of teaching
in the Rio area, "I found it easy to
adjust because I knew everybody. I
was born here and went to school
here."
Lopez said, "Most often, it was
Social Studies that I taught at the
junior high level. It must have been
history that I liked to teach most I
made them relate everything to
their own surroundings, something
they could see for themselves and
relate to their own experiences."
She added, "I discussed how Rio
Grande City was built They had a
very rich history along the Rio
Grande River. Davis Landing was
where the ships would unload
during the Civil War." She said she
also noted to her students the
beginning of the fruit and vegetable
growing industries in the Valley in
the early 1900's.
Mrs. Lopez contrasted teaching
elementary and junior high stu
dents this way, "In the elementary
grades, you had to be close to
them, almost a second mother. In
junior high, if you help the kids,
and they know you want to help
them, they'll be very good with
you. It takes a lot of working with
them."
Lopez said, "My viewpoint was
that they needed to learn how to
read in order to get an education
and make a better living. Reading
is definitely the most important
course. Once a student learns how
to read, all courses are equally
important."
She urges parents "to keep in
close contact with teachers, go to
open houses and parents' nights,
and visit the classroom." Of House
Bill 72, Lopez said it "is a lot of
paperwork for teachers." She has
doubts about whether the reforms
will benefit youngsters, expressing
worry that students unable to meet
the academic demands will drop
out with increasing frequency.
Mrs. Lopez said, "I stayed in
teaching because it was something
I loved and knew how to do. To be
happy in what you're doing is most
important in the teaching pro
fession."
Mrs. Lopez is married to Elias
Lopez. She is a member of th<fA
Texas State Teachers Association,
and also the Catholic Daughters ol
America.
The two teachers, who both
worked in the Chapter I Program
for the past several years, were
honored with a party held at the
Multi-Purpose Center on Tuesday.
May 21.
Chapter I Coordinator Joel F a
Salinas said of the teachers, "1 fell™
you were not only teachers, but
institutions. You symbolize what
the Rio Grande City CISD stands
for." Business Manager Romeo
Lopez said, "The record shows that
you dedicated a great amount of
time, for the betterment of
youngsters,"
m •
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L
Memorial Day
Observance Held
Local veterans held a brief
Memorial Day ceremony to honor
soldiers from Rio Grande City who
lost their lives in war
The 96th Army Reserive De-
tachment fired a 21-gun salute to
honor the fallen soldiers The firing
party was comprised of Gustavo
Hernandez, Ovidio R Acevedo,
Reymundo Alvarez, Jr , Homero
Salmon, Perfecto Torres, Areadio
Salinas, and Fred LaBar. The
firing party commander was Sgt.
1st Class Renato B. Chavez.
Bugler Harry Brown, Jr., played
taps The 21-gun salute also
honored all prisoners of war and
men missing in action
Other Veterans of Foreign Wars
members attending were VKW
Post Commander Noe Olivarez,
Andres Lopez, Dario Guerra. Fred
LaBar. Juan Alaniz, Gilberto
Trejo, Juan Martinez, Domingo
Gonzalez, Leonel Garza, Javier
Ramirez, and Raul Valle
Members of the VFW Ladies
Auxiliary were also on hand for the
observance.
Local Boy *
Wins
Gold Medal
Noel Avila of Rio Grande City,
participated in the Juniot- Boxing
Olympics in Robstown on Sunday,
and came away with a Gold Medal «
Noel, weighing 69 pounds, used 9
determination and a strong will to
defeat Jose Samez, weighing 70
pounds, of Laredo.
Noel is the son of Mr and Mrs
Mariano Avila of Rio Grande City
They said they, as parents, wen-
very proud of their son's ac-
complishment, which they said is a
great victory for the community
DR. BEARDSLEY
Optometrist
Announces his
NEW LOCATION
107 E. MAIN
NARRO MEDICAL CENTER
Every Thursday
8:30a.m,-12:00 Noon
Open Wedensday
For Adjustment & Delivery
from 8:00 to 12:00
Todos Los Jueves
8:30 a.m.-12:00 Mediodia
Abierto Miercoles
Para Ajustes y Entregas
De 8:00 a 12:00
107 E, Main
Rio Grande City
487-5052
I •
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Roberts, Kenneth. The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 30, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 30, 1985, newspaper, May 30, 1985; Edinburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth194978/m1/2/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.