My grandmother and her three children moved into the Teachery, as it was called, at Stuart Robinson School in 1932. Stuart Robinson was nestled back in the mountains in Letcher County, Kentucky. The Teachery included a classroom for home economics on the first floor and apartments for teachers on the second floor. My father and his two siblings grew up in that second floor apartment at the Teachery.

Stuart Robinson was one of several Settlement Schools founded by Presbyterian Church leader and physician, Dr. E.O. Guerrant. Guerrant had been an army officer during the civil war. It was during that time period that he came in contact with the very poor people of the Appalachian Mountain Region. W.L. Cooper, the long time superintendent at Stuart Robinson writes this about the impact the mountain people made on Dr. Guerrant.
Hardships of every kind, disease, ignorance, and extreme poverty were familiar companions in many homes. When the war was over and his duties no longer carried him into the mountain regions, he found that he had left his heart there, and that he would be ever unsatisfied not to share with these fellow countrymen some of the opportunities and privileges which had been his. (W.L.Cooper, p.11)

Stuart Robinson opened its doors to students in 1914 largely due to the influence of this man, who was passionate about reaching out to the mountain people. By the time my grandmother joined the faculty in 1932, there were 300 students on campus. Many of them were resident students, who lived in the dormitories.

What was it like to grow up in a mission school deep in the mountains of Kentucky? My dad lost his father when he was 2 years old, so that was another factor to consider in his upbringing. My dad rarely mentioned the experience, but I picked up hints when I was a kid that it was far from paradise. I think my dad must have seen some great acts of kindness, but I also sensed there was hypocrisy too. It was not until I visited the old Stuart Robinson Campus last year that I began to put at least a few pieces of the puzzle together.

Stuart Robinson graduated its last class in 1957. Today the campus is an outreach center for that entire area. It is called Calvary Campus. Jamie and Rachael Reynolds are directing the ministry there. About this time last year I arranged a visit to the campus. As I drove into Letcher County for the first time, I tried to imagine what must have been going through my Grandmother’s mind during her initial trip in 1931.

Jamie took me on the grand tour. We looked at every single building. One of my grandmother’s former students met us out there that afternoon. She of course is well into her 80’s! She implied that my father and his brother were anything but angels back in the day… It was soon time for me to drive back to the Hampton Inn, where I was scheduled to stay that night. But Jamie and Rachael insisted that I stay in their home…The former Teachery…I actually slept on the second floor, where my family once resided so many years ago. It was at that point that I finally began to understand my father’s background a little better. More in tomorrow’s blog…