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- News Palladium Newspaper, Benton Harbor, MI.
. 1941 Feb 11 - Sodus Tabor P.T.A., numbering 50 enjoyed a community supper, shore business meeting ...the rest of the evening was given over to the showing of four reels of pictures by the teacher, Mrs. Gladys Bellinger.
. 1947 Dec 12 & 19 - Choir Names New Officers: First Presbyterian church: librarian, John Bellinger; robe mother, Mrs. Henry Bellinger. Christmas party Thurs. evening Dec. 18th was planned: home decorated with lighted candles, miniature Christmas show scenes on mirrors & a scintillating trees. 25 members competed in contests & games. John Bellinger won prizes. Santa Clause impersonated by Mrs. Bellinger, distributed gaily wrapped packages from under the Christmas tree. The hostess serves refreshments.
. 1952 Jul 19 - Returned from Wyoming - Mrs. Henry Bellinger, of 724 Territorial rd & Miss Dorothy Fischer of 933 Bishop Ave, have returned from visiting A/Jc John Bellinger, who is stationed at Ft. E Warren Air Force base in Cheyenne, Wyo. While enroute they visited Denver, Laramie & Estes Park, Col. Airman Bellinger expected to be home on furlough the first of August.
. 1956 - St. Joseph Directory, Henryt & Gladys F Bellinger, 724 Territorial Rd.
. 1967 May 24 - Honored at Coloma. Mrs Bellinger was credited with 48 years of teaching Her first school was Stump in Benton Harbor, then Martaniac? Stanley Boyter, Tabor, Hull, Boynton, Riverside & Bunbdyt Schools. She attended Michigan State & Western Michigan University where she eared a life certificate.
B&W Photo of older lady, eye glasses, 2 strand necklace, & a corsage on her shoulder.
. 1969 Jun 27 - Colma Teacher Looks Back on Long Career
Mrs. Glayds Bellinger ended a teaching career spanning a half century when she retired this month from Coloma school system where she was an elementary teacher.
Miss Belinger began her career in 1919 by driving a horse & buggy to school & ended her career diving on an interstate freeway to school.
She resides with her son & dau-in-law, Mr & Mrs John Bellinger near Stevensville. Open house will be held at home Sun 3 - 5 pm. 7059 Red Arrow Hwy.
Mrs B. spent her entire career teaching in Berrier Co. schools of Stump, Boynton, Martindale, Hull, Tabor, Riverside, Stanley, Bundy [19312] & Coloma. Her philosophy over the ears has never to end a day, no matter how bad it has been without finding humor in the day's woes. "There is a funny side to everything. Sometimes its mighty hard to find, but it's worth the effort to search for it. The next day is always easier to face with a smile than a frown".
Her only regret in leaving the teaching field, is the availability of teaching aids. Throughout most of her career she only aids she could develop herself. Her early career of a rural sch. teacher has a unique roll in the community In her classroom, she was teacher, nurse, counselor, recreational leader & janitor. The school house as the center of the community. It served for community activities, parties & meetings.
During WWII, it took on the additional role by serving as a receiving station for war materials... sch. rooms, hallways & all available space filled with collected items. The major problem was with the milkweed pods which often broke, sending fuzz floating around the classrooms. Milkweed fibers were used to fill lifejackets. Even the school grounds were littered with piles of wood & steel. She once extinguished a small fire in a pile of scrap metal & shortly after local citizens converged on the area thinking the school was burning down.
* Mrs. B was born in Sodus township, the daughter of Mr & Mrs. Frank Osborne. In 1924 she was married to Henry Bellinger, who dies in 1967.
The main change in children of a half-century ago & today she said, is not in their aggressiveness or discipline problems, but rather in what it takes to entertain them. "It used to take so little to give them great joy."
Mrs. B. has been presented a citation & 50 year pin from the Coloma Education association.
Large photo: Thin women with dark curly hair (perm?). She was eye glass with currently fashionable metal wing-tipped edges. - - -
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1898 - 1981 (82 years)