Fort Scott: Great place to raise family, make friends

This week we have two stories for our series, the first is written by Leta (Hudson) Hite, Class of 1946 and the second story is written by Shirley (White) Forgey, Class of 1948.

Hi Marilyn,

I graduated from Fort Scott High School in l946, and had many friends, but my sister Una (Hudson) Henderson lived with my husband and I while going to high school, so I also knew most of the Class of l949.

I remember so many of the teachers -- Miss Overfield, Miss O'Connor, Miss Lyles, Mr. Deitrich, who taught shorthand. I later worked for him and have always put to good use what he taught me.

I worked afternoons for P. Emery Pease, whose office was above what used to be the Citizens National Bank. He gave me two quarters each afternoon when I had finished my typing letters and filing. I also worked at Western Insurance after school and through the summer between my junior and senior year. Most everyone in Fort Scott worked at The Western at one time or another.

But I mainly love Fort Scott because of it being such a wonderful place to raise a family. My husband, Richard Hite, and I lived at 1210 State for 43 years. We raised four children at that address and what a wonderful neighborhood for kids to live in! Nobody locked their house or car and there was next to no crime. One time I looked out my kitchen window and there were 16 kids playing in our back yard. Everyone knew everyone else.

We now live in Aurora, Mo., and really like it here, but Fort Scott will always be home!

See you all at the reunion!

Leta (Hudson) Hite

Class of 1946

Hi Marilyn,

When I was a child my Dad was in the chain store grocery business so we moved around a lot. I was always so happy when we moved back to Fort Scott as I always thought of it as home and loved it here. We moved back here for good when I started the eighth grade. I loved going to high school here. We had such a good time with everything we did.

I remember the time some of us sneaked out of the library and went over to the Sweet Shop and the girls' advisor (can't think of her name) came in. I slipped out behind the pinball machines and didn't get caught, but the others were caught and in trouble. They didn't tell on me; must have been against the code.

I made lasting friendships and they are still my good friends after all these years. We have always kept in touch and now are close enough to see each other again. I am talking about Roberta Amstrong, Marjorie Bowers and Raylene Hall. Varrell and

I moved to Scottsdale, Ariz., in 1963 but we were always close and in contact by phone, letters and later by computer and we came back to Fort Scott every year or so.

I guess you could call me a Kansonian as I love both places and they are both my home. We live in Fort Scott now and are very happy being back here and are really looking forward to the all school class reunion in June.

My thought about Fort Scott High during our time is that those who didn't get to go here were deprived.

Shirley (White) Forgey

Class of 1948