During the month of February, we celebrated black history. We fondly and sadly remembered many renowned figures, both nationally and locally, who struggled, sacrificed, and made significant contributions to society. Those sacrifices changed their lives and the lives of those around them. One local figure who holds a place of her own among those who made significant contributions to the lives of others is a retired Clarke County teacher by the name of Mrs. Lola Hardaway.
The name given birth to her at birth was Lola Mae Floyd. Mrs. Hardaway recalls, “Those who knew me well lovingly called me Mae.” She is the second child and oldest daughter born to Santee and Eula Bell Floyd in Evergreen, Alabama. A child’s birth order is said to determine character, interests, interactions, and, eventually, success or failure. Being the first girl gave her a status and a control that has followed her throughout her life. Among her earliest memories is one that dates back to when she was 18 months old and just beginning to take her first steps. Upon doing so she fell, as all children do, so she decided that walking was not for her if it meant “taking a spill.” Taking advantage of the situation, “Mae” realized that she could be carried if she refused to walk. While she enjoyed this for a while, she soon tired of relying upon others for her every move. Being the independent person that she was, Lola displayed qualities of self-reliance and a willingness to test the waters on her own terms. This is the Lola Hardaway story.
I was the second in line and, therefore, was little sister to an older brother named John W. That made me big sister to Maxine and Frankie and little brother Sandy. This birth order set into motion my journey to become boss, confidant, playmate, friend, teacher, and play many other roles in the lives of my family members and the people whose paths I would cross. Growing up in our five-room house in a small rural town in Alabama, I recall sharing a room with my sister Maxine. I remember that I never received an allowance because “times were hard.” Though times were hard and much work was required of me and my siblings, we diligently worked on the family farm, helping to take care of cows, chickens, pigs/hogs, mules, ducks, and turkeys.
I proudly remember that our crops included cotton, peanuts, watermelons, corn, peas, turnips, Irish potatoes, okra, squash cucumbers, and English peas. Those crops required much field work, and we worked hard. We made butter from the milk that we got from the cows. We also had fruit trees such as apple, fig, plum, and muscadine vines too. We made jams and jellies from the fruit that we gathered, and we canned fruits and vegetables in jars using big black pots for the task. I remember the gathering wood for the fire and boiling water in the wash pot for canning as well as for washing clothes. We were taught to always share what we had with others, and our neighbors shared with us as well. That was part of our Christian upbringing. As a matter of fact, our great uncle was the founder of Mileage Village Methodist Church in Owassa, AL. We were told the story of how my mother’s aunt was left with the responsibility of raising five children. My father’s mother and her siblings were brought up by the grace of God to possess a strong work ethic and a desire to survive. Those survival skills, along with faith, were passed on to the children, so my siblings and I were brought up to work hard and share what we had with others.
We owned a meal grinder and made meal for ourselves, other family members, and our neighbors. In addition to growing, harvesting, preserving, and preparing food for ourselves, we also made chops and grain for the animals because they had to be fed in order to keep them producing and working. During the winter right after Christmas, we gathered animal manure from the chicken house, barn, pig pen, and wherever animals were kept. We took this manure to the fields and spread it over bare rows to enrich the soil for the next crops. Christmas was always a joyous time. I especially remember Christmas dinners. There was always so much good food. We always had a ham along with other meats. There were many different kinds of vegetables, potato salad, and at least four different kinds of cakes: chocolate, coconut, caramel and pound cake, plus pies and fruit. I also remember my father purchasing block ice for the ice box which lasted several days in the winter but not so long during the summer months. There were no refrigerators as we know them today.
I remember many fun days like the time that my father took my sister and me to the town of Evergreen to get a dress and shoes to match. They were our first pair of sandals. I was fifteen years old. I was so proud of them. This was the best gift ever. Another fond memory is that of a precious grey and white kitten that was my prized possession.
Living in a rural area on a farm afforded us many different experiences such as home treatments for illnesses. We did not go to the doctor for every ailment. I recall remedies such as hog hoof tea, mullein tea, pine straw tea, and rabbit tobacco tea. These teas were made by placing each item in a kettle of hot boiling water and sweetening them with honey. Sometimes a little white lightening was added to make it more palatable. Such remedies were used for various childhood illnesses such as colds, measles, and mumps; sometimes the same remedy was used for two or three different illnesses. A child who contracted chicken pox was taken to the chicken coop or the hen house for the chickens fly over the ailing child. I had my first trip to the doctor when I was in the tenth grade because I had developed strep throat.
School attendance was a must for my siblings and me. I recall many wonderful school days and favorite teachers who were our role models. One teacher in particular was Mrs. Hattie Mae Avery, the school principal, who also taught fourth through sixth grade. I always noticed her because of the smell of her Avon cologne. This was quite a treat for an elementary school girl. I attended Lincoln Elementary School, a two-room school, from first through sixth grades. Preschool students through third grade were taught in one room and the fourth through sixth grade students were taught in the adjoining room. The teachers were required to teach three or four different levels of students as well as different subjects during the span of a day. This was the earliest form of learning centers, though they were not called learning centers at the time. Another notable elementary school teacher was Mrs. Mattie Kyser, who taught first grade through third grade. My teachers were especially memorable because they lived in the community and had children with whom we played. Their mothers were friends with my mother, and we all attended the same church. The relationships were of caring, respectful, and loving.
Because there was no gas or electricity for heat, no indoor bathrooms, running water, or cafeterias, we had to gather fire wood (sticks) for build a fire in the fireplace, get water from wells, and take our lunches to school. We were also responsible for keeping the classrooms neat and clean. My father often cut wood and brought it to school. This is one of many ways that parents helped out at community schools, and we were expected to behave and to do our work.
School was not all work though. We often had fun. While in elementary school, I remember having a 10:00-recess and a one-hour break for lunch at 12:00. The school year always began in September after Labor Day and ended in April, giving an 8-month school year which allowed us to work in the fields at optimum times to help plant, tend, and gather crops. We had to walk to school as there were not buses at that time. Fortunately, I lived close to the elementary school. However, I lived about seven miles from the high school. Eventually, a retired serviceman who was known as Uncle Bud Mixon purchased a bus and provided transportation to school at a cost of $1.00 a month for each child. We waited near a big oak tree and were expected to be there by 7:00 A.M. This transportation was provided until integration.
There were no study halls or lockers for books. Classes began at 8:00 A.M. and ended at 3:00 P.M. Girls were taught home economics in the 7th and 8th grades. We were introduced to sewing, cooking, setting the table, making beds properly, and other domestic skills that young ladies were expected to learn. I remember making a winter outfit in the fall and a summer outfit in the spring. Many of the skills were reinforced at home as children became old enough to learn them. Physical education classes were also taught. Even then it was understood that children and young people needed physical exercise and activities in order to develop good health habits as well as instruction to build academic skills.
My favorite subjects were history and English, interests which served me well since I majored in education in college years later. End-of-year school closing programs were a favorite of most children. Everyone had to memorize parts for the school closing program and looked forward to wearing clothing other than their daily school clothes. Sunday dress-up clothes were often worn for such special occasions. This gave us an opportunity to show off some of what we had learned to our parents and family members. It also meant that the school term was almost over, and we would get a break from school, which was a mixed blessing, considering the work that would have to be done at home.
Schools began to count units during the year before I graduated. Students were required to take and pass sixteen units of study. I had twenty-one, more than what was required. I graduated from Coneuch County Training School. Ironically, a basketball team, band, and football team were organized the year I graduated; therefore, I never got a chance to participate in those activities.
Another important part of my life at that time and now is the church. My earliest memory of church occurred when I was five or six years old. My mother laid me on a bench to sleep. My arm dropped down off the bench, and a wasp stung me. I didn’t go back to sleep in church anymore that day. I joined church and was baptized at the Second Mt. Zion Baptist Church at the age of eight. Rev. A. Johnson was the pastor. At that time, there was a man-made pool near a spring. This is where I was baptized as were my siblings and other youngsters in the community. Church played a very important part of my life. I always looked forward to associating with others who shared the enjoyment and blessings of church life as I did. I served as an usher, a member and president of the Baptist Training Union (BTU), and a delegate to Sunday School Congress many times. The church has been a guiding light in my life. My favorite Bible verse is John 3:16. I have been an active member at Zion Hill Baptist Church, Old Enterprise Baptist Church, and Mt. Zion Baptist Church, serving in many capacities such as Sunday School teacher, usher, program director, and kitchen helper.
After graduating high school, I attended Alabama State University. I chose elementary education as a major and minored in social studies. I selected elementary education as a major on the advice of my oldest brother, John. He told me that I would always be able to find a job because there is always a need for teachers, not to mention the valuable service that teachers render. I worked in the dormitory the first summer away from home in order to pay my tuition. The school sessions were on the quarter basis. The next semester I earned what I could by working between classes, and my parents paid the remaining tuition for that first year. At the end of my first year, I went to live with my father’s first cousin, Mrs. Annie Thomas, in town of Montgomery, Alabama. I did the cooking and helped around the house. My father brought wood and vegetables to help pay for my stay, which cost $4.00 a month.
I took a job cleaning a lounge at the White Elks Club to pay the tuition during my second year. I was required to have the lounge completely clean by 7:00PM each night. People from the Maxwell Air Base frequented the club and would begin coming in around 7:00PM. After 7:00PM, I was free to leave and attend to my studies. The lounge was open from 7:00PM until the last person left. For this work, I earned $21.00 a week. This allowed me to pay my tuition and purchase some of the things that I needed for school. I remember purchasing a sandwich called a floppy steak sandwich. This was a pig-ear sandwich and was a favorite of many students. I remember it well. The sandwich cost ten cents and a Nehi RC cola cost sixteen cents. The floppy steak sandwich made a good meal.
By this time, my oldest brother, who was 4 years older than I was, had already graduated from Alabama State with a major in math and physical education. He accepted the position of pastor at the Bethel Baptist Church in Monroeville, Alabama. My sister Maxine was younger than I was, so she enrolled at Alabama State after I did. Because I was working, I helped to pay Maxine’s tuition until she was able to do so. It was important for us to help ourselves and each other as much as we could because we had another sister, Frankie, who was younger than Maxine and a brother, Sandy, who was younger than Frankie. Because we were all working toward our goals, I did not spend a lot of time doing other things or wasting money. Occasionally, I went to a movie, but I mainly focused on my goals: completing my degree and getting a job. The most fun thing for me was moving closer to the day of graduation.
My student teaching assignment was completed in an elementary school in Montgomery, AL. I was assigned to a third grade class for the quarter and spend half the day in the classroom with students and half the day in the college classroom. During that time, Dr. King called on the citizens of Montgomery to boycott the buses because of the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system, so I walked to school instead of riding the bus. Dr. King organized a group to provide transportation for those who were boycotting the buses. Anyone who owned a station wagon was asked to provide transportation for walkers. Drivers would take us as close as possible to our destination. Often the drivers did not charge fees for transporting. This movement was begun as a result of the actions of the well-known Mrs. Rosa Parks. She lived down the street on Cleveland Avenue from my aunt who lived on Wayne Street. I had the privilege of coming in contact with her several times. I once purchased a dress from Montgomery department store where Mrs. Parks worked as a seamstress. She altered it for me, and I found her to be very skilled and kind. Several students and I visited Mrs. Parks’ home. We were given a tour, and I met Mrs. Parks’ mother. I also had the privilege of meeting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mrs. Coretta Scott King, and Rev. Ralph Abernathy. I heard Dr. King preach on several occasions at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church and enjoyed his baritone voice and messages. My student teaching experience afforded me many opportunities that I had not expected.
Graduation! Graduated!! I had reached my first goal, and my family was very proud of me. Now it was time to accomplish my second goal: getting a job. My first job took me to Marks, MS, where I taught third through ninth grade for nine years. The starting pay in Marks was $300/mo. I worked what was called a split session in Marks that ran from July to September. We were out for six weeks during the summer. Students picked cotton during the early fall before returning to school in September.
Teachers were required to return to school every three to four years to be re-certified in their fields of study. Much of my re-certification work was done at Jackson State University and Hennington State College in Arkansas. After several re-certifications, I decided to return to school and earn a certificate in remedial math and reading. This certification enabled me to teach remedial education. I accepted a job in Elaine, Arkansas, at Elaine Junior
High School in 1965. There I earned $1000 more per year than I had earned in Mississippi. I taught first and fifth grade social studies and reading at Elaine Junior High School for thirteen years. I also taught sixth grade remedial math and reading during my last year at Elaine Junior High. Upon returning to Mississippi in 1978, I taught sixth grade reading and remedial math at Enterprise Middle School. Unfortunately, I took a $1000 pay cut when I returned to the classroom in Mississippi. I retired from the Enterprise School System in 1999, but returned as a sub and worked until 2012.
My sister Maxine graduated with a degree in elementary education, and Frankie attended Hennington Business College in Memphis, TN, and majored in business. . After graduating, my brother John returned home and became the first black principal at Evergreen‘s High School.
I married Jacob Hardaway in 1958. To us was born a son, Wayne Anthony Hardaway. I took a brief break from work during that time and returned to work a few months later. When Wayne was five years old, I returned to Arkansas and resumed my teaching career there. Wayne graduated at age seventeen, attended University of Southern Mississippi, and majored in criminal justice. He worked in the Arkansas prison system for sixteen years.
I have enjoyed many years of family fun and cherished traditions. These include church revivals, family get-togethers, 4th of July celebrations, ball games, and all kinds of good food with family and friends. As with most families, responsibilities of caring for parents fall upon the children at some point in their lives. In 1965, I began helping to care for my mother and aunt, who lived in Evergreen, AL. My mother suffered from crippling arthritis, so my siblings and I assumed primary care for her until she went into a nursing home facility. As daughter, sister, and niece, I cared for family members as the bible mandates. My father passed in 1975, and my mother passed in 1994. As a grandmother of four children and great grandmother of two children, I have assisted in caring for grandchildren and great grandchildren, as well as parents and other relatives. I am proud to be able to continue to assist as needed.
I have seen many changes over the years in and out of the classroom. Children are different in terms of obedience, parental involvement, classroom control, and discipline. Often times, teachers cannot discipline effectively because of rules and parental objections.
A good life requires us to have a good attitude and a good outlook on life and on the world. A happy person lives a good life as compared to an unhappy person who acts as though he is mad at the world. This type of attitude does not lead to a good life, but a good attitude does.
As far as advice to young people, I tell them to try to do their best in life. Treat others the way they want to be treated, and always put God first.
If I could change anything about the world, I would focus on our young people. I would help them to realize how important good manners are. I would impress upon them the importance of having good values that are based upon God’s commandments. I would instill in them a desire to help others and encourage them to be positive about themselves and others.
One of the most important lessons that I have learned is to treat people like I want to be treated. I guess that is my philosophy of life. What has remained the same about me during my years on this earth is that I have continuously tried to do what is pleasing to God.
One of my proudest moments is my graduation from college. I worked hard to accomplish that goal and to make my parents proud. The birth of my son and his acceptance of Christ as his Savior are two other proud moments for me. I also find much joy in knowing that I have helped as many students as I could during my teaching career. It makes me proud when students come back to thank me and tell me something good that they remember about those years.
One of the best things about being a grandparent is spending time with the younger generation and realizing that they are our future, and there is much hope for a better world. I can see the future before me in them.
I suppose the best age in my life was that between 25 and 30. There are so many possibilities and dreams to realize at that age. The opportunities and possibilities to give to the world seemed infinite.
When I think of all the world events that I have witnessed, one event that stands out for me is 911. That stands out because it was such a sad event, and the lives of so many were changed forever.
Retirement has given me the freedom to travel and follow my own schedule without restrictions of work responsibilities. Although I have had my ups and downs, I have found contentment because my faith is not tied to my circumstances. Through faith in God and prayer, I find peace. Now I look forward to spending eternity with the Lord when the time comes.
