More than 200 attend first India School reunion
Students and teachers from the former India Elementary School held their first
ever reunion April 30 at the Jones Chapel Baptist
Recreation Center on India Road northeast of Paris.
The reunion was attended by 200-plus former students and guests.
The school opened in the early 1900s and closed in 1967, with a speaker making remarks for
four of the decades.
Representing the 1930s group, John Henderson of Dunwoody, Ga., said that the
school was a guiding compass in his life, helping him to focus on friendships and love of
God and country.
Beth Lashlee Hastings, who taught in 1940-1942, attended from Deming, N.M.,
with husband Charles. She expressed the love of herself and her students for the school
and its importance in the community during the 1940s. SEE: Mrs. Hastings' 1941 India School Picture
The Rev. Ron Davidson of Adamsville gave a presentation for the 1950s. He also
remarked of the school's importance in the commmunity and told of some mischief he and his
friends engaged in while students.
William Atchison, who taught at India in 1962-63, presented remarks for the
1960s. He recalled the challenges as well as the rewards of teaching in a small one
and two-teacher school.
Guests and Students from as far away as the state of Washington attended.
Reprinted from the PARIS POST-INTELLIGENCER
Paris, Tennessee
May 13, 2005 Edition