In 1928, when the brand new four-room Holladay Elementary School opened its doors to pupils in grades one through four, Lynn S. Newman was there. Four generations down the line, his great-grandnephews Tyson and Braden Manning are part of the Holladay tradition that is seeing the school through its last days.
In between, Ann Parkinson Manning was a pupil and her mother, Afton Parkinson, a teacher at the school.
"It's so sad to see it go," said Karen Manning, the wife of Ann's son, Mark. She is actively involved in the school's PTA. Her son Tyson will move on to junior high school, easing the transition for him. But for Braden, Holladay's closure means going to Driggs Elementary next year.
Newman's memories of the school go back to an era when Salt Lake's east-side neighborhoods were still mostly agricultural. The new school was built in what had been an apple orchard, he said. "They pulled down the trees to make room, with just horses and manpower. They left the trees lying there, and the boys in third and fourth grades moved them by hand to make a ball field."
As he walked down 2300 East in the mornings, Newman could tell if Frank Ward, the first custodian, was on the job. If he was, the lad could see black smoke pouring through the school's tall chimney as a coal fire took off the chill for the 147 students who filled the four classrooms, he said.
With a seat closest to the hallway, Newman had the job of watching for Miss Peterson's signal and then running into the hallway to manually ring the 8- to 10-inch bell that announced breaks in the school day. He also was assigned to round up the children after recesses, again with a hand bell that he clanged as he ran through the school grounds.
A short time later, a modern new electric bell was installed in the hallway, and he could do the job with just a push of a button, he said.
"Every six weeks, the district provided a new pencil — with no eraser. The teacher made ink by dissolving ink 'pills' in water, and we all had inkwells on our desks. We sometimes used the split nibs on our pens to try to spear flies to the floor. There were always flies in the rooms, and we tried to catch them. There were two things about it. They turned a pretty purple if you put them in the ink, and if they were there too long, they caused quite a smell."
Newman also was one of four students honored to wear red-and-white armbands and to man the stands with flags that were rolled out to help ensure the safety of the children as they came onto the school grounds.
His favorite class? "Oh, I just generally liked school," said Newman, now 83 and still living in the Holladay neighborhood.
Ann Manning still has pictures of most of the classes of which she was a part at Holladay, even from the kindergarten class that was held in the summer between regular school years. A picture of her and her cousin, Janet Hutchinson, spiffy in look-alike dresses (made by Janet's mother) and ready for second grade, also is part of her Holladay Elementary treasure trove.
"I just loved Miss Rockwood, my kindergarten teacher," she recalls. "And I loved the big dance festival and I looked forward every year to the May Day maypole," said Manning, who also still lives in Holladay. Another thing to look forward to in the spring was the day when "we could get rid of the long brown stockings," she said. "And I always associate the lilacs coming with the end of school."
She remembers the day she ran across the schoolyard and was knocked out by a whizzing baseball. For years, there was a swimming pool at the school, another magnet for community activity.
Another proud Holladay Bumblebee was Nadine Wimmer, now a news anchor for KSL-TV Channel 5. She waxes enthusiastic as she recalls Halloween and Valentine celebrations and her curiosity about the signs during the Cold War that designated the school a "bomb shelter."
"At the end of every summer, I remember going with my family to see the lists of class assignments to see who my new teacher would be," she said.
As Holladay grew, so did its school. Major additions were made in 1932, 1948 and 1956 — always at many times the building's original cost of $25,565.
Although the loss of the school has dealt a blow to Holladay, there are prospects that it will remain an integral part of the community, though by another name. Granite District is negotiating with Holladay city officials for the sale of the building and grounds.
"The green space is important to them and to the city's future," said McKell Withers, assistant superintendent for support services.
The community said goodbye at an open house last week. Principal Rex Burton will take the helm of Western Hills Elementary when a new year begins, and Holladay's students will go to Driggs, Cottonwood and Meadow Moor elementaries. The hope could be that they take with them memories as pleasant as those of Newman and hundreds of others.
E-MAIL: tvanleer@desnews.com