CARTER COUNTY, TN - BIOGRAPHIES - Sarah Eleanor LaRue Hopwood
====================================================================
     USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing
         free information on the Internet, data may be used by
         non-commercial entities, as long as this message
         remains on all copied material. These electronic
         pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit
         or for presentation by other persons or organizations.

         Persons or organizations desiring to use this material
         for purposes other than stated above must obtain the
         written consent of the file contributor.

	 The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives
	 to store the file permanently for free access.

         This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb
         Archives by: Cindy McCachern     McCachern@worldnet.att.net
====================================================================
Contributor's Note:  This article, taken from an old newspaper clipping from 
the Johnson City Press-Chronicle, Johnson City, TN, is about Sarah Eleanor 
LaRue Hopwood, one of the founders of Milligan College in Carter Co, TN.


Wife of Milligan Founder Cited for Place in Archives of Pioneer Women
Teachers

(Editor's Note:  The following article, written by Miss Ina Yakley,
appraises the life of the late Mrs. Josephus Hopwood, wife of the founder of
Milligan College.  Miss Yoakley is a member of the Research Committee of
Delta Kappa Gamma, a national organization of women teachers.  She is
submitting the name of Mrs. Hopwood for inclusion in the organization's
archives on pioneer teachers in Austin, Texas.)

Almost three quarters of a century has elapsed since there came into the
village of Sneedville, Tennessee, some newly weds.  They had driven all day
from the nearest railroad station, through an unusually heavy August
rainfall, in a one-horse, open buggy, crossing mountains and fording rivers
to begin their carefully chosen life work in this small isolated community
as school teachers.

The bride's early life was spent on a large farm in hardin County, Kentucky.
She was the youngest of five children.  Her childhood was a happy one,
helping in the chores of a large household by spinning the wool which went
into garments for the family.  Many hours of her play time were spent in the
open with the birds, the flowers, the trees, and the horses, because of
which she was a lover of nature, which contributed to her usefulness as a
teacher in later years.

Some of those who may read this will recall the days when peddlers came
through the country carrying packs which contained the linens, laces, and
sils from the then far away lands.  They were welcomed because this
merchandise was scarce and almost unobtainable.  One afternoon one of these
traveling salemen stopped at the home of this girl who was just emerging
into young womanhood.  The father, being a hospitable Southern gentleman,
invited him to spend the night.  When taking his leave the next morning, he
asked the older sister what she was going to be when "grown up."  She
replied "a teacher."  Turning to the younger sister he asked her the same
question but before she could reply he said, "I'll wager you'll marry a
prince."  In later years as she stood by her husband, she related the story
to her niece and placing her hand on his arm and looking up at him sweetly
she said, "And I did."

Josephus Hopwood was indeed a prince among men.  He was a man of honor, a
great moral courage, vision and faith in his God and fellow man.

Coming from a family of teachers, Eleanor LaRue Hopwood had always the
secret yearning to be a teacher; so it was the realization of this ambition
when she joined her husband in pioneering in this Southeast highland region
of East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and North Georgia.

Being the daughter of a kindly slave holder and having lived through the
Civil War and reconstruction periods, she was strongly conscious of the
social injustice and lack of educational opportunity for the less fortunate.
>From these observations emerged her slogan adopted by many others,
"Christian Education--the Hope of the World."

There was never a thought of financial gain as she and her worthy husband
undertood the establishment of the various colleges:  Milligan College;
1881, originally known as Buffalo Institute; Lynchburg College, near the
virginia town of Lynchburg in 1903; Lamar Colelge near Atlanta, Georgia, in
1911, later moved to Auburn, Georgia, and re-named Southeast Christian
College.  Finally after acquiring a home for themselves which overlooked the
scenes of their early efforts at Milligan they left their comfortable home
and founded the Mountain Industrial Institute at Grundy, Virginia, in 1915,
now known as Mountain Mission School.

Each moved involved sacrifice of personal comfort in proof of which the
folloinw is quoted from "the Light" a college paper for which Mrs. Hopwood
wrote the editorials.  It was at a get-together of former Milligan men
students when they presented a rocker to these much beloved and happily
remembered teachers; "When we began to keep house at Buffalo Institute, we
had no rocking chair nor money to buy one.  Not for years could we spare
money from building cottages, buying lots for the campus, making homes for
the students to buy anything except necessities.  Often we gave our
bed-clothes to keep students warm.  In those days, there were only muddy
roads, rocky hills, cistern water and oil lamps."

For more than fifty years she shared in the conviction that it was their
mission to campaign for higher and more useful education for women as well
as for men.  This was a new opportunity which came to the women of the
highland section because of their progressive ideas.

On the campus Mrs. Hopwood served in dual capacity as advisor to the girls
and teacher of college English.

As to her appearance, her personality, her philosophy, and her efficiency,
the writer has relied not only on personal reminiscences but has consulted
former students who had long and close association with her.  One of these
attributes her success in guidance to her kindness and gentleness as well as
to her firmness.  The conferences left a student with the feeling that a
successful life is based upon high ideals in Christian conduct.

Some of her very definite beliefs came out in the editorials previously
referred to, such as:  The making a a well grounded intelligent Christian
manhood and womanhood is the supreme end of true education.

Work is the weapon of honor and he who lacks the weapon will never triumph.

Requiring one's self to do what judgment declares is best and doing only
those things, is self-discipline.

He succeeds who faithfully, cheerfully does his duty.  He, who does not,
fails.

To give up is sure failure; to hold on one day or even an hour longer, may
often bring success.

Man is the highest exponent of the Creator's own nature.

One noticed while visiting on the "Hill Beautiful," Mrs. Hopwoods'
well-stored memory for bits of poetry, even in her later years.  As the
visitors and the old couple sat in the yard overlooking the campus, the
valley between with Buffalo Mountain in that the distance from the mountain
was just right to inspire and reveal the blue, Quick as a flash came the
quotation:--"If the purple you would seek, you must not climb the higher
peak."

English to her was the tap-root of a ture education.  A comment upon her
ablility and skill as a teacher of English--"Though exacting, she knew her
subject, taught thoroughly stressed principles, correlated her work with
life-situations, inspired deep interest, and commanded profound respect."
Another contributed that she combined a broad comprehensive knowledge of the
subject with plain, simple, direct but elegant, even eloquent expression.

"In appearance she was tall, erect, carrying herself gracefully:  with keen,
dark eyes and intellectual appearacne in the classical scholarly type.  She
was naturally strong in discipline."

"Whether on the campus, in the parlor, on the platform or in the classroom,
she exhibited the same over-powering mastery of great feminine strength and
fine persuasive dignity.  She seemed to me to occupy a unique position; to
move in a place all to herself.  Mature manhood, larger experience and
observation have not diminished my admiration for her."

Eleanor LaRue Hopwood has been chosen by the Research Committee of Delta
Kappa Gamma, a national organization of women-teachers, to take her rightful
place in the archives of pioneer women teachers.  We feel that she earned it
by her scholarship and teaching ability, also because of her unselfish
sharing (for a half century) projects requiring self-denial and also
assuming of finanical obligations that were burdensome although they
resulted in benefits to commmunities generally.

The close relation between Christian Colleges and the community is to be
noted in leadership in public affairs, directing educational policies,
bearing full share in spiritual responsibilities of the various churches and
working for social betterment.  In many instances in this and other
communities where this couple labored, the graduates of these various
Christian Colleges are to be found doing a goodly part.

Cindy McCachern
McCachern@worldnet.att.net