Gem Of The Ocean

Remembering Miss Alice

It seems she was a very pretty girl that he wanted to impress and know better. Coming between them was her father, Professor Kelly, superintendent of the Hempstead School. Thaddeus A. Kelly had lost a leg while fighting for the Confederate cause during the War Between the States. He settled in the Howth community and married Isabella Wood, daughter of a large planter. To them were born four daughters that he was very protective of, as you can tell from the above incident. Being an educated man, he became a teacher in a private school, then in the Hempstead Public School, eventually becoming principal and then superintendent of the Hempstead School. When the county school superintendent position was created, he took that office and had charge of about 50 schools in the county.

Alice graduated from Hempstead High School, then went off to Sam Houston Normal Institute to get her teaching certificate. All that was required was one year, or two years, at the most, to get the needed certificate.

Thus was the beginning of career of the legendary teacher lovingly known as “Miss Alice.” It seems to me that I’ve heard that she taught first grade for 52 years, with all of it in Hempstead. Some people are born with the skills to be an excellent teacher, and some acquire skills by formal education, and by experience, I believe Miss Alice was one of those rare gems that knew instinctively how to teach beginners when they are still so innocent. This was long before kindergarten came to Hempstead.

My first memories of Miss Alice was running to meet her when she was walking to school, with her arms loaded with teaching materials. She always had an umbrella and wore galoshes. She was a small woman, just the right size to get down on our level. I have never met one of her students that didn’t love her just like she was their mother. In fact, I’m sure she was often called “Mother” by her charges. She lived with her sister, Mrs. Morrison, a block from school, at the corner of St. Barbe and 10th Street, next to the railroad. To get to school, she used the path that crossed the walk bridge over the gully.

She could have lived in her father’s house, but for some reason, she chose to just maintain that home like a museum.He took a block and a half and was separated from the school yard by a fence together. She and her family kept meticulously clean and tidy. We saw him there frequently, but I doubt she's ever spent a night there after the death of his father. I do not remember ever needing to be painted. It was a light shade of gray adorned with a darker gray. He was always in perfect condition.

Connecticut Arts Connection: Quick Hit Review: Gem of the Ocean ...

The first, chronologically, in August Wilson's 10-play series about the African-American experience in Pittsburgh, decade-by-decade through the 20th century. Here, in 1904, we meet Aunt Esther (Noelle Nelson), who claims to be hundreds of years old, who was born in slavery, and who is a "soul cleaner." She takes Citizen Barlow (Stephen Tyrone Williams) on a mystical voyage aboard the slave ship Gem of the Ocean , where he meets hs ancestors and comes to gips with a crime he has committed. Meanwhile, Caesar (Ray Anthony Thomas), a Jauvert-type officer of the law, pursues Solly Two Kings (Roger Robinson), aided by Esther, a white peddler, Rutherford Selig (Christopher McHale) and Black Mary (Joniece Abbott-Pratt), Caesar's sister who has fallen for Citizen, and Eli (Ernest Perry, Jr) who loves Esther. As with all of the plays in this series, Wilson gives us a slice of life, so that we feel as though a special window has been opened so we can observe the events and emotions experienced by members of this family through the years. Nelson gives a wonderful performance, mixing wisdom of the ages with humor and insight. Sharif coaxes strong performances from all, actually.