Mr. A. J. Stoops and the 8th Grade Class in about 1916-17. ---Blanche (Higdon) Etheridge, Ruby (Burton) Heien, and Don Burton Identified.

The teacher standing at the left is Mr. A. J. Stoops.  The only identifications are those made by Ruby  (Burton) Heien and shown by names and pointers.  In the front row 2nd from left is Ruby's brother, Don Burton.  Ruby is standing at the far right in the second row, and Blanche (Higdon) Etheridge stands in the center of that row. Evidence for Precise Dating Ruby remember this as 1918.  That is possible, but what we have available about the school fits the 1916-17 school year better.  Mr. Stoop's tenure as superintendent ended in spring of 1917.  He could of course stayed on in a teaching position. Blanche Higdon was born in November 1903.  If she started school in the Fall of 1909, then a 1917 8th grade graduation would be about right.  Ruby is just 2 months younger and Don a bit older.  But 1917-18 would work as far as ages are concerned.   This was well before close restrictions were placed on starting before the sixth birthday. An upward revision of this date would affect my arguments about the date of the picture taken a few years earlier.