| Sources |
- [S74] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume IV, 1987-1999, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 31 Jul 1991.
Asa Doyle Layman obituary
- [S73] Rawlings Funeral Home, Book 2, 27 Mar 1951.
George C. Allen obituary
- [S73] Rawlings Funeral Home, Book 2, 28 Feb 1973.
Margaret Elizabeth Allen obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 26 Sep 2011.
Upland Chronicles: Pearl Layman devoted his life to educating kids
by CARROLL McMAHAN
A photograph of Pearl Layman when he was a young school teacher.
A 1940-41 school year picture of Pearl Layman.
Pearl Layman and his wife, Katie Lee Allen Layman, walking on a sidewalk in Rochester, Minnesota in 1945.
During almost 40 years of teaching school, Pearl Layman taught in several one- and two-room schoolhouses throughout Sevier County before ending his career at New Center Elementary School.
Although Pearl Layman was a totally dedicated instructor wherever he was appointed by the Sevier County Board of Education, he preferred teaching the children in the Harrisburg community where he lived and raised his own family.
Due to the fact Mr. Layman was very vocal about his choice for school board member in his district, he was transferred to various schools when the candidate he supported lost an election, only to return to Harrisburg when the school board representative changed again.
Asa Pearl Layman (1901-1980) married Katie Lee Allen (1906-2003) and they were parents of three sons: James (1936-1980), Wallace (1938-2010) and Asa (1940-1991). Both Pearl and Katie Lee were born and raised in the Harrisburg community. Therefore, he was well acquainted with the students and their families.
When the Sevier County Board of Education provided electricity to Harrisburg School in the 1940s, Layman somehow managed to find an electric pump for the well, pipes and two drinking fountains which he asked the owners to donate to the school. He brought shovels, picks and other necessary supplies from home and installed them with the assistance of the older boys in his class, digging the water lines and a drain field.
Once the water pump and drinking fountains were in operating condition, he and the boys built a pump house and insulated the structure with sawdust to avoid frozen pipes in the winter.
Layman was not satisfied with the bare overhead light bulbs provided by the county so he obtained florescent bulbs and installed them himself.
Years before the implementation of government subsidized meal programs, Mr. Layman kept a jar of peanut butter and a box of crackers in his desk. When lunch time rolled around he invited the children who did not live close enough to walk home for lunch to have peanut butter and crackers with him. This was his discreet way of ensuring that those students who did not have money for lunch would receive nourishment without being embarrassed.
During World War ll, he implemented a hot lunch program using government commodities and women in the community volunteered to prepare the food. To support the war effort, Layman encouraged students to collect scrap iron and aluminum foil.
Mr. Layman occasionally brought clippers from home and offered haircuts to the boys. He kept a first aid kit handy and dressed wounds and sores using a medicine called Gentian Violet and bandages.
At Christmas time he cut down a tree for the children to decorate and coordinated a Christmas play for the community. Every student was given a “treat” consisting of fruits, candies and nuts.
Layman, with the help of Homer Thurman, provided gifts of clothes and other items to the less fortunate children and their families. While Mr. Layman was assigned to grades 4-8, Thurman’s wife, Ruth, taught primer through fourth grade.
To supplement his teaching salary, Mr. Layman worked at Homer Thurman’s Store on Saturdays. On at least three separate occasions, he returned home shoeless from a day’s work at the store, having taken the shoes off his feet and given them to someone in need.
Emphasizing academics, Mr. Layman would say, “If you don’t buckle down, when you get to high school you’ll go in the front door and out the back” to underachieving students. However, he went to great lengths to provide individual help to struggling children who displayed an interest receiving an education.
When the date for the Sevier County Fair approached, Layman encouraged his students to enter livestock, vegetables and crafts in competition. If the children did not have transportation to the fairgrounds, he would drive them in his car.
On school day, which was always on the Friday of fair week, he borrowed the Murrell family’s cattle truck to haul the students to the fair.On at least one occurrence, he used the same truck to transport the eighth-grade graduating class to Douglas Dam for a celebratory picnic.
Mr. Layman packed the entire boys and girls basketball teams in his 1940 Ford and drove them to neighboring schools to participate in basketball games and tournaments throughout the basketball season.
Every Friday, Layman allotted time for an assembly called “chapel” where each student would be called on to recite a Bible verse from memory. Much to his chagrin, many of the older boys would resort to the familiar and shortest verse in the Bible from the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of John: “Jesus wept.”
During the weekly gatherings, Layman displayed his passion for singing; joining his students in vocalizing sacred and patriotic songs with such gusto he stood tiptoed to emphasize the high notes.
Due to the fact that Mr. Layman was highly respected by his students, he didn’t have the discipline problems encountered by many of his fellow teachers. That is not saying there was never an incident involving naughty students.
One morning before class, a mischievous boy hoisted a younger boy up a tree and hung the frightened lad from a tree limb by his bib overalls suspenders. The helpless youngster remained suspended in air until recess when he was discovered by the other students.
Once Mr. Layman was summoned, he correctly surmised the guilty culprit and commanded the perpetrator to climb the tree and release the exhausted victim. When the offender refused, Layman removed his belt and began applying a good whipping to the young man’s back end. The two of them went round and round the tree for several minutes.
By the time the situation was resolved, another scared young boy had run away and was never persuaded to return to school.
Even though he taught in small rural schools, Layman reported to work daily wearing starched and ironed shirts and pants.
In 1945, doctors diagnosed Mr. Layman with extreme high blood pressure and persuaded him to undergo an experimental surgical procedure at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. After the successful surgery he returned home and maintained a low blood pressure reading for many years.
He was a lifelong, faithful member of Murphy’s Chapel United Methodist Church. Every time there was a fundraising project at the church, the congregation called on Pearl Lyman to chair the committee knowing he would work diligently and keep excellent records.
An existing detailed ledger recorded by Layman during the construction of an addition to the historic church in 1952, provides information of every dollar raised, the name of the donor and how the money was spent.
Pearl Layman was a dedicated husband and devoted father. He was a mentor and role model to the entire Harrisburg community and beyond. Generations of children who attended schools where Mr. Layman taught remember him as a teacher who went far beyond expectations for the welfare of his students.
Bob Murphy, who was Mr. Layman’s lifelong neighbor and former student, lamented, “I regret I didn’t tell him how much I appreciated all he did for me while I still had the opportunity.”
— Carroll McMahan is the special projects facilitator for the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce. The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for future topics, would like to submit a column or have comments; please contact Carroll McMahan at 453-6411 or email to cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or email to ron@ronraderproperties.com.
- [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 23 Apr 2003.
Katie Lee Allen Layman obituary
- [S73] Rawlings Funeral Home, Book 2, 14 Dec 1980.
Layman, Asa Pearl April 6, 1901 Tn Dec 14, 1980
Spouse: Allen, Katie Lee
Father: Layman, James
Mother: Sharp, Jalia Ann
Sons: Wallace, Asa D.
Daughters: In-Laws Carolyn, Marlene & Janette Layman
Cemetery: Murphys Chapel
Brothers: Bruce, Greeley
Sisters: Mrs. Tom Connatser [Cleo], Mrs. Mitchell Seaton [Rosa Lee], Mrs. Harold Sluss [Julia]
- [S34] In the Shadow of the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Historical Society, (1993), 416.
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