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- [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 13 Apr 2010.
Rubye Ferguson Shields
October 20, 1914 - April 13, 2010
Birthplace: Vardaman, Mississippi
Resided In: Sevierville Tennessee USA
Visitation: April 15, 2010
Service: April 15, 2010
Cemetery: Middle Creek Cemetery
Rubye W. Ferguson Shields of Sevierville, TN passed away Tuesday, April 13, 2010. She had enjoyed 95 years of an interesting and varied life. Mrs. Shields was born October 20, 1914 in Vardaman, Mississippi to Aaron Levi and Mary Alice Ferguson. As a teenager she and her family traveled across the country on fabled Route 66 to Los Angeles, California where they lived for several years. Mrs. Shields graduated from Huntington Park High in Los Angeles, CA in 1933. She returned to Mississippi where she attended Mississippi State College for Women, known as the “W” and received her Bachelor of Science degree in 1937. She accepted her first teaching position at Vardaman High School and later taught in New Hope, Mississippi.
In 1944 she married Staff Sergeant John Claude Shields of Sevier County, Tennessee who was stationed at Columbus Air Base during WWII. After marriage they moved to Sevier County where they spent their remaining years.
Mrs. Shields was an accomplished violinist and played in orchestras for several years. Her true passion was teaching and she was a dedicated educator who had a true fondness for her students. She taught in two one-room schools in Sevier County, Laurel and Shady Grove and then moved to Caton’s Chapel Elementary as principal and teacher. Following her time there, she moved to Sevier County High School where she taught Biology, Chemistry and Physics. She retired in 1977 after 37 years of teaching.
Mrs. Shields was and had been a member of various organizations including Delta Kappa Gamma International, Gatlinburg Garden Club, and Retired Teachers of Sevier County. In April 2010, Mrs. Shields was selected for induction to the first Sevier County Educations Hall of Fame and was scheduled to be honored on the evening of April 27, 2010. She was a member of Middle Creek Methodist Church.
Mrs. Shields is survived by her three children, Aaron Edward Shields and wife Dr. Nancy Schultz of Sevierville, TN; Mary Claudine Shields Holland and husband Robert of Knoxville, TN; and John Charles Shields and wife Geri of Sevierville, TN; grandchildren Stephen Edward, Barry Levi, and Claude Darren Shields and wife Melissa Shields, Tracey Charlene and Joshua John Shields, John Michael Holland and wife Donna, Shannon Michelle Holland, Shelly Renea and Justin Moore and Jesse Burks; great-grandchildren Alexander Holland, Jordan and Lindsey Shields; brother Charles Ferguson of Columbus, MS; several nieces and nephews and special friend Rhonda Spurgeon. Mrs. Shields was blessed with having a loving family, many special students, friends and acquaintances including many friends throughout the country and locally who visited her the last several years at the antique shop.
Memorial donations may be made the Sevier County Retired Teachers Scholarship Fund, c/o Mary Jane Watson, 608 Tuckahoe Road, Kodak, Tennessee, 37764 or Delta Kappa Gamma Scholarship Fund, 2435 Jones Cove Road, Sevierville, Tennessee 37862.
Funeral service 7:30 PM Thursday in the West Chapel of Atchley Funeral Home with Rev. Bob Bostick officiating. Interment 11 AM Friday in Middle Creek Cemetery. Her grandchildren will serve as pallbearers. The family will receive friends 5-7:30 PM Thursday at Atchley Funeral Home, Sevierville. (www.atchleyfuneralhome.com)
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 29 Apr 2010.
Editorial: Elite educators — inaugural inductees into Education Hall of Fame were best of the best
Fourteen people were inducted Tuesday night as members of the inaugural class of the Sevier County Education Hall of Fame. Two things are certain: Each was deserving and none ever dreamed of such an honor.
In any profession, there are the elite, the very good, the mediocre and the not very good. Those chosen to be in the inaugural class were the best of the best, the elite of the elite. They didn’t answer the call to education for fame and fortune; few educators get either. They became teachers because they wanted to give back, to share the thirst for knowledge they must have had, to help young people, to mold future leaders.
In the course of their careers, these educators each touched hundreds of young people’s lives. Surely, everyone who has lived in Sevier County for very long was either directly impacted or had family members or friends who were impacted by some of them.
Before proceeding, let’s call roll. If you come across one that touched your life, pause for a moment and reflect on how knowing them impacted you. Maybe one of them encouraged you to go college, to just stay in school and graduate, taught you to look at things differently, counseled you in times of personal crisis.
The inaugural class:
Emma K. Atchley
Johnnie M. Ballard
Norma Blair
Grady Floyd
Eleanor Hayes
Leroy Helton
Fred Hodges
Reba Hood
Julia Householder
Chan Huskey
Mary B. McMahan
Rubye Shields
William Smith Jr.
William Wesley Williams
These educators taught a variety of disciplines at various grade levels. They were administrators, coaches, counselors, even school caretakers. Some of the honorees go back to the early 20th century; some of their careers stretched into the 21st century.
One of those honored was Rubye Shields, who was born in Mississippi and lived all over the United States as a military wife before moving to Sevier County in 1944. She taught in two one-room schools and later was an elementary school principal before teaching biology, chemistry and physics to upper-level students. Mrs. Shields died at age 95 on April 13 — but not before learning she had been chosen to be one of the charter inductees into the Hall of Fame.
There are wonderful stories about each of these teachers, their accomplishments and how they influenced lives. Each recipient or a family member received a plaque, and they will be recognized with a display at the Board of Education building. It is a small token of appreciation for 14 people who had a large impact on many young people’s lives.
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