Maie L. Ellis, a longtime teacher and 12-year superintendent of the Fallbrook school district, known around town as the "First Lady of Fallbrook", died Sept. 25, 1989 in a Vista Care Center. She was 99.
Born May 23, 1890, in Los Angeles, she was one of nine children. Maie was the daughter of John Frederick Ahlstrom (1848-1934), Sweden/Sweden/Sweden, and Hannah Jane (Johnson) Ahlstrom (1861-1937), Utah/Denmark/England.
She attended Compton High School and earned her teaching credentials from Los Angeles Normal School (now UCLA).
She lived in Fallbrook from 1916 until she moved to a residence home in San Marcos several years ago. She spent 26 years in the Fallbrook school district, which named an elementary school after her. She was a former member of the Fallbrook Riders Club and the Gem and Mineral Society. She was also the author of the PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FALLBROOK 1880-1920. She is survived by a son, Charles B. Merriman of Paso Robles; two daughters, Lillian Adams of Oceanside and Lucille Ellings of Bend, OR; a brother, Charles Ahlstrom of Indio, CA; seven grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren.
Maie Lenora Ahlstrom married her first husband, a farmer, Benjamin Charles Merriman, on January 31, 1911 and moved to Fallbrook with him in 1916. They were divorced by the time of the April 15, 1930 Census.
In 1936, Maie Lenora (Ahlstrom) Merriman married Tom Ellis. Maie taught school at Fallbrook Elementary School. She became District Superintendent of the Fallbrook Elementary Schools during the hectic war years when the district experienced rapid growth because of the Fallbrook Naval Ammunition Depot and Camp Pendleton.
Her address in Fallbrook was 1120 E. Mission Road.
In 1946, Maie Ellis retired from the school district after dedicating her life to teaching. In 1957, Fallbrook honored Maie Ellis by naming Maie Ellis Elementary School on Elder Street after her (I attended third grade there with other USMC children whose fathers were stationed at Camp Pendleton, either living with their families in military apartment housing only blocks away from the school, or serving overseas like Daddy was). Through the years Maie Ellis expressed an interest in preserving the history of Fallbrook. Her PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FALLBROOK 1880-1920, from which the preceding material was derived, can be found in the Fallbrook Historical Museum. In 1957, Fallbrook Union High School was built on the ranch of Tom and Maie Ellis. In 1958, Hotel Ellis was demolished. In 1887, Hotel Ellis (formerly the Cates Hotel, then The Naples) was built; it was designed by the famous architect Stanford White, who also designed the Hotel del Coronado. The hotel had 60 rooms, spacious porches, a veranda winding around the first floor, and lobbies, 12' ceilings, with curving staircases of carved walnut. In 1911, William Ellis purchased it for $6,000. In its heyday from 1911 to the early 1920s, it was a popular venue for county, civic and business events and drew visitors from across the nation and the world.
Each of the 804 students at Maie Ellis Elementary School made a flower for the retired Fallbrook Teacher and Historian, which were put into a wreath to be presented at the service. A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Berry-Bell and Hall Chapel with the Rev. Kenneth Losh of the United Methodist Church of Fallbrook officiating. Private burial was on Monday at Inglewood Cemetery in Inglewood, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to Children's Books for the Falbrook Library, 124 S. Mission Road, Fallbrook, CA, to the Fallbrook Historical Society, or to a favorite charity. Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary handled arrangements.
Tom Ellis' father, William Samuel Ellis, arrived in Fallbrook in the spring of 1884, with his family, which included his wife Laura Burton Ellis and sons Burton and Tom, who were both born in Missouri, along with Lee Colby Ellis, who was born in Carpentaria, California in 1883. Upon arrival, William Ellis took a homestead claim of 160 acres of government land south of town on what is now called Cazador Hills.
1910 Census, San Antonio, Los Angeles, California:
John F Ahlstrom 61
Anna J Ahlstrom 48
Bertha Ahlstrom 23
MAIE L. AHLSTROM 19
Katherine C Ahlstrom 17
Charles W Ahlstrom 15
Eleanor C Ahlstrom 13
Feb 4, 1920 Census on Maie's Family Home Farm in West Fallbrook, California:
Benjamin L Merriman 31 NY/NY/NY
Maie Lenora Merriman 29 CA/Sweden/Utah
Lillian A Merriman 7 CA
Benjamin Merriman 1 [1 11/12] CA
LUCILLE MURIEL MERRIMAN [9/12] CA (Mrs. Robert Lee "Big Bob" White)
April 15, 1930 Census on County Road South of Onland Highway in Oceanside Township, California:
Maie Lenora Merriman 39, Public School Teacher
Lillian Merriman 17
Charles Benjamin Merriman 12
LUCILLE MURIEL MERRIMAN 11 (Mrs. Robert Lee "Big Bob" White)
SINGLE PARENT, TEACHER, FARMER - Maie Ellis began teaching career in Fallbrook in 1921 -
Mrs. Ellis, a strong-willed woman, taught in Fallbrook and Bonsall until 1949.
She spent most of her career at what was then called West Fallbrook Grammar School. The school was renamed in honor of Mrs. Ellis in the mid-1950s.
Mrs. Ellis, a 94-year-old widow, was living in a Fallbrook nursing home at that time. She was wheelchair-bound, but she boasted that her mind continued strong. "I've prayed to God that He'd let me keep my wits, and He has," she said proudly.
It wasn't until after she divorced her first husband that she was compelled to make use of the teaching certificate she had received from the Los Angeles Normal School. While she joked that it was her three small children and two mortgages on her 21-acre alfalfa farm that drove her into the classroom, she said it was her love of teaching that kept her there.
"I knew inside myself that I was just about the best teacher around," said Mrs. Ellis, who received $90/month for her first assignment.
Until she married cattleman Tom Ellis in 1936, she single-handedly maintained her farm. After her day at school was complete, she would climb into her Model T, drive down the winding dirt road to her farm and spend much of the late afternoon tending to her chores.
Her ranch was located on the corner of South Mission Road and Stage Coach Lane, where Fallbrook HS was situated at that time. She sold the property to the district in 1954.
It was Mrs. Ellis' stress on academics that people remember most. She's one of the reasons why they have such good schools there--they just followed her example.
Mrs. Ellis recalled that the school board who initially hired her was not concerned with her ability to educate students. The trustees said, "We don't care if you teach them anything just so long as you keep them quiet." She said, "That made me mad," her blue eyes glaring through her glasses.
Mrs. Ellis' youngest daughter, Lucille Ellings, was also a student in her mother's classroom. "I just wish teachers were as good now," said Mrs. Ellings, who traveled from Bend, OR, to be with her mother on her birthday.
Born May 23, 1890, in Los Angeles, she was one of nine children. Maie was the daughter of John Frederick Ahlstrom (1848-1934), Sweden/Sweden/Sweden, and Hannah Jane (Johnson) Ahlstrom (1861-1937), Utah/Denmark/England.
She attended Compton High School and earned her teaching credentials from Los Angeles Normal School (now UCLA).
She lived in Fallbrook from 1916 until she moved to a residence home in San Marcos several years ago. She spent 26 years in the Fallbrook school district, which named an elementary school after her. She was a former member of the Fallbrook Riders Club and the Gem and Mineral Society. She was also the author of the PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FALLBROOK 1880-1920. She is survived by a son, Charles B. Merriman of Paso Robles; two daughters, Lillian Adams of Oceanside and Lucille Ellings of Bend, OR; a brother, Charles Ahlstrom of Indio, CA; seven grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren.
Maie Lenora Ahlstrom married her first husband, a farmer, Benjamin Charles Merriman, on January 31, 1911 and moved to Fallbrook with him in 1916. They were divorced by the time of the April 15, 1930 Census.
In 1936, Maie Lenora (Ahlstrom) Merriman married Tom Ellis. Maie taught school at Fallbrook Elementary School. She became District Superintendent of the Fallbrook Elementary Schools during the hectic war years when the district experienced rapid growth because of the Fallbrook Naval Ammunition Depot and Camp Pendleton.
Her address in Fallbrook was 1120 E. Mission Road.
In 1946, Maie Ellis retired from the school district after dedicating her life to teaching. In 1957, Fallbrook honored Maie Ellis by naming Maie Ellis Elementary School on Elder Street after her (I attended third grade there with other USMC children whose fathers were stationed at Camp Pendleton, either living with their families in military apartment housing only blocks away from the school, or serving overseas like Daddy was). Through the years Maie Ellis expressed an interest in preserving the history of Fallbrook. Her PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FALLBROOK 1880-1920, from which the preceding material was derived, can be found in the Fallbrook Historical Museum. In 1957, Fallbrook Union High School was built on the ranch of Tom and Maie Ellis. In 1958, Hotel Ellis was demolished. In 1887, Hotel Ellis (formerly the Cates Hotel, then The Naples) was built; it was designed by the famous architect Stanford White, who also designed the Hotel del Coronado. The hotel had 60 rooms, spacious porches, a veranda winding around the first floor, and lobbies, 12' ceilings, with curving staircases of carved walnut. In 1911, William Ellis purchased it for $6,000. In its heyday from 1911 to the early 1920s, it was a popular venue for county, civic and business events and drew visitors from across the nation and the world.
Each of the 804 students at Maie Ellis Elementary School made a flower for the retired Fallbrook Teacher and Historian, which were put into a wreath to be presented at the service. A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Berry-Bell and Hall Chapel with the Rev. Kenneth Losh of the United Methodist Church of Fallbrook officiating. Private burial was on Monday at Inglewood Cemetery in Inglewood, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to Children's Books for the Falbrook Library, 124 S. Mission Road, Fallbrook, CA, to the Fallbrook Historical Society, or to a favorite charity. Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary handled arrangements.
Tom Ellis' father, William Samuel Ellis, arrived in Fallbrook in the spring of 1884, with his family, which included his wife Laura Burton Ellis and sons Burton and Tom, who were both born in Missouri, along with Lee Colby Ellis, who was born in Carpentaria, California in 1883. Upon arrival, William Ellis took a homestead claim of 160 acres of government land south of town on what is now called Cazador Hills.
1910 Census, San Antonio, Los Angeles, California:
John F Ahlstrom 61
Anna J Ahlstrom 48
Bertha Ahlstrom 23
MAIE L. AHLSTROM 19
Katherine C Ahlstrom 17
Charles W Ahlstrom 15
Eleanor C Ahlstrom 13
Feb 4, 1920 Census on Maie's Family Home Farm in West Fallbrook, California:
Benjamin L Merriman 31 NY/NY/NY
Maie Lenora Merriman 29 CA/Sweden/Utah
Lillian A Merriman 7 CA
Benjamin Merriman 1 [1 11/12] CA
LUCILLE MURIEL MERRIMAN [9/12] CA (Mrs. Robert Lee "Big Bob" White)
April 15, 1930 Census on County Road South of Onland Highway in Oceanside Township, California:
Maie Lenora Merriman 39, Public School Teacher
Lillian Merriman 17
Charles Benjamin Merriman 12
LUCILLE MURIEL MERRIMAN 11 (Mrs. Robert Lee "Big Bob" White)
SINGLE PARENT, TEACHER, FARMER - Maie Ellis began teaching career in Fallbrook in 1921 -
Mrs. Ellis, a strong-willed woman, taught in Fallbrook and Bonsall until 1949.
She spent most of her career at what was then called West Fallbrook Grammar School. The school was renamed in honor of Mrs. Ellis in the mid-1950s.
Mrs. Ellis, a 94-year-old widow, was living in a Fallbrook nursing home at that time. She was wheelchair-bound, but she boasted that her mind continued strong. "I've prayed to God that He'd let me keep my wits, and He has," she said proudly.
It wasn't until after she divorced her first husband that she was compelled to make use of the teaching certificate she had received from the Los Angeles Normal School. While she joked that it was her three small children and two mortgages on her 21-acre alfalfa farm that drove her into the classroom, she said it was her love of teaching that kept her there.
"I knew inside myself that I was just about the best teacher around," said Mrs. Ellis, who received $90/month for her first assignment.
Until she married cattleman Tom Ellis in 1936, she single-handedly maintained her farm. After her day at school was complete, she would climb into her Model T, drive down the winding dirt road to her farm and spend much of the late afternoon tending to her chores.
Her ranch was located on the corner of South Mission Road and Stage Coach Lane, where Fallbrook HS was situated at that time. She sold the property to the district in 1954.
It was Mrs. Ellis' stress on academics that people remember most. She's one of the reasons why they have such good schools there--they just followed her example.
Mrs. Ellis recalled that the school board who initially hired her was not concerned with her ability to educate students. The trustees said, "We don't care if you teach them anything just so long as you keep them quiet." She said, "That made me mad," her blue eyes glaring through her glasses.
Mrs. Ellis' youngest daughter, Lucille Ellings, was also a student in her mother's classroom. "I just wish teachers were as good now," said Mrs. Ellings, who traveled from Bend, OR, to be with her mother on her birthday.
Maie L. Ellis, a longtime teacher and 12-year superintendent of the Fallbrook school district, known around town as the "First Lady of Fallbrook", died Sept. 25, 1989 in a Vista Care Center. She was 99.
Born May 23, 1890, in Los Angeles, she was one of nine children. Maie was the daughter of John Frederick Ahlstrom (1848-1934), Sweden/Sweden/Sweden, and Hannah Jane (Johnson) Ahlstrom (1861-1937), Utah/Denmark/England.
She attended Compton High School and earned her teaching credentials from Los Angeles Normal School (now UCLA).
She lived in Fallbrook from 1916 until she moved to a residence home in San Marcos several years ago. She spent 26 years in the Fallbrook school district, which named an elementary school after her. She was a former member of the Fallbrook Riders Club and the Gem and Mineral Society. She was also the author of the PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FALLBROOK 1880-1920. She is survived by a son, Charles B. Merriman of Paso Robles; two daughters, Lillian Adams of Oceanside and Lucille Ellings of Bend, OR; a brother, Charles Ahlstrom of Indio, CA; seven grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren.
Maie Lenora Ahlstrom married her first husband, a farmer, Benjamin Charles Merriman, on January 31, 1911 and moved to Fallbrook with him in 1916. They were divorced by the time of the April 15, 1930 Census.
In 1936, Maie Lenora (Ahlstrom) Merriman married Tom Ellis. Maie taught school at Fallbrook Elementary School. She became District Superintendent of the Fallbrook Elementary Schools during the hectic war years when the district experienced rapid growth because of the Fallbrook Naval Ammunition Depot and Camp Pendleton.
Her address in Fallbrook was 1120 E. Mission Road.
In 1946, Maie Ellis retired from the school district after dedicating her life to teaching. In 1957, Fallbrook honored Maie Ellis by naming Maie Ellis Elementary School on Elder Street after her (I attended third grade there with other USMC children whose fathers were stationed at Camp Pendleton, either living with their families in military apartment housing only blocks away from the school, or serving overseas like Daddy was). Through the years Maie Ellis expressed an interest in preserving the history of Fallbrook. Her PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FALLBROOK 1880-1920, from which the preceding material was derived, can be found in the Fallbrook Historical Museum. In 1957, Fallbrook Union High School was built on the ranch of Tom and Maie Ellis. In 1958, Hotel Ellis was demolished. In 1887, Hotel Ellis (formerly the Cates Hotel, then The Naples) was built; it was designed by the famous architect Stanford White, who also designed the Hotel del Coronado. The hotel had 60 rooms, spacious porches, a veranda winding around the first floor, and lobbies, 12' ceilings, with curving staircases of carved walnut. In 1911, William Ellis purchased it for $6,000. In its heyday from 1911 to the early 1920s, it was a popular venue for county, civic and business events and drew visitors from across the nation and the world.
Each of the 804 students at Maie Ellis Elementary School made a flower for the retired Fallbrook Teacher and Historian, which were put into a wreath to be presented at the service. A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Berry-Bell and Hall Chapel with the Rev. Kenneth Losh of the United Methodist Church of Fallbrook officiating. Private burial was on Monday at Inglewood Cemetery in Inglewood, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to Children's Books for the Falbrook Library, 124 S. Mission Road, Fallbrook, CA, to the Fallbrook Historical Society, or to a favorite charity. Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary handled arrangements.
Tom Ellis' father, William Samuel Ellis, arrived in Fallbrook in the spring of 1884, with his family, which included his wife Laura Burton Ellis and sons Burton and Tom, who were both born in Missouri, along with Lee Colby Ellis, who was born in Carpentaria, California in 1883. Upon arrival, William Ellis took a homestead claim of 160 acres of government land south of town on what is now called Cazador Hills.
1910 Census, San Antonio, Los Angeles, California:
John F Ahlstrom 61
Anna J Ahlstrom 48
Bertha Ahlstrom 23
MAIE L. AHLSTROM 19
Katherine C Ahlstrom 17
Charles W Ahlstrom 15
Eleanor C Ahlstrom 13
Feb 4, 1920 Census on Maie's Family Home Farm in West Fallbrook, California:
Benjamin L Merriman 31 NY/NY/NY
Maie Lenora Merriman 29 CA/Sweden/Utah
Lillian A Merriman 7 CA
Benjamin Merriman 1 [1 11/12] CA
LUCILLE MURIEL MERRIMAN [9/12] CA (Mrs. Robert Lee "Big Bob" White)
April 15, 1930 Census on County Road South of Onland Highway in Oceanside Township, California:
Maie Lenora Merriman 39, Public School Teacher
Lillian Merriman 17
Charles Benjamin Merriman 12
LUCILLE MURIEL MERRIMAN 11 (Mrs. Robert Lee "Big Bob" White)
SINGLE PARENT, TEACHER, FARMER - Maie Ellis began teaching career in Fallbrook in 1921 -
Mrs. Ellis, a strong-willed woman, taught in Fallbrook and Bonsall until 1949.
She spent most of her career at what was then called West Fallbrook Grammar School. The school was renamed in honor of Mrs. Ellis in the mid-1950s.
Mrs. Ellis, a 94-year-old widow, was living in a Fallbrook nursing home at that time. She was wheelchair-bound, but she boasted that her mind continued strong. "I've prayed to God that He'd let me keep my wits, and He has," she said proudly.
It wasn't until after she divorced her first husband that she was compelled to make use of the teaching certificate she had received from the Los Angeles Normal School. While she joked that it was her three small children and two mortgages on her 21-acre alfalfa farm that drove her into the classroom, she said it was her love of teaching that kept her there.
"I knew inside myself that I was just about the best teacher around," said Mrs. Ellis, who received $90/month for her first assignment.
Until she married cattleman Tom Ellis in 1936, she single-handedly maintained her farm. After her day at school was complete, she would climb into her Model T, drive down the winding dirt road to her farm and spend much of the late afternoon tending to her chores.
Her ranch was located on the corner of South Mission Road and Stage Coach Lane, where Fallbrook HS was situated at that time. She sold the property to the district in 1954.
It was Mrs. Ellis' stress on academics that people remember most. She's one of the reasons why they have such good schools there--they just followed her example.
Mrs. Ellis recalled that the school board who initially hired her was not concerned with her ability to educate students. The trustees said, "We don't care if you teach them anything just so long as you keep them quiet." She said, "That made me mad," her blue eyes glaring through her glasses.
Mrs. Ellis' youngest daughter, Lucille Ellings, was also a student in her mother's classroom. "I just wish teachers were as good now," said Mrs. Ellings, who traveled from Bend, OR, to be with her mother on her birthday.
Born May 23, 1890, in Los Angeles, she was one of nine children. Maie was the daughter of John Frederick Ahlstrom (1848-1934), Sweden/Sweden/Sweden, and Hannah Jane (Johnson) Ahlstrom (1861-1937), Utah/Denmark/England.
She attended Compton High School and earned her teaching credentials from Los Angeles Normal School (now UCLA).
She lived in Fallbrook from 1916 until she moved to a residence home in San Marcos several years ago. She spent 26 years in the Fallbrook school district, which named an elementary school after her. She was a former member of the Fallbrook Riders Club and the Gem and Mineral Society. She was also the author of the PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FALLBROOK 1880-1920. She is survived by a son, Charles B. Merriman of Paso Robles; two daughters, Lillian Adams of Oceanside and Lucille Ellings of Bend, OR; a brother, Charles Ahlstrom of Indio, CA; seven grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren.
Maie Lenora Ahlstrom married her first husband, a farmer, Benjamin Charles Merriman, on January 31, 1911 and moved to Fallbrook with him in 1916. They were divorced by the time of the April 15, 1930 Census.
In 1936, Maie Lenora (Ahlstrom) Merriman married Tom Ellis. Maie taught school at Fallbrook Elementary School. She became District Superintendent of the Fallbrook Elementary Schools during the hectic war years when the district experienced rapid growth because of the Fallbrook Naval Ammunition Depot and Camp Pendleton.
Her address in Fallbrook was 1120 E. Mission Road.
In 1946, Maie Ellis retired from the school district after dedicating her life to teaching. In 1957, Fallbrook honored Maie Ellis by naming Maie Ellis Elementary School on Elder Street after her (I attended third grade there with other USMC children whose fathers were stationed at Camp Pendleton, either living with their families in military apartment housing only blocks away from the school, or serving overseas like Daddy was). Through the years Maie Ellis expressed an interest in preserving the history of Fallbrook. Her PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FALLBROOK 1880-1920, from which the preceding material was derived, can be found in the Fallbrook Historical Museum. In 1957, Fallbrook Union High School was built on the ranch of Tom and Maie Ellis. In 1958, Hotel Ellis was demolished. In 1887, Hotel Ellis (formerly the Cates Hotel, then The Naples) was built; it was designed by the famous architect Stanford White, who also designed the Hotel del Coronado. The hotel had 60 rooms, spacious porches, a veranda winding around the first floor, and lobbies, 12' ceilings, with curving staircases of carved walnut. In 1911, William Ellis purchased it for $6,000. In its heyday from 1911 to the early 1920s, it was a popular venue for county, civic and business events and drew visitors from across the nation and the world.
Each of the 804 students at Maie Ellis Elementary School made a flower for the retired Fallbrook Teacher and Historian, which were put into a wreath to be presented at the service. A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Berry-Bell and Hall Chapel with the Rev. Kenneth Losh of the United Methodist Church of Fallbrook officiating. Private burial was on Monday at Inglewood Cemetery in Inglewood, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to Children's Books for the Falbrook Library, 124 S. Mission Road, Fallbrook, CA, to the Fallbrook Historical Society, or to a favorite charity. Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary handled arrangements.
Tom Ellis' father, William Samuel Ellis, arrived in Fallbrook in the spring of 1884, with his family, which included his wife Laura Burton Ellis and sons Burton and Tom, who were both born in Missouri, along with Lee Colby Ellis, who was born in Carpentaria, California in 1883. Upon arrival, William Ellis took a homestead claim of 160 acres of government land south of town on what is now called Cazador Hills.
1910 Census, San Antonio, Los Angeles, California:
John F Ahlstrom 61
Anna J Ahlstrom 48
Bertha Ahlstrom 23
MAIE L. AHLSTROM 19
Katherine C Ahlstrom 17
Charles W Ahlstrom 15
Eleanor C Ahlstrom 13
Feb 4, 1920 Census on Maie's Family Home Farm in West Fallbrook, California:
Benjamin L Merriman 31 NY/NY/NY
Maie Lenora Merriman 29 CA/Sweden/Utah
Lillian A Merriman 7 CA
Benjamin Merriman 1 [1 11/12] CA
LUCILLE MURIEL MERRIMAN [9/12] CA (Mrs. Robert Lee "Big Bob" White)
April 15, 1930 Census on County Road South of Onland Highway in Oceanside Township, California:
Maie Lenora Merriman 39, Public School Teacher
Lillian Merriman 17
Charles Benjamin Merriman 12
LUCILLE MURIEL MERRIMAN 11 (Mrs. Robert Lee "Big Bob" White)
SINGLE PARENT, TEACHER, FARMER - Maie Ellis began teaching career in Fallbrook in 1921 -
Mrs. Ellis, a strong-willed woman, taught in Fallbrook and Bonsall until 1949.
She spent most of her career at what was then called West Fallbrook Grammar School. The school was renamed in honor of Mrs. Ellis in the mid-1950s.
Mrs. Ellis, a 94-year-old widow, was living in a Fallbrook nursing home at that time. She was wheelchair-bound, but she boasted that her mind continued strong. "I've prayed to God that He'd let me keep my wits, and He has," she said proudly.
It wasn't until after she divorced her first husband that she was compelled to make use of the teaching certificate she had received from the Los Angeles Normal School. While she joked that it was her three small children and two mortgages on her 21-acre alfalfa farm that drove her into the classroom, she said it was her love of teaching that kept her there.
"I knew inside myself that I was just about the best teacher around," said Mrs. Ellis, who received $90/month for her first assignment.
Until she married cattleman Tom Ellis in 1936, she single-handedly maintained her farm. After her day at school was complete, she would climb into her Model T, drive down the winding dirt road to her farm and spend much of the late afternoon tending to her chores.
Her ranch was located on the corner of South Mission Road and Stage Coach Lane, where Fallbrook HS was situated at that time. She sold the property to the district in 1954.
It was Mrs. Ellis' stress on academics that people remember most. She's one of the reasons why they have such good schools there--they just followed her example.
Mrs. Ellis recalled that the school board who initially hired her was not concerned with her ability to educate students. The trustees said, "We don't care if you teach them anything just so long as you keep them quiet." She said, "That made me mad," her blue eyes glaring through her glasses.
Mrs. Ellis' youngest daughter, Lucille Ellings, was also a student in her mother's classroom. "I just wish teachers were as good now," said Mrs. Ellings, who traveled from Bend, OR, to be with her mother on her birthday.
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