Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Emmet loses 81 years experience with two retirements

Emmet School lost a combined 81 years of experience with the retirement of two teachers.

Nora Mae Fee and Frank Faulkner were honored by the district at its public meeting Tuesday, Sept. 14. Fee retired after putting in 46 years, while Faulkner had 35 years with the district.

Assistant Superintendent Gene Ross said Faulkner graduated from Emmet High School in 1965, attended Henderson State University and returned to Emmet upon earning his degree. He began coaching the Eagles basketball team in 1969 and spent his entire career with the Emmet district.

In the beginning, Ross said, Faulkner coached all teams, including pee wee basketball. During his second year, the district decided to offer driver's education, so he returned to school and became certified to teach this as well.

Faulkner coached the Eagles full-time until around 1996, when he stepped down and began working part-time.

Fee, Ross said, was at Emmet when he arrived in 1964. At the time, she was teaching third and fourth grade until the district began growing and the grades were divided.

After the division, Fee taught either third or fourth grade, Ross said, but mostly fourth grade. She also taught at Cale for a while after graduating college.

She, too, Ross said, graduated from Emmet High School.

During his time at Emmet, Faulkner has been the school's athletic director, taught science, coached basketball and taught health. "He did what needed to be done," Ross said.

Faulkner reminisced about the early days as a coach at Emmet, saying in those days there were several county schools (Cale, Willisville, Oak Grove, Laneburg and Bodcaw). The competition, he said, was more fun and there was less travel involved.

Winning the county tourney, he said, was like winning the district now, only the winning team had bragging rights until the next season. "It all equaled out. One year one team would be good and the next year another one would.

"The kids we played against became our friends. Those were simpler times and pressure wasn't on coaches to win everything."

In those days, he said, the communities were closer because of the teams playing one another. The competition was always friendly and games played in a good atmosphere. "You didn't have to worry then. They were good people."

Overall, Faulkner said he remembered more good times while at Emmet than bad. The worst, though, was when the old gymnasium was burned by an arsonist.

When the gym burned, the school lost all of the trophies and plaques, some dating back to the 1930s.

In addition to working with the school district, Faulkner worked with the City of Emmet. For a while, he worked as water superintendent, and was elected city recorder.

Faulkner retired from the school district because of health problems. "I'm not doing anything physical these days," he said. "I can't work like I used to."

At this point, he has no plans for the future, saying what he does will depend on what his doctors say when he goes back in October.

Faulkner said the town, people, kids and school have been good to him.