Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Rosses end career at Emmet

Since 1964 Dr. and Mrs. Gene Ross have been associated with the Emmet School District.

Dr. Ross began his career in Emmet as a teacher, rising to the position of superintendent in 1966. While there were times he wasnt at Emmet, his wife, Frances, was, thereby maintaining the continuity.

However, this illustrious career came to an end Sunday, Aug. 21, with a retirement reception for the Rosses. Dr. Ross retired due to health reasons, not because he had lost interest in the school or students.

In fact, he said he didnt want to retire, but had no choice after undergoing heart bypass surgery earlier this year.

The Emmet cafetorium was filled with well-wishers, all coming to express their gratitude to the Rosses for the work theyve done for the school for more than 40 years.

Donnie Davis, superintendent of the Blevins School District, of which Emmet is now part, welcomed everyone to the reception. He said he met Dr. Ross in the 1970s when he was on what was then known as the A study team. As part of the evaluation team, Davis also met the staff at Emmet and got to know the campus.

It was a pleasure to work with you as an educator, he said. Even then he had a lot of respect here, in Southwest Arkansas and around the state. He worked at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope and has been a voice for Emmet at Little Rock. Wherever hes gone, hes been a faithful voice for Emmet.

Davis recalled when Nevada County was going through a major consolidation in the mid 1980s. Emmet, he said, wouldnt be part of it because of Dr. Ross. We pledged to Dr. Ross Blevins would be true to its word about keeping the Emmet campus open.

According to Davis, if the Emmet campus is closed it will be because of outside sources, not because of Blevins.

Emmet has always been home, Dr. Ross said, and always will be. Youre part of our family. Frances and I worked hard to keep the school. I feel I failed, but not really. I got a commitment from Blevins to keep the school here.

This, he said, was done when the Arkansas Legislature set the minimum school population at 350 students. This could have closed the Emmet system had Emmet not entered into an annexation agreement with Blevins.

Their Board and administration, Dr. Ross said, I feel they will keep their word. I want to see the school stay here. We worked hard and enjoyed everything weve done.

Dr. Ross said when he took over as superintendent in 1966 he wasnt certified, but got the required 12 hours from Henderson.

Frances, he added, has been at Emmet longer because of the time he went to work at Hope.

While at Emmet, Dr. Ross didnt make it easy on the staff, as all hired were required to be multi-certified and teach more than one subject. He called Frances frugal.

When Emmet was annexed into the Blevins District, Emmet was debt free and had $1 million in the bank.

Frank Henson, Emmet High School principal, said the Rosses always went above and beyond the call of duty, believed in the students, taking them under their wings and talking to them and were conservative with the districts money.

You never let us down, he said.

Floyd Pollock, elementary principal, said Dr. Ross taught him typing and business math and gave him his first job at Emmet in 1970 as a fifth and sixth grade teacher. Both classes were in one room.

We will miss Dr. and Mrs. Ross, he said.