The School Board's Romance
A skeptical school director finds his professional 'sense of duty' unexpectedly tangled with the local teacher he once fought to keep out.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Steve Tenney, a member of the school board, initially opposed the hiring of Molly Sanborn, citing his poor history with her late father. He wanted a more experienced hand to manage the fall term. However, after learning of her dire poverty and the struggle she faced, Tenney relented. Once school began, he begrudgingly checked on the schoolhouse, using the excuse of 'duties' like replacing a broken broom or leaky water pail to justify his visits. Over time, his animosity melted, replaced by a growing fascination with the young teacher. When a rival, Lyme Doty, attempted to secure favor with her, Tenney’s sense of duty transformed into personal pursuit. He began ensuring he was the one to drive her home after school, shielding her from Doty’s advances. By the end of the term, Tenney’s supposed official inspections resulted in a quiet marriage, leaving the rest of the school board members to chuckle over the director who found more than he bargained for in his official capacity.
“I won't say I'm going over the river on business, and happened to think you might like to ride. The truth is that it's a carefully laid plot.”
This 1888 account of navigating civic duty, social perception, and local professional politics echoes the modern challenges of housing and labor in Seattle. While the scale of the city has exploded, the tension between public life and personal connection remains a hallmark of the Seattle experience.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.