Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Mrs. McNally -- fifty years after she taught me at Putnam Grammar School, she's still that to me -- was a fine teacher and a lovely woman. Her students admired and respected her: there was no misbehavior in her classes, not because she was a strict disciplinarian -- she wasn't -- but because she was so well-liked. (The same was true about Mr. Burgess. And would have been true about Mrs. King had she, too, taught school; everyone knows that friendliness runs in that family.). As a science teacher, she preached conservation and smart eating way ahead of her time: I remember her telling us once that the healthiest spot in the kitchen was the sink, because that's where the most nutritious food ended up. Mr. McNally was a wonderful man with a great sense of humor (I was sad to learn of his recent passing) and the McNally home near the Thompson Dam was a warm and welcoming place. My condolences to the family.
