Anne Moore Blownstine

One of my favorite teachers was Anne Moore, later, Blownstine, who taught American History when I was in high school. In the thirties and forties she was also the coach of many a winning girl's basketball teams at Amenia High School

She had such enthusiasm for her subject that it sparked one's interest in spite of the sometimes dull parts of history. We were still in the midst of World War II when I was in high school, and she certainly helped us understand the causes and effects of the war and as it was happening she traced the progress of the Navy as it captured island after island in the Pacific- - we certainly learned our geography as well as the current events that were to become history.

I didn't know it at the time but she was a relative of the Murphy family and therefore my husband-to-be, Jim. They clashed occasionally and he was not as enthusiastic as I about her teaching. I think the reason Jim didn't like her was the subject. At that time he was milking cows twice a day and coming to school full time--real study was not on his agenda--except for Physics taught by Howard Lonsdale whom he liked as a teacher very much as well as liking the subject.

The photo in this article has been provided by Jim’s sister Catherine Murphy.

I have fond memories also of Gertrude Foley and "Mac" Kinney but Arlene Iuliano has already ably covered them. (See blog archives.)

Charlotte Murphy