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A Century Later, West Chester University Legacy Lives On

After visiting West Chester University’s campus her senior year of high school, Ashley Walton knew West Chester was where she wanted to spend her next four years.

“I had originally visited the campus because of its reputation for having an exceptional elementary education program,” she explained, “but the school’s charm is what ultimately appealed to me. Being from a small town [Tinicum, Bucks County], something about the campus felt like home.”

A close relative later revealed that her choice to attend West Chester University was a homecoming of sorts. Walton’s great grandmother, Helen Yerkes, was one of seven sisters who all graduated from West Chester Normal School. Ashley will carry on the legacy of the seven Yerkes sisters when she graduates Saturday, May 10, 2008 – 100 years after her great grandmother’s 1908 graduation.

At a time when the concept of women pursuing a higher education was progressive, these seven revolutionary women graduated West Chester Normal School and went on to lead successful teaching careers. The oldest Yerkes sister, Ella, was the first to leave the Yerkes family farm on Buck Road in Southampton Township for academia. Her graduation in 1902 paved the way for Gertrude, a 1904 graduate. Ashley’s great grandmother, Helen, received her diploma third, followed by Ethel and Hilda in 1911, Elizabeth in 1917, and finally Thelma in 1919. The three Yerkes brothers stayed home and became farmers.

All seven sisters made arrangements to work at the homes of local West Chester residents as live-in help in exchange for room and board. They took courses required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in order to teach in the newly established public school system. Walton’s great grandmother’s diploma reads like a who’s who of West Chester professors who have since had buildings named for them. She had English with F.H. Green (library), biological science with S.L. Schmucker (science center), physical training with L.E. Ehinger (gym) and mathematics with R.F. Anderson (classroom building).

The Yerkes sisters went on to make a difference in the lives of the many children who sat in each of their one-room schoolhouses. They also made contributions to society as leaders in their churches and communities.

Prolific author James Michener was a student of Hilda Yerkes, the fifth of the seven sisters, when she taught in Doylestown, Pa. At a lecture attended by Hilda’s daughter in the mid 1960s Michener said he believed the early primary teacher has the most profound impact on a person’s life. Hilda’s daughter approached Michener at the end of his lecture and asked if he remembered his third grade teacher. He remembered Ms. Yerkes very well.

As an elementary education major and an active leader on campus involved in the University’s Executive Leadership Series, Leadership Consulting, the Women’s Mentoring Program, and Habitat for Humanity, Walton has always viewed leadership as a way to make a difference. Discovering the legacy her great grandmother left has confirmed for her that teaching is the ultimate leadership position.

“I come from a long line of teachers,” she says, acknowledging a strong sense of pride to be walking in the footsteps of her relatives. “The passion for teaching is in my blood, but it also stems from the feeling of knowing I have the ability and opportunity to positively affect others. The thought of being instrumental in helping children reach their highest potential and providing the fundamental skills for their future success is inspiring.”

Walton attended elementary education courses in Recitation Hall, the same building where her great grandmother came for lessons more than 100 years ago with hope for her future. Ashley Walton is that future – the legacy of seven forward-thinking women. For Ashley Walton, college has not only been the key to her future but a link to her past.