A thesis from 1939

 

My grandmother Alberta Heck Cummings received her master of arts degree from Ohio University in 1939, a time when few women achieved this level of education. Her thesis was "An Investigation of 4-H Club Work in Cabell County, West Virginia."

 

Alberta Heck Cummings, at age 100

Students who found my grandmother's thesis in the library would occasionally contact her, hoping she could answer their questions. My grandmother would extend a helping hand and give the students advice regarding their work. In one note she included when loaning materials to a student, she wrote: "I'll add this. You may want to do the same. When I was writing my thesis, every time I sat down to work on it I said this prayer: 'Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.' There were more than 100 typed pages, and three words had to be changed. I took a two-hour written test and a two- hour oral test, with three professors asking me questions. That was the only A+ I made in all of my college work."

She taught public school for 47 years and was a prominent 4-H leader in county and state programs for 35 years. She lived to be 107, and she died Dec. 29, 2003.

She was proud to be a graduate of Ohio University, and Ohio University can be proud of her. She was an unusual lady, always giving of herself -- time and resources to make life better for the people whose lives she touched.

Ruth Ann Koch

Lavalette, W.Va.