Returning to her roots

By Duane Crawford

             Though this story was intended to be about Mary Ellen (Mullins) Bartram, I’ve expanded the story to include some key information about her parents.  Jay and June Mullins were exemplary citizens of Putnam County.  Jay was a hero during World War II, and June epitomized the best of motherhood.  I’d intended to write a story about their life, but never got the job done.

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             Within the first few minutes of the interview with Putnam County R-1 Elementary School’s newest special education teacher, I was puzzled by her distinctive southern drawl.  The gentle, drawn-out vowel sounds I heard are characteristic of a lady who lives in the deep South.  However, I quickly learned that Mary (Mullins) Bartram’s roots have always been in Putnam County.

            The third of Jay and June Mullins’ four children, Mary Ellen was born on June 10, 1958 in a Centerville, IA hospital, but her home was Omaha, MO.  A sister, Lorrie, and a brother, David, are older.  Brother John is the youngest.

            Now deceased, both of the highly respected parents had lived their entire lives in Putnam County.  Jay was born and raised on a farm just outside Omaha’s town limits, and the couple spent their long and blissful marriage on the same farm.

            On a number of occasions, I had delightful conversations with Jay.  Veterans of wars a generation apart, we had our military service and rural backgrounds in common.

            Several citizens had urged me to write a story about his role model life and to include June.  Both Jay and June embodied the best of America.  They were modest, unselfish, hardworking, friendly and honest.  Like the late Bob McCollom, another Omaha icon, I had them on my story list.  I deeply regret those stories were not written for future generations to learn from.

            A member of America’s Greatest Generation with a deep-rooted love for our nation, Jay did not hesitate when called to fight in World War II.  Like his Grandfather Mullins did during the Civil War, Jay entered the U. S. Army, and was sent to fight the Japanese in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. 

            And like his grandfather, he served with distinction.  Jay was awarded the Purple Heart Medal for wounds he received in action, and the Bronze Star Medal w/combat “V” for bravery.  He was proud of his service.

            After his honorable military service, he and Bob McCollom became community leaders.  Together, they helped get the Liberty Township Fire Department started.  Jay eventually became president of the Putnam County R-1 School Board in the 1970s.  He was a fifty-year Mason with the Hartford Masonic Lodge.

            Kevin Collins, pastor of the Omaha Baptist Church, says of the Mullins couple, “Jay was a man of quiet dignity and easygoing temperament.  I didn’t know June as well, but she was gracious and soft-spoken.  They were perfect for each other.”

            Besides his love for farming, he was also a contractor who built roof trusses.  He especially enjoyed the “over the hill” crew who worked with him.  Jay was known for the quality of his work, whether it was farming, building trusses or serving the community.  He had a gentle spirit and was a good friend and neighbor.  “In 2004, the Mullins’ farm celebrated 125 years of being in the family name,” Mary says.

            For several years June was a cook at the Livonia School, and she later became secretary at the old Elementary School for principals Ron Hunt and the late John Maulsby.  “One of the nicest persons you’d ever want to meet,” many say of her, including my wife, Kay, who taught at the same school for a couple of years.

            Walter Griffen became a friend of the couple.  He says, “Those two were meant for each other.  They possessed old-fashioned American values.  Jay built rafters for my house.  His work was the best around and extremely reasonable.  I don’t know how he made any money building trusses.”

            When June was the school’s secretary, Walter was a teacher.  “June was an absolute jewel,” he says of her.  “She didn’t have a mean bone in her body.  Teachers and students could always expect a friendly greeting from her.”

            Pausing momentarily, he then adds with a light chuckle, “June was afraid of mice.  One time Roger Trueblood and I cooked up a prank.  I put a fake mouse into a mousetrap and slipped the device into her desk drawer.  When she opened the drawer and spotted that mouse, she jumped on top of the desk.

            “Roger and I felt really bad about what we’d done.  We never pulled another trick on June.”

            All the Mullins children will say they inherited June’s love of cooking and baking and that they have passed on those skills to their children.  “Mom had a reputation for cooking,” Mary Ellen reports.  “She was especially involved in 4-H work and the Putnam County Fair.  Our family was very active in the Mt. Herman United Methodist Church.”

            Mary Ellen was raised in a family where esteemed American values were practiced by her parents.  I quickly learned that she is a perfect image of what her parents would have wanted.  She says of her parents, “They were truly proud of their family.  I continue to miss them, and I’m proud to be their daughter.”

            Presenting her always friendly smile, Mary Ellen says, “Call me, Mary.  During all my primary and secondary school years, everyone called me, Mary Ellen.  In college, my friends and teachers dropped Ellen.”

            Mary’s first three years of education were spent at the old Livonia School.  Two of her teachers were teaching legends.  They were Betty Blankenship and Jean Polson. 

            School consolidation caused the closing of the Livonia School, and kids from Putnam County’s east end were bused to Unionville.  “When Mom was hired to be the school secretary, I rode with her,” Mary states.  “My 7^th and 8^th grades and first two years of high school were in what is now McCalment Park.”

            Work was an integral part of learning and growing up on the Mullins’ farm.  The kids were all expected to do their share.  “Mom was a big gardener,” Mary explains in her soft southern drawl.  “We had to snap and hull beans.  Since I liked to cook, preparing meals was one of my main chores.  I also bottle-fed calves, and drove the tractor to pick up those square bales.  My brothers teased me about my tractor driving.”  Pausing to reflect on those memorable years, she then adds, “I never realized the benefits of living on a farm until I moved away.”

            Mary’s junior and senior years were spent in what was commonly referred to as the “new high school,” because it had just opened.  Of course it was the present Putnam County High School.  “I really enjoyed school,” she admits, smiling.  “When people got to know me, they learned that I could be mischievous.”

            Her school activities included student council, National Honor Society, and being treasurer of the junior class.  As a member of the all-girl Pep Club, she and her peers rode school buses to away games to root for the Midgets.  In America’s Bi-Centennial year, she graduated in May 1976 with salutatorian honors.

            Beginning that fall, Mary attended Indian Hills Community College in Centerville.  The next year she transferred to Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) in Kirksville.  “I worked full-time as a secretary in the Business Division, and attended classes part-time,” she says.  “I was there from 1978-1981.”

            That same year Mary attended Des Moines Community College, and she eventually received her Associate of Arts degree in para-legal work.  She moved back to Kirksville and was employed as a para-legal with Mulford and Cole’s law firm.

            Mary met and eventually married Ken Lambert from Mobile, Alabama.  They moved to Mobile, and she began what would be 13 years of employment with PPG Industries.  She worked in the sales department.  Ken had a daughter, Danielle, from a previous marriage, and he was a psychologist.  “Our son, Will, was born in Mobile,”  Mary says.

            Tragedy struck the family in 1996 when Ken had a fatal heart attack.  He was 39-years-old.  In recalling the sorrow and difficult decisions she alone had to make, Mary quietly states, “I had worked in his office and had to close the business.  I was torn between what to do.  Will had just started to school, and we had friends there.  We decided to stay in Mobile.  I started substituting in schools there and developed an interest in education.”

            As time passed, Mary met Bill Bartram in Mobile.  Originally from Miami, Florida, Bill worked at a printing business as a master printer.  They were married in 2001.  “We built a home,” Mary recalls, “and my former boss from PPG Industries asked me to come back to work    for them.  I did, because I liked working there.  The company had paid for my education at the University of South Alabama, where I’d received a Bachelors in Business degree in 1990.”
            Two hurricanes and family concerns were reasons why Bill and Mary decided to move back to Putnam County.  “We’d been lucky,” Mary explains.  “Two hurricanes had struck Mobile, and we escaped with minor damage.  Mom had passed away in 2001, and Dad had broken his hip.  We discussed our options.  When we had a chance to sell our house, we decided to come home.”

            During the spring of 2006, they moved back to Omaha to be near family.  “Because we couldn’t find a place to live, we stayed on Dad’s farm,” Mary adds. “We have since built a home near by.  Dad passed away in February 2006, one month before we were able to move back.”

            When asked about the role models in her life, Mary answers without hesitation, “My parents!  They taught us the proper family values.  We were expected to work hard, be honest and always respect others.  All of us kids have upheld the standards Dad and Mom expected.  I think I inherited my personality traits from both of my parents.”

            Putnam County recognized the contributions Mary could make to her alma mater.  She spent a year as a Title I teacher’s assistant. This past spring she was asked to be employed full-time as a special education teacher in the Elementary School.  Smiling, she says, “I truly enjoy teaching.  Trying to get my nineteen students to succeed is challenging and satisfying.  This is probably the most stressful area of teaching, but I’m proud to be part of it.         

            “Will is a junior, and we both believe this is the best school around.  Besides seeing faces from the days of my youth, the people I work with are dedicated and professional.”

            Does she miss Alabama?  She replies with a warm smile, “Oh, I miss my Alabama friends and the warmer climate.  When I lived there, I missed northern Missouri’s seasonal changes.”

            Besides teaching, Mary is coordinator for the Parents As Teachers Program and helps with the After School Program.  In her spare time, she is studying to get her Masters in Special Education through the University of Missouri at St. Louis.

            Sister Lorrie is married to Gary Bailey.  They have a son, Michael, and live in Pulaski, IA.  Brother David and his wife, Judy, have a son, Patrick, and a daughter, Sara.  They live in Kirksville and farm the home place.  John has an electrical contract company in Kirksville.  He and his wife, Joyce, have three sons, Jacob, Zachary and C.J.

            Bill commutes to Centerville, IA and works for Barker Company.  Returning to one’s roots to teach children and grandchildren of former friends is a dream few could ever realize.  Mary Ellen (Mullins) Bartram has fulfilled that dream. WELCOME HOME, MARY!