Helena Gertrude Sumner Humphries -- Honored Home Economics Teacher

 

Gertrude Sumner Humphries

Helena Gertrude Sumner was born on December 16, 1910 in Trigg County, Kentucky.  She was the only child of James Ottawa Sumner and Martha Miller Thomas Sumner. James O. and Martha were both natives of Trigg County with Martha being a great-granddaughter of James and Mary Standley Thomas and James O. being a great-great-grandson of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges.

Gertrude grew up in her family home with her favorite pastime being sewing for her dolls using an old treadle sewing machine developing a talent that she would use in her adult life.  She attended the Montgomery School and graduated from the Cadiz High School.  During the depression, at the age of 16, she helped to put herself through college at Western Kentucky University.  After graduation, she pursued a career as a home economics teacher, a career which lasted 33 years.

Her teaching career began at the Sinking Fork School in Christian County, Kentucky where she taught from 1931 to 1936 and then returned there to teach from 1942 to 1948.  In 1948, she begin teaching at Trigg County High School in Cadiz where she taught home economics till her retirement in 1971. It is estimated that over 3,000 girls passed through her classrooms.

Gertrude’s career as a home economics instructor was highly recognized as she was a member of local, district, state and national associations of Home Economists.  She served several times as an officer in the district and state level of these organizations.

Gertrude’s dedicated service as a teacher was exemplified in her sponsorship of numerous skits, plays, pageants, banquets and other events for her students.  She spent many hours chaperoning student group as they traveled across the state for home economic events.  She was selected as the Trigg County “Teacher of the Year” and “Woman of the Year.”  The Trigg County High School home economics department was named as the “Gertrude Humphries Economics Department” In honor of the outstanding work she had performed at the school.

Gertrude married Ira Lee Humphries on December 16, 1934 at a ceremony in her parent’s home.  Ira was born in Trigg County on October 18, 1903, the second of five children born to George T. Humphries and Mancel Marlow Humphries. His siblings were Jessye Virginia Humphries, Georgia Mae Humphries, Howard Wilson Humphries and Harriet Bonnie Humphries. Ira was a farmer and he and Gertrude lived on the family farm that he had managed since he was a young man.  The farm had been in the Humphries family for generations having been granted to his ancestor for service rendered in the Revolutionary War.  Ira and Gertrude were the parents of one child, Harold Rudolph Humphries who was born on January 1, 1936 in Trigg County.

Gertrude died on June 6, 1990 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky at the age of 79.  She was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.  Her husband, Ira, had died the previous year on September 14, 1989 in Hopkinsville at the age of 85 and was also buried in the East End Cemetery.

Ira Humphries

Ira and Gertrude HumphriesTombstone

LINEAGE: (Helena Gertrude Sumner was the daughter of James Ottawa and Martha Miller Thomas Sumner and the granddaughter of Benjamin Miles and Henrietta Gabrella Bridges Sumner and Starkie Armstead and Inez Miller Thomas.  Henrietta Gabrella was the first child of Drewry and Peachie Ann Tart Bridges and Starkie Armstead was the tenth child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas.  Drewry was the fourth child of William and Mary Thomas Bridges.  Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.  William was the fourth child of Drury and Charity Cohoon Bridges)