VOL. 18, NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 2007 Five Generations of The Family of Saint Clair Rucker see page 29 James Marcus Rucker V Table of Contents Henry Cowles Rucker Jr. . . p.21, 24 Allen Rucker Flyer p.22 Terry the Tractor Flyer p.22 Questions & Answers p.24-25 Query of the Quarter p.25 Corrections and Additions . .p.25-26 In Memoriam p. 26-28 Photo page p.29 President's letter p.30-28 Henry Cowles Bucket Jr. A Wildlife Manager and Principal Ahead of his Time By Michael P. Rucker It may seem a stretch to change from a career in wildlife management to that of a school teacher and principal but that is what Henry Cowles Rucker, Jr. did and with great success. Called "Cowles" by family and friends, he was among those at Virginia Tech in 1934 to receive a Masters Degree in Wildlife Management; the first such degree offered anywhere. He served as manager of National Wildlife Refuges in Mississippi and South Carolina and then as Assistant Chief of the West Virginia Fish and Game Division. From there he moved into a teaching position: Vocational Agriculture at Stafford County (Virginia) High School. He was then promoted to principal of Marriott School in St. Stephens Church, Virginia, a rural school that included grades first through high school. At Marriott School he was appalled with the low level of reading skills among the students. He decided to do something about it. The following is an excerpt from a front page Richmond Times Dispatch in 1959: "Principal Solves Problem: Teaches Kids to Read" Continued on page 23
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V O L . 1 8 , N O . 3 , S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 7
FiveGenerationsof The Family
ofSaint Clair Rucker
see page 29
James Marcus Rucker V
Table of Contents
Henry Cowles Rucker Jr. . . p.21, 24Allen Rucker Flyer p.22Terry the Tractor Flyer p.22Questions & Answers p.24-25Query of the Quarter p.25
Corrections and Additions . .p.25-26In Memoriam p. 26-28Photo page p.29President's letter p.30-28
Henry CowlesBucket Jr.
A Wildlife Manager andPrincipal Ahead of his Time
By Michael P. Rucker
It may seem a stretch to changefrom a career in wildlifemanagement to that of a schoolteacher and principal but that iswhat Henry Cowles Rucker, Jr.did and with great success.
Called "Cowles" by family andfriends, he was among those atVirginia Tech in 1934 to receivea Masters Degree in WildlifeManagement; the first suchdegree offered anywhere. Heserved as manager of NationalWildlife Refuges in Mississippiand South Carolina and then asAssistant Chief of the WestVirginia Fish and GameDivision. From there he movedinto a teaching position:Vocational Agriculture atStafford County (Virginia) HighSchool. He was then promotedto principal of Marriott Schoolin St. Stephens Church,
Virginia, a rural school thatincluded grades first throughhigh school.
At Marriott School he wasappalled with the low level ofreading skills among thestudents. He decided to dosomething about it. Thefollowing is an excerpt from afront page Richmond TimesDispatch in 1959:
"Principal Solves Problem:Teaches Kids to Read"
Continued on page 23
Rucker Family Society Newsletter 99 Vol. 18, No. 3, Sept. 2007
Margaret BeesleyJeannie BrydonDorothy CainRebecca Fox
Mary Ann LaurenceMaurine Rucker McLean
Joyce PittmanRoland Pittman
Karl RiceAlice Rucker
Christopher RuckerFred Rucker
"Reading his no-holds-
barred account of life
before and after paralysis
reminds you that The Best
Seat in the House can be
whichever one you've got."—Parade
"Hardly sentimental...[a]savvy contribution...ahead of the curve."
—New York Times
"Allen Rucker describeshis new life with honesty,
accessibility, andimpudence...very funny."
—National Public Radio
www.AllenRucker.com
HARPER
New "Terry" Book
Mike Rucker has done it again:Another Terry the Tractor bookfor kids ~ the fifteenth in this
popular series. But this time hehad some help from his seven-
year old granddaughter, SabrinaRucker.
The idea for Terry and theMartians came from Sabrina.
"It's really wacky, you'll love it,"said Sabrina.
You can view all the Terry booksat TerrytheTractor.com and
order them via PayPal or getthem directly from the author bycontacting Mike Ruckerat 1003W. Centennial Drive, Peoria, IL,61614, phone 309-692-0621 oremail him at [email protected].
Rucker Family Society Newsletter 23 Vol. 18, No. 3, Sept. 2007
Henry Cowles Rucker Jr.Continued from page 21
A King and Queen countyprincipal tossed out conventionand caution this year when hetackled his school's biggestproblem: reading. Reading is thenumber one job of any school,believes Henry Rucker — if astudent can't read it s useless totry to teach him anything else.
Rucker came to Marriott twoyears ago. Parents and teacherswere complaining that the pupilscouldn 't read. Youngsters toldRucker that as far as they wereconcerned there had never beena book worth reading.
Since Rucker s reading programbegan in September, many ofthose same students are readinga book a week. The averagereading level of children in thethird through sixth grade hasjumped one and a half yearssince May.
No Gimmicks
The system has no gimmicks, novisual aids or expensiveequipment. It s based on a simpleadage: practice makes perfect.
Before launching the program,Rucker tested each child forreading skills and generalability. The test bore out thecharges of parents and teachers.Classes were anywhere from amonth to a year behind thenational average in reading.
The principal decided that pupilswho couldn't read on theirproper level should go back toclasses where they could patchup their faulty fundamentals. Sixgraders were put back as far asthe second grade for an hour aday.
This is a step that causes manyan educator to throw up theirhands in horror. "You 'II warptheir self-esteem, thwart theirgrowth, " they charge.
"Bosh, " says Rucker. When hefinished a sales talk to eachelementary grade there wasn 't ayoungster who failed to raise hishand when asked: "Do you wantto go back to your reading leveland start again? "
Rucker drew a diagram for themexplaining that a readingweakness — what he calls "alittle rotten spot" - sometimesdevelops in the first grade. "Youmight get by with it then, but itwill grow bigger and biggereach year as reading getstougher. Finally, you can't keepup with your work at all. Youfail, drop out of school, havetrouble getting a good job, " hetold them. The children weresold.
Rucker confronted the Parent
Teacher Association with hisfigures on reading. He said that
it could be corrected - with their
help. Some 30 parents
volunteered to donate one hour a
week to helping out. They go to
school to supervise reading
practice while staff teachers
work intensely with small groups
of pupils.
The article went on in somedepth concerning the reading
program and its successes.
During his earlier career Cowleswas known to say that, "Wildlife
management is a great job, but itwill keep your family in near
poverty" - so he changed toteaching; a similarly low payingoccupation.
He was ahead of his time inmany of his philosophies. - from
reading to managing wildlifehabitat. During the mid-1940s hebegan to advocate and practice
controlled burning of theundergrowth in the national
wildlife refuges he managed torestore the natural ecology andeliminate invasive non-native
plants such as honeysuckle andkudzu. His superiors and peers
alike looked askance at thispractice that is now fullyaccepted - but Smoky the Bear
and his, "Only you can preventforest fires" prevailed at the
time."
While at Virginia Tech Cowlesmet and married the secretary to
the Agriculture Department,
Phoebe Katherine Price. They
Rucker Family Society Newsletter Vol. 18, No. 3, Sept. 2007
had three sons: Henry C. Ill,
Michael Price and WilliamAmbrose.
Cowles retired in 1973 to CedarKey, Florida, near a nationalwildlife refuge and with good
fishing nearby - his favoritepastime. No one else in Cedar
Key could raise a decentvegetable garden in the sandysoil, but Cowles with his
knowledge of agriculture usedthe plentiful sea weed that
washed up on the beaches togrow so many vegetables that hewas constantly having to give
large quantities to friends andneighbors. While there he
became a founding member ofthe Cedar Key Historical Societyand in establishing a museum.
He also helped Cedar Keyrestore two of it lost resources;
cedar trees and osprey. Althoughnamed after the cedar trees thatonce blanketed the area, the
evergreens were all but gonewhen Cowles moved there. He
obtained cedar tree seedlingsfrom State of Florida nurseriesand asked the students in the
Cedar Key school if they wouldlike to restore this heritage by
planting them. Theyenthusiastically agreed and nowmany more cedars grow in the
area. He also was an advocatefor placing poles on which the
osprey, or fish hawks, could
build a nest and raise their
young, thereby helping toreplenish another nearly lost
resource.
Cowles was also known as a
humorist who could always
come up with an appropriateremark for any occasion; a really
memorable character. He diedFebruary 5, 1982 and is buried inthe Cedar Key cemetery near the
wildlife and good fishing that heloved.
Cowles had four lines back toPeter Rucker: Henry8 CowlesRucker, Jr., Dr. Henry7 C.,Benjamin6 L., Benjamin5 J.,Isaac4, Ambrose3, John2, Peter1-
Henry9 Cowles Rucker, Jr., Dr.Henry8 C., Sally7 F. Parks(married Benjamin6 LindsayRucker), Paulina6 D., Elizabeth5
Ambrose, Mary5 Ann Dawson(married William5 BallingerRucker), Ambrose4, Reuben3,Ambrose2, Peter1.
Editor's note: Mike fails to noteit in this article that HenryCowles Rucker, Jr. was hisfather.
Questions and Answers
Ahmed Rucker
Research by Alice Rucker ofSylmar, CA
On my recent trip to Salt LakeCity, I got a copy of Ahmed'sfather's will on microfilm fromScott Co., Illinois.
One interesting thing in Ahmed'swill is the mention of sixvolumes of his hand written"memoirs." He wanted copiesmade for all his children after hedied. In Sudie Rucker Wood'sbook, p.23, there is a veryinteresting excerpt. It said thathis "memoirs" were in thepossession of Dr. William ColbyRucker in New Orleans.
There AreSix Volumes of Ahmed Rucker's
Hand Written "Memoirs"
I would very much like to readAhmed's "Memoirs" because he
4i
was only s^a generationRucker and I believe he mayhave written about his early lifeand ancestors. I have some ideasof repositories to check withwho may have inherited thiskind of manuscript.
If anyone has a copy or knowswhere one is, please contactAlice at <aliruc@/ca.it.com> orthe Editor.
Rucker Family Society Newsletter 25 Vol. 18, No. 3, Sept. 2007
"Grannee" Rucker
The last newsletter had a photo
of "Grannee" Rucker, mother of
Laura Emma Chambers.
While working on the materialof Ahmed Rucker with AliceRucker, I discovered the identityof this rugged individual.
She was Amanda Ann Rucker,daughter of Joseph CalvinRucker, granddaughter ofRansom Rucker of AndersonCo., TX . Ransom Rucker'sidentity is not known.Amanda and husband, BenjaminFranklin Chambers, had ninechildren, one of whom wasLaurie E. Chambers.
Amanda Rucker was born 24Sep 1847, Anderson Co., TX, d.19 May 1902, same place. Shewas married 28 Aug 1862. Shewas buried at the RansomRucker Cemetery, about sevenmiles south of Palestine, Texas,near the Rucker homestead.
Information is from Vic Castens,1998 and Thelma Chambers
Cravy of BullardTX, 1983(granddau of Grannee). AlsoWayne Wolf of Grapeland, TX.
If you are a descendant of this
line and are interested in this
photo, please contact the Editor.
Query of the Quarter
A Rucker Pony ExpressRider?
Who was this William Rucker?A web site says he was "possiblya Choctaw and a Pony Expressrider."
The web site* in questionconcerns Lou T. Buford, whoreportedly married WilliamRucker in 1874. William's birthyear is listed as 1829 and hisdeath was in 1889. Lou's birthdate is given as January 6, 1861in Camden, Oachita County,Arkansas. They apparently hadtwo children: James AlbertRucker, b. 1878, d. 1959; andRosa Jane Rucker, b. 1880, d.1943. Rosa Jane is listed asmarrying Frank Henry White, b.1877, d. 1933.
The Pony Express was activeonly during 1860 and 61, so ifWilliam Rucker was a rider hewould have been about 31,which is within the realm ofpossibility. Send anyinformation to Mike Rucker,
1003 W. Centennial Drive,Peoria, IL 61614-2828 or [email protected].
* The web site is http://Ivnnv21 .tripod.com
Corrections and Additionto Vol. 18, No. 2
Editor's Note: I had so muchtrouble putting together the lastnewsletter, that many mistakeswere made. Hopefully this onewill be better.
Robert Malcolm RuckerNew Orleans Painter
Robert's picture was omittedfrom the last newsletter. See Vol18, No. 2, p. 11, 13 for his story.
Rucker Family Society Newsletter 26 Vol. 18, No. 3, Sept. 2007
Page 19 -- The photo of ChrisRucker in the last newsletter waswith the speaker on DNA, LeahWark, and not his wife, JeannieRucker. Sorry about the mistake.The photo of Chris and Jeannie inthis issue is much better (on p.30).
Page 17-18, Who was WilliamH. Rucker?I left out a few details that madethe article unclear. Here isadditional information.
William H. Rucker's uncles wereJames, Wilton and Marcus. In thearticle, I called them his siblings.
William8 Henry Rucker, born 23Dec 1884, was the son of John7
William Rucker, grandson ofJeremiah6 Thomas Rucker (whosewife was Martha in the 1900census). James R. was his uncle.
Jeremiah6 Thomas Rucker was thegrandson of Jeremiah4 Rucker(John3, Thomas2, Peter1) who m.Henrietta Stanley.
Jeremiah Thomas Rucker andMartha Shellnut's children were:1. James7 Robert Rucker, b. 7 Nov1849.2. Margaret7 A., b. ca 1853.3. John7 William, b. ca 1855, d. 20Jan 1898, Borque Co., TX (sonwas William6 Henry).4. Thomas7 Edgar, b. Dec 1859.5. Elizabeth7, b. ca 1863.6. Wilton7 Wirt, b. Aug 1866.7. Marcus7 Overton, b. ca 1868.
Source: W. O. Rucker, Jr., BigSpring, TX, 1979 (from AliceAllen) and Patrick T. Rucker,Washington D.C., 2000.
History of Cannon Co.,Tennessee
Answer to Query of theQuarter from the lastnewsletter: who was theRucker family of The RuckerMason Farm in Cannon County,Tennessee that has been added tothe National Register of HistoricPlaces, 2007.
Rucker Family Society Newsletter 29 Vol. 18, No. 3, Sept. 2007
Photo Page ~Family of Saint Clair Rucker
A Page from the Scrapbook ofMyrtle Rucker Carroll
of Portland, TN
Here are five generationsof Myrtle's family fromSaint7 Clair Rucker, b.
1875, Defoe, KY, upperright with son
James8 Marcus Rucker I
clockwise
James9 Marcusrlff |
James10 MarcusrIV • ])r
James11 Marcustll- i >^
James12 MarcusVV/
Note: Myrtle'sgrandfather was JamesMarcus Rucker I
Saint7 Clair Rucker's
lineage:
G.James6
5. Elisha5
4. Moses4
3.Isaac3
2. John2
1. Peter1
Now that's a family toproud of. Thanks forsharing.
-C'-
1
fS
:5k-
Rucker Family Society Newsletter Vol. 18, No. 3, Sept. 2007
Letter from the President
Even though this is the Fall newsletter, and as itis coming out in 2008,1 want to wish you aHappy New Year! I hope that the coming yearwill bring you blessings, good health, and thatelusive piece to your family tree puzzle.
Don't forget that our RFS reunion is happening inJune, 2008, in Charlottesville, Virginia. If youhave not attended a previous reunion, pleasemake plans for this one. The legacy of ThomasJefferson is palpable in this historic area, and hisMonticello and University of Virginia are but twoof the highlights for visitors. Even after spending
Continued on Page 28
Jeannie and Christopher RuckerAt a Confederate Ball
*1L
Kucke i-
l SOCIETY
Jeannie Brydon304 Charmian RoadRichmond, VA 23226 -1705
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
176 2011Mr. & Mrs. Loren D. Rucker13331 GridleySt.Sylmar, CA 91342 4529