On May 31, 2008, I was honored to be invited to a reunion of people who attended Dunwoody School between 1928 and 1955. Carlton Renfroe, Jeff Porter, and Margaret Henderson Jenkins planned the reunion. Looking back on this opportunity, I wish I had an audio or video recording of the event. However, I was new to the group and wanted to get to know them first, so I listened and took notes.
The group of fifty-five people went around the room and each person shared some memories of school. Many of the former students spoke of Mrs. Elizabeth Davis, Mrs. Nettie Austin, and Mrs. Chambers as the teachers (and sometimes principals) they remembered.
Elizabeth Davis moved to Dunwoody along with husband Manget Davis in the late 1930s and recognized some improvements which were needed at the school. She became principal and also worked as a teacher. Mrs. Davis was honored at the Dunwoody School in 1962 for serving as principal for 25 years.
Nettie Austin was loved and remembered fondly by her students. In 1949, Mrs. Austin was honored at the Ogden home (today’s Donaldson-Bannister Farm). Mrs. Austin had taught at the Dunwoody School for 46 years today, the last 20 being consecutive. Her husband, Glenn Austin, was a skilled carpenter and often built items for use in the school. This included the Dutch playhouse which the students enjoyed on the playground.
Teacher Nettie Austin stands behind her students. Ken Anderson, who has lived in Dunwoody all his life and shares history with me frequently, is standing in the 3rd row, sixth from the left.
Mrs. Chambers was loved, but is also remembered as being a bit more strict than the other teachers.
Everyone at the reunion attended school when more than one grade was put together in a room. They all went to Chamblee High School and graduated after the eleventh grade. Chamblee High School was the only high school in north DeKalb County at the time.
Some of their recollections were of the delicious food provided at the school. Ola Spruill made sugar cookies, available two for $.05, and she also made delicious graham biscuits. They recalled a $.01 sucker available at Nash’s store, located where the BP Gas Station is now at the corner of Mount Vernon Road and Chamblee Dunwoody Road.
Those who attended Dunwoody Grammar School in the 1940’s, remember gathering scrap metal during World War II. They also had stamp books which were filled with stamps and then used to buy war bonds. When the stamp books were filled, the school bell was rung to celebrate the success of the campaign.
Mr. Eddie Austin, who attended Dunwoody Grammar School beginning in 1928, was in attendance along with his wife Frances Austin. His mother was Nettie Southern Austin, one of the teachers remembered by the group and the namesake of Austin Elementary School. He had a small school bell with him that had been used at the school.
The first Dunwoody School was built in the late 1800s and was a one room wood school. Then, in the 1920’s a new school was buit, this time a white painted building. The 1930’s brought a brick school to Dunwoody. That school was added onto in later years but the old part burned in 1967. More additions were made and today the old school is home to Spruill Center for the Arts and the Dunwoody Library.
There was no library when these students attended Dunwoody School, but a few books were kept at the school. The children borrowed books from the Bookmobile which came to Dunwoody once or twice a month. The new Dunwoody Elementary has a library and state of the art computer lab.