15 minute read
Meryl Ware
ALL ROADS LED TO GREENWOOD For Retired Teacher and Shop Owner, Meryl Ware,
STORY BY Scott Smith
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY Sharla Derry
Meryl Ware told herself over and over that she was never going to live in Greenwood, and then one day, her stoic stance took a sharp, 180-degree turn.
A native of Stillwater, Okla. and former Greenwood school teacher and librarian, Ware became a happy, excited Greenwood resident soon after she and her family moved to the city back in 1974. The move happened during Ware’s junior year in high school, and the initial shock of moving from Shawnee, Okla. and losing touch with a few close friends wore off quickly. For years, Greenwood was a good place to visit for Ware and her family — Ware had relatives in the area — and then, when she was 17, Greenwood became home.
“When we moved here, I loved this place,” said the 61-year-old Ware, who taught at Greenwood and Westwood elementary schools before serving as librarian for Westwood. “I remember that there was only one four-way stop ... no, actually, the four-way stop hadn’t been built yet when I first moved to Greenwood, so yeah, a lot has changed.
“There’s been a lot of growth in Greenwood,” she added. “Sometimes growth can be a little scary — the changes to things that you’re used to — but it’s been good.”
It was Ware’s husband, Steve, who helped influence her decision to make Greenwood a permanent home. The two ended up having two daughters, Adrianne Ware and Leslie Wolfe, and often spend their time, in Ware’s words, “spoiling” their three grandchildren.
“Yes, I married a Greenwood hometown boy,” said a smiling Ware, who is president for the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve been married 42 years now.”
Ware also keeps her calendar full as the treasurer for the Sebastian County Friends of the Library, curator for the South Sebastian County Historical Society and a board member for the Focus on Greenwood group. There’s sleep in Ware’s nightly schedule, sure, but the shut-eye time never takes away from her day-time activities, which include babysitting 2 1/2-year-old Adelyn Wolfe, one of her three granddaughters; the other grandchildren are 8-year-old Brooks Wolfe and 6-year-old Micah Wolfe.
“Our family is close,” Ware said. “Family is important. Our family tries to eat together every Sunday. It’s good to be close to family.”
Not long after she was born in Stillwater, Okla., Ware and her family moved to a few cities, including Amarillo, Lubbock, Texas, and Shawnee, Okla. Describing herself as “an average student,” Ware enjoyed the classroom, albeit for numerous reasons.
“Oh, I liked school; it was a fun place to socialize, and the academic part kind of got in the way,” she joked. “I always enjoyed visiting with people and making new friends.”
Ware paused for a few seconds before smiling.
Meryl Ware
“And I might have gotten in a little bit of trouble visiting with people at school,” she said while squinting her eyes. “Yeah, just a little bit.”
Gravitating to school sports more as a spectator than a participant, Ware embraced subjects like English, but her math lessons always left her cold. On occasion, she endured some playful teasing from her classmates and, maybe, a teacher or two.
“I was 4-foot, 11-inches tall in high school,” Ware said. “I was probably the smallest one in my class.”
Ware graduated from Greenwood High School in 1976. She and the numerous classmates she still sees around town affectionately call each other part of “The Bicentennial Group.” Many of them, like Ware, ended up staying in Greenwood to work, raise families and become active in the community.
“It’s so funny that when you’re younger, you always hear people say, ‘I can’t wait to graduate and move
MURAL Ware stands in front of a mural created by her mother, Martha Efurd, in honor of those who were killed by the 1968 Tornado.
away from Greenwood,’” she said. “But so many of them ended up coming back to Greenwood.”
Following high school, Ware attended Westark College before obtaining a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of the Ozarks, then called College of the Ozarks, in Clarksville. Ware’s first job was teaching junior high English in Charleston, and she later joined the Greenwood teaching staff in 1985.
“Teaching was great,” Ware said. “You get to know the students, and the hugs from little ones are great.” Ware’s parents — Martha Efurd and the late Relf Efurd Jr. — both were teachers, as were several other of Ware’s relatives. Ware admitted that she, as a child, always respected teachers and principals, but she made a not-so-private, not-entirely silent vow not to become one.
“I had sworn not to be a teacher, but when I was working at the mall, my dad — he was teaching classes at Westark College — enrolled me in a teacher ed. class,” Ware said with the hint of a smile. “My dad convinced me that I needed to become a teacher.”
SCHOOL BELL (left) Ware rings the school bell at the Redwine Pioneer Schoolhouse next to the Old Jail House Museum.
For the most part, teaching came easily for Ware. Whenever one of her students first became interested in reading, Ware’s eyes would widen and her pulse would increase.
MUSEUMS (bottom left) The Society operates the Old Jail Museum, the 1848 Vinyard Cabin, the Ole Barn, the Redwine Pioneer Schoolhouse, and the Coal Miner’s Memorial. Ware was previously a curator at the Museum.
SCHOOL BELL (bottom right) Meryl holds a copy of “The Key” magazine. A publication that the South Sebastian County Historical Society has published each year since it’s inception in 1963. “I love to read, and so it was fun to share that with the kids,” Ware said. “I actually had to have a therapist work with me when I was a kid, because I didn’t hear certain kinds of sounds so well, and I had a little difficulty reading phonetically.
“And I would share that story with the kids whenever one of them would say, ‘I don’t like to read,’ or ‘I don’t read well,’” she added. “And I sometimes would hear back from the parents, thanking me for helping their children with reading.”
Naturally, there were some challenges to the job. As the school librarian, she didn’t get to experience quite the same interaction with the pupils as some classroom teachers often do.
“Being the librarian, I had 900 kids weekly, so it was hard to get close to the classes then,” Ware said. “But there were kids who would visit the library often, checking out books and reading with each other.”
Advancements in technology often would try to throw Ware off her game, but she managed to stay ahead of the computer-centered curve.
“You had to go with the changes in technology; it was happening, and so I would learn,” she said. “I ended up being the technology person in my school building, and I got to work with and help other teachers.
“Not that I was a pro with technology back then,” Ware added with a grin. “It’s just that I was the person that other teachers would come to for help. It was fun.”
Near the end of her 22-year run as the librarian for Westwood Elementary School, Ware opened up her business, The Ware House: Gifts & More, in Greenwood.
“I had that for about seven years, and we sold gifts and vintage stuff,” she said. “I loved visiting with people at the business. Elderly people would come in and want to talk. That was always fun.
“And sometimes it was a little bit of a challenge to get some people to shop local, but I enjoyed getting the word out about that,” Ware added. “At the time, Greenwood didn’t have a gift shop like, so that was interesting and exciting.”
When asked what one of her favorite things about Greenwood was, Ware smiled.
“The people here are so friendly, they really are,” she said. “I’ve heard a couple people ask, ‘Are the people in Greenwood really friendly?’ They are. I tell you, if you get involved and get out there and meet people, you will find all kinds of great, interesting people in Greenwood. Getting involved in the Greenwood community is the best.”
(Clockwise from Top) FAMILY TIME: Meryl and Steve with their daughters Adrianne Ware and Leslie Wolfe and their families.
WEDDING BELLS: Meryl’s wedding photo from 42 years ago.
TEACHING: Meryl teaching students in her early days of teaching.
GRANDKIDS: Meryl and Steve love
to spoil their grandkids, , 6-year-old Micah, 2 1/2-year-old Adelyn and 8-year-old Brooks.
MERYL WARE &
WHEN YOU WERE A STUDENT IN SCHOOL IN SHAWNEE, OKLA., AND, LATER, GREENWOOD, DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN SPORTS?
I enjoyed watching sports in school, but I didn’t play much. I’ve always been kind of small. (Laughs). Some people used to joke about that. (Smiles).
DO YOU ATTEND CHURCH HERE IN GREENWOOD?
Yes, I go to First Baptist Church here in Greenwood. I’ve gone to that church since I rst moved here in 1974, when I was a junior in high school. I go to the service that is more traditional, as you’d say, and I also do Sunday School.
WAS IT REWARDING TO TEACH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN GREENWOOD AND, LATER, WORK AS THE LIBRARIAN FOR WESTWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Yes. And some of the kids changed so much in looks over the years. I still see some of them. (Smiles). Teaching has challenges but it was rewarding.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF FOOD?
Hmmmmm. Chinese food is always good. And there’s Mexican food. I like that kind of food, for sure.
DO YOU ENJOY LISTENING TO MUSIC? DO YOU ATTEND CONCERTS?
I like country music — Blake Shelton and Clint Black. When I was a teenager, I went down to the State Fair in Little Rock, and country singer Tanya Tucker was there. She was there, riding a horse and singing. She had to be only 14 at the time. We were seeing some kid just starting out with music. at was a fun time.
Q&A with Scott Smith • Photo by Sharla Derry
DO YOU GET TO TRAVEL OFTEN?
Yes, we travel some. My mother, sister and I like to travel around. I’ve been to a few places, like the lower half of Germany, where my sister was born. One time we were taking mom around, and we had GPS going. Mom kept looking at everything, saying, “ is doesn’t look right. I think we’re lost.” We kept telling her, “Mom, it’s been 20 years. ings look di erently now, but we’re OK.”
IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY ACTRESS PORTRAY YOU IN A MOVIE ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WHO WOULD IT BE?
Oh my. (Laughs). Well, you know that Meryl Streep and I spell our names the same, but ... I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it before. I can’t really think of any actress for that now. I’ll just have to think about it for a bit. (Smiles).
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT MIGHT TAKE YOU AWAY FROM GREENWOOD? EVER CONSIDER MOVING?
Nope. No. (Smiles). Although I didn’t want to move here at rst, I’m not moving from Greewnood. I’m staying put. (Laughs).
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