MURPHY – Local N.C. Department of Transportation officials, family members, and friends gathered on Thursday at McGuire’s Millrace Farm to dedicate a section of Old U.S. 64 in honor of lifelong local educator Marcella H. Smith.
The N.C. Board of Transportation unanimously passed a resolution in November to name the stretch of Old U.S. 64 between N.C. 141 and Fall Branch Road in honor of the legendary teacher and Cherokee County farmer.
“Mrs. Smith treated all students the same — boys and girls, messy or neat,” said Jeanie Setser Teague, a former student who now works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “I remember how she seemed to find a way to relate to every student, even the boys who didn’t seem all that interested in books.
“When she wrote on the blackboard, chalk dust magically rose through from her hand and pieces of chalk flew through the air.”
Several of Smith’s students recalled their time in her classroom and the lasting impact her teaching had on their lives. Smith, diagnosed with polio at age 4 in 1919, began teaching at 19 years old in 1934 at Bates Creek School, and later taught at Martins Creek, Marble and Peachtree elementary schools.
One student recalled a poetry lesson involving Robert Frost, another recollection centered on a leaf-and-seed collection, and there were several mentions of a fabled ping-pong table in the back of the classroom.
“She took on the best player in our class, and it was a fast-paced, intense very close game,” Teague said. “But she prevailed.”
Along the way, the former basketball player earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Carolina Teacher’s College and a master’s degree as well. Smith also helped her husband with a dairy and beef farm and established a general feed store.
NCDOT crews erected signs on the highway Thursday after the ceremony.
“Our landmarks can and should be more than elements of honor,” said Jenna Conley, former Superintendent of Cherokee County Schools. “They should be teaching tools used to inform our community of our history and of our values, of which she embodies.
“By naming this highway after Mrs. Smith, her name and story will be highlighted and a blessing to all who hear her story.”