The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 49, July 1945 - April, 1946 Page: 9

Lester Gladstone Bugbee

"These fraternity meetings that you speak of, Dutch, we do
not understand them and would like to have you explain a little;
what is their object? how conducted and what they are for
generally. I never heard of them before." She wrote cheerful
letters, showing pride and affection in every line, but the
financial strain is rarely absent from them. A letter of Novem-
ber 6, 1887, is fairly typical: "Papa thinks we can spare you
at least $10 over and above actual expenses, and I know you
will not spend it foolishly. . . . We made 18 bales of cotton,
but we had so many debts that we will not come out much
ahead." Difficulties had been increased at home by her own
illness and an unbudgeted doctor's bill, and by the necessary
employment of a "young lady" at $12 a month to do the house
work. "Everything as it is, we could hardly spare over $10.00,
if we can we will." Economy in traveling expenses prevented
him from spending the Christmas vacation at home in 1887 and
again in 1888.
Each spring the question of being able to stay in school
another year had to be faced. The father answered it affirma-
tively, after careful consideration, and wanted the boy to finish
his work without interruption, but Bugbee decided to stay out
during 1889-1890 and ease the strain. He evidently talked his
situation over with Professor Garrison, and Garrison was already
so impressed by the excellence of his work that he tried to get
him an appointment on the History staff that would enable him
to pay part of his expenses. When the effort failed, he offered
to lend him money, or obtain it for him, without interest; but
by then Bugbee had already made his plans.
He appears to have worked on the farm until January, 1890;
after that he taught the Pleasant Point school. To teach in
the public schools, it was necessary to have a state certificate,
and this Bugbee obtained by taking an examination on fourteen
subjects. On five subjects, his grade was 100, and his average
on all was 941/2. The county judge, who was also ex officio county
superintendent of education, wrote on his certificate: "This is
one of three certificates that I have granted [during my service
in this office] that contains five 100 marks." The writer of this
note was Judge F. E. Adams. There is no indication in the
record that he had previously known Bugbee, but he remained
thereafter a devoted and helpful friend of the young man.
The year that Bugbee taught the Pleasant Point school and