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After a "Kump Corner" column was printed about Luanna Moore's recognition with an apple on the Kump Education Center "Apple for the Teacher Tree," Carol Tinney Forester contacted me about two more apples for the teacher tree. She and her sisters wanted these wooden apples to commemorate their parents who taught in Randolph County almost half of the twentieth century.
In 1950, Charles "Chuck" Tinney started his first teaching assignment at Hickory Lick, then moved on to Monterville, Homestead, and finally Tygarts Valley High School. He had K-12 certification and taught all elementary subjects early in his career, but he focused on secondary social studies including History, Civics, and Problems of Democracy. Chuck Tinney was always approachable and he communicated well with his teenage students.
Being a teacher in rural Randolph communities was like being a parent for everybody else's kids, too. Chuck had four daughters of his own, but he always made time to help with sports even before Title IX, and he was willing to serve as a coach whenever needed. Luanna Moore said, "He was easy to work because he wanted the students at our school [TVHS] to have more opportunities."
It was that strong desire to see all the students reach their highest possible potential that the Tinneys shared. Tom Wamsley was their student and later their colleague as a teacher at TVHS. He said Mr. Tinney was more "laid back" than Mrs. Tinney, but he encouraged everybody "– all the kids to do their best."
Like her husband, Elizabeth "Liz" Snider Tinney was asked to serve in a wide variety of teaching positions after she completed her education at Davis & Elkins College. In the 1960s Mrs. Tinney's certification was K-12, and she taught at Mingo were she also served as principal. Next Liz taught at Homestead, and finally at Tygarts Valley High School. Her daughter Carol wrote, "The sciences, particularly Earth Science and Chemistry, where her passion." By all accounts, Liz Tinney was not "laid back." It was clear from all who knew her teaching style that she was "strict." She had a high standard for herself, and she would not allow her students to do less than their best.
Preparing to teach after they had started a family was not easy for Liz. When she became pregnant for her last baby while she was in my mother's math class at D&E, Mama encouraged Liz to complete her degree. Later taking care of a baby while going on to college was something Liz encouraged her student, Katie Kerns to do. After high school Katie kept in touch with Betsy, one of the four Tinney girls. When Liz Tinney learned that Katie Kearns was pregnant while going to D&E, she bought Katie a baby car seat to help her former student get to Elkins and finish at D&E.
Although the Tinneys did not exhibit the same teaching styles, they were both always supportive of their students, and they always offered them athletic and intellectual challenges at TVHS.