Orlando Elementary School's 8th Grade Class, 1940/41

Front Row: J. C. Foster, Althea Posey, Ruth Mick, Pauline Bennett, Kathleen Sharp, Jack Riffle Back Row: unknown, Claude “Clutch” Riffle, Claude “Bud” Mick, Jr, Worthington Hurst, Jr.

The three room Orlando school house on the hill in Braxton County (see photo at the bottom) started a lot of kids on their way in life. This is the 8th grade class of 1940 – 1941, posing for their last elementary class picture. In the fall of 1941 they would be off to high school in the big town of Burnsville.

J. C. Foster was the son of Reverend J. C. Foster of the E. U. B. Church in Orlando. As with most preachers, they never stayed in one place for any length of time. so young J.C. did not graduate from Burnsville High School. He was, like any healthy preacher's kid, "mischievous" but J. C. followed in his father’s footsteps and was a preacher throughout southern West Virginia .


Althea Posey (left) was the daughter of Broash and Margaret (Crutchfield) Posey. Althea married a Bender and lived at Sand Fork but later moved to Troy which is in Gilmer County. Althea lived for a while with Verdis "Polar" and Vada Belle (Riffle) Henline.


Ruth Cole (right) was the daughter of Charles Q. and Rissie (Blake) Cole. She was raised by an aunt on Rag Run, which is the holler about a mile or so out of Orlando on the Oil Creek Road going toward Weston. Ruth married Beauford Mick. They lived on Oil Creek Road about 3 miles toward Weston.

Several of her brothers are in an entry for Feb '07, The Cole Brothers Band

Pauline Bennett (left) is the daughter of Dave and Maysell (Parmer) Bennett and twin sister of Paul Bennett. In the 9th grade Pauline moved to Ohio to help her sister Lucille who had a small baby and was again pregnant. Pauline married Sherwood Stambaugh, a machinist in Hudson, Ohio. Pauline worked for Kroger in Akron for 38 years. She and her husband had no children. They traveled a lot, mostly throughout the U. S. but also to Israel. Sherwood died in 1991. She lives in Streetsboro, Ohio.

Kathleen Sharp (right) is the daughter of Walter Sharp and lived with her grandfather Cam Sharp. We don't know her mother's and grandmother's names. Her grandfather worked for the B&O as a telegrapher in Cowen. She graduated from Burnsville High School with the Class of 1945. Her married name is Bobe and she lives Cuyahoga Falls , Ohio.


Jack Riffle (left) was the son of Joe and "Pet" (Betty Alice Skinner) Riffle. He graduated with the 1945 class of Burnsville High School. Jack married Marianne Finster. He was a rural mail carrier in the Orlando area. Jack died in 1974 and Marianne eventually remarried.


Claude “Clutch” Riffle was Jack Riffle's brother. He married Christine Gay. For many years he lived in the Oil Creek homeplace built by his grandfather, Confederate Veteran John Scott Riffle. He later moved into Weston. He worked clearing rights of way for many years and then worked for the Weston State Hospital. He died in 1988.


Claude “Bud” Mick is the son of Claude and Haddee (Skinner) Mick. He and Worthington Hurst were cousins, as their mothers were sisters. He lives in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan and is a successful sheet metal fabricator for the auto industry. He has a wonderful collection of antique autos. He graduated with the 1945 class of Burnsville High School.


Worthington Hurst, Jr. was the son of Worthington Sr and "Tom" (Jennette Skinner) Hurst. “Junior”, as he was called, graduated posthumously with the 1945 class of Burnsville High School. He was killed in action in the early days of the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium in 1945.

One schoolmate (left) in the photograph has not been identified.

Another graduate of the 1945 Senior Class of Burnsville High School was Evelyn Smearman, daughter of Reverend Smearman who succeeded Reverend Foster as pastor of the Orlando E. U. B. Church. Evelyn taught Jimmie Henline to play the piano. She is not pictured in photo above.

To the left is the three room Orlando elementary school.