Mary Weir Beakley Marshall

You know Mary Weir Beakley Marshall as Mrs. Marshall, 4th grade teacher at Brentwood Elementary. Mrs. Marshall was born August 11, 1921 to Mr. Napoleon  Bonaparte Beakley and Kathleen E. Coleman Beakley in North Carolina. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1943. She married Phillips Marshall (1922 - 2009) in Broward County, Florida in 1943.

Mr. Marshall grew up in Jacksonville and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a sophomore in the 1942 UNC yearbook and enlisted in the Army Air Corps on Mar 18, 1942. He was transferred to the Navy from  August 21, 1942 until March 19, 1943. This might have been for specialized training (radar?). Mary and Phillips Marshall were divorced in Duval County in June, 1957.

Mary married Robert Witten Welch (from Virginia) in June, 1965. She passed away August 6, 2001 in Smithfield, Virginia at the age of 79.

My memories of the 4th grade include:

1. the classroom was located on the second floor at the right front of the school when facing the school.
2. we began the study of Florida History. This was our introduction to reading beyond the Alice and Jerry books and I was hooked.
3. One afternoon, Mrs. Marshall had our parents in for progress reports. My mother introduced herself as John Myles' mother. Mrs. Marshall said how glad she was to meet Mrs. Myles. Imagine her confusion when my mother said she was Mrs. Johns. It became clear when Mrs. Marshall realized the I signed my papers as John Myles. The old Southern style on calling children by their first and second names got us again.

The photo is from the UNC yearbook.