Freida Eudy Green, English
Norman High School
Behind those arched eyebrows, and the slightly mischievous smile, Freida Gwen (Eudy) Green hid an I.Q. to be envied, and an ability to conduct the English language that few ever master.
At the age of nineteen, while attending Arkansas Tech, she heard there was an opening for a teacher in Norman, Arkansas. So, she and her mother uprooted themselves and moved to the new town. Freida spent two years at Tech, then received her B.S.E. from Henderson in 1951. She went on to obtain an M.S.E from Henderson in 1965.
She was born in Dover, Yell County, Arkansas on August 19, 1918, to Fred and Mae Eudy. She met her husband after coming to Norman. Marvin Green was a student at CVA, and Freida worked for a while as a telephone operator. Their “conversations” were the talk of the town. Freida was fun-loving, and loved to tap dance. She was considered by some of the older ladies to be a “flirt”. Later, she exercised her fun-loving spirit by being a senior sponsor and traveling with seniors to various places.
She retired at the age of 62, in 1981, and moved to Hot Springs in the spring of 1998. She and Marvin were married Dec. 24, 1940. Marvin Ellis Green passed away in 1968, and Freida followed on Feb. 12, 2000. Both are buried in Black Springs Cemetery. The couple had one child, Kay, whom they both adored, and whom became known as “Norman’s Little Darling.”
Freida Green holds the respect of every student who ever attended Norman High School. Even those who didn't care for her during their years in school, still respected her. She demanded obedience, and one never thought to test her on the subject.
I remember her total disgust for students chewing gum, something we were not allowed to do in the 1960s at Norman schools. She could twist and ear, and lead the offender to the trash barrel up at the front of the room in such a manner that they were not likely to be caught again. She could pierce your heart with one look, and yet melt it with another. She was a rare bread and so inspirational to her students.
When I was in the 10th grade a boy sat behind me in English and one day Ms. Green caught him doing a very naughty thing. During those years the girls all wore dresses, very few wore pants and the girls from CVA Dormitory never wore pants, it wasn't allowed. Well, this boy had put a mirror in his Penny Loafer shoe and was trying to see up my skirt. Ms. Green never broke rank, she kept right on with her lesson never missing one word, as she slowly walked around the room, coming up behind this boy and while he was so intent on his chore, she picked up the top of his ear and twisted it and pulled him to his feet, marched him to the door and and carried hims that way to the end of the hall to the superintendent's office. She came back to the room as though nothing had occurred and went right on with the lesson.
Shirley (Shewmake) Manning