Teaching Career of Anne M. (Sullivan) Hork in California (1944-58)

In a previous post, my paternal grandmother, Anna M. Sullivan (1892-1979) began her teaching career in Montana after attending the Montana Normal School. She taught in several schools in Ravalli and Deer Lodge Counties. She married William Cyril Hork on 30 November 1922 and they moved to Southern California, where she raised four children.

The timeline of her early career was easy to follow using newspaper articles. Her second career was not so easy. Sometime between 1937 and 1940, she left her abusive husband. She worked to support herself in a local café.[1] Later that year, her brother-in-law, Vir Quigley asked her to come to Napa and work in his café, The Cozy Corner. She and the four children, along with their dog, Nappy, lived with Vir at first.[2]

Napa County Schools
By 1944, she was teaching at the Yount School on the Silverado Trail, a one-room schoolhouse.[3] In 1945, the school opened with a large attendance, though the article did not say how many pupils.[4] The school covered just the elementary grades and then they would attend the junior high in Napa. She was still there in 1946, opening the school in early September.[5]

It's a private home now.

I found no more articles about her teaching in the area, but the 1948 Napa directory listed her occupation as a teacher.[6] During the 1948-49 school year, she may have taught at the Browns Valley School, along with principal Dorothy Sackett. In February 1949, the two teachers had a display of children’s work for the Browns Valley P.T.A. meeting.[7] 

Concord School
She and her son, William, moved to Concord, California, in 1949, where she took a teaching job at Williams Elementary school, teaching first grade. The enrollment at the school was 600, and because of this increased attendance, she was one of four new teachers hired.[8]

She alternated between teaching first and second grades. At Williams School, Robert W. White was the principal. She became good friends with Charlotte Ballenger, and Mrs. Byrd, both teachers there.

She returned to college and graduated from San Francisco State College 1 August 1952. She probably needed a four-year degree to teach in California schools and the Montana Normal College was a three-year program. Her degree was Bachelor of Education.[9]

She had a copy of a teacher evaluation from 1954 written by the principal, Robert W. White. All areas evaluated were marked satisfactory. He wrote

“Mrs. Hork is particularly outstanding in the area of pupil and parent relationship. Her interest and understanding of her pupils, her use of tact and consideration in handling situations, plus a quiet tolerant allowance for differences of opinion has gained the respect of parents and has resulted in an excellent class atmosphere.”[10]

In 1955, he wrote:

“Mrs. Hork should be classed a superior teacher. Her personal qualities, the social climate within the classroom, her interests and understanding of pupils, plus a superior amount of tact, consideration, and tolerance are the chief contributing factors.”[11]

The P.T.A. had many membership drives, and in 1956, Anne’s second grade class was awarded prizes.[12]

In 1957, she was awarded as an honorary life member in the PTA. Mr. White gave the presentation, an event like “This is Your Life” where her family were present to see her received the honor.[13] Robert White’s words were:

“The recipient of this award was born in a small town in one of our rocky Mountain States more than 50 years ago. She was the youngest of five children. She showed a marked interest in sports as a child and cut quite a swathe in her community as an ice skater and basketball player. In fact, while getting her training at Normal school she was a member of the pennant winning girls basketball team.

“She decided to become a teacher and like many others accepted as her first assignment a teaching position in a one teacher school in a small community where today’s modern facilities were unknown. Baths taken in washbowls and “chick sales” type lavatories [out houses] were the order of the day.

“Following several years of teaching she married, resigned and began raising a family. The family migrated to Southern California. In 1937 circumstances necessitated her resuming the role of wage earner and bread-winner for her three daughters and son. During the next 10 years her varied roles included that of soda fountain manager, cafeteria manager, and during the war years of 1941-43 that of wine maker for a large Southern California Winery.

“She resumed her teaching career in Napa County in 1943. Following six years in rural schools there, she moved to Concord, accepting her present position at Williams School, where she has worked continuously for the past eight years.

“Her work as a teacher has been outstanding. Her quiet, soft-spoken manner; plus, a sound knowledge of children and teaching techniques has endeared her to children, parents and fellow teachers alike. In addition to an enviable record as a teacher, and despite the fact that she has been the sole support of her family for many years, my candidate has found the opportunity, even at times to the detriment of her own health, to work actively with children in the community. She has spent at least 15 years, teaching church doctrines to boys and girls of her faith, as well as serving as a much-admired counselor and advisor to adults and children alike.

“It gives me a great deal of pleasure to present to you Mrs. Anne Hork as recipient of the Honorary Life Membership Award for outstanding service to children in our community.”[14]

She retired at the end of the 1956-57 school year.[15] She moved to Pittsburg to be close to her son’s family. She taught C.C.D. many years at St. Peter Martyr Church.[16]

Summary
She didn’t teach during the time I knew her. Yet, because of her experience with young children, she was the fun grandma to us. We called her Nana, and she taught us fun songs and read to us whenever she visited. I have old readers from Williams School that I always enjoyed reading when I was young. She came to stay with us on weekends and it was always a joy to share what we were doing with her.

This is a post for 12 for 2026, this month working on writing about the Sullivan family.

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[1] 1940 U.S. census, San Bernardino Co, California, Cucamonga, ED 36-36, sheet sht 65a, p. 472, household 150, Anna M Hork.

[2] Recollections of June Stewart and John Quigley, recorded March 2008.

[3] “News Letter from the Yountville Section,” The St. Helena Star, 22 Sep 1944, p. 6, col. 1.

[4] “News Letter from the Yountville Section,” The St. Helena Star, 5 Oct 1945, p. 3, col. 5.

[5] “News Letter from the Yountville Section,” The St. Helena Star, 2 Sep 1946, p. 5, col. 2.

[6] Napa City Directory 1948-49 (Polk-Husted Directory Co, 1948), p. 112, Mrs. Anne Hork.

[7] “Browns Valley Parent-Teacher Group Gathers,” Napa Journal, 4 Feb 1949, p. 2, col. 5.

[8] “Williams School Enrollment,” Contra Costa Gazette, 1 Sep 1949, p. 2, col. 1.

[9] Diploma, Anne Sullivan Hork, San Francisco State College, 1952; Hork Family Archive.

[10] Mt. Diablo Unified School District, Teacher Evaluation Scale, Ann Hork, March 23, 1954; Hork Family Archive.

[11] Mt. Diablo Unified School District, Teacher Evaluation Scale, Anne Hork, March 31, 1955; Hork Family Archive.

[12] “Committee Reports Made by Williams’ PTA Board Members,” Concord Transcript, 12 Dec 1956, p. 3, col. 4.

[13] Lucy Case, “Over the Gate. . .,” Napa Register, 13 Feb 1957, p. 13, col. 4.

[14] Robert W. White, principal, speech honoring Anne Hork for Honorary Life Membership Award, Feb 1957; Hork Family Archive. Minor punctuation errors were corrected.

[15] “Orchestra Leader Gives Final Concert for Williams PTA,” Contra Costa Gazette, 13 June 1957, p. 8, col. 4.

[16] She was awarded the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine Award from the Oakland Diocese; Hork Family Archive.

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