Cousin Tim Healy was talking to Aunt Helen Healy Bonine, 100, and discovered that they both had Sadie Nederbitt* for 8th grade math. Tim thought she favored him because she’d once dated the Healy’s dashing (wild) cousin, Jack Lynch, but Helen, who was Jack’s younger contemporary, didn’t seem to think so. 

Tim said: Well, Helen was 28 when I was born, so I guess that makes sense.

Rick Hake, the rocket scientist, just said: Miss Nederbitt was in her 50s when we had her, so she would have been about 30 when Helen would have had her, so that sounds about right.

Math taken care of, but what about spelling?

Tim swears it was Miss Nedrebet. Sarah Froyd Healy, retired Worland High math teacher, says: Nederbit (or maybe tt). Rick says, Nederbitt. He advocated for and got Washakie Co. High School’s first German course, so he’d know. Maybe.

Regardless, they all remembered the famously talented and very serious Miss Nederbitt. As a justifiable mathphobe, I was glad I didn’t have her.

PS: Tim emailed: “Sadie NEDREBET is listed in the 1940 US Federal census, b. abt 1906 residence:  Washakie, Wyoming.”