Harry, Bessie, Phil and Ed

History

Bessie Roberts Minor was born on June 29, 1887 in Onaga, Pottowatomie County, Kansas. She was raised in Kansas City, Missouri, and then moved to Blackburn, Missouri where she taught school in a one room schoolhouse. She married Dean Edwin Swift on October 12, 1910 in Chicago, Illinois.

Ed, Bessie and one of son Dean's daughters

They had three boys, Dean Edwin Swift, Harry Minor Swift and Philip Eugene Swift. Dean died in the Philippines in 1946 and Harry passed away in March of 2010. Phil survives today. Although neither Bessie nor her husband had formal education past high school, each of their sons completed college. Phil recalls that the importance of education was reinforced throughout his upbringing not so much through statements or concrete expectations, but more through the example of his mother's interest in English, reading, history and music.

Bessie Minor passed away on May 5, 1972 in Napa, California and is buried next to her husband at the Blackburn Cemetery in Blackburn, Missouri.

Ed and Bessie

GRANT RECIPIENTS by year


Summit County Rotary Charitable Fund, Literacy Committee
Frisco, CO
$300.00 to Provide assistance with the Fall 2013 Literacy Fair in Summit County CO

Summit County Library, North Branch
Silverthorne, CO
$750.00 to Fund Literacy Book Bags to promote literacy through parental involvement

Garfield County Public Library Foundation
Rifle, CO
$2,000.00 to Assist Library Foundation in presenting the "Discover Earth" exhibit

Summit Cove Elementary School Summer Reading Project
Frisco, CO
$1,500.00 to Provide books to students and share with parents how to create a culture of reading at home

Elk Creek Elementary School
New Castle, CO
$1,940.00 to Establish a "Reading Rendezvous" summer program to combat summer reading regression while strengthening parent connections

Red Canyon High School
Eagle, CO
$2,000.00 to Provide expansion of language arts offerings and addition of writing Response to Intervention classes

Grand Valley Public Radio Company
Grand Junction, CO
$1,000.00 to Provide support for the Children's Words Project

Friends of Grand County Library
Kremmling, CO
$1,000.00 to Fund Youth Services Early Literacy Kits designed to teach early literacy skills in library preschool story hours

Ross Montessori School 2013 Spring Science Fair
Carbondale, CO
$2,000.00 to Provide assistance in developing a school-wide science fair

Elkton Education Additional Resource
Elkton, OR
$1,400.00 to Purchase of a drumming instrument set for use in the K-5 music curriculum

Family Connections of Douglas County
Roseburg, OR
$2,000.00 to Support the "Growing Up WILD" child care program providing enhanced learning opportunities for children in day care

South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership
Roseburg, OR
$2,400.00 to Provide assistance for development of reading packets about utilizing wood "wastes" as soil amendments

East Primary School
Sutherlin, OR
$1,250.00 to Fund establishment of libraries of picture books to use in Kindergarten writing curriculum

Glide Middle School
Glide, OR
$575.00 to Fund a program to allow for progress monitoring reading, writing and math

Douglas County Youth Orchestra
Roseburg, OR
$1,250.00 to Support the orchestra's bow replacement program

Dos Rios and Meeker Elementary Schools
Evans/Greeley, CO
$1,750.00 to Fund development of a Sensory Garden at the Poudre Learning Center

Weld Central Junior/Senior High Schools
Keenesburg, CO
$1,500.00 to Purchase of books to be used in a reading contest between the Junior and Senior High Schools to develop an interest in reading for pleasure

City of Greeley Museums
Greeley, CO
$2,400.00 to Provide scholarships for students to attend the Fall History Festival at Centennial Village Museum

Ellicott Elementary School
Ellicott, CO
$1,800.00 to Fund Family Literacy Kits to be used during the summer library program

Get in the Act! Arts in Action
Stateline, NV
$1,750.00 to Provide a Science Action Theater residency at Tahoe Valley Elementary School

Tahoe Truckee Excellence in Education
Truckee, CA
$1,400.00 to Fund the El Andar Summer Program, a parent-engaged summer literacy program for low income students

Friends of the Library
South Lake Tahoe, CA
$750.00 to Provide eight weekly creative art experiences at the public library

Tahoe's Connection for Families
Incline Village, NV
$1,840.00 to Fund an early childhood literacy program teaching parents how to build literacy in their infants and toddlers

Eagle Valley Middle School
Carson City, NV
$550.00 to Fund the purchase of high-interest, low reading level books to assist students reading below grade level

Tahoe Institute for Natural Science
Incline Village, NV
$1,700.00 to Provide a set of in-school natural science curricula to connect natural surroundings to science learning experiences.

Sierra SmartPath
Soda Springs, CA
$2,000.00 to Fund adult literacy classes in Kings Beach, California and Truckee, California

Chicago Park School
Grass Valley, CA
$2,000.00 to Develop a hands-on, family-centered science program

Arts Educational Foundation
Nevada City, CA
$2,000.00 to Help implementation of the Watershed Academy, a team-learning project integrating literacy, art and science