The following articles from local newspapers reflect some of the happenigs in the life of Frank Heighway, Lake County Superintendent of Schools in the early 1900's. Occasionally the papers misspell his last name as "Highway."
* * * * *
The following article is from the April 12, 1901, Lowell Souvenir, page 12, column 1:
Profs. Sheets and Heighway are making arrangements to conduct the usual Summer Normal at Crown Point.
This May 25, 1901, Lowell Souvenir article was found on page 9, column 1:
In an article about athletic competition among various Lake County high schools, F.F. Heighway of Crown Point is listed as the 1902 President of the Association.
from the June 1, 1901, Lowell Souvenir, page 12, column 1:
Frank Spalding and wife of Griffith, Prof. F.F. Heighway and wife, of Crown Point, and Mrs. Chamberlain, of Lockport, Illinois, were among the guests of the commencement exercises.
from the Mar. 29, 1902, Lowell Souvenir, page 9, column 1:
Prof. Highway, of the Crown Point schools, attended the funeral.
[There is no mention of whose funeral he attended.]
from the April 18, 1903, Lowell Souvenir, page 5, column 2:
Prof. Highway, of Crown Point, was a Lowell visitor Saturday. His many friends are always glad to have him among them.
An article on the annual banquet of the Lowell Alumni Association in the May 9, 1903, Lowell Souvenir (page 1, column 2) mentioned that Prof. Heighway and his wife were among those who sent letters of regret.
from the Sept. 19, 1903, Lowell Souvenir, page 5, column 1:
Frank Highway and wife, of Crown Point, were in Lowell Sunday.
The Lake County "School Report for 1911," on page 19 of Report of the Historical Secretary of the Old Settler and Historical Association of Lake County, Indiana, lists Mr. Heighway as Superintendent. Further along in this book, in the essay "The Kankakee Marsh" by Oscar Dinwiddie, is the following mention of Mr. Heighway (page 48):
I have not told you of . . . the free hacks or school buses that carry nearly all those children to school, where their teachers are so competent and their scholars so capable that many of them can hold their own even in competition with those of older communities. They do not hesitate to compete for Professor Heighway's big dictionaries or any other prizes."
The following was found in A Standard History of Lake County, Indiana and the Calumet Region, published in 1915 (Vol. II, pages 821-822):
FRANK F. HEIGHWAY. The present superintendent of the Lake County public school system is a school man who has been active in his work for nearly thirty years, an experienced educator with practical and progressive ideals, and keenly alive to the needs of modern education and possessed of the ability to make the schools serve its proper end in the scheme of a twentieth century society. The profession of the educator was never more important than at the present time, and it is the fortune of men like Mr. Heighway to contribute no small share in the training of a new generation for the responsibilities of the coming years.
His life began in Kosciusko County, Indiana, September 19, 1865, and his parents were Albert H. and Maria (Smith) Heighway, farming people of Kosciusko County. He grew up on a farm, attended district schools, and in the intervals of his professional work continued his studies, first at Valparaiso University and late at the University of Chicago. In all his practical work as an educator he has been a close student not merely of books, but of methods and of means for adapting the schools and their instructions to the conditions of their immediate environment and of the social times in which we live. His first experience as a teacher was in Fulton County, Indiana, later he was for two years superintendent of schools at Clifton, Kansas, and from 1893 to 1896 was superintendent of the Lowell public schools in Lake County. For eleven years he was superintendent of the city schools of Crown Point, and in 1907 was elected county superintendent. Mr. Heighway holds a life certificate as a teacher from the state, granted in 1895, and is a member of the National Educational Association, the Indiana State Teachers’ Association, the National Geographic Society, and various educational and civic and social associations.
Recently there was published a report on the Lake County schools, prepared by Superintendent Heighway. This is one of the most illuminating surveys of a county school system ever issued for the information of the public, and it well merited the favorable comment received from the United States commissioner of education, since the report was in no wise a formal and dry description of school conditions and statistics, but furnished interesting reading to all patrons of the schools and pointed out many lines of improvement for the future. Much of the information contained in that report can be found elsewhere in this history. Mr. Heighway since taking the office of superintendent has done a great deal to promote the consolidated school idea, and fifteen consolidated schools have been established in Lake County since he first took office.
His whole career has been devoted to educational work, and his education in the higher schools and universities was acquired as a result of means secured by hard work in the schoolroom. Mr. Heighway is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, and is a member and trustee of the Presbyterian Church. On December 28, 1893, he married Minnie V. Van Alstine, of Monticello, Indiana. They have one child, Frances Maurine, now a student in the Crown Point High School
This was found in the March 8, 1917, Lowell Tribune, page 6, column 4:
F.F. Heighway, of Crown Point, was in Lowell Friday evening. He went from here to Indianapolis.
The following was included in a May 24, 1917, Lowell Tribune article (page 8, column 1) about eighth grade commencements concerning West Creek and Cedar Creek Township: "After the program the diplomas were presented by Superintendent F.F. Heighway." It was also mentioned that he made a speech at the Hanover Township eighth grade commencement.
The following June 7, 1917, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 1, column 4:
Heighway Re-elected
At the meeting of the County Board of Education Monday Frank F. Heighway was re-elected County Superintendent for another term of four years. This will be Mr. Heighway’s third term. During Mr. Heighway’s administration the schools of Lake county have attained a standing second to none in the state and in electing him as the superintendent of the county for another four year term the County Board of Education did a wise thing.
This Aug. 9, 1917, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 1, column 4:
Boys’ Working Reserve
The above organization is organized under the Department of Labor, United States government, and the Federal Director for Indiana is Isaac Straus, whose headquarters are at Indianapolis.
The Lake County Council of Defense has appointed Frank F. Heighway, and he has appointed such assistant directors and enrolling officers as he thinks necessary to carry on the work successfully.
The officers for Lake county are:
County Director, Frank F. Heighway
City Director, Geo. Pinneo, Gary
Assistant Directors, Fred T. Buse, of East Chicago and John Hall, Whiting
The enrolling officers for the four south townships are:
Eagle Creek -- Otto Fifield, Hebron
Hanover -- E.H. Ruge, Cedar Lake
Cedar Creek and Lowell -- E.N. Gragg, Lowell
West Creek -- Murray Hayden, Lowell
An article giving a full account of the purposes of this organization will be found on page 6. Everyone, and especially the boys, should read this article and help in every way they can to win the war.
An Aug. 16, 1917, Lowell Tribune article (page 8, column 3) written by Frank F. Heighway, Superintendent Lake County Schools, invites Lake County teachers to attend the annual Lake County Teachers’ Institute at the Crown Point High School Aug 27-31.
The following Sept. 13, 1917, Lowell Tribune article was found on page 6, column 6:
Superintendent Heighway was listed as taking part in the Lowell Teachers’ Institute, which took place at the Lowell High School and was comprised of teachers from Cedar Creek, West Creek and Hanover Townships.
Another article on page 8, column 1, of the same paper mentioned that Superintendent F.F. Heighway visited Oakland School Tuesday.
A list of "men who held office of examiner or County Superintendent" was found in Historical Records of the Lake County Old Settler and Historical Association of Lake County, Indiana, 1924. On page 38 was the comment "Frank F. Heighway appointed January 1, 1908 held office thirteen years. . . "
The following unidentified newspaper article appeared in a collection owned by Lowell Town Historian Richard Schmal:
Frank F. Heighway was born in Kosciuski* county, Indiana, September 19, 1866*, and was the son of Albert and Marie Heighway. He came to Lake county some twenty years ago as superintendent of the Lowell Public schools. Here he gained instant recognition and was a very popular and efficient educator. The Crown Point schools soon claimed him as superintendent, and from this position he was chosen Superintendent of the Lake County Schools, succeeding W.R. Curtis. During his years of service as head of the Lake county schools his directing hand had left a mark of efficiency that has brought our school system into favorable notice all over the state. His work here won recognition for him throughout the state, and he was regarded as one of the leaders of entire state in educational work. He missed an opportunity to become State Superintendent of Public Instruction by a narrow margin in 1914, and later was appointed to a place on the state board of education. Following the retirement of State Superintendent L.N. Hines in 1920, he was regarded as the logical successor, but ill health caused him to refuse to permit his name to be mentioned in connection with the appointment.
He leaves a host of friends to mourn with the bereaved widow and daughter Miss Maurine in the loss to the community of a man whose place in the affairs of the day will be hard to fill.
The funeral services were conducted by Rev. J.J. Simpson at the Presbyterian church this (Thursday) forenoon. The remains were borne to their last resting place in the mausoleum in Maplewood cemetery by members of the County Board of Education whose long association with him had formed ties of fellowship, longer and more lasting than those of ordinary friendship. -- Crown Point Register.
* NOTES The birthdate and place vary from this article (1866 in Kosciuski County) and the A Standard History of Lake County, Indiana and the Calumet Region above (1865 in Kosciusko County).