Eloise A. Jackson Pennington
Local Teachers Enroute to Japan
Miss Patricia Callahan and Mrs. Eloise Pennington are enroute to Japan where they will fulfill a year's teaching assignment.The teachers left Saturday evening August 7th from the Union station in Chicago, for Seattle, Washington, from where they will continue on to the Far East, arriving in Tokyo on August 23.
Traveling on sealed orders, they will report to the Commanding officer of the South East Command of the U.S. Army, who will direct them to their posts.
Miss Callahan and Mrs. Pennington will instruct American children of the U.S. Service personnel. Both teachers have been employed in the Hammond school system. Miss Callahan taught at the Woodrow Wilson Jr. high school and Mrs. Pennington at George Rogers Clark. Somewhere in Japan "Pat" will teach third grade and Eloise will teach first grade.
Applications for the positions were made in Chicago last February, Following written tests, personal interviews, physical, mental and personality tests, the local teachers were two of about twenty selected from hundreds of applicants. Interviewers were principals of schools maintained by the U.S. Government in foreign lands wherever servicemen and their families are stationed.
After pledging their oaths of loyalty, Miss Callahan, who is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Callahan of North Clark St. and Mrs. Pennington, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. M. Jackson of North Nichols St., eagerly made preparations for spending one school term in the intriguing land. Their itinerary for an interesting year has been planned with the help of "Pat's" sister, Miss Mary Callahan, also a former Hammond teacher, who taught in Tokyo last year until illness forced her retirement.
All three teachers are graduates of Indiana University, Eloise and Mary having been awarded master's degrees in education.
The following unidentified newspaper articles were found in a scrapbook owned by Town Historian Richard Schmal:
LOCAL TEACHERS IN JAPAN
Miss. Patricia Callahan and Mrs. Eloise Pennington are enjoying a most interesting year in Japan, where both are teaching children of the armed forces personnel. Pat is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Callahan of North Clark Street, and Eloise's parents are the Robert M. Jacksons, of North Nichols Street. Both are former Hammond teachers, and together they are traveling extensively and acquiring board knowledge of the Orient. Because so many interested friends have requested their addresses, the Tribune is happy to report them as follows: Patricia K. Callahan, TAS - YES Hq. Camp/Tokyo, APO 613, San Francisco, Calif.; and Eloise A. Pennington, Camp Younghans Am. School, APO 547, San Francisco, Calif.Local Teacher Directs Chorus In Japan
"The world isn't so big," wrote Mrs. Clay Townsend, formerly of Lowell, who with her husband, is teaching in Angola, in a letter to Mrs. Bruce Darragh. Mr. and Mrs. Townsend had been listening to a symphony orchestra on their radio, when voices of American children singing traditional Christmas carols in the Japanese language drifted in. The announcer informed the listening audience that the youngsters were children of U.S. Army personnel stationed in Japan, and the choir was directed by Eloise Pennington. Eloise, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Jackson of North Nichols street, is a former Cedar Lake and Hammond teacher. She and Patricia Callahan, daughter of the J.L. Cahllahans of Clark street, are teaching in Japan this year. In a letter home, Eloise tells that her students are studying Japanese dancing and flower arranging as well as the language. Courses are being taught in the American school by Japanese teachers. In turn, Mrs. Pennington has spoken to Japanese children studying English. Invited to their schools, she has told them much about America.Return to Biographies.