Alice French Dobbins was born into humble beginnings in Tryon, McPerson County, Nebraska on May 24, 1928. She was the first surviving child of Paul and Opal French soon followed by Pauline, Art and Burrell. Alice spent her time running and playing barefoot in the Sandhills, dodging sandburs, helping her parents and relishing being the big sister corralling the younger children. Those carefree times were interrupted a few days before her fifth birthday when a devastating tornado struck Tryon. Eight residents were killed outright, several others died later of grievous injuries. The French house and family were spared but the event marked the psyche of Alice and all the residents for the rest of their lives. In a county where everyone knew everyone it was not something one could forget even 90 years later. With all her responsibilities Alice was still a sponge for learning and graduated at the top of her class. She passed the Nebraska State Teachers Exam while still in highschool and at 17 started teaching at a nearby one room school house shortly after graduation. In 1946 she and a friend went to Chadron to take a few classes at Nebraska State Teachers College. During a visit to relatives of the friend Alice met Clayton Dobbins. When he came in from working outside, covered in dirt and grease he looked across the room, saw Alice and thought, “that’s the girl I’m going to marry but first I have to get that ring off her finger.” He was persistent making the drive to Tryon many weekends and they married the next year after which they lived on a farm outside Chadron near Clayton’s parents. Her mother-in-law, Amanda, took young Alice under her wing and taught her everything a young farm wife should know, including how to cook, can and do washing without electricity or running water. While the men were in the fields the women raised chicks, turkeys, calves and piglets. Alice learned how to butcher poultry for food, gather eggs, milk the cows, and her favorite plant and harvest a huge garden. Before long Alice was asked to teach at a nearby country school. She taught a year there before Paula was born. Cathy arrived 18 months later. That seemingly was the end of teaching and dreams of higher education. Alice and Clayton left the farm after Amanda’s death in 1952. They bought a 41 ft trailer house to live in as they moved around numerous small towns. The area was booming with drilling, primarily uranium and with REA (Rural Electrification) at long last bringing electricity to farms so there was always work. Throughout the moves and busy life as a young mother Alice never lost her love of education and teaching. In the mid 1950s the family ended up in Kimball, Nebraska where they met caring mentors who encouraged them to go to college. Alice was 100% for pursuing higher education but Clayton had not finished high school. The local school superintendent gave them information on getting a GED and Alice tutored Clayton for the test (his phrasing was “more like pounded information in my dumb head”) and he passed the GED at age 32 and applied to his hometown college. They rented out their house in Kimball and both started classes at Nebraska State Teachers College at Chadron in 1958. Their daughters were 10 and 8. Alice already had a few college credits and she taught at yet another country school while both attended classes and worked multiple jobs to get by. At that time one could get a two year teaching certificate, teach two years to earn funds for more tuition then return to finish a four year degree which they did. Both graduated with honors in 1962 after which they taught in Kimball and Dix and at the tutored kids in their basement which included a library so kids could check out books to read at home. Eventually the family moved to Ft. Collins, Colo. where both continued teaching while commuting to Colorado State College in Greeley for night and weekend classes to get their Master’s degrees. As soon as the girls graduated highschool Clayton and Alice returned to Nebraska where Alice became a reading specialist and Clayton became an elementary principal. Later after getting another degree Clayton accepted an offer to become McPherson County School Superintendent in Tryon and Alice was back to her roots with her parents and siblings nearby and once again taught in a country school. After their first retirement they traveled the US in a motor home for a few years visiting family, friends, kids and grandkids. During that journey they were invited to apply to teach in the Texas Department Corrections Education System (Prison Schools) and were offered contracts to teach. This was not something they’d ever conceived of or planned but a local pastor impressed upon them the critical need for seasoned educators such as themselves and they decided to take the opportunity. Alice taught the young prisoners, mostly illiterate teenagers. Clayton had come full circle and taught GED classes to older prisoners. Throughout her life Alice loved her flower and vegetable gardens, her sheet music, playing her organ, traveling and visiting friends across the country, journal keeping, cats, dogs, daughters, sons-in-law, grand children and crocheting. Each child and grandchild has afghans, toys, tablecloths and other pieces she made for them. One cold, cold winter they started watching NBA basketball games. They loved it and Alice had all the players and stats memorized for all the teams! She had strong opinions on players, coaches and especially referees. Eventually they moved to California after all the kids and grandkids had gone there. This retirement included a lot of gardening, sharing the produce, attending the Lutheran church and visiting grandchildren. As the grandkids grew and flew the coop, so did the girls, Cathy and John back to Nebraska and Paula and Del to Texas to live near their only two grandchildren. Alice and Clayton moved with them. Alice and Clayton were married 76 years from June 1, 1947 until her death in Memory Care on November 2, 2023. She was 95. The family is proud of the example Alice and Clayton set for education and marriage. Their daughters have both been married over 50 years and are college graduates. Some of the grandchildren are approaching 20-30 years of marriage. We were blessed. Alice lives on in the hearts and memories of her beloved husband, Clayton Dobbins, daughters Paula (Del Morris) and Cathy (John Ellenwood), Four grandchildren and their spouses, eight great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandsons. She was preceded in death by her parents, an infant brother, her sister, Pauline, and brothers Art and Burrell, her brother -in-law and sisters-in-law and too many friends.Clayton now 98 still lives with Paula and Del in Texas.
