“Good schools do not happen. People working together build them,' said Best, 1902-1983, who oversaw schools, many of them one-room schoolhouses in remote spots of northern Arizona.
By Jan Cleere Special to the Arizona Daily Star Born in Flagstaff on May 25, 1902, Bessie Kidd Best spent almost her entire life in northern Arizona, improving the education of children from diverse backgrounds.
As a married woman, Bessie could no longer teach, as only men and single women were considered for teaching positions. Rural schools, however, were more than willing to hire any teacher who would live in sparse, isolated surroundings. Bessie accepted a position in a one-room school on the Apache Indian Reservation at Whiteriver, teaching 40 children in grades one through eight.
She also honed her automotive skills on these bumpy adventures, learning how to repair just about anything that broke or fell off the car. A good amount of bailing wire usually solved the problem. She could change a tire within minutes, and the canteens of water she carried usually quenched the car’s thirst, not her own.Starting her new job on Jan.
School superintendent positions were two-year jobs. Bessie ran for her second term in 1930 and would continue to serve Coconino County for over 40 years, often running unopposed — on both sides of the ticket. Yet even with no adversary she campaigned, “because I want everyone to know I appreciate the office,” she said.
Bessie also took charge of the county spelling bee program. “The first event was very tense,” she said. “I felt so sorry for the children. I almost cried every time one misspelled a word. I wanted them all to win.”
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