Memories from the Homestead: May King, school teacher to drug store owner

     Twenty years ago, while doing Garber neighborhood research, and in particular documenting the district's early school teachers and what became of them, one name came up, and I would soon discover some interesting details as well as mysteries. May King would become May Kite, and many of you long-time Hollister residents knew her.

I discovered May King in the Garber Gleanings news columns written by J.K. Ross while going through the Taney County Republican newspapers on microfilm at the library at the College of the Ozarks. 

Cora May King was born in Taney County, May 23, 1888. Her teaching career began at age seventeen, while living in Kirbyville. I have often wondered if this is where she was from, but my research efforts have revealed nothing about her early life or who her parents are. In August 1905, she took the teaching position at District 54, the Dewey Grove school, north of Dewey Bald a short distance. Teaching just a semester there, she was transferred a short distance to District 22, the Garber school in November 1905, replacing Lunda Palmer (I'll talk about her another day). Miss King finished out the semester there in May 1906.

One thing to note while May was teaching at Garber: She was the one responsible for the fundraiser of the bell for the school house. In December 1905 shortly after her term began, Mr. Ross mentioned her efforts in his weekly column. 

 "Our school is progressing finely under the management of Miss May King. Miss King, with the aid of several others, gave a pie supper about fort-night ago, to raise funds to purchase a bell for the school house. The effort was a great success, netting the snug sum of $51. The audience was well entertained by a literary and musical program.  The people are highly pleased with the result and with Miss King as teacher."

In August 1906, Miss King returned to her position at Dewey Grove and Lunda Palmer returned to Garber. Miss King also assisted with getting a bell in place at Dewey Grove. While teaching at Garber and Dewey Grove, Miss King boarded at the home of Sid and Maude Fronaberger, who owned the farm on the south side of the creek across from the Garber store and Post Office. 

In 1907, Miss King would return to Kirbyville and take the teaching position there. King married Hollister businessman Rolland Kite on December 16, 1909, bringing her teaching career to an end. Now let's go to Hollister. 

William Johnson and Pete Kite, standing on the porch, founders of the Hollister Drug Co. in 1908. (Photo courtesy of the State Historical Society of Missouri)

Rolland B. "Pete" Kite was born in Rogers, Arkansas, on September 10, 1886. His schooling was completed in Springfield, Missouri. After the arrival of the railroad, William Johnson, the developer of Hollister along with Kite, worked together on several projects, including opening the Hollister Drug Store Company in 1908. Both men had an interest in float fishing and ran a guided fishing service out of the drug store.  

Kite, who had finished schooling in Springfield, and graduated from Drury College, would take over the drug store ownership when Johnson learned he needed to be licensed to run a drug store in Missouri. The Kites would grow the Hollister Drug Store Co. in the early years of their marriage, taking full ownership of it in 1911. Kite was remembered as being the first professional registered druggist in Taney County.  

The Kites would have a daughter in February 1916, Jessie May, and many of you remember her as Jessie Hackett, a long-time area resident who passed away at the age of 90 in 2006.

Mr. Kite was forced to retire due to health reasons, and the Hollister Drug Co. was sold during World War II. The drug store and the Ye English Inn both closed in 1951 due to lack of business.  

What is really unique here is that after closing, many of the drug items remained on the store shelves undisturbed for many years gathering a heavy layer of dust taking on a rather ghostly looking appearance. Finally in 1967 this area along Downing Street started to come back to life. Many of the buildings were remodeled and placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today this area of Hollister continues to thrive with its olde English charm that William Johnson envisioned. 

Rolland "Pete" Kite passed away at the age of 72 on October 14, 1958, and was laid to rest in the Hazelwood Cemetery in Springfield. 

May Kite lived an incredible long life. Area school teacher to Hollister business owner. If any of you knew her, please share any memories you may have. I'm really interested in learning more about her Taney County roots and early connections to Kirbyville. She was a long-time member of Branson's Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church. May lived to age 92, passing on April 21, 1981. She's laid to rest next to her husband.