Obituary of Betty Lou Scales

Betty Lou Gilliam Scales saw her sunrise on Tuesday December 2, 1930 in Cumberland County, Virginia in an area of the county not far from the present-day Cumberland-Powhatan county line called Clinton. Despite the fact that she and her mother almost died during the trauma of her 4-hour delivery, baby Betty was miraculously born a normal and healthy daughter of her proud parents, Mr. Chester Arthur Gilliam and Mrs. Mary Eliza Booker Gilliam, both life-time residents of the county. Having had no siblings, half-siblings, or adopted siblings, she was reared as the beloved only child. Betty Lou Gilliam attended the local public schools of Cumberland County, attending first at Pine Grove Elementary School but overall receiving most of her elementary education at Cedar Fork Elementary School. In both schools her mother, Mrs. Mary E. Gilliam, was the teacher as she took Betty to school beginning at the age of 4 because Betty's home schooling and well as abilities allowed her to both read and write at that tender young age. After completing her 1st seven grades in those 1-room schools, Betty then, as did all other students from the 16 elementary schools throughout the county wishing to attend high school, went on to attend the Cumberland Training School (that facility being replaced on the same site by the Luther P. Jackson High School in 1952). Betty attended grades 8 through 12 at the Cumberland Training school, graduating from there in 1946 at the age of only 16. She then immediately went on to attend college at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, graduating in 1950 with a B.S. degree in Home Economics and a Teacher Education Professional Certification. As an adult professional, Miss Betty Gilliam began her teaching career at her old elementary school, Cedar Fork, where she taught grades 1 through 5 beginning in September of 1950. Not long thereafter; however, Miss Betty Gilliam became Mrs. Betty G. Scales as she met and married another teacher who had a year earlier begun his teaching career when he came to Cumberland County in 1949, one Mr. Robert L. Scales, the two of them uniting in holy matrimony in 1951. As Mr. Scales also shared her passion for educating others, as well as of service to Cumberland and beyond in the areas such as youth curricular and extra-curricular development, community service, civic and political participations, and church, Mrs. Scales had a marital partner who was like-minded regarding the importance of the progress of family members and the community. The 2 of them were married until the passing of the late Mr. Scales in June of 2001, their union having produced 2 sons and 2 daughters, 7 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild. Mrs. Scales' teaching career was exclusively in Cumberland County over a span of approximately 45 years, where she taught at Cedar Fork Elementary School (1950 - 1945), Pine Grove Elementary School (1954 – 1964), Luther P. Jackson (1964 – 1969), Cumberland High School (1969 – 1991), and Cumberland Elementary School (1991 – 1995). Mrs. Scales truly loved teaching. She loved her students and her students loved her. Her family all say that Mrs. Scales always seemed surprised and amazed when told that hardly a day went by that they would not meet someone who would lovingly say "Mrs. Scales was my favorite teacher!" Mrs. Scales' participations in the Cumberland Public Schools were extra-curricular as well as curricular. She helped to found, organize, and actualize a high school student character, citizenship, and service development organization called the "Kee Club". She also founded and coached an athletics booster drill team which performed at the intermission of both home and away basketball games. As the mother of 2 sons and 2 daughters who all participated in extra-curricular activities at Cumberland High School, she personally supported literally every one of their meetings, practices, games, etc. for activities to include football, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, track, band, talent shows, proms, etc.. Her support for school extracurricular activities extended beyond her 40-year teaching career and never ceased. During her professional career Mrs. Scales also continued to enhance her own continuing education through studies at Virginia State University, Lynchburg College, Southside Community College, the University of Virginia, and lastly at Longwood University where she obtained her Master of Science degree in Secondary Curriculum Development in English in June of 1992. Also during her career Mrs. Scales served in various capacities in the Virginia Teacher's Association where she was elected Secretary for 2 years and then as President for 2 years. Her roles in the Cumberland Education Association were varied and many, ranging from New Teacher Mentor to Membership Chairperson. She was one of the state finalists for the Virginia Teacher of the Year in 1996. She received a 40-year Service Award and Pin in the year 2000, and her retirement was marked by a ceremonial celebration sponsored by the Cumberland County Public Schools in her honor. Otherwise in the Cumberland County community and beyond, Mrs. Scales was also very active. She organized and was the pianist / organist / director for various decades of a junior choir composed of members from the Bethlehem, Mount Calvary, and Rising Zion Baptist Churches that she named "The Tri-Church Choir". She also was very involved in missionary work in both her church and the community, and participated for many years as both a member as well as the Missions Education Director for the Cumberland Missionary and Educational Convention. Mrs. Scales was a 4-H Club Adult Volunteer Leader in Cumberland who also served on 4-H Adult Leader Advisory Boards at both the district and state levels; moreover, Mrs. Scales was extremely supportive of all of her 4 children's significant involvement in the 4-H Club as members. Finally, Mrs. Scales was also involved in the Cumberland community and beyond as a member of the Cumberland Voters League, a member of the Cumberland Democratic Party, and as a supporter of the Virginia Heart Association, the Virginia Lung Association, the Red Cross Blood Drive, and virtually every other worthwhile civic and charitable cause. For her loyalty to the community over the years, Mrs. Scales was named one of the Grand Marshalls in the 2012 Cumberland Day Parade. As a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Mrs. Scales has been an involved and caring matriarch who is deeply concerned about all of her "children"; amazingly, she seems to "know all and forget nothing" about everyone in her family. In addition to the already noted school extra-curricular support of the 1970's and 1980's afforded the now grown 4 children by Mrs. Scales and her late husband, she also facilitated the lion's share in their children's community participations to include the 4-H Club, dancing school, Sunday School, junior missionaries, junior choirs, community fund-raising events, and the list continues. Regarding her grandchildren, she has spent untold hours providing care and supervision for all of them as needed by their working and very active parents. As a great grandmother, Mrs. Scales has been a source of elderly parenting advice to her granddaughter as well as a source of love and nurturance to her great-grandson. After her retirement in 2000, Mrs. Scales enjoyed being at home and visited by some or all of her "children" on a daily basis. She also enjoyed traveling both locally and long-distance, and truly desired to go "every time the car moved". She happily continued her interest in and support of, as much as her health and opportunity allowed, all of her previous participation. She remains the most active as a Cumberland High School athletic and band supporter, as well as an active member of the Bethlehem Baptist Church with participations to include regular church attendance, monthly church meetings, church fund-raisers, the senior missionaries, and especially the church choir. And so she was…until her sunset on Tuesday May 12, 2015