Another move occurred in 1885 when the family moved to Plainview, Nebraska and Arthur went away to school at Fremont, Nebraska. In his late teens the family moved again to Pierce, Nebraska where Arthur secured his first job, that of a printer's assistant for the local paper. He entered Iowa State at Ames, but transferred to Nebraska State Normal School at Peru, Nebraska where he earned a teaching degree and met his future wife in 1893. From 1893 to 1896 he taught his first classes at Coleridge, Nebraska.

On June 24, 1896 he married Zella Pearl McMullin. She was born on a farm five miles northeast of Tekamah. At the age of ten she contracted polio, but no lasting damage occurred as she recovered her walking ability after a few months. Zella graduated first place among 12 students from her high school in 1889 and won a scholarship to Gates College. That fall she taught school in Oakland, Nebraska with a starting salary of $25 per month. In 1892 she received further education from the Nebraska State Normal School at Peru where she met Arthur.

In August of 1896, Arthur and Zella moved to Fullerton, Nebraska where he had secured a new job, assistant principal. The following year he won a promotion to the principalship of the Niobrara, Nebraska community school. As stated before, teachers and principals had little job security and he didn't wish to lead the life his father had earlier, so he quit education in favor of becoming a grocery merchant. In August 1989, they rented a store front in Osmond, Nebraska that had a three room apartment added on for their comfort. It was here that his two children, Keith Mac and Katrina, were born. While in Osmond, he became involved in civic affairs, county assessor (1901), town clerk (1902), and school board member (1901-1906) which led him right back into education.

In early 1906 he filled the vacant assistant principal's billet in Osmond. During all this, Arthur had to move from his rented store front and built his own building, the first brick building in the community. By 1908, education was a main part of his life again as he accepted an offer in Cozad, Nebraska to become its school's principal for $125 per month. In 1912 the family moved to Lincoln where Arthur took advanced courses at the University of Nebraska where he graduated with honors in 1914 in the top 10% of his class. He was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa Fraternity. In June 1915 he earned his Master's Degree and won an appointment to the English Department at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He rented (for $27.50 per month) and later bought a house at 415 South 12th East where he and his family stayed for most of the remaining years of their life.

Nearly every summer during the late 1910's he managed a Chataqua Troop while his family went on vacation to Nebraska. Later he taught summer school at various universities (U.C. Berkeley, University of Washington, University of Oregon, etc). He helped start Phi Beta Kappa Fraternity for the University of Utah. In early 1940's he wrote a column for the Salt Lake Tribune wherein readers would submit a story for him to critique.

While in Salt Lake City, Zella was involved with the University of Utah Women's Faculty Club and during World War I helped make supplies for the American Red Cross. Throughout her life she also served in various organizations of the First Methodist Church.

All through his life Arthur was closely related to the Sunday School programs of the Methodist Church. Because of his education background he was usually chosen as a Sunday School Superintendent in his Nebraska days and when in Salt Lake City he taught the "Come Join Us" class at the First Methodist Church for 25 years.

When Zella was in her late 60's she began having eye hemorrhages which necessitated a visit to the Mayo Brothers Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. However, nothing could be done and her sight slowly failed. Because of age and physical ailments, she and Arthur sold their house and had a small one built for them behind their daughter's home at 431 South 12th East in 1952. Within a month of the move, Zella fell, broke her hip and died within a few months time from surgical complications.

In late life Arthur developed eye cataracts which caused blindness to set in. He lived in the small house behind his daughter, Katrina until his death in 1958.

Received from Michael Wilson of Salt Lake City, Utah on 12 March 1997