Milford chronicle., 1955-08-19
Laura Walls Gives
Ex-Teachers Party
fContinued from first page)

To quote Mrs. Walls however
Il have had my reward culminat-
ing in great personal victory
when Gov. J. Caleb Boggs, signed
House substitute for House Bill
#125. with House amendment # /,
this reward has come to me when
the first letters started pouring IN
from disabled teachers all over
the state, who have just received
their first greatly increased checks,
as provided for in the Act"
Mrs. Walls, according to her own
say go, has had her ups and downs,
but clung tenaciously to her life
work OF helping the unfortunate
and the neglected wherever she
found them
Born near Lincoln on farm
this woman who likes to classify
herself as a Lobbyist for Happi-
ness was the seventh of eight
children. and to quote an old Sus-
sex county "Saw" was born for
a good fortune. Although her par
epts had limited means, she was
given good substantial education,
which included graduation from
Milford High School and later two
years college credits from the
University of Delaware.
According to this outstanding
bsstler for the underprivihged,
there has been three outstanding
events in her life. First of which
was when she received teacher
certificate from both Kent and Sus-
sex Counties in 1901 and taught a
small country school near Oakley
Delaware for $4,000 per month.
In 1914 Mrs Walls, was taken
critically i'll, and for q time her
life was dispaired Of II was dur
ing this illness. when the outlook
for recovery was remote, that Mrs.
Walls claims she was visited In
her hospital room by what ap-
peared to her to be an Angel. who
told her ssYour time has not come,
you've greater work to do" She
says she made a covenant with the
Lord right then and there, that II
she was spared she would con-
secrate her life to helping other
people to live longer and better.
TIL second great event in her
life was her association with the
late Alfred I. dupont, in the ad-
ministration of Delaware's first
Old Age Pension plan, which was
paid for in its entirety by the
s'Powdermaker' from the Brandy
wine. Mrs. Walls says of her asso-
citation with Mr.. dupont: Mr.. du.
Pont was one of the greatest men
believe Delaware ever had, generous
considerate and kind, he made the
tragic problems of the aged, the
unwanted and the helpless limo
cent his own and with his great
wealth and his unfiagging energy
raised these people from the
"Slough of Despond" to the firm
ground of regained confidence and
self respect" / know and we con-
finue to quote" that Mr.. dupont
was responsible for the establish
ment OF the Old Age Assistance
program by the State, and the
abolition of the pest Holes" known
as County poorhouses. which cul-
minated in the founding of the
State Welfare Home, at myrna.
Mr.. dupont, shortly before his
death In 1895, at the instance OF
Mrs. Walls, became interested in
the plight of the ex-teachers oi
Delaware. and decided to use his
own funds to pension the needy
ones, naming Mrs. Walls, as trea-
surer of this fund, and at the same
time admonishing her to continue
to go to the Legislature bi-annually
and fight to have this group OF
former public servants recognized
by the State. This Mrs. Walls, con-
tinued to do until 1945 when the
Legislature enacted into law
the first ex-teachers pension plan
based on disability.
Mrs. Walls says the third great
event in her life and the end of ar
epoch is the passage by the 1851
General Assembly of Measures de
signed to give more assistance tx
the blind and aged. and further
forward augmentation of the ex
teachers pension law. There arr
those however, who feel that there
Is still work to be done, and tina
Mrs. Walls through her achieve
ments of the past is the one ant
the only one capable of continuing
this great humanitarian work.
.