Chloe Anne Yates

"The same's true for girls," insist Chloe Yates, age 98. "I know, because I am one!"

Born in 1918 to Clyde and Chloe Yates of Cordova, young Chloe grew up one of six siblings on the family's general farm. Like most children of the time, each pitched in with a share of the chores. The farm grew cotton, sweet potatoes and vegetables of all kinds. The large garden was Chloe's favorite. And canning was the food preservation method of choice.

"Produce not needed at home was sold in the city at Farmers' Market," she notes. That provided a part of family living costs. It also afforded Chloe a start in award winning 4-H Club project work for gardening and canning. At age 12, she was name an All-Star winner and received a trip to the 4-H Convention in Chicago.

In seventh and eighth grades more honors came. Four 4-H'ers from each state were selected to attend National 4-H Club Congress in Washington, D.C. And, yes, Chloe was one of the chosen few. Some would say the lucky few. This writer would insist the deserving ones.

Seeing the sites in Chicago and Washington, rubbing elbows with other winners, and meeting successful business leaders and elected officials must have whetted Chloe's desire to travel around the globe. But we're jumping ahead too far in the story. The Yates family attended church services. The father was a Baptist; mother was a Church of Christ member. For six month each year, the family went to Baptist Church. The other six month's made the "Church of Christ" turn.

After high school graduation, Chloe attended Memphis State one year. Then she transferred to the University of Tennessee. During that period in her college career, Chloe elected to be baptized into Christ at Knoxville's Laurel Church of Christ. "My brothers chose the Baptist route, but my sister Mabel and I stayed with the Church of Christ."

Mabel and Chloe both earned degrees with majors in Home Economics. That will seem an oddity for college majors in today's culture. But in that day "Home Ec" was a popular choice for many women students. Mabel enjoyed a long career in that field, teaching in high schools and finally becoming state supervisor for home economics with the Tennessee Department of Education in Nashville. After their father died, mother Chloe moved to Nashville and lived with Mabel.

Upon earning the Bachelor's Degree in Home Ec, Chloe sought a position with UT Extension Service as a County Home Agent. That goal was delayed a few years while she taught high school Home Ec classes one year in North Alabama and four years at Bartlett High School. Then came her big break. She served as UT Extension Home Agent in Hardeman County for 13 years. When that quest began, some rural farm homes were equipped with electricity and indoor plumbing, but many were not. Through organized Home Demonstration Clubs, Chloe taught homemakers new practices in sanitation, general housekeeping, gardening and canning.

As an aside: State and County Extension Service programs conducted by Land Grant Colleges and Universities in each state still offer boys and girls 4-H Club programs and events. Chloe's vast experiences in those programs were invaluable foundations for effective work in adult life.

Her interests in travel and sightseeing continued through adulthood. Chloe found time for short trips with Knoxville Tours. "I was a natural sightseer," she says. "We went to nearly every state -- all the way to Maine."

Longer trips found her touring in both North and South America. She always went in groups arranged by travel agencies. They went by bus, ship, train and plane. One week two-and-one-half weeks in time. "I've been to the North Pole and the South Pole and many points in between."

She's seen sights throughout Europe. Some in Asia. Others in Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand. "Not sure I've named them all," she admits.

"Ever been to England and London?" I asked. "Sure thing," Chloe quipped. "Buckingham Palace, changing of the guards, the whole thing. Even saw the Queen and shook her hand."

"No joke!" I queried, incredulously.

"No joke," she asserted. "Queen Elizabeth shook hands with everyone in our groups!"

And that's when this interview ended.

Chole Anne Yates was preceded in death by her parents Clyde Allen Yates and Chloe Bell Rutledge along with her siblings William Franklin, Clyde Allen, Mabel Alice, Henry Matthew, Peter Paul, and infant son.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, June 17 beginning at ten o'clock in the morning at Cordova Cemetery, 1017 N. Sanga Road, Cordova, TN 38017.

Online condolences, floral gifts & directions may be found at www.memphisfuneralpoplar.net.