FORT KNOX, Ky. — Perched like a young eagle with outstretched wings above Kentucky Highway 31W in 1952, Crittenberger Elementary School stood for decades afterward as a symbol of post-war modern education.
The sounds of military children’s laughter could be heard along the small valley that connected the roundabout at the middle of post to 31W just past the school. Crittenberger was surrounded by at least three military housing communities on both sides of the highway.
Lisa Luttrell spent much of her childhood at the school in the 1960s and ‘70s. She vividly remembers every classroom and every teacher in them. She remembers both janitors, the principal and especially the librarian, Sarah Franklin, who safeguarded the books.
Luttrell remembers it all because unlike the other students at Crittenberger, she lived at the school.
“My dad was given the job of caretaker when I was 5 years old,” said Luttrell. “There was a little two-bedroom apartment with one bathroom, a tiny kitchen, tiny dining room and a tiny little living room that sat above Crittenberger Elementary. That became my home.”
Her father, Marshall Fisher, had served in the U.S. Army 21 years, including overseas during World War II. Two weeks before he received his draft notice, Fisher married his sweetheart, Louise.
Fisher moved the family to Fort Knox in 1952. They lived in Rose Terrace and Luttrell’s sister Sandy was among the first students to attend the newly constructed Crittenberger Elementary.
By the time Fisher had retired as a master sergeant in 1962, he became known for his outstanding woodworking skills, something Luttrell said was originally just a hobby for him. He was also known for his demeanor.
“Everyone loved my father,” said Luttrell. “He was well-respected, with a brilliant mind and kindness to others. People hated to see him leave the post.”
Fisher’s talent for woodworking landed him a job at Fort Knox Dependent Schools – as it was known back then – to build and repair desks, chalk boards and any other wooden products. However, because of the swell of troops moving to Fort Knox during the Vietnam War, he was forced to move the family off post into a trailer in nearby Radcliff.
Luttrell said in April 1969, administrators decided to offer her family the apartment rent and utility-free in an effort to keep Fisher around. They also enrolled Luttrell into kindergarten for a month and then advanced her to 1st Grade at Crittenberger in the fall.
“In the mornings, I would come down from the apartment and go to school,” said Luttrell. “I never had to walk outside. I could just pop in and out of school – never get wet, never get cold. And with permission from Mr. Sallengs the principal, I could go home for lunch if I wanted to.”
~On the front lines of education~
When World War II ended in 1945, demands on post-war America ushered in a new design concept in public school buildings to accommodate modern educational standards.
The concept caught the attention of military leaders and educators, who called for open, one-floor buildings with sprawling corridors that connected to clustered classrooms on either side to educate military children. The concept included big, sunny windows and easy access to the environment.
Funded under Public Laws 81-815 and 81-874, Army leaders chose Fort Knox as the site for the first school to be built. They chose the hilltop overlooking 31W as the prime spot to showcase modern education.
“Crittenberger School is a modest example of that kind of new design and new way of thinking about education theory and architectural styles – less formal,” said Niki Mills, Fort Knox Cultural Resources Program director. “Several other schools after that followed Crittenberger’s style.”
The second such school to be built was Lincoln Elementary School at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. According to Matthew Rector, a former Fort Knox employee and lay historian, the design of Lincoln was virtually identical to Crittenberger.
“Crittenberger was on the forefront,” said Rector. “It came at a time when the architects were redefining what school architecture meant.”
Prior to Crittenberg’s completion, teachers had taught children in Briscoe Hall, which still stands today, as well as various other makeshift buildings around post, according to Mills.
Once completed in 1952, leaders dedicated the school on Aug. 17 to one of Fort Knox’s former students – Army Cpl. Townsend Woodhull Crittenberger. A tanker from 745th Tank Battalion, Townsend was killed March 25, 1945 during the Rhine River crossing in Germany.
Townsend’s father, Lt. Gen. Willis Crittenberger, and a brother, Col. Dale Crittenberger, attended the ceremony, lauding his legacy and the impact of Fort Knox and the Armored Force school on the lives of all three of them.
Dale later died in the Vietnam War. All three are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
~Modern updates, lasting memories~
One of the unique features added to the Crittenberger Elementary footprint was a pedestrian tunnel constructed under a very busy 31W.
“Back in the day, 31W was known as Dixie Die-way just because of how dangerous it was, especially during that era of the Vietnam War,” said Rector. “The newspapers were writing stories about it. You couldn’t allow children to cross that.”
Luttrell remembers when the pedestrian tunnel was built. In fact, she said she was one of the first to cross underneath when it opened. Her mom would watch her until she walked through the tunnel to Rose Terrace to play with friends.
She also remembers when the cafeteria opened up.
“We were the first class that ate in the new cafeteria,” said Luttrell. “Prior to that, children had to bring sack lunches to school for lunchtime.”
She remembers riding her bicycle up and down the hallways for hours after school and patrolling the grounds of the school with her parents during holidays to ensure nobody was loitering.
She remembers the many swimming pools around post, and tennis courts, and wading pools filled with children just like herself. Her favorite spot was Swimming Pool Number 4. She remembers the two janitors, Mr. Paisley and Mr. Skeens, who talked with her every day, even after school hours, and made her feel special.
She remembers her Kindergarten teacher Winifred Conover, Hazel Bennett of 1st Grade, Crystal Wood of 2nd, Audrey Durbin of 3rd, Carol Schoenfeld of 4th, and Charles Meyers of 5th Grade, who later became principal of McDonald Junior High School. She even remembers Marry Haddix, the school secretary. She remembers them so vividly in part because she kept in touch with many of them long after moving away and becoming an adult.
Luttrell said she will especially never forget Franklin, who stirred her imagination with all those books from the library that sat at the heart of the school. Franklin would leave the double doors of the library unlocked after school on Fridays so Luttrell could water the plants during the weekend – and check out any additional books if she had read everything that she checked out during school.
Luttrell’s passion for reading earned her the school’s Best Citizen award in 3rd Grade.
“I had read a total of 500 books out of that school’s library that year,” said Luttrell. “Miss Franklin was my guiding light for reading, for loving books. She got me started.”
She also attributes Franklin with her successful writing career as an award-winning author of children’s books, even praising Franklin on the author’s page of her website.
Luttrell attributes her love of Fort Knox and the U.S. military to her father and mother.
“It was such an honor to have lived an Army life,” said Luttrell. “People don’t understand who have not been in the military, who have not lived at a military installation. To those people, it’s just a word. But when you are born and raised in it, when you’ve lived it, you have an undying respect for it. It was a fabulous way to grow up.”
Luttrell and her family moved away from the area the second week in June 1976 after her father retired from government service. When she recently found out that Crittenberger Elementary School had been demolished, she cried.
“I get choked up now thinking about it,” said Luttrell. “That brick and mortar was my life, my heart and soul – everything that I loved in my little life. There are things that can never be replaced in this world, but we all have our memories, and nobody can ever take those beautiful things from you. Crittenberger will always be part of my memories.”
Nowadays the hillside where the once modern elementary school overlooked 31W is barren. Soon, a new modern building will emerge from the soil, and the small valley will once again be filled with the sounds of military children’s laughter.
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