Phyllis Carr Bruce reflects on a century of music, laughter, love… and basketball.On Saturday, Aug. 23, Phyllis Phoebe Carr Bruce, the oldest living teacher from the oldest high school west of the Rockies, will turn 103. When she was nine, two years before the U.S. entered the “War to End All Wars,” her parents saved her from the “chilblains” (or perniosis) by moving from McVille, North Dakota to Long Beach, Calif. She resolved then and there, “If I ever earned my own money,” she would always live in a warm climate.
In 1915, the biggest event in the U.S. was the Pan-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, and Bruce’s parents brought her there. Besides the wonders of the Palaces of Machinery, Varied Industries, Liberal Arts and Fine Arts (which stands today), she saw an exhibition from Hawai‘i where the man credited with popularizing ‘ukulele, Jonah Kumalae, was doing a demonstration. She was so impressed by what she saw and heard, she prevailed upon her father to buy Bruce her own ‘ukulele, which he purchased from Sears & Roebuck. Thus began her 80-year love affair with the Hawaiian Islands.
Although she was shorter than most of her classmates, Bruce played on the championship basketball team at McVille High School. There were only nine students in the graduating class, seven of whom were girls. By that time the “country kids,” especially the boys, had all dropped out to work at home.
Bruce was always athletic. In fact, she was the only woman to obtain a letter at Jamestown College, which she attended for two years prior to enrolling in the University of North Dakota. She discovered if she walked 100 miles, she could get a letter. After she attained the feat, the school banned women from getting letters.
Upon graduation from the University of North Dakota in 1926, she learned she needed two years of experience before she could get a teaching job in Hawai‘i. In 1928, with glowing recommendations from the superintendent of schools, she got a job as a home economics instructor at Lahainaluna High School and became the girls’ basketball coach as well. “They didn’t like my coaching very much… I wasn’t very good,” she said.
Her favorite activities included driving to the beaches in Makena. According to Bruce, D.T. Fleming would allow Lahainaluna teachers to use the Cliff House in Kapalua for recreation and bathing. “We used to chase the waves to see if we could beat them without getting soaked,” she said. “It was a lot of fun. In a country place, you have to take your fun where you can.”
Of course there were dances, and Bruce took hula lessons from the great kumu, Emma Sharpe. “Emma Sharp was famous and she was a very good dancer. We felt lucky to have her,” said Bruce, who still has her dance card from the 1930 Lahainaluna Junior Prom where she was a faculty advisor. “I gave them such good advice,” she said with a laugh. The dance card shows that she crossed off other men’s names for several dances and wrote in “B. Bruce,” or “Bob,” the name of her future husband.
In 1932, Robert Bruce and Phyllis Phoebe Carr were married at her parents’ home in North Dakota. Robert Bruce was a civil engineer and in 1944, he was named manager of the East Maui Irrigation Company.
After her wedding, Bruce taught at ‘Iao School, Baldwin High School and was instrumental in founding the Hui No‘eau Visual Arts Center, the Historical Society and Outdoor Circle. She also was the leader of Girl Scout Troop 30. When she was told 40 was too many for a troop, Bruce said, “Well, who should I eliminate?”
Today, Bruce still loves to laugh, and maybe that’s the key to her longevity. “Anything I do has to have a little humor in it. If you live in Hawai‘i, you have to have a sense of humor and the right people to call on.” She hasn’t decided who to vote for, but her daughter was a personal friend and classmate of Ann Dunham, Barack Obama’s mother. When asked about the possibility of an African American president, she said, “Well, I haven’t been letting nationality bother me because I’ve rubbed up against so many times… I’ve had so many friends who were different than I was, and I was different than anybody else.”
Bruce believes, “It’s just a different life. And if you’re narrow-minded and you don’t think that other people are as good as you are… just talk to them awhile. You might find you’re lost.”
Phyllis Carr Bruce would love to have her students stop by her house on Baldwin Avenue above Rainbow Park for some tea and conversation. She is listed in the phone book under Robert Bruce. The birthday girl intends to stay home and eat cake on Aug. 23, and she might just save you a piece.