I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
–Robert Frost, from “The Road Not Taken”
Amie Lee Defoor Galloway took the road less traveled throughout her life and it truly made all the difference. From her humble Scott County beginnings to her quest for education in a one-room schoolhouse in Forester, Arkansas, from graduating with the small war-affected 1945 class of Waldron High School, to a determined march for a bachelor’s degree from Arkansas Polytechnic College (Arkansas Tech University), from passing the teacher’s exam at 18 years of age to being a life-long educator, she did it her way. Her early tenacity and determination foreshadowed a long life that was filled with passion, purpose, and fierce devotion to God, family, her students, and her country.
Born in 1927, the year of the Great Flood, in Cedar Creek, Arkansas on her grandfather’s Civil War homestead, Amie was the second child of Levert and Vera (Laird) Defoor. She and her sister, Mattie Mae, grew up knowing how to work hard. Amie attended her early years of school in the sawmill town of Forester. Many years later, Amie would be one of the last two teachers in Forester before it moved away. After graduating from Waldron High School, she sat for the teacher’s exam, passed, and started teaching first grade at 18 years of age at Fourche Valley. Amie saved her money while teaching and attended Tech during the 1948-49 school year, graduating in 1956. Amie would go on to teach in the Fourche Valley, Tate, and Forester schools before all rural county schools were consolidated into Waldron Public Schools.
Amie taught 7th-grade English for several years before taking up the mantle of 9th grade Civics. There Amie found her calling, teaching not just government but patriotism as well. During her 20 plus years in that subject, her 9th grade Civics Class sponsored a yearly Veterans Day program on November 11 at 11 a.m. Amie’s passion for honoring the veterans of Scott County came about due to her father’s service in World War I. While fighting in the Battle of the Argonne Woods in France, he was a victim of an enemy mustard gas attack. Seeing how that experience affected her father’s life, Amie took another road less traveled and fought passionately to honor all Scott County veterans and made it her life’s mission to help others do the same.
After retiring in 1986, with 38 years of teaching, Amie went back to the homestead and enjoyed a life of tending to the land beloved by her family but Amie was never known as a “retiring” person. A proud Yellow Dog Democrat, Amie was a founding member of the Scott County Democratic Women’s Club, a member of the Old Courthouse Restoration Committee, Forester Park Historical Society Board, an election official for the Cedar Creek precinct, and was active in many Democratic campaigns. One of the greatest joys in Amie’s life was being elected to the delegation that nominated Gov. Bill Clinton for President at the 1992 Democratic National Convention in New York. Amie loved every minute of being an Arkansas Traveler for President Clinton and was overjoyed to attend both the 1993 and 1997 Presidential inaugurations in Washington, DC. As incredible as those moments were, Amie was intensely proud to cast her vote for Hillary Clinton for President in 2016.
While politics was always a passion for Amie, her greatest purpose in life was being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Baptized at an early age in Forester, Amie was a life-long member of the Church of God. After her church closed in the early 1980s, Amie was faithful to the Parks and Waldron United Methodist Churches. A Sunday School teacher for much of her life, when her eyes no longer allowed her to continue teaching, she inspired others to study and draw closer to God.
Amie’s road less traveled always took her to places that made all the difference. From walking miles as a child to attend school in Forester to boarding a plane for the first time after retirement, she embraced each detour and destination along the road with passion and determination. The vast number of children that sat in the seats in her classroom over the years was her pride and joy. She was often heard saying, “I never taught a bad kid.” She loved her “kids” and running into them again long years after they left her classroom brought a smile to her face and a deep joy to her heart.
Amie lived life well until the very end. She never gave up and never gave in. She was a force of nature and a nature of force. She leaves behind a legacy of 97 years of service and strength. As we remember her, may her life inspire us to take the occasional road less traveled, because as Amie wholeheartedly believed, it truly does make all the difference.
Amie is survived by her daughter, J. J., of Hot Springs. Her niece, JoAnn Newsom Campbell (Bill) of Harrison. Great nephews, Jason Lee (Stacey) Campbell of San Antonio, TX, and Titus Paul Campbell (Imelda) of Wake Forrest, NC. Two great-great nieces, Madison Campbell of San Antonio and Lorelai Campbell of Wake Forrest and one great-great nephew, Lucas Campbell of Wake Forrest. She is also survived by a host of cousins and a great host of friends and former students.
Visitation for family and friends will be on Wednesday, July 24, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Martin Funeral & Cremation Chapel in Waldron.
Amie’s service will be held Thursday, July 25, 11 a.m. at Parks United Methodist Church with Rev. DeeDee Autry, officiating. Burial will follow at the Cedar Creek Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests you contribute to the church/charity of your choice and read a book with a child. Tell them they are loved and can make all the difference in the world, too.
Arrangements under the direction of Martin Funeral & Cremation – Waldron.