Early on a cold February morning in 1920 Willie Inslee started his
     Model-T and went to Isabel to fetch Doctor Gilbert of Medicine Lodge and
     his mother for the big event was at hand. Theda Fayne Inslee was born on
     the family farm three miles east of Isabel. She was the first child of
     William A. and M. Artine Inslee.
          She entered the consolidated public school in Isabel in 1926 and rode
     the bus which looked like a cheese box on wheels. Being petite, Theda
     Fayne often had to sit on the laps of high school students. She was teased
     and wielded her tin dinner-bucket widly. She enjoyed school and was a member
     of the IHS graduating class of 1938.
          Childhood memories center around Isabel Methodist Church and Social
     Friends 4-H Club. Thanks to a scholarship from 4-H, she was able to enroll
     at Kansas State Agricultural College, now K-State, Manhattan and graduated
     with honors in 1943. That same year she married Joyce David "Cotton" Ashley,
     a native of Oklahoma and a resident of California.
          Little did Theda Fayne realize she was destined to aquire more 
     education and to teach a life time. Her first 12 years were spent teaching
     secondary schools and the next 30 years she was on the faculty at Emporia
     State University. Her area of specialization was Home Economics Education.
     Her time was divided between teacher inservice, supervision of student
     teachers, and classroom teaching.
          Family and fond memories have brought her back to the area for
     frequent visits. She and her husband continue to reside in Emporia.
              
     Source: Isabel, Kansas - The First 100 Years, 1887 - 1987,  pg. 35
     
     Submitted by: Theda Fayne Ashley