This report card issued to John Abbott's father, Roy Abbott, in 1912. John's father wrote the following in a "journal" he kept:

"Only country school I went to, High Hill School about 10 or 12 miles east of Howard, Kansas, 13 years old, Mabel Flory, teacher, 7th grade".

     This was written during the 1911/1912 school year. John observes, "His parents were divorced in 1911 and he was living with his maternal grandparents in Elk Falls. His grandmother signed the card as his 'parent.' It appears he didn't complete the school year, since there is no grade for the last two months, which would have been April and May. His mother was living in Independence and remarried in June 1912. He apparently moved to Independence in April to live with her."

     John adds, "My wife and I tried to find High Hill School a few years ago. It appeared from my father's description that it was in or near Busby, Kansas. We stopped at a farmhouse near Busby and asked the owner if he knew were it was located, and he did, but said that it had been torn down a few years prior to our visit. He took us to the former location of the school, but indicated that all that was left were a few stones that had been used for the foundation."

NOTE: The quotations printed on the report card are: "Kind words are the music of the world" (Faber) and "The first step to greatness is to be honest" (Johnson).