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| Pat Hartzo (1986) |
Pat (or "Patsy") is the daughter of Shirley (Ard) and the late Joe Tolbert, and sister of Billy, Christine (now Webb), and Joe Tolbert.
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| Young Patsy with father Joe Tolbert |
Patsy as a second grader during the 1954-1955 school year.
1955 Oil City High School Bengal
An eight grader in 1960-1961...
1961 OC Jr. High Bengal
... and graduating senior at North Caddo in the spring of 1965.
1965 North Caddo High School Rebel, Page 38
Pictured below as a member of the national education sorority Kappa Delta Epsilon while a student at Louisiana Tech.
Shreveport Times 07-Dec-1967, Page 12-A
Pat graduated from Louisiana College, located in Pineville, LA; in December 1969.
1970 Louisiana College Pine Knot, Page 70
After a brief time at Greenmoor Elementary (now Jack P. Timmons), she began teaching kindergarten half-days respectively at Mooringsport and Oil City. Her initial class for the latter (1970-1971) included little brother, Joe. A full-day program was later implemented.
1971 OCJHS Bengal
Below, left-to-right: Pat with fellow teachers - sister Christine Tolbert Webb and sister-in-law Renea King Tolbert in 1979.
Pat was quoted in the Shreveport Times about taking her students to the Louisiana Oil & Gas Museum in Oil City in 2002.
Times 10-Feb-2002, Page 6D
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| Pat in 2002 |
Patsy and husband Gil Hartzo.
Below her story is told with love by her sister and fellow teacher Christine Tolbert Webb:
"Of course, you know my older sister Patricia (Patsy) Tolbert Hartzo. You have got to know what an important role she played in the (recent) history of the Oil City School. If anyone made a positive impact on that school it was Miss Tolbert/Mrs. Hartzo. She was the face of the Oil City School. She taught there in a full-time teaching position from the fall of 1970 to the spring of 2011. EVERYONE who knows her, was taught by her, or worked with her loves her. She taught so many in the local community! I ve often told her that she should write a book.
She began teaching career after graduating from Louisiana College in Pineville. She graduated in December of 1969. January 1970, was when integration began in Caddo Parish. Her first teaching experience began, I believe, in fourth grade at the school that is now Timmons. Oil City established its first kindergarten class in September of 1969. That teacher (whose name I don’t recall) left after one year. Pat was hired to be the kindergarten teacher for the 1970-71 school year, but, it would be a half day at Oil City (afternoon) and a half day at Mooringsport (morning) She had only observed a kindergarten class for two weeks at the end of her Senior year. When she asked her supervisor, “ What skills do I teach?”, she was told “Whatever you think they need to know.” Given no curriculum, no materials, save a set of big wooden blocks and cardboard box of broken toys, she began a career that over the years, molded and instilled a love of learning in countless numbers of children. She had to go out and buy her own materials and toys.
Each morning, she drove to Mooringsport with her classroom in the trunk of her car. Students were there until they ate lunch and went home. Pat would have to load everything up in her car, drive to Oil City Elementary and unload her classroom there. Students, on arrival, ate lunch and then spent their day in Mrs. Tolbert’s class. At the end of the day, Pat would have to load it all up and do it all again the next day, I believe she had 17-20 students at each school. She did this for four years. When Oil City changed to full day kindergarten, the class sizes were closer to 30 and at times forty.
She is a humble person, and never sought accolades or ever got the credit she deserves. Go in the local businesses, mention Mrs Hartzo or Mrs. Tolbert and there will be smiles and acknowledgements of how much they thought of her. I know, because I get mistaken for her every time I go into the community. Mrs. Hartzo still subs and had her last, full year teaching job in 2016 (I believe) It was at the newly formed North Caddo Middle/Ele. School. The year they closed our beloved Oil City School. She was hired for a long-term half year teaching position at Herndon Magnet three or four years ago and endeared herself to those lucky students. Her classroom was across the hall from my classroom.
Pat is a wealth of knowledge about any and everything Oil City Ele. Forgive me if any of the above mentioned dates are off a bit. Not sure why I chose this time to relate this all to you, but I do know that no one was as devoted to Oil City’s students as my sister, Mrs. Patsy Tolbert Hartzo."
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