Women’s History Month: Marie and Tiny

Marie and Tiny, May 1993

I began and ended elementary school with Mom’s cousins as my teachers. In the first grade, it was Marie Krueger Cox. In the eighth, it was her sister, Christine Krueger.

As a five years old, it was strange when the other kids in my class were a little afraid of the teacher but she was just Marie to me, nothing to fear. As an eighth grader, remembering to say Miss Krueger instead of Tiny was a challenge.

Marie was born on 14 Sep 1915 in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky, the second child of August Krueger and Susie Taylor. Tiny was the youngest of their four children, born on 21 Feb 1922 in Mt. Vernon. 

1st Photo: Marie (on right) with older sister, Henrietta
2nd Photo: Tiny

1st Photo: Marie with their brother, Bill, and their aunt, Anna Rose Taylor
2nd Photo: Tiny with Anna Rose and Bill

Tiny and Marie with their cousin, Edna Hopkins (center)

Marie and Tiny both attended Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College (now Eastern Kentucky University) for one year before beginning their respective teaching careers but later graduated after attending college part-time while working. They both started out teaching grades one through eight in one-room schools in Rockcastle County before spending most of their tenures at Mt. Vernon Grade School.  

On 23 Nov 1955, Marie married Henry Houston Cox, son of Edward Cox and Mattie McFerron, in Rockcastle County. Tiny never married. Neither of them had children.

1st Photo: Marie with their aunt, Emma Taylor Hopkins; 2nd Photo: Tiny

Marie died on 10 November 1993 in Lexington, Kentucky. Tiny died on 27 Oct 1998 in Mt. Vernon. They were both buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Mt. Vernon.

Marie and Tiny were outstanding teachers. Over the course of their long careers, they had an enormous positive impact on Mt. Vernon students.