Robert Elvin Wall ^{1 2}

  General Notes:

Elvin is an automotive serviceman and rancher.

Last surviving Spicewood School graduate turns 100
By Connie Swinney Associate Editor on Friday, November 25, 2022

Today, Nov. 25, loved ones will celebrate the 100th birthday of Robert Elvin Wall at Gateway Gardens in Marble Falls.

He was born in 1922 in Spicewood at his family home. Despite being named after their father Robert, her brother was always known in the community as Elvin. Their mother's maiden name was Inez Naumann – immigrants to the United States from Germany in 1870.

"We've been living here for a long time," his sister Doris Wall told The Highlander. "Our parents were farmers here in Spicewood. We grew up working very hard on the farm.

"He was always real quiet. He did his work, came home and did more work," she added.

Doris Wall taught for Marble Falls schools for 25 years. "If I can make it to December, I'll be 95."

Doris and Elvin, the sole siblings of their immediate family, grew up together on 165 acres on CR 404 in Burnet County.

"Mother had a big garden. She would can vegetables and fruit. We had milk and eggs from our own animals. We raised hogs to butcher for bacon and lard, which people don't use much of now; we got sausage and ham out of the hogs," she said. "There wasn't very much we had to buy.

My mother kept white bread (light bread). We did have to buy flour for that. We made our own corn meal for corn bread. "We were pretty well self sufficient. We didn't have electricity until 1939. At night, we used the kerosene lamp, which wasn't very good for studying. We did have an indoor bathtub and running water in the kitchen sink," she continued. "In 1937, for those days it was a nice home, and I still live in the house. We did not have hot water ... until probably in the 40s."

The family along with community members shared that Elvin's 100th birthday today takes on even more meaning due to the fact he is the last surviving member of the first school house ? the old Spicewood School in the Spicewood community.

"We were always very close. We had to walk about 2 ½ miles to school in Spicewood. We always walked together. We've always gotten along together. We do things when we can for each other."

The old Spicewood school, 7901 CR 404, at that time served first through 11th grade with four teachers in four rooms. When Doris was in the 7th, Elvin graduated from the old Spicewood school in 1941 with about 5 students in his graduating class.

"We've seen so many changes in 100 years. Elvin rode to school on a horse when he started," she said. "He was a little kid at 6 years old, so they thought it would be better for him to ride a horse. There were no school buses."

Doris reached 4th grade then big brother starting walking her to school. "You wouldn't believe how muddy that dirt road would get when it rain. By the time we got to school, there would be mud stacked up on our shoes," Doris recalled. "There was no lunch room back then, so all the kids took their lunch. Our mother always wrapped ours up in a newspaper. Some kids had brown paper bags, used on; Some had molasses buckets. That's something else only the old timers would know about; People ate a lot of syrup back then."

The old Spicewood School is now the refurbished Spicewood Community Center, utilized for weddings, special occasions and as a voting location. The one-room schoolhouse had 67 students in 1908. Peak enrollment was 121 students in the 1921-22 school year with four teachers. The last graduating class was in 1949 when the Spicewood School consolidated with Marble Falls ISD.

"When Elvin got out of high school, he did farming for a few years, until he got married. He and his wife, Sigrid (German-born) lived in Austin. There, he worked for Jim Pearson Automotive for a number of years.

He currently has six grandchildren; four girl and two grandsons.

Elvin moved to the assisted living center in Marble Falls after his wife died. At the end of December, he will have been at Gateway for seven years. "I just can't believe it. No one in our family has lived that long," Doris said.

His two sons, Craig and Mark, will visit with Elvin and Doris for a birthday cake in his room. One son lives in Massachusetts and the other in California where their jobs took them.

"Elvin is not able to get out of bed on his own. He is so deaf," Doris said. "He can't talk unless I'm there, and I repeat for him. Then he can answer the questions."

Despite his physical challenges, he continues to be a living example of the strength of family and good living. "We never abused ourselves. We didn't smoke or drink or booze around. I worked, he worked. We didn't have much time to do any playing around," Doris said. "We are so happy we think he's going to make it," she said. "I think we might have inherited some good genes and some hard work."


The old Spicewood School was built in 1907. Robert Elvin Wall, who turns 100 years old today, Nov. 25, is the last surviving graduate to attend the one-room schoolhouse. The building is now the refurbished community center. Contributed/www.spicewoodschoolhouse.org ⁴

Robert married Sigrid Hinselmann, daughter of W. H. E. Hinselmann and Unknown, on 24 Oct 1953 in University Baptist Church, Austin, Travis County, Texas. (Sigrid Hinselmann was born on 31 Oct 1926 in Celle, Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany, died on 13 Mar 2015 in Austin, Travis County, Texas and was cremated on 24 May 2015 in Rockvale Cemetery, Spicewood, Burnet County, Texas.)

  Marriage Notes:

Rev. Harry Pesnell performed the marriage between Sigrid and Elvin Wall. The wedding music was by Gerre Hancock.