Wikipedia

Effa E. Preston

Effa Estelle Preston (March 13, 1884 – May 2, 1975) was an American teacher and writer, based in New Jersey. She was a prolific author of school plays and pageants, and of comic verse about teachers' lives.

Effa E. Preston
BornMarch 13, 1884
Yonkers, New York, U.S.
DiedMay 3, 1975(1975-05-03) (aged 91)
Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, U.S.
Other nameE. E. Preston
Occupations
  • Educator
  • writer
  • speaker

Early life and education

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Preston was born in Yonkers, New York,[1] the daughter of Garrett Preston and Anna E. Preston.[2] She graduated from Trenton Normal School in 1908,[3] and from New York University.[4]

Career

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Preston taught school in New Brunswick, New Jersey, for 38 years, from 1915 until her retirement in 1953.[4] She wrote many plays, musicals, and songs for school use, and contributed poems to a humor column in an educational journal.[5][6][7] She spoke to professional groups.[8] She served on the editorial board of the New Jersey Education Review.[9] Her plays and operettas were performed in schools across the United States.[10][11][12] She helped her students raise funds for an animal shelter each year.[13]

Personal life

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A long-time resident of New Brunswick, Preston died on May 2, 1975, at the age of 91, at a nursing home in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey.[1]

Publications

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Books

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  • The Popular Commencement Book (1931)[14]
  • Modern Pantomime Entertainments (1938)[15]
  • Modern Entertainments for Churches (1939, with Maud C. Jackson)[16]
  • The Modern Stunt Book (1945, with Beatrice Plumb and Harry W. Githens)[17]
  • The Closing Day Program Book, for eighth grade and junior high school (1953, with Beatrice Marie Casey)[18]
  • Good things for closing day, for the upper and lower intermediate grades (1953, with Beatrice Marie Casey)[19]
  • Fun with Stunts (1956)[20][21]
  • The Master Puppet Book (1965, with Leroy Stahl)[22]
In a toy shop (IA intoyshop00pres)

Plays, programs, and pageants

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  • "One Christmas Eve" (1913)[23]
  • "Cinderella" (1914)[24]
  • "Flag Day Exercise" (1915)[25]
  • Uncle Sam's Right Arm: A Patriotic Exercise (1918)[26]
  • The Dolls on Dress Parade (1922)[27]
  • In a Toy Shop: A Christmas Play for Small Children (1922)[28]
  • A Party in Mother Goose Land (1922, one-act play)[29]
  • A Strike in Santa Land (1922, one-act play)[30]
  • A Thanksgiving Dream (1922, one-act play)[31]
  • The Children's Book of Christmas Recitations, Songs, Exercises, Plays, and Stories (1926)[32]
  • Mother Goose Celebrates: A Pageant for Primary Schools (1926)[32]
  • Our United States: A Patriotic Pageant (1926)[32]
  • Santa's Air Line: A Christmas Operetta (1926, with George W. Wilmot)[32][33]
  • The Thief of Time (1933, play)[34]
  • The Gypsy Troubadour (1934, operetta, with Don Wilson)[35]
  • The Cobbler of Fairyland (1937, operetta, with Carol Winston)[10]
  • The Bamboo Princess (1937, operetta, with Henry S. Sawyer)[11]
  • Peace Rules the Day (1939, play)[36]
  • Getting Gracie Graduated (1947, one-act play)[12]
  • First Floor Front (three-act play)[37][38]
  • Danger at the Crossroads (two-act play)[37]
  • The Pastry Chef and the Pirate (1968, with Harry L. Alford)[39]

Poetry, songs, and humor

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  • "Archery Drill" and "Indian Drill" (1928, songs, with George W. Wilmot)[40]
  • "Revolt of a Filler-Outer" (1937, poem)[41]
  • "Salvation" (1938, poem)[42]
  • "Epitaphs No. 1", "Epitaphs No. 2", and "Epitaphs No. 3" (1939, poems)[43][44][45]
  • "L'Envoi (With No Apologies to Kipling or Anyone Else)" "The Old Teachers" How to Inherit the Earth" "If the Albatross Fits, Wear It", and "Mother Goose School Law"(1940, poems)[46][47][48][49][50]
  • "Teacher's Mother Goose: The Cupboard of Hubbard Was Bare" and "To Have and Have Not"(1941, poems)[51][52]
  • "Our Miss Green" and "Poor Miss Beck" (1942, poems)[53][54]
  • "Pupil-to-Teacher Valentine" (1943, poem)[55]
  • "Teacher--to any School Board" (1945, poem)[56]
  • "What Price Parents?" and "The Little Moron" (1946, poems)[57][58]
  • "A Kitten's Salary" (1947, humor)[59]
  • "A Bonus--Perhaps!" (1947, poem)[60]
  • "We're Fashionable, Anyway" (1948, poem)[61]
  • "Too Bad!" and "The Little Teacher" (1949, poems)[62][63]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Effa E. Preston, 91, was former teacher". The Central New Jersey Home News. May 4, 1975. p. 70. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Preston (death notice)". The Central New Jersey Home News. July 20, 1944. p. 16. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Normal Teachers Already Assigned". The Times. June 13, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 "Thwarted Lion Tamer Retires as School Teacher". The Courier-News. June 12, 1953. p. 19. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Junior High". Sunday Times Signal. March 11, 1934. p. 18. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Arrange Program of Music, Plays at J. B. Young". Quad-City Times. April 15, 1938. p. 7. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Preston, Effa E.; Eby, Kermit; Roberts, Cecil W.; Lyle, Frederick Gordon; Nixon, Robert B.; McColley, Walter S.; Ricklefs, Robert U. (1938). "The Educational Whirl". The Clearing House. 12 (9): 536–576. ISSN 0009-8655.
  8. ↑ "County Group of Teachers Meets Tuesday; Effa E. Preston to Address Association at Woodbridge". The Central New Jersey Home News. December 3, 1939. p. 4. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Gives Her Impressions of a Convention". The Central New Jersey Home News. November 15, 1936. p. 12. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 "Grade School of B. H. S. Will Present Operetta". Harrison County Times. February 18, 1937. p. 4. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. 1 2 Reid, D. I. (May 30, 1937). "Colored Notes". The Lexington Herald. p. 36. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 "School Benefit Program Planned". The Gazette and Daily. April 16, 1947. p. 13. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Sale Brings $55 to Animal Shelter". The Central New Jersey Home News. December 23, 1949. p. 8. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ A. D. W. (1931). "Review of The Popular Commencement Book". Junior-Senior High School Clearing House. 6 (4): 252–253. ISSN 1947-3885.
  15. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1938). Modern pantomime entertainments: for teen ages, adults and grammar grades. Chicago: T.S. Denison & Co.
  16. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (Effa Estelle) (1939). Modern entertainments for churches; plays, dialogues, monologues, recitations, pageants, and exercises for primary ages to adult. Internet Archive. Chicago, T.S. Denison & company.
  17. ↑ Effa E. Preston & Beatrice Plumb & Harry W. Githens (1945). The Modern Stunt Book A Collection of Stunts and Skits... Internet Archive.
  18. ↑ Preston, Effa E.; Casey, Beatrice Marie. (1953). The closing day program book, for eighth grade and junior high school. Minneapolis: T.S. Denison.
  19. ↑ Preston, Effa E.; Casey, Beatrice Marie. (1953). Good things for closing day, for the upper and lower intermediate grades. Minneapolis: T. S. Denison.
  20. ↑ Nesbin, Esther W. (July 6, 1957). "Book Gives Hints for Party Fun". Daily Times-Advocate. p. 8. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (Effa Estelle) (1956). Fun with stunts; a collection of short skits, sketches, stunts, games, pantomimes, charades, action and musical novelties, entertainments, and talking acts. Written for presentation by teen-agers and adults for the entertainment of audiences and participants. Internet Archive. Minneapolis, T. S. Denison.
  22. ↑ Office, Library of Congress Copyright (1972). Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series: 1969: January–June. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. p. 1047.
  23. ↑ "A Christmas Playlet; Written by Grammar School Teachers, Given by First Three Grades Today". The Freehold Transcript and The Monmouth Inquirer. December 19, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "Cinderella". Monmouth Democrat. June 18, 1914. p. 1. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ Preston, Effa E. "Flag Day Exercise" Normal Instructor and Primare Plans (June 1915): 53.
  26. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1918). Uncle Sam's right arm ... Lebanon, O.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  27. ↑ "The Dolls on Dress Parade from Project Gutenberg". onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu. Archived from the original on April 2, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
  28. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1922). In a toy shop. Dayton, Ohio.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  29. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1922). A party in Mother Goose land. Dayton, O.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  30. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1922). A strike in Santa land. Dayton, O.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  31. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1922). A Thanksgiving dream. Dayton, Ohio.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  32. 1 2 3 4 The United States Catalog: Books in Print. H. W. Wilson. 1928. p. 633.
  33. ↑ Bixby, Mrs Joe (December 20, 1957). "Holden". The Star-Journal. p. 2. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ↑ "Play and Dance Program Tonight". Morning Examiner. June 10, 1933. p. 6. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ "Junior High". Sunday Times Signal. March 11, 1934. p. 18. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ↑ "Armistice Day Program Being Presented Today". West Schuylkill Herald. November 10, 1939. p. 4. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. 1 2 Fitzkee, Dariel (1930). Professional Scenery Construction. Banner play bureau, Incorporated. p. 93.
  38. ↑ Gall, Ellen M. (1929). The Banner Anthology of One-act Plays by American Authors: A Collection of Fifteen Short Plays. Banner Play Bureau, Incorporated.
  39. ↑ "Junior High to Give Operetta Friday Night". Kearney Hub. March 14, 1968. p. 5. Retrieved April 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ↑ Library of Congress Copyright Office (1930). Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. [B] Group 2. Pamphlets, Etc. New Series.
  41. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1937). "Revolt of a Filler-Outer". The Clearing House. 12 (4): 237–237. ISSN 0009-8655.
  42. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1938). "Salvation". The Clearing House. 13 (4): 232–232. ISSN 0009-8655.
  43. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1939). "Epitaphs: No. 1". The Clearing House. 14 (1): 26–26. ISSN 0009-8655.
  44. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1939). "Epitaphs: No. 2: For a Supervisor Who Was Always Up-To-Date". The Clearing House. 14 (2): 112–112. ISSN 0009-8655.
  45. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1939). "Epitaphs: No. 3: For a Superintendent of Schools". The Clearing House. 14 (3): 151–151. ISSN 0009-8655.
  46. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1940). "L'Envoi (With No Apologies to Kipling or Anyone Else)". The Clearing House. 14 (9): 524–524. ISSN 0009-8655.
  47. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (September 1940). "The Old Teachers (A Poem): (After Kipling's "The Old Men"–a long way)". The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas. 15 (1): 21–23. doi:10.1080/00098655.1940.11473004. ISSN 0009-8655.
  48. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1940). "How to Inherit the Earth". The Clearing House. 14 (7): 404–404. ISSN 0009-8655.
  49. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1940). "If the Albatross Fits, Wear It". The Clearing House. 14 (8): 470–470. ISSN 0009-8655.
  50. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1940). "Mother Goose School Law". The Clearing House. 15 (4): 238–238. ISSN 0009-8655.
  51. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1941). "Teacher's Mother Goose: The Cupboard of Hubbard Was Bare". The Clearing House. 15 (5): 263–263. ISSN 0009-8655.
  52. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1941). "To Have and Have Not". The Clearing House. 15 (9): 540–540. ISSN 0009-8655.
  53. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1942). "Our Miss Green". The Clearing House. 16 (9): 520–520. ISSN 0009-8655.
  54. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1942). "Poor Miss Beck". The Clearing House. 17 (1): 6–6. ISSN 0009-8655.
  55. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1943). "Pupil-to-Teacher Valentine". The Clearing House. 17 (6): 360–360. ISSN 0009-8655.
  56. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1945). "Teacher: To Any School Board". The Clearing House. 19 (7): 425–425. ISSN 0009-8655.
  57. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1946). "What Price Parents?". The Clearing House. 20 (8): 454–454. ISSN 0009-8655.
  58. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1946). "The Little Moron". The Clearing House. 20 (9): 518–518. ISSN 0009-8655.
  59. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1947). "A Kitten's Salary". The Clearing House. 21 (8): 475–475. ISSN 0009-8655.
  60. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1947). "A Bonus: Perhaps!". The Clearing House. 21 (6): 325–325. ISSN 0009-8655.
  61. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1948). "We're Fashionable, Anyway". The Clearing House. 22 (9): 539–539. ISSN 0009-8655.
  62. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1949). "Too Bad!". The Clearing House. 23 (7): 411–411. ISSN 0009-8655.
  63. ↑ Preston, Effa E. (1949). "The Little Teacher". The Clearing House. 24 (1): 50–50. ISSN 0009-8655.
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