Teacher Orientation Day at Elizabeth Forward High School in August, 1957
remains a very special memory for Dorothy Messner Come. It was the start
of a long, productive teaching career in the EF school system and it was
when she met her husband to be Ted Come in the high school parking lot.
Born in Elizabeth, her family moved to West Newton where she lived until
1961. Come graduated from West Newton High School in 1953 and from Indiana
State Teachers College in January, 1957. She later would her required
credits for certification from the University of Pittsburgh.
Come's first teaching position was at McKeesport High School where she
taught home economics from January to June 1957. Her teaching career at EF
began later that same year and except for absences to have children, would
continue for 39 years.
Her marriage to Ted Come in 1959 brought them the honor of being the
first husband and wife couple to work for EF. Her husband taught, coached
(he was head baseball coach of the 1961 team which lost in the WPIAL
finals at Forbes Field) and served in several administrative positions,
including high school principal, at EFHS. He passed away in October 2003.
The Comes had three sons, all EF graduates and all of whom became
engineers, and five grandchildren. Richard is a mechanical engineer;
David, a mining engineer, and Charles, an electrical engineer. While her
boys were growing up, she was involved in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Mt.
Vernon Youth Development and Mt. Vernon Community Presbyterian Church
activities.
Following retirement, she enjoyed several years of traveling. Hawaii,
Alaska, New England, Australia, New Zealand, England, France, Italy,
Spain, the Holy Land and South America, including a trip up the Amazon
River, were among her destinations. She also took classes in the
Commissioned Lay Pastor Program at Waynesburg College.
Come presently serves as an elder and volunteer in the church office at
Mt. Vernon Church. She also leads a Bible Study group at Mt. Vernon and
also conducts worship services at Dunbar Presbyterian Church, Laurel Hill
Presbyterian Church and Redstone Highlands in Greensburg.
An active member of the West Newton Women.s Association, she leads a
monthly Bible study, helps with sewing for missions and helps make apple
dumplings as a fundraiser. She is a former member of the McKeesport
College Club.