Colorado estate discovery returns 1940s Canton student’s story home

Courtesy of the Canton-Madison County Historical Society

The Canton-Madison County Historical Society recently received a collection of historical materials tracing the life of a former Canton student after an unexpected journey from across the country.

The items arrived in an envelope originally sent from an estate sale in Pueblo, Colorado. After rediscovering the package, the society contacted the sender, 86-year-old Patty Bedard of Bedard Estate Sales, who said she had mailed the materials approximately five or six years ago.

Bedard explained that through her work, she often encounters historically significant items. When no family members remain or when families are not interested in preserving them, she researches their origins and sends them to appropriate historical societies.

Her efforts resulted in the return of materials belonging to O’Bera Garbarino (Caruso), a Canton native whose childhood and school years are documented in the collection.

Among the items are photographs and school documents from the 1930s and 1940s, including a studio portrait of Garbarino as a grade-school student taken at Weatherford Studio in Canton, an early class photograph, and her Elementary School Certificate dated May 31, 1937. The certificate notes she had “honorably completed the course of study prescribed… for the Elementary Schools” and had been admitted into high school.

A note on the back of one photograph indicates Garbarino was born in April 1925, meaning she would be just shy of 101 years old today.

The materials date to the era of the Great Depression, a time when such keepsakes likely carried significant meaning for families across Mississippi.

Additional documents detail Garbarino’s high school years in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Report cards and teacher notes provide insight into her academic life, with one teacher writing that she “should always be attentive in class,” while another described her as having “many pleasing characteristics” but encouraged greater interest in current events. Other remarks were more personal, including one teacher who called her “a sweet girl” and expressed hope she would earn an “A” the following year.

Garbarino’s own reflections were also preserved. In one, she wrote, “I really have enjoyed you teaching me this year.” In another, she acknowledged, “I don’t study as much as I should. I have enjoyed studying everything that we had this six weeks.”

The collection also includes her 1943 commencement invitation and senior pin, marking her graduation during World War II. That year’s Canton High School senior publication, “The Helios,” lists a graduating class of 55 students, with many male students already assigned to roles in the armed forces.

Garbarino is featured prominently in the publication. She was named “Most Beautiful Girl” of the Class of 1943 and appears in several sections reflecting student life and social norms of the time. A class article noted her preference for “the best of everything,” while a senior rhyme referenced her popularity and social life.

Other materials include a photograph of the Army Band of Flora, Mississippi, and a newspaper events calendar documenting a series of social gatherings—teas, luncheons, dances and parties—organized largely by mothers to honor graduating seniors. One such event was a seated tea hosted for Garbarino by Mrs. John Garbarino.

Using a 1945 Canton phone book and town maps from 1925, the historical society determined that Garbarino likely lived at either 106 or 108 South Union Street. Both locations are now parking lots.

The Canton-Madison County Historical Society said the collection preserves Garbarino’s story as part of the local historical record and expressed appreciation to Bedard for ensuring the materials were returned to Canton.