Sarah "bess" Wagner
Key Words: University of Southern Mississippi, Albany, Catskill Mountains, Farming
Interviewed by Kayt Gochenaur as part of the Oral History Project at Will Rogers.
Sarah Bess Wagner nee Stewart was born in Newton, Mississippi and raised in Hattiesburg, MS. Her mother taught Home Economics at rural high schools in the area, and her father was a salesman for Pure Oil. Her mother eventually went back to school to get her master’s degree in Home Economics. Bess grew up only two blocks away from University of Southern Mississippi. Bess was an only child, and has always been very social. She loved spending time with her friends, riding bikes, swimming, roller skating. Bess attended Belhaven College, a Presbyterian girls’ college, for two years before transferring to University of Southern Mississippi where she studied Home Ec. Late in the year of 1955, Bess met Gerard Wagner, a classmate at University of Southern Mississippi, and six weeks later they eloped, to avoid the difficulties of arraigning a Presbyterian-Catholic wedding. Bess and Gerard stayed in Hattiesburg for a few years, where they had two boys, Steward and Cliff. Soon they moved to Houston, and then on to Florida, where they Bess taught nursery school and elementary school respectively. Bess and Gerard had two boys, Stewart and Cliff. Bess and Gerard moved up to Surprise NY, outside of Albany where they bought a farm. The farm was at the base of the Catskills and at first, Bess didn’t like the idea of living on a farm, but she grew to love the land, and hated leaving the mountains. They raised pigs, chickens, cows, and rabbits at different times, all for food. After their children moved out, they began downsizing the farm, and stopped raising animals. Gerard started a small gardening business called “Weeding and Watering” after he retired. Gerard and Bess always worked out together, and saw movies together, and she said she was never bored, “I always had a book to read, always had friends to do stuff with”. Bess retired in 1995 and Gerard and Bess used take a yearly trips to Mexico. Gerard passed away in 2004, and Bess stayed on the farm for another two years before moving to Will Rogers. She said she hated to leave her friends in Surprise, but in 2017 she decided she was ready to move, and she, “never looked in the rear view mirror.” She said, “I love the fact that every day I have to get up, and get dressed and go to meals, but also I can not do anything one day. I can stay in my room and read if I want to. It’s an amazing place.” Bess loves playing cards, going on trips, and seeing movies. Bess says Will Rogers is “a wonderful place, I am very happy here”.
Sarah Bess Wagner nee Stewart was born in Newton, Mississippi and raised in Hattiesburg, MS. Her mother taught Home Economics at rural high schools in the area, and her father was a salesman for Pure Oil. Her mother eventually went back to school to get her master’s degree in Home Economics. Bess grew up only two blocks away from University of Southern Mississippi. Bess was an only child, and has always been very social. She loved spending time with her friends, riding bikes, swimming, roller skating. Bess attended Belhaven College, a Presbyterian girls’ college, for two years before transferring to University of Southern Mississippi where she studied Home Ec. Late in the year of 1955, Bess met Gerard Wagner, a classmate at University of Southern Mississippi, and six weeks later they eloped, to avoid the difficulties of arraigning a Presbyterian-Catholic wedding. Bess and Gerard stayed in Hattiesburg for a few years, where they had two boys, Steward and Cliff. Soon they moved to Houston, and then on to Florida, where they Bess taught nursery school and elementary school respectively. Bess and Gerard had two boys, Stewart and Cliff. Bess and Gerard moved up to Surprise NY, outside of Albany where they bought a farm. The farm was at the base of the Catskills and at first, Bess didn’t like the idea of living on a farm, but she grew to love the land, and hated leaving the mountains. They raised pigs, chickens, cows, and rabbits at different times, all for food. After their children moved out, they began downsizing the farm, and stopped raising animals. Gerard started a small gardening business called “Weeding and Watering” after he retired. Gerard and Bess always worked out together, and saw movies together, and she said she was never bored, “I always had a book to read, always had friends to do stuff with”. Bess retired in 1995 and Gerard and Bess used take a yearly trips to Mexico. Gerard passed away in 2004, and Bess stayed on the farm for another two years before moving to Will Rogers. She said she hated to leave her friends in Surprise, but in 2017 she decided she was ready to move, and she, “never looked in the rear view mirror.” She said, “I love the fact that every day I have to get up, and get dressed and go to meals, but also I can not do anything one day. I can stay in my room and read if I want to. It’s an amazing place.” Bess loves playing cards, going on trips, and seeing movies. Bess says Will Rogers is “a wonderful place, I am very happy here”.