THE GASKINS: Having three children in the same family named top
students in their graduating class is rare enough, but imagine the
three being African-American children of a barber in Smethport in
the early 1900s.

Thus goes the story of the Gaskin family who grew up in
Smethport and, in 2003, produced a history called, “Smethport
Memories.”

The story came into our hands by way of Jim Herzog of Smethport
who noted that the three daughters were in the first family in
Smethport to produce multiples as valedictorian and
salutatorian.

This history was written by Gladys Gaskin Reed and Emma Gaskin
Bright. The third sister, Naomi Gaskin Brooks, died in 1999. We’ll
share the story with readers today and tomorrow.

“Our father, Elwood Orlo Gaskin, came to Smethport in 1893 when
he was 16 years old. He was born in Haymarket, Va. At a young age,
he knew that in order for him to become independent that he would
have to leave Virginia. A cousin who had worked in Smethport for a
short time had returned to Virginia and gave Dad the idea of going
to Smethport. Dad took the spring excursion train to Smethport,
planned to remain until Christmas, but stayed for 58 years.

“In the beginning Dad worked for Mr. Robert King. Dad went
everywhere with Mr. King and was given the nickname of ‘little Bob’
which was shortened later as Bob. As time went on, Dad waited
tables at the Grand Central Hotel on Main Street and operated a
news stand. But Dad wanted to have his own business and so he took
up barbering, which became his life’s work.

“Our mother, Clementine Washington Gaskin, was born in
Baltimore, Md. She was a Baltimore city elementary school teacher.
One summer, she visited a friend in Kane, and it was there that she
met our father. They exchanged letters for four years before they
were married in Baltimore.

They had three daughters, Naomi, Emma and Gladys.

“The three of us attended the Smethport School. Naomi was
graduated as salutatorian in 1927. She should have been the
valedictorian, but the school board was influenced by some who
looked at ‘race’ rather than grades. She received a beautiful note
with a gold coin enclosed with the words, ‘To the real
valedictorian,’ from Mr. Orlo J. Hamlin. Emma was valedictorian in
1930. Gladys was valedictorian in 1938.”