Nettie Bayless Courts Depp (November 21, 1874 – August 3, 1932) was an education reformer and the first woman elected to public office in Barren County, Kentucky when she was elected Superintendent of Barren County Schools in 1913. She served from January 1, 1914, through December 31, 1917. Early life Depp was the daughter of John Burks Depp, a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, and of Mariba Elizabeth Reneau (1846-1928). She was one of six children, including Elizabeth Eola "Lizzie" Depp Allen, Mary Pitsy Depp Rowland, Tipton Hanson Depp, Oren Richard Depp, and Lillie Belle Depp Matthews. Her middle names came from her maternal great grandmother, Mary Bayless Wood (1777-1863), and her paternal great grandmother, Mary Hanson Courts Depp (1793-1840). She was a member of Christian Church. Her grandfather, Isaac Tipton Reneau, was a well-known preacher in the Christian Church who served numerous churches in south central Kentucky and northern Tennessee. Education Nettie B.C. Depp was educated in the common schools of Barren County, Kentucky. She was a graduate of Liberty Female College in Glasgow, Kentucky. For more than a decade, Depp taught in various schools and concluded that expanding her own education to become a professional teacher would be her next goal. Depp enrolled at Southern Normal School, sometimes referenced as the Cherry Brothers' School (seminal institutions of Western Kentucky University), in Bowling Green, Kentucky to further her education. She studied under Dr. Henry Hardin Cherry, who became her mentor, and Thomas C. Cherry. As a student, Depp embraced the Cherry brothers' philosophies on education such as the Declaration on Principles and Policies for Southern Normal School which included goals such as: To be a live school and to impart to its students a burning zeal to do and be something. To be progressive, to use modern methods and equipment, but reject all worthless educational fads. To let the reputation of the school be sustained by real merit. To fight against ignorance, and for higher education and the liberation of the human soul. To instill in the minds of the students the great truth that every person is created to do something, to be a producer. To lead the student to understand that a broad and liberal education is essential to the highest degree of success in any endeavor in life. During her studies in Bowling Green, Depp became an advocate of Henry Hardin Cherry's efforts to