Gladys Watanabe will have you know that the Gettysburg Address and the novels of Ernest Hemingway were written in pencil.

(And if you like to chew on the instruments, there’s no risk of lead poisoning since they’re made of granite and clay, not the toxic metal, she readily points out.)

The 83-year-old retired schoolteacher loves school supplies, especially the tools of self-expression — which explains her collection of more than 600 pencils.

The Aiea woman started collecting them as a junior at Maui’s Lahainaluna High School in 1948. While attending a Future Homemakers of America convention in Kansas City, Mo., Wata­nabe purchased a set of six novelty pencils, each one imprinted with a note: "Keep me in the desk," "I’m strictly the Kitchen pencil," "Hey don’t run off with me," "Put me with the games," "I’m the bedroom pencil" and "Leave me by the telephone."

She still has them.

"I’m from a small plantation town in Maui. … I thought the pencils were so unique," she said. "That’s why I picked them up."

Once family members and friends learned of her collection, they would purchase unique pencils for Wata­nabe as gifts or bring them back from their travels. "Made in Germany" pencils with teddy bear, Santa Claus and other toppers form a collection within her collection, and others are souvenirs of such landmarks as the Louvre in Paris and the Tower of London.

She has commemorative presidential pencils featuring the commander-in-chief’s birthplace and dates in office, from George Washington to Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Watanabe especially likes pencils with advertising slogans or company logos. She even appreciates her collection of short, stubby pencils handed out at golf courses for scorekeeping.

Her favorites include the pencil from her junior prom dance card, one from the now-defunct Kilgo’s hardware store with two erasers on each side of one end to form the shape of a hammer and a souvenir version from Disneyland.

Watanabe said she used to carry a few pencils in her purse while traveling so she could trade them to add to her collection.

"I’d go into collection mode every time I found something new and different," she said.

Eventually, Watanabe had so many pencils she stopped collecting them. (She finds contemporary designs mundane.) But she still hasn’t figured out how to display her collection.

"I’m thinking about gluing them onto a table as a permanent display," she said.

Although she retired from Kalihi Waena Elementary School in 1987, Wata­­nabe continues to find ways to keep her mind sharp and her body strong.

She attends a senior program at Aiea District Park where she meets friends for excursions, listens to guest speakers and enjoys holiday activities. She also spends time with her two daughters and two granddaughters.

Watanabe volunteers once a week in the rose garden at the Pearl City Urban Garden, and regularly works on crossword and sudoku puzzles — in pencil, of course.

Possessed is an occasional series featuring Hawaii residents and their unique or fascinating collections. Tell us about your collection by emailing features@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4892.