Grosse Pointe University School - Pericon Yearbook (Grosse Pointe, MI)

Page 13 text:

The Commillee raised lhree hundred lhousand dollars wilhin six monlhs which enabled lhem lo purchase lhe land and lo slarl lhe building. They had hoped lo raise an addilional one hundred and lilly lhousand dollars lo complele lhe paymenls on lhe land and lhe presenl building and lo planl and beaulily lhe lands. The Board de- sired lo raise a lolal ol seven hundred lhousand dollars ol which lhe remaining lwo hundred and lilly lhousand was lo serve as a proleclion lo lhe inveslmenl. lvlr. Edsel B. Ford paid up lhe balance ol lhe land conlracl ol Sl25.000 which was owing on lhe properly. This was in addilion lo his original gill ol SI25,000 lo lhis fund. The mainlenance lund was never achieved. Thus in lhe lall ol I929 lhe school opened ils new, modern quarlers. ll was lo conlinue as a Counlry Day School lor 200 boys. Every ellorl was made lo mainlain ils repulalion as a Prep school. The educalional policies which can be lraced back lo ils very beginnings were slill lo be pursued in lhese new and much more adequale surroundings. ln l939 Mr. Flelcher, aller lwenly-lhree years ol service. relired as l-leadmasler ol D.U.S. l-le was succeeded by Clillon Orville Page, who had been l-leadmasler ol lhe Park School, Indianapolis, lndiana. ln l94l Mr. Fries relired wilh lhirly-six years ol conlinuous service al D.U.S. The nexl year Mr. Page resigned as l-leadmasler. The Board Ol Truslees was looking lor a new l-leadmasler. ln I939 lhe Board ol lhe Grosse Poinle Counlry Day School, a co-educalional school which had been organized in l9l5 by a group ol civic leaders in Grosse Poinle had ap- proached lhe Board ol D.U.S. wilh a merger proposilion, bul al lhal lime D.U.S. lurned il down. Therelore, in l94l. Edsel Ford, as Presidenl ol D.U.S. Board, wenl lo Dr. Maleer, Presidenl ol Grosse Poinle Counlry Day School Board wilh lhe suggeslion lhal lhe schools merge. Aller much discussion il was decided lo merge lhe lwo schools lor grealer elliciency under a single adminislralive and linancial managemenl. ll was decided lhal each school would relain ils own name and idenlily under lhe merger. A new corporalion was lormed under lhe laws ol lhe Slale ol Michigan lo be operaled nol lor prolil by a sell-perpelualing board ol lruslees. The adminislralive corporalion which owns lhe school properlies is known as lhe Delroil Universily School and Grosse Poinle Counlry Day School Corporalion. Boards ol Trus- lees ol bolh inslilulions became unilied by lhe merger. The direclion ol bolh schools was placed in lhe hands ol Mr. Lamberl F. Whelslone, who had been l-leadmasler ol Grosse Poinle Counlry Day School lrom l936 lo l942. Delroil Universily School was lo conlinue as a prep school for boys lrom lourlh grade lhrough high school. Grosse Poinle Counlry Day School ceased lo be co-educalional and became lhe girls' school lrom lourlh lhrough lwelllh grades. The Kinder- garlen and lirsl lhree grades included bolh boys and girls and are localed al lhe Counlry Day School. The Nursery School was silualed in a ranch-lype building across Cook Road lrom D.U.S. 9

Page 12 text:

The aim was To geT all boys inTeresTed in some acTiviTy, recognizing ThaT one cannoT be eTl'icienT if he does noT have a well-Trained body in which a well-Trained mind may TuncTion. The school was reorganized as a TrusTee ln- sTiTuTion in l92O, Thus puTTing iT on a non-proTiT basis. Mr. Charles B. Warren was made The TirsT PresidenT of The Board of TrusTees of The reor- ganized D.U.S. and conTinued To serve as Presi- oT TrusTees. Among Them were Mr. Edsel B. Ford, Mr. Edgar Bowen. and Mr. C. Henry l-laberlcorn. Jr. Mr. Roscoe B. Jackson, Mr. Ford BallanTyne, and Mr. Allan Shelden were also added To The Board aT This Time. AT a meeTing of The Board. held March 2I, l927, iT was voTed ThaT Mr. Ford. Mr. l-laberlcorn, and Mr. Shelden be appoinTed a CommiTTee To consider The possible siTe for a new school and To denT un+iI his deafh. lTs affairs have since been managed by a clisTinguished group of ciTizens. By l926. The eTTecTs of The World War and The ensuing depression over, iT was evidenT ThaT The school musT have room Tor growTh in more adequaTe surroundings. By This Time several of The old boys. now TaThers, had ioinecl The Board 8 propose To The Board a meThod Tor raising The money To pay Tor iT. IT was decided To purchase an eighTeen acre siTe on Cook Road in Grosse PoinTe Woods Tor The new home oT The school. Through The generosiTy of The Alumni and friends The CommiTTee was To raise abouT a half million dollars Tor The new school which was To be ready for use in The school year of l928-l929.

Page 14 text:

This was The seT-up as creaTed by The merger and sTill exisTs wiTh The excepTion ThaT The Nursery School is now locaTed on The CounTry Day School Campus, The new and more adequaTe quarTers donaTed by Mr. George R. Fink in I946. On Friday, April ll, I947, D.U.S. experi- enced her second Tire. AlThough The Third Tloor was pracTically demolished by The Tire and The resT oT The building was drenched wiTh waTer, dam- ages were suTTicienTly cleared so ThaT school was resumed on The Tollowing Tuesday. However, all repairs were noT compleTed, nor was The addiTion oT an enlarged and improved Third Tloor Tinished unTil laTe in I947. This pasT Spring and Summer has wroughT more changes. On May 6, I948, Mr. WheTsTone resigned as HeadmasTer oT These schools. His posT has been capably Tilled by Mr.G. Iv1.GarreTT, AssisTanT To The HeadmasTer aT D.U.S., and by Miss Blanche Richardson, AssisTanT To The Head- masTer aT G.P.C.D.S., as The acTing adminisTraTors in The Two schools. During The summer an addiTion To The CounTry Day School was made. This has made iT possible Tor These schools To educaTe a larger number oT youngsTers and To be oT even greaTer service To The communiTy. In May, I947, The Board oT TrusTees under- Tool: a DevelopmenT Program which is designed, when compleTed in Tive years, To provide greaTer securiTy Tor The sTaTT, more scholarships, and in- creased space Tor The schools. When The Tinancial goal has been reached, a new building Tor The high school girls will be consTrucTed on Cook Road opposiTe The D.U.S. campus. This will allow Tor a more eTTecTive and eTTicienT uTilizaTion oT The Tacil- iTies and The TacuITies oT These schools. This combinaTion oT schools seems To be a happy one. NOT only does iT prove more eco- 10