East Lansing High School - Ceniad Yearbook (East Lansing, MI)

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Samuel B. Laird Lansing has been most fortunate in her selection of superintendents, both past and present. Today we have at the head of our public schools a man of whom we can feel justly proud, and to whom we can entrust the care and educa- tion of the hundreds of pupils placed under his direction. Mr. Laird spent his boyhood days in the town of Chelsea, Washte- naw county, Michigan, and his first schooling was received in the union school of that place. At the age of twenty he secured a certifi- cate and commenced teaching, and in this way obtained means for furthering his education. After two years of this work he entered the State Normal at Ypsilanti, from where, on completing a four year course in the classics, he went to Tawas City, and spent the next nine years in teaching. Following the very successful period in that city he accepted a position in the East Tawas schools, where he remained for the next five years. At the end of this time he removed to Dowagiac to take up the work of superintendent of the public schools there. In addition to his work of superintendent Mr. Laird taught four studies daily, besides the extra work done in studying for degrees. After spending six years in Dowagiac, he was offered the superin- tendency of the Lansing public schools and came to this city to assume his duties at the beginning of last year's term. Mr. Laird has always been a hard worker, as every school where he has been can testifyg he has had the degrees of Ph. B. and M. S. con- ferred upon him, after examination, by the McKendree College of Illinois, and B. by the State Normal, as results of his post graduate work. During the past year he has organized several Parents clubs, and held numberless meetings in which the welfare of the child 'l has been the theme, for he firmly believes that the cooperation of the

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SAMUEL B. LAIRD

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parents with the teacher assists in bringing about better results for the child. He has made a careful research in the subject of child study, and has given many lectures and talks upon that most interesting subject In every Way Mr. Laird compares favorably with the foremost edu- cators of the state, and THE cJRr-XCLE wishes and sees for him a successful future. N! '54 il ' KSN- n , I