J J Pearce High School - Mustang Yearbook (Richardson, TX)

Page 7 text:

fea Nhe f One of the State’s Most Respected Educators Dr. Pearce joined the Richardson Schools in July of 1946. Prior to this, he had taught one year in Princeton, Texas; had served as superintendent in Westminster, Texas for three years; he had been in a second superintendency in Celeste, Texas for 11 years, and he had completed three years in the United States Air Force, leaving that service at the close of World War II as a captain. Along the way, he has found time for numerous civic and service organizations, having served in many capacities from director to president to member. Such groups include United Fund, Chamber of Commerce, Richardson Hospital Avuthor- ity, YMCA, Dallas Association for Retarded Children, Rotary Club, Masonic Lodge and many others. Dr. Pearce also serves his church, the First Baptist Church of Richardson, as a member of its Board of Deacons. He and his wife, Edith, have one son, Joe Alvin, and three grandchildren. One of the highlights of Dr. Pearce’s career came last fall when the auditorium of Pearce High School was dedicated to Mrs. Pearce. Known as the Edith V. Pearce Auditorium, the facility is proudly used by students and by the community, serving as a lasting tribute to Dr. Pearce’s wife and life-long partner. (left page, top) Dr. Pearce prepares to hand the superintendency over to Dr. John Roberts; (left page, bottom) Dr. Pearce organizes for another working day; (right page, top right) Dr. and Mrs. Pearce prepare to enjoy his retirement; (right page, top right) Dr. Pearce expresses gratitude for the services of his secretary of 20 years.

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In Appreciation of Dr. J. J. Pearce The students and staff of Pearce High School wish to dedicate Mustang ’77 to a professional educator who him- self is dedicated. Dr. Pearce, on announcing his retirement effective this summer, ends 31 years as Superintendent of the Richardson Independent School District. With him at the helm, this district has grown from a single red brick schoolhouse, housing 351 pupils, to a 44-building educational network attended by over 37,000 students and repeatedly heralded as one of the finest school systems in our nation. The native Texan has literally dedicated his life to one goal: helping each student develop to his fullest potential. Whether it be the receipt of a birthday card, a congratula- tory note following an achievement or simply a friendly conversation in the hallway of a school, Dr. Pearce has touched the life of virtually every student in the district. He has succeeded in molding a school system which is an integral part of this community — a community which looks upon education as its finest achievement and points to an individual who is responsible for that accomplishment. Such. a leader is Joseph Jones Pearce, to whom we proudly dedicate this yearbook.

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pe Ake 7 we tat i Aon Bay PAST APT NPs iassy te Ble qheegetsesy Tipe “Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness. . . even in the meanest sorts of labor, the whole soul of a man is composed into a kind of real harmony the instant he sets himself to his task.” -—Thomas Carlyle, essayist and historian Such a man is Joseph Jones Pearce, the individual we honor with the 1977 Mustang annual.