McClain High School - Dragon Yearbook (Greenfield, OH)

Page 12 text:

In Memoriam MISS ESTHER BRICE On February 20, 1936, Miss Esther Brice, Librarian of McClain high school, passed away, sincerely mourned by all who knew her. Miss Brice became high school librarian in September, 1915, and continued in that capacity until the beginning of the present school year when, on account of ill health, she was granted a yearls leave of absence by the Board of Education. Under her wise and intelligent direction, the library grew from a heterogenous collection of a few hundred books to a comprehen- sive library of over ten thousand volumes, catalogued and classified according to the best library procedures. This fine collection of books was supplemented by a highly valuable packet library of magazine and newspaper clippings, embracing hundreds of topics, covering almost any matter of current interest. Miss Brice brought to her work as librarian a rare knowledge of her subject, energy, efficiency and limitless in- terest in young people and their problems. She lived among books. They were her inspiration and her joy. She communed with the great spirits of the past and the present and found her greatest joy in introducing others to communion with those rare spirits. A sense of deep personal loss is felt by every student of McClain high school in her death. - i .l 5 MR. WILLIAM B. ITTNER It is with sincere sorrow that we record the passing of another great figure in the history and development of our school, Mr. William B. Ittner who died at his home in St. Louis in January at the age of 71. Mr. Ittner was a pioneer in modern school architecture. He revolutionized school design, adapted the beautiful and ap propriate Tudor, Gothic, and Georgian forms to modern school architecture, achieved a national and international reputation as an architect and contributed more than five hundred beautiful and useful buildings to the schools of America. In 1913 when the late Edward Lee McClain was seeking an architect to embody in brick and stone and cement his conception of a model high school, he selected Mr. Ittner for the position on competent advice. The wisdom of Mr. McClain's choice is clearly in- dictated by the magnificient trinity of buildings, set in spacious and beautifully land- scaped grounds, which grace the main thoroughfare of Greenfield. When Mr. Ittner had completed the last of the three buildings in the group, he carved his signature on the corner stone, as an artist inscribes a picture with his name,i' he said. It was an indication that he felt well satisfied with his work. His lovely buildings stand and long will stand, a thing of beauty and a joy foreverf' The Schools of America, in- cluding our ovsm, have sustained a great loss in the death of Mr. Ittner.

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I N MEMORY . . . Of Our Beloved Bene- jactor, Edward Lee Mc- Clain, Who Gave Of His Wealth to Build and Equip the Edward Lee McClain High School, the Vocational School, and the McClain Athletic Field.

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ADMINISTRATION Herein we present facts about our beloved in- structors, many of whom have known us throughout our school life.