Murphy High School - Mohian Yearbook (Mobile, AL)

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 4 i vi (s fw% t i vi Dr. Raymond G. Wilson PRINCIPAL Memphis State University, B. S., Duke University, M. Ed., Univer- sity of Illinois, Ed. D. As head of Murphy High School I)r. Wilson participates actively in organizations of high school prin- cipals. Currently he is chairman of the Southern Association Commis- sion on Research and Service, the first high school official ever to serve as such. He is also one of the seven-member National Curricu- lum Planning and Development Committee of the National Associa- tion of Secondary School Principals. This year at Murphy was a fairly normal one. The imbalance in enrollment, with the smallest senior class in the history of the school, was due to the transition from an 11-grade to a 12- grade system in Mobile. The “gangster publicity in the fall, unfortunate in many respects, served to draw Murphy closer together and to increase the concern of serious students for the moral well-being of their school. Faculty meetings centered around the theme: “Expanding Approaches to Better Educational Practices. Fields selected for study were audio-visual, guidance, and curriculum. Speakers for the three topics were Dr. James Caldwell, Director of Audio- visual Services at University of Alabama; Juvenile Judge of Mobile County, Mr. Herndon Inge; and Mr. Melvin Hctland, Assistant Superintendent in charge of Curriculum. • 10 •

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w f V HE HEN I consider Life and its feta years— A wisp of fog betwixt us and the sun; A call to battle, and the battle done Ere the last echo dies within our ears; A rose choked in the grass; an hour of fears; The gusts that past a darkening shore do beat; The burst of music down an unlistening street,— wonder at the idleness of tears. Ye old, old dead, and ye of yesternight, Chieftains, and bards, and peepers of the sheep, By every cup of sorrow that you had, Loose me from tears, and make me see aright How each hath back what once he stayed to weep: Homer his sight, David his little lad! Mr. Lawler devoted a goodly jxmion of his life to Murphy High School — as teacher of science and biology and chairman of the Science department, as pioneer in visual education both at Murphy and in Mobile County, as general co-ordinator of the complex exaluation program of 1950. Friends at Murphy will long remember Mr. Lawler’s kind face, which wore in later years “the twilight of a grief, but in that grief the star- light of a smile. They will remember the face because they loved the man. • 9 •

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Common Learnings Program Murphy’s Common Learnings program attracted many people interested in curriculum experimenta- tion. Miss Mildred Ellisor, supervisor of instruction in Monroe County and former Core teacher at Mur- phy, brought a party to spend the day, and a similar group came from Conecuh County. Prominent indi- viduals who spent varying lengths of time in obser- vation and consultation were: Dr. Rosalind Zapf of Detroit, with the Ford Foundation; Dr. Herman Frick of Florida State University; Dr. Hoyt M. Brock of Florence State Teachers College; Dr. William Van Till of Peabody College; and Dr. Alfred Kirsch of Dusscldorf, Germany. Core teachers themselves journeyed to Troy State Teachers College for a week- end conference and workshop. Adult and Veteran School The Adult and Veteran division is gradually becoming more adult and less veteran. Two-thirds of the students this year were non-veterans taking courses ranging from grades 1 to 12, in addition to post-graduate courses in college preparatory, in- dustrial arts, and business education. Special short term courses which attracted many adults were milli- nery, optical physics, interior decoration, flower ar- rangement, income tax, gardening, horticulture, sew- ing, art, and duplicating machines. Adult and Veteran Division is self-sustaining through tuition. Through the years it has equipped Murphy with many office machines, including rotary and keydriven calculators, adding machines, and duplicating machines. This year the division gave the visual education department an R C A senior pro- jector, an opaque projector, and two daylight screens. Mrs. Huntil (right), assistunt principal in charge of Adult and Veteran Division, discusses format of new bulletin with her office manager. Miss Knudsen. Mr. Phillips (left), assistant principal in charge of discipline, checks on a withdrawn student with Mrs. ll'hitt, visiting teacher. Mr. McManaway (right), dean of boys, outlines large-scale freshman testing program to Miss Williams, new guidance counsellor. Mrs. Devilbiss (right), registrar, checks graduation require- ments for 195i seniors, while Mrs. Stumpf, records clerl(, copies a four-year record card. Mrs. Ijowrey. receptionist, issues turdy slips and lends fountain pens to the ever-present office queue.