Thornton Township High School - Thorntonite Yearbook (Harvey, IL)

Page 16 text:

fTB — ni 1 !FiaP - » ' F ' ' ' ' ■ ' ! il? j i 1 M. ■— ' IIB ' ' i 5H 1 Vr i :.v B......Mi 1 ii mM 1 ' Ss ' d ». y9f t ■ 1 vl H Mr. Edwin R. Waterman, member; Mr. G. H. Gibson, Vice-president; Mr. Burtun Evans, attorney; Mr. Frank P. Cowing, member; Mr. Walter Haines, member; Mr. A. H. McDougall, President. dSoard of- C duccill uccilion Elected by the people of Thornton Township, the Board of Education of Illinois school district 205 is composed of five competent citizens who without regard for monetary compensation take upon themselves the responsibility of directing Thornton Township High School and Junior College. These worthy citizens are Mr. A. H. McDougall, President of the Board of Education, who holds the position of Vice-president of the Whiting Corporation ; Mr. G. H. Gibson, Vice-president of the Board, who before retirement from an active business life was President of the Chicago Steel Car Company; Mr. Walter Haines, Thornton Township Collector; Mr. Frank P. Cowing, attorney-at-law ; and Mr. Edwin R. Waterman, farmer and banker. Mr. Clarence W. Waaso and Mr. Burton Evans, secretary and attorney, respectively, to the board are elected by that group. Mr. A. F. Waldschmidt, treasurer of Thornton Township, is elected by the three trustees of the township. Chief among the duties of the board is the employment of an outstanding super- intendent and faculty and the direction of the school ' s financial policies. Throughout the years the Board of Education has maintained for Thornton an enviable financial rating. Because these five citizens have given of their time and experience over unusually long periods of time, Mr. Gibson since 1912 and Mr. McDougall since 1913, a stable plan of exacting efficiency and a firm policy of high values characterize the Board ' s activities.

Page 15 text:

Upperclassmen may elect to study creative writing, journalism, radio workshop, and dramatics. If you aren ' t afraid of queer odors, we can peek into a chemistry lab. Mustard gas, thermite bombs, coal tar dyes — no limit to the things taught here. Where ' s your pass? Another student is stopped by a hall guard who is doing his part to keep the halls clear and quiet. The hall guards help in air raid and fire drills too, keeping order and acting as fire watchers. Even a fire could not empty a school building faster than the 3:30 bell. By 3:45 the halls are empty, but wait — I hear some very gay music. I thought so. The hep cats are cuttin ' the rug in the Little Theater, but the Girls Club office is still full of girls hard at work. Now the clock in the main hall across from Mr. Abraham Lincoln says it is five P.M. Goodbye, I enjoyed showing you samples of my work. I ' ll have a short nap before my doors open again, this time to several hundred night school students. ' Round the clock — that ' s the way I work! And I ' m proud to do it.

Page 17 text:

William E. McVey, B.S., A.M.. Ph.D. Ohio University, UnivciMtj ot (Jucago. Superintendent of Thornton Township High School and Junior College. li uperinlen r dent I V Ic Je ¥ Behind every successful enterprise there is the forceful direction of an individual whose leadership inspires the confidence of his fellow workers and whose personality generates sympathetic helpfulness. Such a man is Superintendent William E. McVey, who directs the work of Thornton Township High School and Junior College. Each morning Dr. McVey ' s kindly voice over the public address system gives announcements to the students and faculty. In addition to carrying out his executive duties, Superintendent McVey found time for intensive study and research on the subject of Standards for the Accreditation of Secondary Schools. As a result of that study and of class work at the University of Chicago, the university conferred on him, on December 18, 1943, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. In his dissertation Dr. McVey traced the origin of secondary school standards which are a part of accrediting procedures, determined the trends in these standards since 1870, offered a critical evaluation of standards as they exist today, considered the overlapping tendencies of these agencies serving the secondary school, and evaluated the influence these standards have wielded upon the educational programs of secondary schools. Dr. McVey, Thornton ' s leader since 1919, was during the current year elected President of the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges, an honor which not often comes to a school and of which all Thornton is genuinely proud. 13