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

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

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.

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O. Fred Umbaugh, A.B., A.M. Wittenberg College, University of Chicago. Head of English Depart- ment. Dean of Boys. 3, cicultu Just as a building cannot stand without a good foundation, so a school cannot function successfully without a trained efficient faculty. Thornton is fortunate in having such a faculty. In addition to a plentiful supply of M. A. ' s and Ph. D. ' s, many of the faculty members have traveled widely in all parts of the world. But degrees and broad cultural background are not the only essentials of a good teacher. Between the teachers and students at Thornton, the informal spirit of a friendly group contrib- utes to lasting friendships formed by teachers and students. Naturally, the two faculty members who know the most students are the deans. Miss Helene Wilson and Mr. O. F. Umbaugh. They are the ones called upon most frequently to help students with perplexing problems. If a student is in need of financial assistance in order to attend school, it is one of the deans who finds help. If a boy or girl has difliculty in becoming adjusted to life at Thornton, it is to one of the deans he goes for assistance. The deans, busy people that they are, also keep running smoothly the affairs of the Boys and Girls clubs. Mr. Umbaugh is not only Dean of Boys, but also Head of the English Department, and has charge of attendance. With the aid of the Student Personnel council he checks on reasons for absence in order to keep students at their most important job for the present, attending school. Dr. C. R. Maddox is also well known to the students at Thornton. As Supervisor of Instruc- tion, he administers the standardized tests which are taken by all prospective Thornton freshmen and guides the students through the labyrinth of that first baffling year at Thornton. Helene E. Wilson, B.A., M.A. Uni- versity of Wisconsin, Northwestern University, Oxford University. Eng- lish. Dean of Girls.