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

Page 18 text:

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.

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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

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John D. Mees, B.Ed., M.S. Southern Illi- nois State Teachers College, University of Illinois, University of Missouri. Biology. Principal of Class of 1943. The three upper class principals, Mr. J. D. Mees, Senior; Mr. J. B. Stephens, Junior; and Mr. J. F. Zimmerman, Sophomore, use a rotat- ing system whereby one class principal guides a class from the sophomore through the senior year. This enables the principal to know bet- ter the members of his class, so that he can advise them with greater authority. He is re- sponsible for arranging student programs and for keeping records of student credits; he keeps a complete record of citizenship status, grades, and personality ratings for each student. Thornton ' s faculty members who are serving their country as members of the armed forces or in the department of social relations are: Mr. Paul Beck, Mr. F. J. Bright, Mr. Leo Dulgar, Miss Florence Hall, Mr. H. J. Miller, Mr. P. G. Wible, Miss Florence Wunderlich, and Mr. L. J. Yedor. Thornton ' s teachers are aaive in community life; the Red Cross, air raid jobs, and ration boards all use their senices. Many work over- time teaching in the evening school which gives the opportunity for continued education. Joseph B. Stephens, B.S., A.M. University of Chicago, University of Indiana. Mathe- matics. Principal of Class of 1944. aifford R. Maddox, B.S., M A., PhX). Georgetown College, Pea- body Teachers College, University of Chicago. Supervisor of Instruction. Principal of Freshman Class. ' of Civics anci c- 1945. ?. S. t. : fprinc. ' ' = °