1900 Clintonian: Faculty & Board

SOURCE: 1900 Clintonian yearbook. There are not a lot of photos in this book. There are many stories and poems by students and there is a lot of historical/genealogical information too.

1900 Clintonian: History

1900 Clintonian

Introduction

It is fitting that at the outset an apology should be made for the existence of this book and the reasons set forth which have led to its issue.  It makes no claim of contributing to the riches of scholarly lore nor of adding to the accumulated gems of poetry.  It apprears first as a medium where by the humble contributions of budding intellects may be made public and stimulus given to effort to develop latent ability along literary lines.  As has often been said, many are the men and women possessed of the highest natural capacity who for want of opportunity have never displayed it.  And the number of contributions that have been handed in by pupils in competition for the prizes offered, leads us to believe that in this respect the book has fulfilled its purpose.....

The Clinton High School

Clinton High School Faculty 1900

Back Row: Principal Mason, Miss Billings, Miss Johnston, Mr. Nicoll.  Front Row: Miss Moser, Miss Augell, Miss White, Miss Harding, Miss Thain.

...It is the purpose of this article to describe only the High School, though we would be pleased if lack of space did not preclude a description of the entire system.  In the Clinton High School the credit system is used and considerable latitude is given the uppil in the election of his work after the first two years.....The school is organized on the departmental plan.  A brief description of the various departments is as follows: (While complete descriptions follow each course, I have chosen to just list the teachers.)

MATHEMATICS: This department is under the charge of Miss Ardella Billings and Miss Edith Moser.

HISTORY: This department is under charge of Miss Eldora White with some assistance from Miss Lucy Johnston.

SCIENCE: Mr. W. E. Nicoll has charge of the work in Physics and Chemistry.  Miss Lucy Johnston conducts the work in Physiography Biology and Geology.

ANCIENT LANGUAGES: This department is under the charge of Miss Jessie Thain and Principal E. L. Mason who also takes the work in Political Science.

MODERN LANGUAGES: The Modern Language department is under the charge of Miss Susan G. Harding and embraces a three year's course in German and a two year's course in French.

ENGLISH: The course in English covers three and one half years and is required of all students.  It is under the supervision of Miss Julia M. Angell.

The School Board

There are few better judges of the strength and weakness of a Board of Education than the traveling representatives of the various school book publishers.  During the selection of the list to constitute the free text books of the Clinton Public Schools some twenty or more of these men were in town, often for a week at a time, keenly seeking for means to influence the various board members to a recognition of the merits of their works and noting their points of strength.  It was the almost unanimous opinion of these ment that the Clinton School Board was one fo the very strongest in the State.  This opinion is shared by the people of Clinton who know that to them in large measure is to be attributed whatever excellence our schools possess.  Though they are all well known to the public, we trust that a few facts regarding each may not be out of place.

DR. G. A. SMITH: Dr. Smith who is president of the Board for 1900, was born in Center Township, this County, July 6th, 1854.  He attended school for some time at Lyons, after which he taught school in the country for several terms.  He then clerked in a drug store and during this time decided to study medicine.  He was graduated in 1881 from the Medical Department of the State University.  He first located at Camanche, but in 1885 he moved to Clinton and established his present lucrative practice.  At the beginning of the Spanish-American war he offered his services to the government and was appointed Brigade Surgeon with the rank of Major.  At the close of the war he returned to Clinton.  He was elected a member of the School Board in '98.

GEO. F. SKINNER: Mr. Skinner was born at Dayton, Illinois, May 25th, 1857.  He prepared for college at Grand Prairie Seminary.  He entered Wabash college in 1879 and was graduated in the Latin Scientific course in 1883.  He came shortly afterward to Iowa and for eight years was principal of schools at Clarence.  During this time Mr. Skinner studied law and was admitted to the bar.  In 1891 he entered into partnership with Mr. Coe and began the practice of law at Clinton; of this firm he is still a member.  He was elected to the Board in '97 and re-elected in 1900.

M. S. RIZER: Mr. Rizer comes from the sturdy stock of Virginia and was born in that State in Hampshire County, August 10th, 1854.  His early life was passed among the stirring scenes of the civil war which he still vividly remembers.  For some time he attended Allegany County Academy at Cumberland, Md., after which he entered the service of the Western Union Telegraph Co.  From '72 to '77 he was chief train despatcher of the Pensylvania Central Railway and later held this position with the Illinois Central and the Northwestern.  He was promoted to the position of Assistant Division Superintendent of the Northwestern which he held for many years.  In 1898 he became a member of the grocery firm of Rizer & Young.  He was elected to the Board in '94 and re-elected in '98.

A. L. SCHUYLER: Mr. Schuyler was born Feb. 16th, 1860, at Marshall, Mich., where he spent the earlier years of his life.  In early youth he came to Clinton and was graduated from the Clinton High School in 1878.  He studied law at the University of Michigan, and in the law office of E. S. Bailey.  From '83 to '86 he was Clerk of the District Court.  He became a member of the law firm of Hayes & Schuyler in 1887.  He was post master at Clinton from '93 to '97.  He was elected to the School Board in '96 and re-elected in '00.

H. W. SEAMAN: The only member of the Board born at Clinton, is Mr. Seaman.  The date of his birth is September 26,th, 1860.  He was graduated from the Clinton High School in 1878 and in the fall of the same year he entered the Literary Department of the State University.  He was graduated in 1882 with the degree of Ph. B.  He studied law with Judge Young and was admitted to the bar in 1885.  In '93 he became a member of the law firm of Chase & Seaman.  He has been connected with a number of industrial enterprises, was the World's Fair Commissioner for Iowa and is at present Chairman of the Board of Park Commissioners for Clinton.  He was elected a member of the School Board in '96 and re-elected in '00.

JAMES PETERSON:  Mr. Peterson was born in Denmark, October 20th, 1853.  He came to America in 1860, coming directly to Clinton.  Shortly after his arrival he entered the employ of C. Lamb & Sons and was for fifteen years superintendent of their yard department.  He left to enter the firm of Peterson, Bell & Co., of which he is now senior member.  He was for many years a member of the Chancy School Board before the town became a part of Clinton, and through his efforts chiefly, the Longfellow school was erected.  He was elected to the School Board of Clinton in 1898.

L. C. EASTMAN:  Mr. Eastman hails from the State of New York and was born June 19th, 1844.  He attended school several years at the Penn Yan Academy.  He came to Clinton in 1869 and entered the employ of C. Lamb & Sons with which firm he has remained since his coming to the city. He is at present secretary and assistant treasurer of this firm.  He is also a member of the Eastman, Gardiner & Co., of Laurel, Miss.  At the last election he was elected Park Commissioner of the city.  He was elected to the School Board in '91 and has been re-elected three times.

Officers of the Board

Dr. G. A. Smith  President
A. H. Paddock Secretary
C. D. May  Treasurer
O. P. Bostwick Superintendent
 

Supt. O. P. Bostwick

Mr. Bostwick was born Oct. 19th, 1853, on a farm near Roseville, Illinois.  His early education was obtained in the district school.  When he was fourteen years of age, his family moved to Galesburg, Ill., where he entered the preparatory department of Lombard College.  He attended school during the winter and worked on a farm in the summer.  There is probably nothing which better teaches a boy the value of his school opportunities than such a mingling of farm work with his schooling.  During his attendance at the preparatory school he taught three winter terms of school of four months each.  After finishing his preparatory education, he entered the collegiate department of Lombard, from which he was graduated in 1878 in the classical course.  During his college course he took a keen interest in athletics and was a member of the college base ball team.

In 1879, he was elected to the principalship of a four room school in Galesburg.  The year following he was elected principal of a five room school in Kirkwood, Ill., having charge of the schools of that village, where he remained two years.  He was then elected principal of the largest school at Lena, Ill., which had a full graded course and a High School.  After remaining at Lena two years, he secured the superintendency of the Galena schools in Illinois, which position he occupied for five years.  He greatly improved the organization of the schools of Galena, introducing larger liberty into the system of grading and promotion.  Through his efforts a school library was established which numbered over 2,000 volumes when he left.

In 1889, Mr. Bostwick was elected superintendent of the Clinton schools.  This school system had for many years been under the control of Mr. Sabin, who was later elected superintendent of public instruction for Iowa.  The many excellent features which Mr. Bostwick found in the schools he continued; he also improved them materially in many matters of method and gave them greater breadth to accord with the broadening ideas of modern pedagogic thought.  Under his administration all the schools have been developed and improved, and especially in the Grammar and High School has there been growth both extensively and intensively.  So wise, careful and judicious has been his administration that we believe that we can sefely say that the school system of Clinton is surpassed by none and equally by but few in the State.