Clarence Irby shared his photo 5 hrs · Edited · Fitting: Two Of Our 3 Remaining, Great, Principals-of The 5 Were Present Simeons 50th Birthday Anniversary. In my opinion, Simeon has had 5 great principals. When I put my 2 cents into helping out on this event, I had 3 people in mind that I pushed to be invited and honored. First, there was Coach Hamp, who recruited all of those basketball/baseball/football players. 1980 alum James Kelly took care of that. Dr. William Marshall was second on my mind. And, Coach/PE teacher Darnell Epps. Other persons I knew it was a given they would be included, but I wanted to make sure of those who are unsung and forgotten, not even known of. We Spoke With Dr. Marshall, Who Could Not Make It I was able to speak with Dr. Marshall for the second time, and I made the nexus between him and Mike Johnson. Unfortunately the invite got to him too late, and he was off to his usual Florida sojourn. Here are the great Simeon principals of my perspective. Principal Sloan Hired John Everett & Delegated Responsibilities To Him -Howard Sloan was principal from 1969-1972. I learned later that he had also been the principal at my oglesby elementary school, prior to my 1970-1976 days. He had a great disciplinarian there too, named Ollie Reddin-A gym teacher known for that paddle and patrol boys head. Sloan a hired and appointed Hirsch High School Football Coach John Everett in 1970. He put Everett over athletics, disciplinary, security, PE, and the implementation of our drivers ed program. When he was promoted to the district office, he made Everett acting principal from oct 1972-may 1973. he passed a few years ago, and was nicely mentioned in the chicago sun times newspaper. Everett Encouraged Dr. Marshall To Apply For Principal: He Was The Principal Who Partly Brought Us From dark Ages & Pat Graham Over -Dr. William Marshall was simeon principal from 1973-1975, after Mr. Everett encouraged him to apply for simeon principal. In my judgement, he was a part of an emerging simeon-a simeon no longer in its dark/middle/mideaval ages, but with a football team; band; vocational program; and discipline reputation, that was gradually moving to supplant Dunbar and cvs as the top vocational high schools. He also brought Pat Graham over from Fernwood elementary with him, to be a guidance counselor. Dr. Marshall shared with me how he put Mr. Everett over a number of areas; that Everett was heavily involved in the academic aspects of simeon as an assistant principal; and that he backed Mr. Everett in his decisions. The late, great Welding Shop teacher Floyd Daniels told me that Dr. Marshall was the first simeon principal to actually make them teach. He said Marshall was so committed, that he put on shop jackets and went around to shops trying to learn what they were teaching the students. Marshall Says He had To Convince Shop Teachers Simeon Was More Than About The Shops. Dr. Marshall said his biggest challenge when he got there, was that he had to convince the shop teachers that simeon was more than just shops, shops, and shops. He also shared with me how he had to deal with student walk outs. And, he shared with me how he testified downstate of how there was no reason why simeon could not be on the same level as washburne trade school, as simeon was churning out graduates going straight into the workforce, also. Dr. Marshall went on to serve as South Shore High School principal for over 20 years. Under McCray We Arose & Emerged Into National Powerhouse/Influx of College Bound Students We Became A National Powerhouse Under McCray -Ned McCray. When I think of Mr. McCray, 3 of the things I think of are a saying of his, our emergence, and how we of a vocational pedigree became more college oriented. Said McCray of the principal position: It is the noblest of positions. The words, At last, Simeon emerges/emerged, when I think of our longest serving principal. When i came to simeon in 1979 dunbar and cvs were the vocational schools of first choices. Before I left in 1983, CVS and Dunbar students started transferring to Simeon. And, starting in 1983 with our first city championship via our baseball team, simeon went on the next year to become a nationally recognized power house. He led Us Through Period of Ben Wilson Murder & Weathered Closed Campus Disdain When I asked Mr. McCray to speak at my 25th years class reunion, I asked him to give us a synopsis on how we arose and emerged. he said we had staff at simeon with heart and soul, and we became a simeon family. And, he mentioned out students and student athletes. and, let us never forget how he guided us through some rough, perilous times, the murder of the number one basketball player in the nation, Ben Wilson. The murder happened DOWN THE STREET FROM SIMEON. He engendered a lot of ill feelings from students who hated that the murder ushered in a status of simeon becoming a closed campus school, where they could no longer go out for lunch. But, he and we, the simeon family weathered the storm. He had two outstanding assistant principals in Austin McClinn & John Everett during his 1975-1988 tenure. Later, so many of his former students would come back and play active roles as alumni. Graham Represented Simeons Own Suffrage Movement: First Female Vocational Principal & Over A male, Athletic Dynamic -Pat Graham represented simeons own suffrage movement. Just as people had to fight for the right to vote and and rights, can you imagine what she had to overcome as the first female vocational high school principal? Some have shared some of it with me, but anyway, i found her to be tougher than the guys. As former simeon alum and staff member Judge Hardy said, Pat Graham was no lightweight. One would also have to think of how she made it work, not only from a shop/vocational perspective, but the male/athletic dynamic that played out at simeon. We Had Our Best Combined Days of External & Internal Prowess Under Graham But, anyway, I must say that in my observation, simeon enjoyed its best combined, internal and external days under graham. Back then you had 70 high schools, as compared to our contemporary numbers of 125-140. The chicago suntimes does a school ranking each year. She brought us from 25th, to the 12th rank high school. I did laborious research going all the way back to 1989, and we were mostly ranked in the top percentile, as they called it back then. South and west side schools were dropping like flies to probationary status, but not Simeon. We were one of the few southside schools not on any academic probation. Simeon alumnus John Michael Johnson was the LSC president. he and fellow alum Reggie Evans were bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars in corporate partnerships, along with teacher Willie Scott. Graham also became principal at the inception of The Local School Councils. The Totality of The Simeon Experience Was Rocking Under Her The simeon vocational alumni association and simeon vanguard began under her tenure. The Polk family and Johnson started making head ways and follow ups in the new school endeavor. Under her Mr. McCrays graduates started to get hired at simeon in good numbers. We started having athletes joining the ranks of the NBA, NFL, and major league baseball. Yes, her time was a controversial one, which is a subject for other days, but simeon was rocking internally and externally. The year that she retired, her juniors took some tests. However, she would be gone as a retiree when the next year came around, and the graduating boys would become a highly achieving and acclaimed class. Pat Graham was principal from 1989-1994, having served as interim in 1988, also. Sorry, But You Cant Box Everett Into Just A Principal -John Everett would be described by me in his principal role, akin to something I heard George Foreman say about Muhammad Ali. Foreman was one day describing great boxers, and someone asked him why did he leave out Ali. George retorted, are you crazy. Ali wasnt just one of the greatest boxers of all time, he is one o the greatest human beings ever to walk this earth. Everetts 35 straight, administrative years at Simeon was a tenure of totality. For all of those years, if anyone got suspended or put out, it had to go by him. All of the championships we won, came by coaches he directly or indirectly put there. As former student Garrett Gosha said around Everetts 2005 retirement, Mr. Everett had presided over every football game that simeon had ever played in. Everett Said When He Went From Assistant Principal To Principal, That Was His Retirement He was athletic director/board of controls, drivers ed set up person, disciplinarian, he supervised and evaluated teachers as assistant principal/principal; he was over student affairs and activities; he was the dean. And, last but yes, least, he was principal. i closed out his final hours and seconds at simeon with him. He told us what people dont realize, is that he had retired 11 years prior. He said he did all the work as disciplinarian and assistant principal. he further added that being principal, aint no work. Its a thinking job. However, finally becoming principal was parlayed into some monumental achievements. Everett Received A Number of 1995 Principal/Administrator/Runner Up of The Year Recognition For His Scholarly Boys Grads In 1995, he was cited as principal, administrator, runner ups of the year, as his graduating class in his first year, became a nationally acclaimed boys sensation. They received many awards and scholarships for their high testing. He had his challenges like Pat Graham. Not only did he inherit the still developing local school reform and council dynamic, but the state had turned over almost all control of the schools to mayor Richard Daley. Daley brought in tough reformers at the helm in Paul Vallas and Gerry Chico. Shortly thereafter, you had the federal advent of NO Child left behind. the squeeze was really on. His principal ship also ended a vacuum of our not winning winning city championships in basketball and football. In 2000 and 2003 we won city in football for he first time since 1986. In basket we had not been downstate nor in a city championship since 1989. In Bob Hambrics last year of 2004, he took us back to the city title game, and the state tournament. Everett also received national attention for his appearance on Diane Sawyers ABC/20 20 program, where the school engineer was exposed. It resulted in the engineers removal, and a state law making engineers accountable to the principal. Everett, Obannon, Mike, Reggie, Joe, Skip, Romona, F Daniels, The Lee/Brock/Polk Families, The SVAA Secure New School APPROVAL Everett had inherited Mike Johnson, Reggie Evans, Ron Kweis Skip Harris, Joe & Romona Smith, the simeon vocational alumni association, The lee/Polk/Brock families, corporate partners, and others, and the new school fight was coming to fruition. Somewhere in 1998-1999, the new school and funding was approved. This had been what I would call the second wave. The aforementioned entities above were in the forefront, but it was John Everetts clout that got them over the finish line. Former School CEO told me in my interviews, that no one played a bigger role than Mr. Everett with the new school, and it would not be there without him. He also said Everett led the coalition of mike and our alumni. he stated that Mike and our alumni/project simeon 2000, blew us off our feet, with what the were doing around this city with simeon students/securing corporate partners/rehabbing houses. Retired Auto Body Shop teacher, Lonzie Obannon for a long period, also was one of the key people that i had to independently find out about. Everett Had To Utilize Clout & A Third Wave To Take School Beyond Approval Stage Even though the new school had been approved, after Paul Vallas left in 2001, a third wave had to come into play to actually get the new school built. Nevertheless, we had our 42 million dollar, state of the art building. It was the first, non selective enrollment high school built under Daleys tenure. John Everett made it a neighborhood oasis, as he allowed the community to use it for church and a host of events free of charge or nominal fees. Under him, the school was greatly turned into an alumni school, with so many internal and external staff members-2 assistant principals, many coaches, teachers, staff members, contractors. Vallas told me of the 600 plus principals, there was none tougher than Everett. Everetts principal ship also brought an independence. Vallas told me that simeon was pretty much a stand alone school, as the board did not bother simeon. Everett also had connections with many civic and political heavyweights. He was also the President of the cook county sheriffs athletic foundation. And, he was the president of the principals executive athletic commission. For many years before his tenure, he had been a high school/big ten college/NFL/USFL referee. His principal tenure was 1994-2005.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 16:31:26 +0000
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