Browse Items (21 total)
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John Gray, principal of MCHS
John C. Gray was made principal of MCHS in 1950. Photo published in the Stuart News (20 Apr 1950) with the caption: "Gray, who is now finishing his fourth year at Martin County High School as a science instructor, will be the new principal at the school when the 1950-51 school year begins next September. He will replace E.F. Johnwick who also has been here four years." -
Marian McKinney Carpenter 2021 Oral History
Biographical Note:
Marian McKinney Carpenter, born in 1933 in Port Salerno, Florida, is a former principal of Port Salerno Elementary School and a longtime member of the Martin County School Board. She grew up in the New Monrovia community as the twelfth of twelve children in a family deeply rooted in local education, ministry, and healthcare—her mother, Margaret Josephine Pottier McKinney, was a midwife, and her father, Melvin McKinney, was a minister and farmer. From an early age, Carpenter aspired to be a teacher, inspired by the educators in her community. She pursued this vocation throughout her life, shaping generations of students, supporting adult education programs, and maintaining strong ties to her family and community.
Scope note:
In this oral history, Carpenter recounts her experiences attending a one-room schoolhouse in Port Salerno, reflecting on the close relationships between students, families, and teachers. She shares vivid memories of influential educators, including Costella Williams and Margaret Richardson Singleton, and describes the multi-grade teaching format, which allowed students to observe and learn from different grades. Carpenter recalls classroom routines, discipline, and the arrival of new books, illustrating a nurturing educational environment grounded in community and church values. She emphasizes how these experiences fostered responsibility, respect, and a love of learning among students.
Carpenter also reflects on her early life, family, and formative influences. She describes growing up in a large household, playing teacher as a child, and receiving books as gifts, which fostered her literacy and teaching aspirations. She shares experiences in Sunday school, where she learned reading, moral lessons, and community values, as well as her later involvement in adult education programs, helping local adults earn high school diplomas. Throughout the interview, Carpenter highlights the importance of education, mentorship, and community support, providing insight into the history of schooling in Port Salerno and her lifelong commitment to teaching and public service.Transcription and consent form available.
Tags Oral history -
Jensen students going on a plane ride, 1962
Jensen Beach sixth graders were given airplane rides on 15 Dec 1962 through the efforts of their principal, Ernest Varvil. Ernest "Ernie" Varvil (1925-2007) worked in the Martin County School System as a teacher, principal, and personnel director; he was also a pilot and an author. -
John C. Gray, c. 1965
Studio portrait of John C. Gray. Gray worked for the Martin County School District for 36 years as a supervisor of curriculum and past principal of Martin County High School. -
Sportsmanship trophy awarded, 1955
Published in the Stuart News (22 Dec 1955) with caption "Ben L. Bryan (third from left), principal of Dan McCarty High School of Ft. Pierce and president of the Suncoast Conference, presents to Stuart Head Coach R. T. 'Bob' Collins, Jr., the Couse sportsmanship trophy emblematic of the Stuart Tigers football team having been voted as the league's most sportsmanlike team during the '55 gridiron campaign. Ft. Pierce was the first winner of the trophy a year ago and was second in the voting of coaches and referees this fall. Presentation was made during a special assembly of high school students in the local gymnasium last Thursday afternoon. Witnessing the presentation are (left to right) Harold Haskew [Dan McCarty High School senior], Fred Reddish [MCHS football co-captain], Bryan, Collins, Dick Gale [MCHS football co-captain] and Stuart Principal J. C. Gray." -
Assembly in MCHS gymnasium, c. 1955
Martin County High School principal, John Gray shakes hands with a student next to a lectern in the school gymnasium. Two other students stand next to the lectern as well and a crowd of students watches from the bleachers in the background. -
Dr. Walter Eugene Oden, c. 1975
Dr. Walter Eugene Oden (1935-2010) was a 1952 graduate of Stuart Training School, math teacher, guidance counselor, and acting principal at Murray Senior High School in Port Salerno and principal of Jann Mann Alternative School and Brownsville Junior High School in Miami. He was also a DJ of a popular program on WSTU. Published in the Stuart News (1 July 1981). -
John C. Gray, c. 1965
John C. Gray was the Acacia masonic lodge master in 1965. Gray worked for the Martin County School District for 36 years as a supervisor of curriculum and past principal of Martin County High School. -
James R. Pomeroy, c. 1955
James R. Pomeroy was Acacia masonic lodge master in 1936. He also served as principal of the Stuart School (1906) and on the Board of Public Instruction and school supervenient. He also managed East Coast Lumber Company and served as postmaster and later clerk of courts for Martin County. -
Joseph A. Youngblood, c. 1935
Joseph A. Youngblood, Acacia masonic lodge master 1922. Joseph A. Youngblood was the principal of the Stuart School between 1914 and 1918. His wife Ethel was assistant principal and they set up the high school and secured an accredited rating for the school. Later he was the Palm Beach County school superintendent from 1925 to 1936, then served as State Administrator for the National Youth Administration.