The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1915-07-03

able.
Picking up pennies and nickels
wherever he could, William man
aged TO work his way through
grammar and high schools. In
his last year of high school his
German teacher. taking fancy
TO the boys energy and desire for
knowledge, managed to get him
scholarship In Dartmouth COL
lege.
IL was during his Dartmouth
education that Geiger learned the
hotel business. Besides working
all the time that he was in school
he spent his vacations in the cut
ployment of a monster summer
hotel in the White mountains. IL
was hard work, but Geiger
learned people," as he puts 1t.
and he earned enough to keep
him in college. He assisted In
the chemical laboratories And
with all his work. he played foot
ball, making the first team in his
junior year, and played on his
blass baseball team.
Geiger had a desire all his life
to become physician. In fact.
he studied In n physicians offica
part of the time while attending
high school. But when he left
college, although the desire for a
medical career had burned on Wig
orously. a stronger call for some
vocation that would bring In the
bread and butter. attacked him.
The young varsity man return
ed home, and Immediately was
given a position teaching the
grammar school children of the
Peoria school. He taught three
years, studying medicine mean
while.
Geiger was success as a
teacher. At the end of his three
years experience he received an
appointmnt as principal OF the
Quincy. ILL.,, high school, at a far
more lucrative salary. He re-
NAMED In that position three
years longer, and as his success
In school work increased, his de-
sire to become a doctor diminish
ed.
Prof. Geiger became principal
OF the Aurora high school, and
then received a call from Seattle.
In 1904 he was made principal of
the Seattle high school, which has
since become the Broadway high
school with classes totaling 400.
After seven years in Seattle,
Principal Geiger came to Tacoma
and joined the Tacoma schools as
principal of the high schools.
When Supt. j. G. Collicott re-
signed, six months later, Geiger
became superintendent of all the
Tacoma schools.
Geiger has an enormous re-
sponsibility. All the troubles and
petty Observation-Disclosures of all
the schools are laid before him.
He supervises and tests teachers.
He decides on text books, ar
ranges courses of study, plans
daily improvement and develop
ment of the schools.
Yet he finds time for recrea-
ton and loves athletics. He is re-
sponsible for the elimination of
inter-city athletics, believing that
by this method he can discourage
the hero-worship of athletes in
the Tacoma schools, and can en-
courage the more backward boys
and girls to take up athletics in
the class-meets and smaller ath-
letic contests.
Geiger is married and has four
fine, healthy children, all attend
ing school In Tacoma. His wife
was member of the first gradu-
ating class while he was principal
of the Quincy high school.
AS the biography indicates,
Supt. Geiger has worked hard all
his life. Yet he does not regret
it. He knows he is working in
one of the noblest of all callings,
and is devoted intellectually to
the task.
Besides that, Supt. Geiger is a
Tacoman who is getting there