Evening star., 1936-06-14
By JESSIE FAINT EVANS


Stephen Elliot Kramer, first assist
ant superintendent Of schools,
Washington lost its most beloved
school man.
He would have finished his forty-Sixth
consecutive year of service in our city
school system the coming week and
was a shining example of the out
standing success that can be achieved
by one of our own public pupils in a
city that was proud to claim him as
o citizen.
Sharing the affectionate regard and
high esteem of every one from the
Board Of Education and Superintend-
ent Frank w. Ballou to the humblest
employe in the system, his individual
acquaintances ranged from tiny kin
dergarten pupils to college boys and
girls, and from them on out into the
life of the community.
Born in Atlanta in 1871, but resi-
dent of the District of Columbia from
1874, DR.. Kramer saw vast changes
in the 81 years he lived in the Nations
Capital. He saw our public school
system throw off its swaddling clothes
and take a well-earned place in the
educational sun.
Extent of Jurisdiction
In his last year DR.. Kramer had
jurisdiction over asa white teachers in
the senior high schools, 445 in the
Junior high schools, some IL ,955 pupils
in the white senior high schools, and
1854 pupils in the junior high
rah Nnl Nf k,;
school teachers and 246l9 white high
school pupils. in contrast to the 23574
pupils and 495 teachers which consti-
tuted the entire white school set-up
when he began teaching in 1890.
In addition to being the administra-
tive officer in charge of white high
sci hools Assistant Superintendent
Kramer was a leader in the civic, re-
ligious and university circles of Wash
ington.
One of the tenets of his life was ITO
Justify ones existence one must be
of service to others, and so a school
man must primarily be useful and
cooperative member of the community
in which he finds himself" His own
service for others in many and varied
fields of endeavor was an eXemplifi-
cation of this conviction.
An ideal of service was not a new
one to the men of the Kramer family,
for Stephen Elliot Kramer was the
lineal descendant of John Jacob
Kramer, member of Gen. Washington's
bodyguard during the Revolutionary
War, so chosen because during those
perilous times, when insidious foes
threatened from within and without,
only those of incorruptible character
were selected to guard the person Of
the great leader of our patriot forces.
DR.. Kramer's membership on i'm
portant Board of Trade committees
was valuable one, contributing to a
better understanding of school needs
and educational aims on the part of
the general public and of Congress.
One of Proudest Moments
One Of the proudest moments for
Mr.. Kramer in Board of Trade meet
ing was not, however, on account of his
participation in its activities, but was
when this group gave a standing ova-
tion of several moments duration in
honor of the George Washington Uni
Versity Glee Clubs rendition of mu-
sical program upon the occasion of
its first public appearance before this
body with his two daughters, Kath-
arine and Sarah Louise, singing alto
and soprano parts.
In recognition of his practical
Christianity balanced judgment and
budgeteering ability. the Episcopal
Church early in his career made Mr..
Kramer member of the Executive
Committee of the Diocese of Washing
ton and treasurer of its Diocesan
Fund, as well as of its missionary de-
partment.
In the general field of education.
Assistant Superintendent Kramer
served on important committees of the
National Education Association and as
president of the Federation of School
mems Clubs, besides contributing to
educational journals and being the
author of Great Cities of the United
States"
Because of his service to education
In the Nations Capital DR.. Kramers
alma mater, the George Washington
University, in 1882 bestowed upon him
the honorary degree of doctor of edu-
cation. Graduating from the univer-
sity with the degree of B. S. in 1906,
he was the first alumnus to receive
the degree of M. A. from the univer-
sity's School of Education which he
had been influential in establishing
and in which he afterward lectured
from 1910 until 1916
From 1915 to 1917 DR.. Kramer
served as president of the General
Alumni Association and in 1925 was
chosen by its alumni as one of its
representatives on the Board of Trus-
tees. So valuable was the service of
Alumni Trustee Kramer upon the uni
versity. Committee on Educational
Policy, as well as upon other commit
tees, that its trustees in 1884 made
DR.. Kramer a life trustee in recog-
milton Of his contribution to the insti-
tuition where he had received his high
er education.
School Achievements
DR.. Kramers service card in the
public school system of the District of
Columbia was a success record of
signal achievement as a student,
teacher and administrative officer.
His school days began on Capitol
Hill. and he was an eighth grade pupil
at the Wallach School during the
time that John Chickering was its
principal. Then he went on to the
Central High School and to the Wash
1ngton Normal School which is now
Wilson Teachers College.
His first teaching appointment was
In 1890 as an instructor of English in
the newly formed high school which
was functioning on the upper floors of
the Peabody School as the Capitol Hill
High School, which subsequently was
designated the Eastern High School
in a different location.
In rapid succession there followed
the principalship of the Smallwood