Evening star., 1953-05-06

DIR. FORBES HI. NORRIS.
over one that has $4,000 this
year and is expected to add more
than 5000 to its classrooms next
fall.
Working in a large school sys-
TEN, however, will be no new ex-
perience for DR.. Norris.
Before taking over as superin-
tendent in Winchester in 1945 he
spent IL years as an assistant
superintendent in Richmond.
DR.. Norris and his wife arrived
here yesterday by plane from
Winchester. He departed again
last night, after a f1owery re-
eeption at the school board Of
fees in Rockville.
Selection Secret Three Weeks.
Although DR.. Norris selection
had been made by the board
three weeks ago, his name was
0 well-guarded secret.
- Yesterday he was kept behind
closed doors until after a series
Of speeches by board members
to a group of some IS county
officials. PTA stalwarts and
friends of the board.
A handsome, graying man,
who stands feet 2. inches and
was a three-letter man in coll
lege, DR.. Norris charmed the
guests. He spoke only briefly,
Said it was quite a responsibility
to follow DR.. Broome, added the
position offered great chal-
1ense and pledged my very
best"
" Conditions such as are found
in wealthy Montgomery County
will not be foreign to DR.. Nor
ris. Winchester, near Boston,
has a high percentage of busi-
ness and professional people
among its well-to-do residents.
SkeVCneS Fn1IOSOphy.
Asked about his educational
philosophy, DR.. Norris yesterday
replied:
Schools in general have to do
q better job in the three RS,
but must not neglect courses af-
fecting the habits, attitudes and
appreciations of the student"
GymnasiumS and auditoriumS,
which have been criticized re-
Gently by some tax-conscious
residents. are just as essential
as classrooms, DR.. Norris said.
He added he often has recon-
mended a m-auditorium
combination even for elementary
schools.
DR.. Norris is a native of Madi-
son County, Ind, the late Wen
dell Wilkes home. He taught
two years in a rural school, then
went to Manchester College
where he received his bachelor
Of arts degree in 1922.
He holds both a masters and
o doctors degree from Harvard
and has attended the University
of illinois and the University of
Chicago.
Taught at Universities.
He was a high school principal
In Indiana for three years. an
elementary school principal in
Richmond for seven years and
has taught at Syracuse Univer-
sity, the University of Richmond
and the University of Delaware.
He is an author of a Virginia
geography supplement for the
fifth grade and has contributed
numerous articles to educational
publications.
In college, he won letters in
basketball, baseball and track
and for three years played pro-
fessional basketball "as a side
line"
Today he is still an avid ten
mis- fan and last summer man
aged to get on the courts at
least three times a week.
He has been active in many
educational organizations and
community projects. He is Dis
trict governor of Rotary in Mas
sachusettS and will leave next
week to attend the Rotary Inter-
national Convention in Paris. He
also is a Mason.
The Norrises have two children
Forbes, jr., is a student at the
Harvard Medical School and was
% member of the 1948 American
Olympic Team. He was national
long distance swimming cham
pion for two years. Their daugh-
ter, Marjorie, a nationally rated
tennis player, is now in the OFF,
GERS Candidate School for the
Women's Air Force at San An
tonic, Tex.
The board yesterday also ac-
cepted, with regret, the formal
resignation of DR.. Broome.