Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1955-09-29

In spite of illness and retire
ment after 49 years of service in
the county school system, his
spirit still shines through as "a
thing of beauty.
Few of our many new citizens
realize that DR.. Broome is a
homegrown product of Montgom-
cry County. Born on a farm in
Jamestown on March 26, 1885,
he was the son of Mary Warfield
and Alexander Broome. He at
tended the Andrew Small Acad-
envy where he graduated as vale
dictorian of his class in June
1904.
The following September saw
the beginning of his teaching
career in a one room elemen-
tary school at a salary of $500.
He was made assistant to Sup
erintendent Earle Wood in 1908,
and i'm 1916 became Acting
superintendent. The next year,
after the complete reOrganiZa-
ton of Maryland's schools, he
took over the reins as Superin-
tendent and kept them until
May 1858.
He never stopped his formal
education, first getting law de-
gree from George Washington
University in 1917 and a certifi-
cate in teaching and later his BA
degree in June 1921 with distinc-
ton. He began teaching at the
University of Maryland summer
session in 1922 and also studied
at Johns Hopkins and Columbia
universities.
His influence on Maryland's
teachers is Unreasonable as he
taught them for 25 summers. In
June 1915 the University of Mary
land honored him with a Doctor
of Letters degree.
He married Miss Hannah Jones
on January &c, 1918. She was
teaching at Washington High
School. His only daughter,
Nell" is carrying on the family
tradition of teaching teachers at
the university.
Working II months a year,
seven days a week. he steered
the county schools through two
world wars, the great depression
and into the atomic age. AT the
time of his retirement in 1858
there was no teacher in the
system who had served under any
other superintendent other than
teachers who had outside expert
ence.
One of his teachers, Mrs. Flor
ence Massey Black of Bethesda
Chevy Chase High, wrote in the
May 1858 Maryland Teacher that
"he lived to work for others, with
no thought of self. What he has
built is a growing system of liv-
ing which will continue to influ-
ence thousands of lives"
At the ceremony honOring
him on May 2, 1858, at Richard
Montgomery High School, DIR.
N. l.. Englehart, past president
of the American Association of
School Administrators, said
that "he has given you results
which yau can not measure but
which your children will he able
to-"
DIR. Englehardt felt that the
people i'm Montgomery County
had never understood the real
stature of DIR. GrOOme i'm the
international and national pic
ture.
In giving praise or DR.,
Broome'S recognition of the lin
dividual's pattern for growth"
DR.. Englehart stated that There
are two classes of school super.
intendentS and we arc here to.
day to honor the entire first
class, DR.. Broome, top ranking
philosopher of education and one
of the outstanding school super
intendents in the world"
Among those who came to sing
his praises that day before an
audience of 700 people were Cir
cult Court Judge Stedman Pres
colt and DR.. Thomas C. Pullen,
State Superintendent Of Schools.
All that DR.. Broome could
reply was II am going to take a
little rest for a while" But in
stead he began work on his book
of educational philosophy drawn
from his 100 professional year
books and course Of study bulle.
tins begun in 1928.
Until this book is published his
philosophy can be learned only
from talking with him and study.
ing the year books.
One of his basic concepts is the
uniqueness Of individual person