Albion Interactive History

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E.C. Thompson, 1838
2nd Superintendent, 1877-1887

Died 1907
Public School Superintendent +

Biographical Description
On June 22, 1877, the school board elected E.C. Thomspon to replace Frank B. McClellan. Thompson came to Albion from the Dowagiac Union Schools, and was paid a beginning salary of $1,000 annually. Thompson's tenure in Albion lasted ten years, at which time he resigned and accepted a post as superintendent of the Saginaw Public Schools.
One problem that plagued the Thompson administration was fire. Fall classes were just under way, when fire partially damaged the Central School on October 8, 1877. Damage amounted to $1,791.50. While the building was being repaired, classes were moved to the south room in the East Ward School, and to rented facilities in the basements of the Methodist and Presbyterian churches. A second fire occurred two years later on the morning of November 5, 1879. The Methodist and Presbyterian churches were again utilized as classrooms until repairs were completed on December 8 of that year. Still another fire occurred January 12, 1887, this time at the East Ward School; damage was slight, however.
In June of 1878, the first graduating class of Albion High School boasted seven students. They were: Mary R. Fanning (valedictorian), Lulu Torrey (Mrs. N. Mudge), Maggie Woolsey (Mrs J.B. Ware), Kirtland Davis, Marion Crosby, Emma T. Lewis, and George Graves.
On March 12, 1885, a special charter granted by the state legislature officially organized the Albion school system into a graded district, which legally was named the Albion Public Schools. School board membership was soon increased from five to six persons, and legal officers were titled: president, secretary, and treasurer.
When superintendent E.C. Thompson resigned on August 8, 1887, the board of education selected Mr. Warren C. Hull as his successor. P14
Source: Frank Passic. A History of the Albion Public Schools. Albion, Michigan: E. Weil Publishing Services. 1991.