Mahone Bay Old School_A Life and Times_Bob Sayer

Murray E. Fitch, 1926-28-With Substitutes
Little is known about him, and, because of illness, he had a series of “substitute
principals”, in his first year. The Board had advertised in The Chronicle
Herald for both a principal and vice principal, and at the May 10th meeting
1926, the minutes record:
Murray B. Fitch having been phoned and agreed to accept a salary of twelve hundred
and fifty dollars, it was moved by Commissioners Cochrane and Millett: Mr.
Fitch be engaged. Carried.
A Miss Mabel Pugsley was appointed vice-principal. She remained a year.
Miss Mullock, already on staff, replaced for the 1927-28 year.
The Board liked his reporting style. The February 4th 1927 meeting recorded
Yearly Report of Principal. Principal Fitch submitted a report for the year. Each
member of the board expressed their appreciation of the work done by the holder.
Their pleasure was also recorded at the March 4th meeting: Quarterly report
of Principal submitted, and each member of the board highly commended Mr. Fitch
for his business methods and general showing for the quarter.
Lucille Joudrey [Anderssen], “Pumpey” Joudrey’s granddaughter, ninety-five
years old when I spoke with her at the Mahone Bay Nursing Home, remembered
Murray Fitch clearly. She graduated from grade 11 when he was principal.
She told this writer, “He came from Conqueral Mills, was a wonderful
teacher and well liked…He got very sick.”
Mr. Fitch took a leave of absence and the board hired two substitutes: the
first was earlier Mahone graduate, Wyn Eisenhauer, who had discipline
problems [see Margaret Freeman’s comments below]; then Morris Maxner.
Whether or not health problems were related to his resignation is not
known. Board minutes, May 4th 1928 record the passing of the motion:
Substitute Principals: 1927
1 Wyn Eisenhauer: Discipline Problems
Wyn [this photo is him as a teenager in the
pre-war ‘Young Guns’ group] had graduated
from Mahone’s old school before 1914. His
classmates, included Claude Keddy [the first
principal], Pearl Keddy [one of the Rural Studies’
leaders], Clara Quinlan and Oressa Ernst, who
went on to contribute as staff members of the
new school.
Wyn had been principal at Shelburne and went on to become teacher and
vice-principal at Pictou Academy. It’s not easy for a very young man to return
to his old school [where he is on familiar terms with a number of families
and students] in a position of authority. Claude Kedy had lasted a year
as first principal, and Wyn lasted weeks as acting principal. Margaret Freeman
[later-Kedy], daughter of Captain John Freeman, who had been lost with
his crew in December, 1913 wrote:
The first substitute was a very clever and well-educated person, but he was unable
to discipline the class. Shamefully, we took advantage of this. One day four of
us who sat in the back seats decided we would have a game of cards while he was
having a lesson with grade XI, which was in the room with grade X. We were getting
along fine and as the game progressed and I held excellent cards in my hand, being
a little excited, I whispered, “ I’ll go 30 for 60!”. The principal turned towards us
and said very quietly, “ Don’t go in the hole, Margaret!” which needless to say embarrassed
me a bit. My conscience started to bother me and I really felt sorry for
him that I had behaved in that manner, and decided as long as we had him I would
be a model student.
The Resignation of Principal Fitch be accepted, with regret.
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