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Earle B. Wood

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Earle B. Wood
Photo of Earle B. Wood from The Baltimore Sun. August 1, 1906. Page 10.
Photo from The Baltimore Sun, August 1, 1906
Superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools
In office
August 1, 1906 – July 31, 1915
Preceded byS.R. White[1]
Succeeded byEdwin Broome[2]
Personal details
Born(1881-08-19)August 19, 1881
DiedMarch 21, 1931(1931-03-21) (aged 49)
Resting placeMount Olivet Cemetery
Frederick, Maryland[citation needed]
Political partyDemocratic[3]
SpouseMay Balbenia Lysight[4]
ChildrenRoger Tayloe,[5]
May-Louise[6]
Parents
  • John Eldred Reese Wood[8] (father)
  • Anna Olivia (Shreeve) Wood.[7] (mother)
ResidenceBoyds, Maryland[9]
OccupationSchool administrator, superintendent, divorce attorney

Earle B. Wood (1881–1931)[citation needed] was the secretary and treasurer of the Board of Education of Montgomery County, Maryland, as well as the superintendent of schools, from 1906 to 1915.[10]

Career

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Principal

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In 1902, Wood served as principal of a school in Boyds, Maryland.[11][12] Wood became principal of Adamstown High School in Adamstown, Maryland, 1903.[13][14]

In 1905, Wood was appointed principal of Rockville High School.[15]

Superintendent

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In May 1906, Rev. S.R. White retired from the position of superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools.[1] Out of the 100 teachers in the county, 80 teachers endorsed Wood to be the new superintendent.[1] The School Commissioners of Montgomery County voted on who the next superintendent should be.[16] Wood received four out of the six votes, and he was appointed the new superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools.[16] Wood was sworn into office on July 31, 1906.[17]

In March 1908, Wood reported to the Montgomery County Board of Education that Montgomery County Public Schools had the largest number of students in its history.[18] Wood asked the Board of Education to build a school in Colesville, Maryland.[18]

In May 1910, the Board of Education voted to reappoint Wood as superintendent.[19] The Board of Education also voted to name Wood the secretary and treasurer of the Board of Education.[19][20]

Wood was elected president of the Maryland State Teachers' Association in June 1911.[21] During its first meeting with Wood serving as president, the Maryland State Teachers' Association resolved to support a state law requiring children to attend school.[22] Wood became vice president in 1913.[23]

Until 1912, any child could enroll in District of Columbia Public Schools, regardless of where they lived, as long as their parents paid a small tax to the District of Columbia.[24] In 1912, Congress passed a law significantly increasing the tax payment for nonresident students.[24] The law affected 500 children from Montgomery County who had been enrolled in school in the District but who would begin attending school in Montgomery County instead.[24] The significant increase in enrolled students was a hardship for Wood as superintendent.[24]

Attorney

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After Wood's career as a superintendent ended in 1915,[10] he attended law school. Wood passed the bar in the District of Columbia 1918.[25] Wood then began a second career as a divorce attorney.[26][27][28]

Personal life

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Earle B. Wood was raised in Frederick, Maryland.[15] His father was John E.R. Wood, an attorney,[8] and his mother was Anna O. (Shreeve) Wood.[7] Earle B. Wood had one sister and three brothers.[29]

On October 19, 1904, Wood married May B. Lysight, who was from Boyds, Maryland.[4] They had a son, Roger Tayloe Wood.[5] They lived on a 371-acre (150 ha) farm near Boyds.[30]

Wood played tennis.[31] Wood competed in a tennis tournament at Montgomery Country Club in September 1910.[31]

Wood played for an amateur baseball team in Rockville in 1911.[32][33]

Namesakes

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Earle B. Wood Middle School was named after him, as was the Earle B. Wood Park, next to the school, both of which are located in Rockville, Maryland.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "For School Superintendent". The Washington Post. April 9, 1906. p. 5.
  2. ^ "Tydings to Address Montgomery Rally". The Washington Post. November 2, 1928. p. 4.
  3. ^ "Jolly Time at Boyds: Montgomery County Democrats Wind Up Meeting With Dance". The Baltimore Sun. November 4, 1907. p. 11.
  4. ^ a b "Maryland Wedding". The Baltimore Sun. October 20, 1904. p. 10.
  5. ^ a b "Spinks–Wood". The Washington Post. January 19, 1944. p. B4.
  6. ^ "Mrs. Corder, Was Teacher In County". The Washington Post. January 23, 1964. p. C2.
  7. ^ a b "John E.R. Wood Dead: One Of Oldest And Best-Known Members Of Frederick Bar". The Baltimore Sun. June 8, 1918. p. 3.
  8. ^ a b "Albin Wood To Be Principal". The Baltimore Sun. July 13, 1906. p. 12.
  9. ^ "Women's Club Meets". The Baltimore Sun. February 4, 1912. p. W4.
  10. ^ a b "Biography of Earle B. Wood". Earle B. Wood Middle School. Montgomery County Public Schools'. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011.
  11. ^ "Maryland Briefs". The Baltimore Sun. April 19, 1902. p. 8.
  12. ^ "Montgomery Teachers: Various Papers of Interest to Educators Were Presented". The Washington Post. September 19, 1902. p. 4.
  13. ^ "Frederick County". The Baltimore Sun. June 27, 1903. p. 10.
  14. ^ "Applicants for Mr. Wood's Place". The Washington Post. July 15, 1903. p. 4.
  15. ^ a b "New Principal of Rockville". The Washington Post. June 8, 1908. p. 5.
  16. ^ a b "Montgomery's School Board". The Baltimore Sun. May 8, 1906. p. 10.
  17. ^ "Prof. Earle B. Wood Sworn In". The Washington Post. Aug 1, 1906. p. 5.
  18. ^ a b "Montgomery County Items". The Sun. March 3, 1908. p. 11.
  19. ^ a b "School Trustees Named: Montgomery Board Reelects Lamar President and Fills Offices". The Washington Post. May 5, 1910. p. 3.
  20. ^ "Gift to Retiring Official". The Washington Post. April 29, 1910. p. 13.
  21. ^ "City And Suburban: Maryland". The Baltimore Sun. July 1, 1911. p. 2.
  22. ^ "Teachers Return Home: Earle B. Wood Elected President Of State Association". The Baltimore Sun. July 1, 1911. p. 11.
  23. ^ Teachers This Week". The Baltimore Sun. June 22, 1913. p. 4.
  24. ^ a b c d "2,000 Pupils Barred: Tuition Bill Affects 500 in Montgomery County]". The Washington Post. September 15, 1912. p. A13.
  25. ^ "87 Admitted to Bar". The Washington Post. June 30, 1918. p. 22.
  26. ^ "Carpenter Alimony Suit Revived by Wife". The Washington Post. December 6, 1923. p. 8.
  27. ^ "Marine Captain Asking Divorce, Himself Sued: Mrs. Arthur Kingston Charges Mate Brought Liquor Here From Santo Domingo: Calls Him Hard Drinker]". The Washington Post. April 19, 1924. p. 16.
  28. ^ "Mrs. F.L. Brodigan Alleges Cruelty in Maintenance Suit" Neglect Also Charged in Action Filed in District Court". The Washington Post. March 17, 1925. p. 4.
  29. ^ "Leaves Estate to Friends". The Baltimore Sun. June 13, 1918. p. 7.
  30. ^ "News From Suburbs of Capital". The Washington Post. October 26, 1925. p. 3.
  31. ^ a b "Tennis at Rockville: Racketers Play Final Matches in Montgomery County Club Tourney". The Washington Post. September 27, 1910. p. 8.
  32. ^ "Nine for Rockville Courthouse". The Baltimore Sun. March 30, 1911. p. 10.
  33. ^ "Half of Amateur Leagues Have Completed Circuits". The Washington Post. March 30, 1911. p. 9.