Principals of Provincial Normal School

 

 


JOSEPH MARSHALL DE BRETT, BARON D'AVRAY

* Principal of the Provincial Normal School: 1848-1850
* Chief Superintendent of Education: 1852-1858

The baronetcy was inherited from his father on whom it was conferred by Napoleon Bonaparte. His father was associated with Dr. Edward Jenner, the first person to establish a scientific basis for vaccination with the studies he conducted on smallpox. After the quarters for the Normal School were destroyed by fire, d'Avray lectured at King's College (later the University of New Brunswick) and eventually became Professor of Modern Languages there. He also served for six years as the Chief Superintendent of Education for the province of New Brunswick.

 


EDMUND HILLIER DUVAL

* Principal of the Teacher Training School (Saint John): 1848-1858

Mr. Duval came from England in 1848 and became a school inspector in 1849. He extended his role as educator to the black settlement near Saint John, teaching residents how to use farm implements he had purchased for them. Following his serving as principal of the Training School in Saint John, he became one of four full-time school inspectors for the province of New Brunswick.

 


SAMUEL D. MILLER

* Principal of the Teacher Training School (Saint John): 1858-1870

For some time prior to becoming principal of the Normal School, Mr. Miller had been operating a commercial and mathematical school and this served as a Model School for student teachers.

 


DR. WILLIAM CROCKET

* Principal of the Teacher Training School (Chatham): 1867-1870
* Principal of the Provincial Normal School: 1870-1883
* Chief Superintendent of Education: 1883-1891
* Principal of the Provincial Normal School: 1901-1906

Dr. Crocket, originally from Scotland, was principal of the Chatham Academy when it became the center for the training of teachers for the four northern counties of New Brunswick. When teacher education was once again centered in Fredericton, he moved from Chatham to become principal of the Normal School. In 1883 he became Chief Superintendent of Education for the province of New Brunswick, a position he held until 1891 at which time he moved to Quebec City to teach at Morin College. He returned to New Brunswick and became principal of the Provincial Normal School for a second time (1901-1906).

 


DR. ELDON MULLIN

* Principal of the Normal School: 1883-1901

Dr. Mullin joined the staff as an instructor in 1881 and became principal two years later. In 1901 he resigned as principal to become principal of the Preatoria Normal School in South Africa. He died of typhoid fever within a few months of assuming his new position.

 


DR. H. V. B. BRIDGES

* Principal of the Normal School: 1906-1933

Dr. Bridges had been an inspector of schools before becoming principal of the Normal School. During his principalship the number of students attending the institution grew steadily and he pressed for increased facilities. As a result of his request, in 1913 an extension was added to the Normal School. In 1929 only the annexes were saved when the Normal School caught fire. A new Normal School building was completed by 1931. Dr. Bridges died in March, 1933 while still serving as principal.

 


DR. H. H. HAGERMAN

* Principal of the Normal School: 1933-1940

During Dr. Hagerman's principalship considerable effort was made to increase the professional education of student teachers. Dr. Hagerman died suddenly in August 1940 after having been associated with the School for 37 years, part of them serving as vice-principal under Dr. Bridges.

 


DR. IRVINE B. ROUSE

* Principal of the Normal School: 1940-1955

Dr. Rouse succeeded to the principalship after 16 years as a member of the faculty. For part of the war years Dr. Rouse served as Education Officer for Military District No. 7 (the Province of New Brunswick) for two years and resumed his position as principal during 1944-1945. It was during his tenure that the Provincial Normal School's name was changed to the New Brunswick Teachers College (April 25, 1947).

 


DR. FINLAY E. MACDIARMID

* Acting Principal of the Normal School: 1942-1944
* Chief Superintendent of Education: 1949-1964

During Dr. Rouse's absence for military duty Dr. MacDiarmid served as acting principal of the Normal School. He later served as Chief Superintendent of Education and Director of Educational Services for the province of New Brunswick.

 


DR. D. W. WALLACE

* Principal of the New Brunswick Teachers College: 1955-1961

Dr. Wallace became a member of the Teachers College faculty as a teacher of mathematics in 1924. During his principalship a two-year program for the training of secondary teachers was inaugurated at Teachers College (September 1959). Dr. Wallace resigned as principal in June 1961.

 


DR. AMOS M. ANDERSON

* Principal of the New Brunswick Teachers College: 1961-1964

Dr. Anderson joined the Teachers College faculty in 1953, served as vice-principal and supervised the student-teaching program. In September 1962 teacher education programs at Teachers College began to be of two-year duration. Until the new building being planned on the University of New Brunswick campus was completed in 1964 Teachers College students were housed in several downtown locations in Fredericton. Coping with these changes required a great deal of effort on Dr. Anderson's part.

 


DR. J. E. PICOT

* Principal of the New Brunswick Teachers College: 1964-1967
* Director of Teacher Training: 1967-1968

Dr. Picot, superintendent of Bathurst Schools assumed the position of principal of Teachers College in 1964. College faculty and students moved into the new Teachers College building on September 29th of that year. The total registration was 1059, the largest in the history of the College. As principal, Dr. Picot became a member of the University Council, establishing a link which proved useful in solving common problems between the institutions sharing the university campus. Dr. Picot was appointed Director of Teacher Training in February 1967, and continued to serve as principal of the College until July 1, 1967.

 



DR. MURRAY F. STEWART

* Principal of the New Brunswick Teachers College: 1967-1973

Dr. Stewart had taught 19 years in the New Brunswick public school system before joining the Teachers College faculty in 1955 as an instructor in English, his particular area of expertise being in the grammars of English. He became a vice-principal of the College in 1961. Dr. Stewart served as the last principal of Teachers College, for it ceased to exist when in 1973 teacher education was integrated into the Universities of Moncton and New Brunswick.