Theodore Roosevelt School

1921-1996

A Brief History

In 1913 Ridge Road School was opened at the site of the current Roosevelt
Elementary School. As time passed, the school came to be known as the Pleasant Ridge
School. To make room for the construction of the Theodore Roosevelt School, the Ridge
Road School, which had originally faced on Ridge Road, was moved eastward to the rear
of the school property and faced on Oakridge Avenue. Here it continued to be used as a
school while the Roosevelt School was being completed.

Ridge Road School, commonly known as the Pleasant Ridge School

The new Theodore Roosevelt School was dedicated on Thursday, October 20,
1921 . (See next page for reprint of The Daily Tribune article dated October 28, 1921 .)
The original school was an eight room school, which faced on Ridge Road. The school
cost $91,428.00 to build and had an enrollment of 313 in 1921. Fifty-nine additional
students attended special programs in the old wooden building at the back of the school
property.

From:

Royal Oak Tribune,

October 28, 1921

CODY SPEAKS
AT ROOSEVELT
OPENING
PLEASANT RIDGE FERNDALE
DISTRICT DEDICATES
SCHOOL

Modern $91,000 One-Floor Eight

Room Structure Opened
To Public.

"Make your school system serve

the community," Frank Cody, superintendent of Detroit public schools. told
residents of Royal Oak township school
district No. 9 Thursday evening at the
formal opening and dedication of the
new Roosevelt school on Ridge road at
the junction of Pleasant Ridge and
Ferndale villages .
Significant points in Mr. Cody's
address were:
"Suffer little children to come unto
me is. after all, the motto of all our
schools.
"If you can make the schools
democratic , you will have unanimous
agreement when appropriations are
asked for and your school budget will
be approved without any deductions
being made.
"Let the general public know your
school program. Parent-Teachers associations and school visiting days will
stimulate public interest.
"Sites for buildings should not be
smaller than five acres , in order to provide for expansion.

Separate H.S. and Grades.

"Separate the 7th, 8th, and 9th
grades from the high school somehow.
A large number of pupils leave school
after the 9th grade. Provision must be
made to give some vocational training
to the boys and girls who do not complete the high school courses . Emphasis is being changed from the high school
to the grades . The best teachers are
needed in the first six grades, not in the
high school. If grade teachers have the
same training, they should receive the
same grade of pay that high school
instructors do .
"No school district should adopt a
building program without consulting its
neighbors. When you build, provide for
additions by erecting buildings, like this
Roosevelt school. on the unit plan.
"Education is a state function, and
a common program should be followed
so that no child in the state will suffer
because he did nqt have educational
opportunities equal to those of the city
of Detroit or any other city. Consolidated schools are a means to this end .
"Make your schools serve the whole
community."
Dr. Bryant Presides.
Dr. William Bryant, president of
the board of education, presided. Charles G. Kibbey, treasurer, reported the
cost of the building to be $91,428 with
a few small bills yet to be presented.
William J. Norton, executive secretary
of the Detroit community fund. and a
member of the district No . 9 school
board. introduced Mr. Cody.
Vocal solos were given by Miss
Helen Marshall. school musical director, and John Renton ; a violin solo by
Mr. Bullock.
Miss Elizabeth V. Briggs, township librarian, announced the establishment of a branch of the township library
in the Roosevelt school. Both adult and
juvenile books are included. Between
2 :30 and 5:00 each Thursday the branch
will be open.

Following the program. refreshments were served by members of the

Parent-Teachers association and the
building was open for public inspection , the teachers being in their respective rooms to explain any features of
school work to interested parents .

Enrollment is 313.
The Roosevelt school is a one-floor
eight room school of the most modern
construction . Present enrollment is 313 ,
divided as follows: Kindergarten 41 ,
Miss Ruth Mitchell: First , 39, Miss
Minnie Geletzke; Second, 38 , Mrs.
BeauChampet: Three-B. 40, Miss Elizabeth Denman: Three-A , 34. Miss
Dorothy Rowe: Four-B. 24 and FiveB. 15, total 39 , Miss Dorothy Hunt:
Fifth , 33. Mrs. Lester: Sixth. 44. Miss
Helen Osband. The principal is Miss
Edith Cargill.
Fifty-nine pupils are enrolled in
special grades in the annex, the old
wooden building which was moved
back. Miss Marion Leete has 30 in the
speed room: Miss Elizabeth Neh s 16 in
the special A's: Miss Veva Quick and
Miss Eastman 13 in the special B s.
W. E. Harris is superintendent of
district No. 9 schools . Members of the
school board are : Dr. William Bryant.
president: Robert D. Chatfield. secretary; Charles G. Kibbey. treasurer:
William J. Norton and Marshall F.
Lester. Mrs . Gladys M. Parson s was
secretary of the board when plans for
the Roosevelt school were made.

..

Theodore Roosevelt School facing Ridge Road, 1921. The flagpole, the urns ,
and the nameplates above each entrance were enclosed by the1969 addition to
the school, but can still be seen in one of the school's internal courtyards.

The floorplan and style of the original school is still

discernable due to its terrazzo floors , white ceramic
tiled walls , and beautiful oak woodwork.

In 1932 grades seven and eight were added to Roosevelt School. Roosevelt
remained a K-8 building until the completion of Ferndale High School in 1959, when the
seventh and eighth graders were moved to Lincoln Junior High School. The need for
additional space in the interim at Roosevelt resulted in the 1939 and 1949 additions to the
school.
In 1939 the Cambridge and Oakridge sides of the school were added. These wings
included basement rooms at their eastern ends (current rooms 93, 98, and the art room) ,
which in the past have served as the school's cafeteria and shop class areas. The space
between the two wings continued to be used as a playground by Roosevelt students until
1949, when the gymnasium was constructed in this open area and the two wings were
joined by the addition of four classrooms (two upstairs and two downstairs) at the east
end of the school.

Roosevelt School, Oakridge view in 1970

Roosevelt School, view from Ridge Road in 1967

A final addition was made in 1969 on the Ridge Road side of the school. Four
classrooms and a large music room were included in the addition.

View of the 1969 addition from Ridge Road

Roosevelt School is scheduled to be renovated beginning June 1997. The above

view of Roosevelt will change once again, when the proposed new media center is built.
An architect's sketch of the planned renovation appears below.

Pinecrest view of proposed new media center and adjoining classrooms

Roosevelt PTA Historian Mrs. C.S. Hom wrote in 1941, "Too often the history of
a group seems most desirable after long years of organization. By the time it has
developed enough of importance to warrant a record of its accomplishment, its beginnings
have faded even in the memories of its founders." And so it is,that many of the names of
those who helped build and shape Roosevelt's reputation of excellence for the past
seventy-five years have escaped recording.

Principals of Roosevelt School

Roosevelt's first principal was Miss Edith Cargill. According to her daughter, Mrs .
Sue Evans of Pinehurst, North Carolina, her mother was principal from 1921-1923, when
she had to step down to get married. Edith Cargill McCordic is in a North Carolina nursing
home today. She will tum 100 in April.

Miss Cargill with students on steps of Ridge

Road School

Miss Edith Cargill, first

Roosevelt Principal

Miss Dorothy Brooks, fondl y remembered as "our Miss Brooks", w ~:s principal
from 1923-1933 . Mr. Paul Best was principal from 1933-1942 and later becan e assistant
superintendent of schools. Best Junior High School is named after him.

Mr. Paul Best

Mr. John Houghton

Mr. John Houghton graduated in 1929 from Lincoln High, taught at Roosevelt for
nine years, was Roosevelt's principal from 1942-1953, then became principal of Lincoln
High School and later superintendent of schools. A complete listing of Roosevelt
principals includes:
Miss Edith Cargill
Miss Dorothy Brooks
Mr. Paul Best
Mr. John Houghton
Mr. Lawrence F. Read
Mr. Arden H. Detert
Mrs. Frances (Miller) Seagrave
Mr. Lyle Marshall
Mr. Nie Cannici
Mrs. Jeanne Mcintyre
Mrs . Lynn Haire

1921-1923
1923-1933
1933-1942
1942-1953
1953-1954
1954-1962
1962-1971
1971-1978
1978-1985
1985-1994
1994-present

Mr. Arden H. Detert

1954-1962

Mr. Nic Cannici

1978-1985

Mrs. Frances (Miller) Seagrave

1962-1971

Mrs. Jeanne Mcintyre

1985-1994

Mr. Lyle Marshall

1972-1978

Mrs. Lynn Haire

1994-present

Teachers at Roosevelt School

The earliest record of Roosevelt teachers was contained in the October 28, 1921
article in Royal Oak's The Daily Tribune:
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade (3B)
Third Grade (3A)
Fourth Grade (4B)
Fifth Grade (SB)
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade
Special Grades

Miss Ruth Mitchell

Miss Minnie Geletzke
Mrs. BeauChampet
Miss Elizabeth Denman
Miss Dorothy Rowe
Miss Dorothy Hunt
Miss Dorothy Hunt
Mrs. Lester
Miss Helen Osband
Miss Marion Leete
Miss Elizabeth N ehe
Miss Veva Quick
Miss Eastman

Roosevelt teachers 1921-22, left to right: Miss Nehs, Mrs.

Lester, Miss Hunt, Miss Mitchell, Miss Quick, Miss Os band,
Miss Leete, Miss Denman, Mrs. BeauChampet, Miss Rowe,
Mrs. Geletzke

In the September 7, 1932 issue of The Daily Tribune the following teachers are
listed for Roosevelt School: Ruth Albers, Mary Burkit, Bernice Butler, Hazel Darling,
Evelyn Edwards, Alice Graves, Georgia Hallman, Helen Heisler, Amy Jacobson, Florence
Keightley, Maurine LaBatt, Anne MacN even, Hazel Miller, Alma Mitchell, Irene Mooney,
Stella Nicols, Norma VanHome, Greta Wixson.
Mary Burkit was a beloved kindergarten teacher known as "Miss Mary". Many
alumni have visited Roosevelt and spoken fondly of their "Miss Mary".

"Miss Mary" with a kindergarten class in 1936.

Records listing Roosevelt teachers are lacking until the early 1960s, when Roosevelt began publishing yearbooks. Yearbooks disappeared again in the 1970s, but albums
of class pictures were maintained annually through the present. As a result, lists of
teaching staffs could be compiled, some of which are reprinted on the following pages.

Roosevelt Teachers
1963-64
Kindergarten
First Grade

Second Grade
Third Grade

Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

Sixth Grade

Mrs. Pellow
Mrs . Touran
Mrs. Blacher
Mrs. Loceff
Mrs . Zeiter
Mrs . Hassan
Mrs. Schnell
Mrs. Frank
Miss Moore
Mrs . Richards
Mrs . Gass
Mrs. Davis
Mrs. Green
Mrs. Robin son
Mrs. Adler
Mrs . Marsh
Mr. Sears
Miss Nelson
Mr. Owens
Mrs . Webber
Mr. Wiese

Mrs. Martha Young

School Secretary

1960-1968

Roosevelt Teachers
1969-70
Kindergarten

Mrs . Barnes
Mrs. Touran
Mrs. Garrison
Mrs . Gass
Mrs. Zeiter
Mrs . Caden
Mrs . Grant
Mrs. Splane
Mrs. Frank
Miss Moore
Mr. Taylor
Miss Searis
Mrs. Davis
Mrs . Green
Mrs. Smith
Miss Caplin
Mrs . Dorrell
Mrs. Marsh
Miss Sternberg
Mrs. Anthony
Miss Nelson
Mr. Powell
Mr. Sears

First Grade

Second Grade

Third Grade

Third/Fourth Grade
Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

Sixth Grade

'' '

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Mrs. Helen Bierbower

School Secretary
1968-1980

Roosevelt Teachers
1974-75
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade

Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade

Fifth/Sixth Grade
Sixth Grade

Alice Baldwin
Eva Touran
Cherie Sternberg
Feannie Lieberman
Patricia Brown
Margaret Gass
Shirley Oleinick
Maude Donahue
Maria Scaris
Cassie Smith
Eileen Berkowitz
Marvel Dorrell
Gloria Williams
Henry Taylor
Alice Nelson
Richard Sears

Roosevelt Teachers
1985-86
Kindergarten
First Grade

Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade

Mrs. Hendin
Mrs . Brown
Mrs. Dickieson/Miss Liebermann
Mrs. Halls
Mr. Taylor
Mrs. Vinton
Mrs. Gordon
Mr. Sears
Mrs . Williams
Mrs. Dorrell
Mr. Gulian
Miss Mato

Roosevelt Teachers
1990-91
l(jndergarten
First Grade

Second Grade
Secondffhird Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade

Mrs. Hendin
Mrs . Stonehouse
Mrs . Brown
Mrs. Dickieson
Mrs . Wade
Mrs. Clor
Mr. Taylor
Mrs. Vinton
Mrs . Gordon
Mrs . Halls
Mr. Sears
Mrs . Ward-Mytinger
Mrs . Dorrell
Mrs. Parkinson
Mr. Gulian
Miss Mato

Mrs. Delphine Camey

School Secretary
1980-present

Roosevelt Staff
1996-97
Kindergarten
First Grade
First/Second Grade
Second Grade
SecondfThird Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade
Sixth Grade
Special Education

Specialist Teachers
Vocal Music
Art
German
Instrumental Music
Instrumental Music
Instrumental Music
Instrumental Music
Instrumental Music
Teaching Assistants--Literacy Project
Instructional Aides
Kindergarten
Literacy Project

Media
Custodians

Secretary

Mrs. Phyllis Hendin

Mrs. Melanie Allbery
Ms. Linda Crisan
Mrs. Susan Surber
Mrs. Patricia Brown
Mrs. Linda Dickieson
Mrs. Anita Galloway
Mrs. Janet Monroe
Mrs. Margaret Halls
Mrs. Laura Vinton
Mr. Todd Cunningham
Mrs. Linda Gostomski
Mrs. Patrice Ward-Mytinger
Mr. Frank Burk
Mrs. DarleneWade
Mrs. Roberta Lusk
Miss Diane Mato
Mrs. Sheree Green
Mrs. Ann Saunders
Mrs. Donna Pearlman
Miss Annie Abbott, P.E.
Mrs. Mary Brown
Mrs. Virginia Cox
Frau Annegret Stroetges
Mr. Dave Coleman
Mrs. Marianne Corrigan
Mr. Paul Schlottman
Mr. Roger Smith
Miss Elizabeth Wilson
Mrs. Gail Stenback
Mrs. Diane Sharples
Mrs. Carolann Brown
Mrs. Betty Hensley
Mrs. Sue Fry
Mrs. Christine Kukier
Mrs. Betty Nicholls
Ms. Patience Harper
Mr. Steven Hill, Head
Mrs. Denise Lyon, Asst. Head
Mrs. Denise Berry
Mr. John Bourgeois
Mrs. Delphine Carney

Roosevelt Staff
1996-97

Mrs. Allbery
Kindergarten

Ms. Crisan
First Grade

Mrs. Galloway
Second Grade

Mrs. Vinton
Third Grade

Mrs. Hendin
Kindergarten

Mrs.Brown
First/Second Grade

Mrs. Halls
Third Grade

Mr. Cunningham
Fourth Grade

Mrs. Surber
First Grade

Mrs.Dickieson
Second Grade

Mrs.Monroe
Third Grade

Mrs. Gostomski
Fourth Grade

Roosevelt Staff
1996-97

Mrs. Ward-Mytinger
. Fourth Grade

Mr. Burk
Fifth Grade

Mrs. Wade
Fifth Grade

Mrs. Lusk
Sixth Grade

Miss Mato
Sixth Grade

Mrs. Green
Special Education

Mrs. Saunders
Special Education

Mrs. Pearlman
Speech

Miss Abbott
Physical Education

Mrs. Brown
Vocal Music

Mrs. Cox
Art

Frau Stroetges
German

Roosevelt Staff
1996-97

Ms. Corrigan
Instrumental Music

Mr. Schlottman
Instrumental Music

Mr. Smith
Instrumental Music

Miss Wilson
Instrumental Music

Mrs. Fry
Instuctional Aide

Mrs. Hensley
Instructional Aide

Mrs . Kukier
Instructional Aide

Mrs. Nicholls
Instructional Aide

Ms. Harper
MediaAide

Not pictured:
Mrs. C. Brown
Mr. Coleman
Mrs. Sharples
Mrs. Stenback
Mr. Hill , Mrs.Berry, Mrs. Lyon, Mr. Bourgeois
Custodians

Students at Roosevelt School

Roosevelt has served an estimated 4,500 students since it first opened its doors in
1921. Many of Roosevelt's students in 1996 are second- and a few are third-generation
Roosevelt students.
Two student activities which have been at Roosevelt all these seventy-five years are
Safety Patrol and Service Squad. During the years that Roosevelt was a K-8 building,
sports teams and drama groups were present in the school. Roosevelt also had a wellknown boys choir in the 1950s, founded by Roosevelt music teacher Mr. Edward Haapa.
It was one of the few school boy choirs in the nation. The choir was composed of 27 boys
between the ages of nine and twelve years. (See next page for picture.)

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The cast of Robin Hood given by the 8A Class ofRooseyelt School before graduating
on February 6, 1936.

Roosevelt Soccer Team, 1936

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Members of the Roosevelt Boys Choir in 1950 were: (front row) Dennis
Ford, James Greenwalt, Paul Wooley, Lee Kellar, Robert Tom off, William
Glace, David Albee, Roy Gutske, (second row) John Schlect, Michael Crain,
Dan Barr, Louis McRoberts, Jack McCracken, Jack Hill, Larry Winnie, Neal
Schmeichel, Allan Sanborn and (back row) Kenneth Brown, Owen Fett,
Robert Hatmaker, Don Christian, David Jencks, Ronald Rexrode, Stewart
James, Charles Mach, Larry Dwyer.

The Daily Tribune contains reports of drama clubs, a fifties club, agate tournaments, a harmonica club, the Young Peoples World Citizenship League and others. In
recent years there have been a ski club and a fifth and sixth grade girls' math and science
club. Since the beginning of the 1990s, Roosevelt has had an active Student Council,
which involves students in school and community service projects.

Parents at Roosevelt School

"The Roosevelt Parent-Teacher Association is fortunate in having a long tradition
of organized effort behind it." wrote Mrs. C.S . Hom in 1941. Mrs. Hom continued, "We
can point with pride to the record of our own organization. The emphasis has always been
on service and not on the accumulation of funds for the sake of possession." The tradition
outlined by Mrs. Hom in 1941 has continued through the present day. The Roosevelt PTA
continues to be a well-organized group, whose emphasis is the improvement of Roosevelt
School and its programs. One special project the PTA is currently working on is raising
funds to improve Roosevelt's playground.

1949 June Fair

1953 June Fair

1954 June Fair

A long standing Roosevelt tradition is the PTA-sponsored June Fair.

This history was compiled by Mrs. Haire, with the help of Miss
Mato's 1995-96 sixth graders, who researched articles in The Daily
Tribune .
We are indebted to all the alumni who wrote, phoned or visited
Roosevelt in the past year to share a memories and memorabilia of
days gone by.
A special thank you Mrs. Sue Evans, daughter of Roosevelt's first
principal, Miss Edith Cargill. Mrs. Evans sent us the photos from
the first year at Roosevelt and of her mother.