Wendell E. Dunn
Encyclopedia
Wendell Earl Dunn, Sr. was a noted educator, longtime principal of Forest Park High School
in Baltimore (1935-1961), and President of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
(1867-1944) was a farmer, optometrist, and inventor of the patented Dunn Ballot (fraud-proof coupon ballot). After a boyhood on a prairie homestead near Summit, South Dakota
, Wendell Dunn earned an A.B. in transportation from the University of Wisconsin in 1916. He helped pay his way through college playing professional baseball as a second baseman in the Three-I League
and as a cornetist and violinist in musical ensembles. He began his career in education after serving in the Army in World War I, during which time he attended officers candidate school. His first school post was as a high school science teacher in Pierre, South Dakota
, from 1918 to 1919. During that time he supplemented his income by ghostwriting speeches for state legislators, sometimes penning remarks on both sides of a debate question. Dunn then served as superintendent of the Blunt, South Dakota
, school district for four years before beginning a seven-year tenure as principal of the Aberdeen, South Dakota
Senior High School. From 1924 to 1930 he was a professor of economics and American history at the Black Hills Teachers College in Spearfish, South Dakota
. In 1927 he earned his M.A. in education from the University of Wisconsin. He moved to Baltimore in 1931. He had studied during summer 1921 at the Johns Hopkins University
.
and principal of Patterson Senior High
before assuming the post at Forest Park in 1935. In 1938, he was elected president of the Maryland State Teachers' Association.
On November 25, 1955, Dunn was elected president of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the first principal of a public high school to receive this honor. He was named by educators from New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware and the District of Columbia at the opening session of the organization's sixty-ninth annual convention.
Dunn died July 26, 1965, after a long illness, four days after the death of his wife. He had made a lasting impression on the lives of many of his students. One wrote, “Whatever the subject he touched upon, he seemed to go to its core. He spoke our language—with us, never down to us—raising us with his ease and flow of words to an understanding of the ethics and responsibilities that awaited us even as young adults. We are widely scattered today, but wherever we are, we hold the memory of a man who helped to give us direction, who earned the respect and esteem of his students, a mentor to thousands who stand a little straighter because of his guidance."
Dunn is interred in Green Mount Cemetery. He was the brother of civil engineer Everett Dunn
.
Forest Park High School (Maryland)
Forest Park Senior High School is a four year, public high school in Baltimore, Maryland. Forest Park was established in 1924 as the Forest Park Junior-Senior High School. In 1932, the Forest Park Junior High School was moved and renamed the Garrison Junior High School.-Notable alumni: *Billy...
in Baltimore (1935-1961), and President of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
Early Years in South Dakota
Wendell Dunn was the son of Moncena and Lois Woodward Dunn. Moncena DunnMoncena Dunn
Moncena Dunn , son of farmer Wallace Dunn and Lucy N Miller , was a farmer, telegrapher, optometrist and inventor of the fraud-proof, color-coded coupon ballot .-Early Years:Moncena Dunn married Lois Woodward in 1891 and as the station agent...
(1867-1944) was a farmer, optometrist, and inventor of the patented Dunn Ballot (fraud-proof coupon ballot). After a boyhood on a prairie homestead near Summit, South Dakota
Summit, South Dakota
Summit is a town in Roberts County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 288 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Summit is located at ....
, Wendell Dunn earned an A.B. in transportation from the University of Wisconsin in 1916. He helped pay his way through college playing professional baseball as a second baseman in the Three-I League
Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League
The Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League was a minor league baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 years, mostly in those three states. It was popularly known as the Three-I League and also sometimes jokingly as the Three-Eye League....
and as a cornetist and violinist in musical ensembles. He began his career in education after serving in the Army in World War I, during which time he attended officers candidate school. His first school post was as a high school science teacher in Pierre, South Dakota
Pierre, South Dakota
Pierre is the capital of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County. The population was 13,646 at the 2010 census, making it the second least populous state capital after Montpelier, Vermont...
, from 1918 to 1919. During that time he supplemented his income by ghostwriting speeches for state legislators, sometimes penning remarks on both sides of a debate question. Dunn then served as superintendent of the Blunt, South Dakota
Blunt, South Dakota
Blunt is a city in Hughes County, South Dakota, United States. It is part of the Pierre, South Dakota Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 354 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, school district for four years before beginning a seven-year tenure as principal of the Aberdeen, South Dakota
Aberdeen, South Dakota
Aberdeen is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States, about 125 mi northeast of Pierre. Settled in 1880, it was incorporated in 1882. The city population was 26,091 at the 2010 census. The American News is the local newspaper...
Senior High School. From 1924 to 1930 he was a professor of economics and American history at the Black Hills Teachers College in Spearfish, South Dakota
Spearfish, South Dakota
Spearfish is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota,United States. The population was 10,494 at the 2010 census.- History :Prior to the Black Hills Gold Rush of 1876, the area was used by Native Americans who would spear fish in the creek...
. In 1927 he earned his M.A. in education from the University of Wisconsin. He moved to Baltimore in 1931. He had studied during summer 1921 at the Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
.
Baltimore Teaching Career and Later Life
Dunn served in the Baltimore City School System for 30 of the 43 years he was an educator. The head of numerous local and regional educational groups, he was a vice principal of Baltimore City CollegeBaltimore City College
The Baltimore City College , also referred to as The Castle on the Hill, historically as The College, and most commonly City, is a public high school in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. The City College curriculum includes the International Baccalaureate Programme and emphasizes study in the classics...
and principal of Patterson Senior High
Patterson Senior High (Baltimore, Maryland)
-Football:In 1993, Patterson, along with all the other Baltimore City public schools, left the Maryland Scholastic Association to join the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association . The move meant that Baltimore City Public Schools would be able to compete with the rest of the...
before assuming the post at Forest Park in 1935. In 1938, he was elected president of the Maryland State Teachers' Association.
On November 25, 1955, Dunn was elected president of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the first principal of a public high school to receive this honor. He was named by educators from New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware and the District of Columbia at the opening session of the organization's sixty-ninth annual convention.
Dunn died July 26, 1965, after a long illness, four days after the death of his wife. He had made a lasting impression on the lives of many of his students. One wrote, “Whatever the subject he touched upon, he seemed to go to its core. He spoke our language—with us, never down to us—raising us with his ease and flow of words to an understanding of the ethics and responsibilities that awaited us even as young adults. We are widely scattered today, but wherever we are, we hold the memory of a man who helped to give us direction, who earned the respect and esteem of his students, a mentor to thousands who stand a little straighter because of his guidance."
Dunn is interred in Green Mount Cemetery. He was the brother of civil engineer Everett Dunn
Everett Dunn
Everett Wesley Dunn, was a civil engineer and labor negotiator. He was known for his work with the Iowa State Highway Commission, which demonstrated his knowledge not only of engineering but of financing as well.-Early life:Everett Dunn was the son of Moncena and Lois Woodward Dunn...
.