- Arthur M. Hitch
Arthur M. Hitch (
February 26 ,1875 -February 20 ,1956 ), was the Superintendent ofKemper Military School inBoonville, Missouri from 1928 to 1948.Hitch was born in
Cuba, Missouri in 1875. He attended the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy inRolla, Missouri , then earned an A.B. from theUniversity of Missouri in 1897. Hitch arrived atKemper Military School in 1899 as an instructor ofLatin , English, German, andElocution . By 1907, he had been promoted to principal. He married Bertha Johnston, daughter of School Superintendent ColonelThomas A. Johnston , in 1908. In 1928, Colonel Johnston announced that he was retiring after 48 years as superintendent, and selected Colonel Hitch, his son-in-law, to lead the school. Hitch ably guided the school through the severe financial crisis of theGreat Depression , when enrollment plummeted, and intoWorld War II , during which the school operated year-round with over 500 students. During his superintendency, the new stadium and football fields were constructed in 1937, the Academic Hall was built in 1939, and the Science Hall was added in 1941. Colonel A. M. Hitch retired in 1948 and died in 1956.References
* "The Boonville Daily News", Kemper Centennial Edition, May 8, 1944.
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