Maroa-Forsyth School Archives
Maroa-Forsyth District Superintendents
The position of District Superintendent was created with the formation of the Maroa-Forsyth Unit School District in 1948. Orginally, the same person who was the high school principal also functioned as the superintendent.
The 1962-63 school year is the first year in which the positions of superintendent and high school principal are separate.
W. Dayton Keyes, Jr.
1948-1957
John E. Kitowski
1957-1959
Melvin Nicol
Interim 1960
Milo Watson
1960-1962
Robert A. Paxson
1962-1964
Richard Irvin
1964-1986
Steve Stenger
1986-2006
Mike Williams
2006-2017
John Ahlemeyer
2017-2021
Kris Kahler
2021-2023
Jeffrey Holmes
Co-Interim 2023/24
Leo Johnson
Co-Interim 2023/24
Adam Ibbotson
2024-
Early Superintendents
In early school history, the word superintendent and principal were, at times, used interchangeably. At some dates, the principal and the superintendent were the same person; at other times, the positions were separate. Additionally, during some periods, the superintendent was in charge of the 8 one-room schoolhouses in the Maroa area (see the Decatur Daily Herald July 9, 1910, p. 6).After the 1919-1920 school year, the superintendent listed each year in the Illinois School Directory is the high school principal.
Establishing if and when the superintendent position was separate from the principal was not always clear. Best attempts were made to list appropriate information below. See notes section for sources.
Notes
Superintendents were verified through Maroa-Forsyth High School yearbooks, when available.
Additional resource for information from 1856 through 1901: Catalogue and Course of Study of the Public Schools of Maroa, Macon Co. Ill. Maroa Board of Education, 1901. See notes below for additional citations.
The term "superintendent" is first used in the Catalogue and Course of Study of the Public Schools of Maroa, Macon Co. Ill. in 1898, and it appears that, originally, the superintendent position was over just the Maroa 1st through 12th grade buildings.
William Fry: (1) Catalogue and Course of Study of the Public Schools of Maroa, 1901. NOTE: Superintendent and high school principal were the same position during this time.
D. Frank Fawcett: (1)Herald and Review, Decatur, Illinois, 1907 June 5, p. 2. (2) Illinois School Directory 1909-1910, Circular 40. Journal Co., State Printers, Springfield, ILL. 1909. NOTES: Superintendent and high school principal were the same position during this time. In the 1909/10 Illinois School Directory, the principal and superintendent spots are reversed and show D. Frank Fawcett as only the principal, wiht the superintendent's section blank.
John McLeod: (1)Herald and Review, Decatur, Illinois, 1910 May 16, p. 5, announced that W. J. Browning was the new superintendnet; however in the Decatur Daily Herald, Decatur, Illinois, 1910 July 9, p 6, it is announced that J. McLeod will actually be filling the position. (2) Illinois School Directory 1910-11, Circular 54. Illinois State Journal Co., State Printers, Springfield, ILL. 1910, p. 78 shows J. McLeod in the position. (3) Decatur Herald, May 20, 1911, p. 10.
R. H. Perrott: (1)Illinois School Directory, 1912-1913, Circular 67, Francis G. Blair, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Illinois State Journal Co., State Printers, 1912, p. 86.
Leona F. Bowman: (1)Decatur Daily Herald, Decatur, Illinois, July 4, 1913. (2) Illinois School Directory 1914-1915, Circular 81. Compiled by A. L. Whittenberg, Illinois State Journal Co., State Printers, 1914, p. 46. (3) Oracle [Maroa High School yearbook], The News Times, Maroa, Illinois, 1914.
Lee R. Blohm: (1) Decatur Herald, May 4, 1916, p 11. (2) Illinios School Directory 1915-1916, p. 54. (3) Decatur Herald June 17, 1917, p. 31. (4) Illinois School Directory 1916-1917, Circular 106. Compiled by Charles Henry Saylor. Schnepp and Barnes State Printers, 1916.
Robert J. Robinson: (1) Decatur Herald, December 9, 1917, p. 8. (2) Illinois school directory 1917-1918, Circular 125. Compiled by Charles Henry Sayer, Schnepp and Barnes State Printers, p 33.
S. T. Walker: (1) Illinois School Directory, 1918-1919, Circular 133. Compiled by Charles Henry Saylor, Schnepp and Barnes State Printers, 1918, p. 32.
Roy Steele: (1) Illinois School Directory, Circular 141. Compiled by Charles Henry Saylor, Illinois Printing Co., Danville, 1919.
Historical items have been made available to the community for research and study purposes and to satisfy curiosity. Due to the nature of the colloquialisms, culture, attitude, and/or political climate of the various time periods represented, some content may be deemed “inappropriate" if viewed outside of its historical context. In addition, the newspapers, logos, branding, and other publication identifiers are the trademarks of the newspapers and other publishers. Our use of newspaper content contained in this archive in no way implies an affiliation with, or endorsement from, the publisher. Included photos have been identified from owner's notatations or through community members. If you believe there has been an error in identification of any materials, please email the Maroa-Forsyth School Archives.
1960 Yearbook