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Subject: Bio of Eugene Henely
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 07:04:38 EST

A Narrative History
of
The People of Iowa
with
SPECIAL TREATMENT OF THEIR CHIEF ENTERPRISES IN
EDUCATION, RELIGION, VALOR, INDUSTRY,
BUSINESS, ETC.
by
EDGAR RUBEY HARLAN, LL. B., A. M.
Curator of the
Historical, Memorial and Art Department of Iowa
Volume IV
THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Inc.
Chicago and New York
1931

EUGENE HENELY. The death of Eugene Henely on September 11, 1928, closed a
career of remarkable service as an Iowa educator. Mr. Henely had been a
school superintendent for thirty-eight years, all of this time being divided among
just three localities. For twenty-three years before his death he had been
superintendent of the Grinnell public schools, and that city and community in
particular appreciate his unusual qualities as a teacher and man.
He was a native of Iowa, born near Monticello December 15, 1867, and passed
away in his sixty-first year. He was a son of Michael and Mary Jane
(Kirkley) Henely, both natives of Ohio. His parents came to Iowa in a covered wagon
in 1853 and settled near Monticello, where his father devoted the rest of his
life to farming. Michael Henely died in 1902 and his wife in 1918. One of
their sons is William E. Henely, of Clarion, Iowa, and another is Dr. Edmund
Henely, of Nora Springs, Iowa.

Eugene Henely grew up on a farm, attended the grade and high schools of
Monticello,m and in 1890 was gradutated from the Iowa State College at Ames. The
first community to which he was called as head of the schools was Oxford,
Iowa, where he remained nine years. For six years he was superintendent of
schools of Brooklyn, Iowa, and in 1905 became superintendent at Grinnell. He
gave Grinnell schools an enviable standing among the school systems of the
state. As a result of his work Grinnell has a reputation for its public school
system as well as for its splendid college, and is an all around educational
center. As a teacher it is said that no slightest detail was ever too small to
be missed or slighted by Mr. Henely. Each pupil was known and called by
name, and he felt a deep interest in his or her welfare not only in school days
but through later years. His graduates of long ago still consulted him upon
their plans and work. Some of the most splendid tributes paid him during his
illness and since his death came from former students. He served in various
capacities in the State Teachers Association and in other educational
organizations. He was an active member of the Methodist Church for twenty-eight
years, was long identified with the Men's Bible Class of the church at Grinnell,
and was steward of the church and a consistent member of the Sunday School.
Fraternally he was a member of the Masonic fraternity, B. P. O. Elks,
Independent Order of the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of
America, and was a member of the Kiwanis Club and the Fortnightly Club. He was for
twenty years a member of the city library board, and a member of the Social
Service League Board from the time of its organization.

Among other organizations that paid tribute to his life of service one was
the Board of Control of the Iowa High School Athletic Association, of which he
was one of the founders. The board of control said: "Eugene Henely's death
came as a distinct shock to all of us. While his health had not been good
for some time there was no thought of anything but his ultimate recovery. He
left a unique and an enviable record of service. For twenty-three years he
served his community, and the splendid school system of Grinnell is a monument
to his ability as an organizer and an educator as well as to his tireless
energy and industry.
"He served the Iowa High School Athletic Association as a member of the
Board of Control for over twenty years, and the scope and influence of this
organization is due in a very large measure to his sound sense, his good judgment
and his clear vision. His interest in the affairs of the association was
unflagging and the amount of time and labor he gave to it was enormous. He was
eminently fair, and he abhorred trickery. He was outspoken in his opinions,
he truckled to no one. He could have sharp differences but he bore no
grudges. There was no rancor in his makeup."

Superintendent Henely married, in 1892, Miss Louise Miller, who was born nea
r North Liberty in Johnson County, Iowa, June 9, 1872. Her father, Alexander
James Miller, was a native of Pennsylvania, was brought to Iowa by his
parents in the early 1850s, and the family has lived in Johnson County for over
three-quarters of a century. Her father gave his life to farming and stock
raising and later became editor and publisher of the Oxford Journal. He died in
1910. He married Mary Louise McColm, of Baltimore, Maryland, who died in
1925. Of their seven children four are now living: Jesse A. Miller, an
attorney and former district judge at Des Moines; Mrs. Henely; Oliver H. an attorney
at Des Moines; and Mrs. Laura Miller Metcalf, at Hawarden, Iowa.

Superintendent Henely is survived by Mrs. Henely and two daughters: Inez
Louise, of Grinnell, and Mrs. Margaret Henely Black, of Mountain Lakes, New
Jersey, and one grandson, Eugene Charlton Black.

A very fine and lasting tribute to Professor Henely has been erected on the
local high school campus by the State Board of Athletic Control in the form
of a bronze plaque on a native granite boulder with the following inscription:

Eugene Henely
Faithful Service
Member Board of Control
1908-1928
~~~~~~~~
Erected by
Iowa High School
Athletic Association.



Debbie Clough Gerischer
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Iowa History Site
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