Beatty – Introduction

At the Society’s annual Gathering, a number of speakers spent about an hour discussing the traits and personality of our former principal, H. C. Beatty. You can read each speaker’s comments from the tabs above.

From 1927, when he arrived in Cliffside to be first a teacher then a principal, until his retirement in 1969, Mr. Beatty was a pillar of the community, a leader, not just in education, but also in civic and church affairs. Over those 42 years he touched the lives of thousands of youngsters, and not one of his students will ever forget his guidance or his discipline, which was firm but fair.

The speakers of the evening included a co-worker and successor; his two daughters, Ann and Brenda; a son-in-law; a lady who he hired to manage the school cafeteria; and three of his former students.

These accounts of their experiences with Mr. Beatty reveal that he was, as expected, a generous, patient, amusing, loyal, gentle man. And, of course, Cliffside was much the better for his being there.