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Principal Henry R. Merry “Grant High School was a very special place. The setting, thanks to |
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“Mr. Merry was so kind and gentle while commanding respect without ever raising his voice. He talked with his hands. He recognized leadership in others as he himself served as a leader.” Sayde Bunyan Dean "Henry R. Merry was a self-identified 'colored man,' whom many people assumed to be white upon first seeing him. . . . In a different community, where his racial origins were unknown, he probably could have 'passed,' and lived successfully as a 'white' man. However, Mr. Merry chose to live as a 'colored' man in Covington. . . . Since race was at the heart of segregated schools, it is significant that a man with a mixed racial background would have a lengthy administrative career at the only all-black school in Covington." |
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“Principal Merry took great care with the teachers and was wonderful to students. He was a kind person who truly guided students as much as he could, yet he knew that he had no control over the unjust system. He didn’t have all of the facilities of a great high school, but he helped the school achieve greatness.” |
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"Mr. Merry was a very quiet person and, with his calm bearing, he instilled confidence. He had a special skill for selecting outstanding teachers and could see who would add to the school. Teachers stayed for years. No one really wanted to leave. Mr. Merry was not a demanding person, but when he asked for something, we knew that it was fair and proper.” Sayde Bunyan Dean |
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"Merry’s leadership style in relationship to students and teachers alike seemed relatively laissez faire, tolerant and benign, rather than authoritarian, stern, or intrusive. He had a ‘calming’ demeanor, and seemed to be more of a consensus builder. Mr. Merry was not a person who was adversarial in his approach to most matters. While some people in the black Covington community would view him as perhaps not sufficiently aggressive in representing the interests of black people, or resisting some obvious curricular and policy disparities at Lincoln-Grant, others would see a ‘colored man’ who could literally pass for ‘white’ as a convenient foil to the external community.” From The Life and Legacy of Lincoln-Grant School by J. M. Walton, page 136-137 |
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 Marguerite Bunyan Giles |
“I loved the way Mr. Merry guided the school. Once a month, we would meet in the auditorium, and all the classrooms—students and teachers—would come together. Mr. Merry knew how to build community and to remind us—inspire us—that we were there to learn. He motivated us all and caused me to love learning so that I would want to go to college.” Marguerite Bunyan Giles |
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