Richard H. Hungerford
(1903-1974)
Educator from Concord, Michigan who worked in the Detroit Public School System.
Distinguished for his contribution to the field of Special Education.
Appointed Director of Bureau for Children with Retarded Mental Development for the New York City Public Schools during the Fiorello H. LaGuardia Administration (Served from 1942-1958).
• Directed a total reorganization of special education that addressed realistically and systematically the special needs of mentally retarded children in New York City.
• He introduced the Core Curriculum and ongoing curriculum development.
• Prescribed individual long-range and short-term goals for each handicapped child.
• Instituted different developmental skill sequences in language arts and mathematics curricula.
• Developed the concept of "Occupational Education."
• Began publication of the Occupational Education Journals, which became a rich resource for teachers providing both philosophy and techniques for implementations.
• In his early budget requests (circa 1942) Richard Hungerford included plans for Occupational High Schools.
• Returned to New York City in his last years of life (1972-1974) to do an in-depth evaluation of classes for the mentally retarded under a federal grant.
• Richard H. Hungerford left New York City to become the first educator to be appointed a superintendent of a state school: Mansfield State School, Mansfield Connecticut.
• Became superintendent of the Laconia State School in Laconia, New Hampshire.
• Was a consultant to the programs of special education for the Archdiocese of Galveston/Houston, Texas.
• Richard H. Hungerford appears in Who's Who in America for having distinguished himself as a special educator and for his concept of Occupational Education in Special Education.
• Author of various articles. Noteworthy are articles such as "On Locust", on Brotherhood", "On Going to College", "On Looking Ahead for Problem Children".
• Lecturer on Special Education at various universities in the United States. Included among them were Boston University, Syracuse, Buffalo State Teachers College, Trenton State, Columbia University, Teachers College and N.Y.U.
• It is most fitting that included in the name of the P721R Richmond Occupational Training Center will be "The Richard H. Hungerford School" to memorialize a man for his vision. Richard H. Hungerford on his return to New York City in his last years to do an in-depth evaluation visited the Richmond O.T.C. and referred to it as an "Island of Excellence."