Education: Genial Realist

In nine months of looking for a successor to retiring School Superintendent William Jansen, 70, the New York City Board of Education seemed to favor one man. Dr. John J. Theobald, 53, has no degree in education and never taught in a public school, but as the energetic president of municipal Queens College and more recently as New York’s deputy mayor, he has come to know as much about his city and its huge (1,000,000 pupils) school system as any man. Last week, after looking over 24 candidates from all over the U.S., the board announced that Theobald was still its man.

The son of a retired Manhattan school principal, Theobald never dreamed that he would eventually end up in his father’s field. He took three degrees (A.B., B.S., C.E.) at Columbia University, later earned a Ph.D. there in political science stressing the civil side of civil engineering. He became professor of engineering, then dean of administration at City College, took over the presidency of Queens in 1949. Two years ago he left Queens on leave to become deputy mayor to his old friend Bob Wagner, the son of his father’s classmate at City College.

A tough-minded but genial realist who coached track while president of Queens, likes to do carpentry and fiddle on the violin, Theobald combines a certain sympathy for modern educational theories with a no-nonsense attitude towards such practices as promoting all students automatically. “This,” says he, “puts a premium on misbehavior.” He has even publicly advocated placing incorrigibles in separate schools rather than allowing them to muddy the ones they are in. Though he agrees that the public schools must meet the needs of each child, he also thinks that “there comes a time when we’ve got to say: ‘All right. We have met your needs. Now show us some results!”