A eulogy for Martin Luther King, Jr.

George's remarks on the loss of King

Original Publication Date: April 15, 1968

When Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated on April 4, 1968, George and Annemarie were on vacation in Mexico since it was the school’s spring break. George had been out of the country as well when John F. Kennedy was assassinated and felt bereft to be away from his country at these times of collective national trauma. When school resumed, there was an assembly to discuss the tragic events and this is the speech George gave at the assembly.

George Roeper on humanism

Original Publication Date: June 6, 1981

The Class of 1981 asked George, who had retired in 1979, to speak to them at their Junior-Senior Dinner, which is an important part of Commencement weekend. The Class of 1981 was the first class to have graduated after the Upper School moved to the Birmingham campus in September 1980, at the start of their senior year. George was pleased to be asked and responded with a talk on his core philosophy, humanism. 

1956 Trust Agreement

The first statement of principles

Original Publication Date: May 4, 1956

In 1956 George and Annemarie transferred ownership of the school to a non-profit educational trust.  This would make it possible to accept tax-deductible donations to the Gifted Child Project they were launching.  In the 1956 trust agreement, George and Annemarie specified that the school had to admit students “regardless of race, sex or creed,” and that the school was to set aside a significant portion of its income for scholarships.  Here are the first four pages of the agreement.