Mr. White: A 'Thomasite' History of Tarlac Province 1901-1913 (In Honor of Frank Rusell White) by Lino L. Dizon

Mr White, for the people of Concepcion (in Tarlac Province, Central Luzon, Philippines), especially during the earlier half of the preceding century, was the appellate of a ghost that haunted their public schools. Mr. White, now largely forgotten by many people of both the town and province, was also the name of the first American teacher of Tarlac, Frank Russell White. Arriving in Tarlac in 1901, Mr. White was to build the first public high school in the Philippines and likewise became the initial Division Superintendent of the province. In 19091, he was appointed the fourth Director of Education of the Philippines. His policies, especially on vocational and industrial education, were to become the cornerstone of public education in the country. Spurred by a ghost story, this simple book traces the beginnings of public education in Tarlac at the onset of the 20th century. Concomitant with the colorful but sad life of Mr. White in the backdrop, it gathers forgotten accounts on the experiences of the early American and Filipino teachers as they planted the seeds of what was to become the ascendant public educational institution of the Philippines. For the forgotten American teachers, also known as the Thomasites (after the ship that brought them in August of 1901), this book shares in the joys of the centennial of their arrival in the country.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Center for Tarlaqueno Studies (January 1, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 198 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9719148845
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9719148845