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#55 Present Company Demanded—Former Military Man Follows Orders to Nab School Skippers
When Captain Thomas L. Feeney retired from the Grand Rapids Public Schools in 1947 he was the last to be referred to as a truant officer. After the war this title was changed to attendance officer and the department expanded to include others whose job it was to call and keep records of student attendance. The GRPS still has an attendance department and staff although technology makes the job easier. Feeney was probably the last who did much of his work on his feet and on the streets. Anyone who has ever seen a "Little Rascals" or "Our Gang" short knows how it works: the kids skip school and the truant officer, usually a gruff looking guy in a suit, chases them down and takes them to school. In the GRPS system, Feeney was one of two such officers for most of a career that began in 1927, not long after he'd retired from a 30-year career in the military. Feeney's army service began with a stint in the Philippines. Some time later he was stationed on the Mexican border where he was likely a witness to the Mexican Civil War, and possibly part of a unit under General George "Black Jack" Pershing charged with chasing down the charismatic bandit Pancho Villa (they were unsuccessful). Feeney later served in France during World War I. Although he was born in Gorham, Maine, Captain Feeney ended up in Grand Rapids while he was still enlisted. in 1921 he founded the ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) at the then three public schools in the city—Union, Central, and South High. He became a truant office with the district in 1927. During Feeney's time as an officer truancy rules were somewhat ambiguous. Mandatory attendance rules were not yet universal and follow-up on absences was time intensive. Children were allowed to miss school for most of the same reasons as today but it was difficult to confirm a caller or a condition. Those who dared to take to the streets had to be faster than Captain Feeney and his partners. Most were not. There were set rules about the number of truancies allowed before more harsh action was taken. Children could be sent to an ungraded school (one that was not divided by age or accomplishment), which was the equivalent of a reformed school. In a worst case a child could be arrested by a police officer, although Board meeting records indicate steps this harsh were seldom taken. Captain Feeney was married to the former Velma Hoadley. The couple raised a son, Sterling E. Feeney, who became a Master Sergeant with the army in Los Angeles. The Feeneys attended St. Thomas Catholic Church in Grand Rapids. When he died Captain Feeney received a military burial at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
Original source can be found here.
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