Peggy Hitchcock, 1991

Observing

My name is Barry Dorsey. I was born and raised in Boston Massachusetts.
My brother, Bill, and I went through the public school system in Boston.
After graduating from High School in 1967, I attended two different colleges before
receiving a BS in Economics from Boston State College in 1974.
For the next two years I worked as a shift supervisor in a state juvenile halfway house for
serious offenders. The halfway house was closed down and I became a substitute teacher
in the Boston School System.
Late in 1977 I took a 14 months journey on a motorcycle that spanned 48 states Canada
and Mexico. It was a tremendous experience for me that seemed to help me focus on the
important aspects of life.
I returned to Boston and became a provisional teacher for five years. After three years at
the middle school level teaching Math and Science, and two more years at the high school
level teaching Math, I was ineligible to continue as a teacher because I had not gained a
teaching certificate. The next several years I was employed as a Health care worker in a state
residential facility for severely mentally disabled adolescents.
In 1985 I left Boston for Atlanta. There I became a Bellman in a fabulous hotel that was
frequented by many of the stars in sports, music, and film. Michael Jordan, Madonna,
Janet Jackson, Julius Erving, and Charles Barkley are just a few of the names of people that
I met on during my 14 months there.
I found a Master's program at Purdue University that gave credit for teaching experience and
certified applicants with degrees in other fields. The next two years I spent as a provisional
teacher in the Lafayette school system while taking classes in the evening. After finishing my program
I applied for teacher certification in California, Oregon, and Washington. Washington State was the
first state that issued me a teaching certificate. Late that August I packed everything into an U-Haul
and headed for Seattle.
I was able to find a long-term substitute position at Madrona Elementary School, which turned
into a one-year contract. I was offered a regular contract the following year when I began teaching
at Whitworth Elementary School. I spent seven years as a fourth grade teacher at Whitworth
Elementary. Then I became a Head teacher at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School.
During the mid nineties I worked as a Summer School Coordinator at Whitworth, Thurgood
Marshall, and Van Asselt.
The next three years I was the principal at Arbor Heights. I was the principal at Martin Luther King
Elementary from 2001-2006. MLK Elementary was consolidated with T.T.Minor this fall.
In 1997 I married Leslie, and in 1998 Catherine Lucas-Dorsey was born. Michelle was born in 2001.

Whitworth Elementary School Principal
Barry M. Dorsey