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Wallace Cripps
Wallace Cripps preached good study habits, cooperative discipline and a firm grounding in the fundamentals during his teaching career of more than 40 years.
Cripps joined Brookside in 1942 and taught mathematics to fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students. Acknowledged as "Mr. Brookside," Cripps was known for his corny jokes and his innovation as an instructor. He seldom used published mathematical texts; rather, created the majority of his curriculum from his own thinking. In 1979, Cripps won the Independent Schools Association of the Central States Teacher Recognition Award. Upon retirement, a scholarship endowment known as the Wallace T. Cripps Award was created for Brookside students in need of financial aid. Cripps had two children, Barbara and Todd, with his wife Mayble, who worked at Brookside for 26 years. |
 1/23/2009 - Anne Bagamery
Mr. Cripps was, quite simply, the best teacher I ever had.
11/9/2006 - Eric Booth
Mr. Cripps was my math teacher while at Brookside and my homeroom teacher in the 6th grade. No other teacher (high school and college included) ever had as much of a positive influence on me like Mr. Cripps. He will ways be my absolute favorite. He was certainly a disciplinarian, but I definitely benefited from that. Not only did he teach us math, but he also taught us about life. Fortunately, math was my best subject and I was never on the wrong end of his yard stick, nor did I ever get my desk turned upside down. He had two sayings that I still remember today...What you do to one side, you must do to the other!...If you don't like the way you're being treated, don't put yourself in that position! Mr. Cripps, if you're out there reading this, thank you for everthing!
Eric Booth C'77
4/19/2006 - Mercedes Barker
Mr. Cripps was my math teacher at Brookside. I remember how he would slap his ruler on your desk if you weren't paying attention or doing something you weren't supposed to be doing. That may not seem too endearing, but it's a fond memory for me.
Mercedes Barker
9/7/2005 - Cecilia Strine
Wally Cripps was my first mentor when I began my teaching career. I was hired at Brookside in 1973 as resident substitute and assistant to Wally, so we worked closely together that first year. He taught me so much about instilling a strong work ethic in children by setting a high standard. "Aim high" was Mr. Cripps' motto, along with Cranbrook School. Wally balanced these challenging standards by dropping corny jokes here and there to keep the mood from getting overly serious. He was fair in his treatment of all of his students and this generated mutual respect and admiration, in spite of his firm approach to discipline. The students all knew that they were expected to give 110%, but they also knew that's what they were getting from "Mr. Chips." Wally's dedication to the teaching profession, his genuine affection for this students, and his commitment to adjusting his program so that all could succeed were true hallmarks of his long career. I think of him and Mayble often and thank him for being such a fine role model.
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