Gurney Arnold, Jr

1933-2022

USS Wasp CVA

A school picture of Gurney during his time as principal of the Brown School. He is wearing a tan suit with glasses and is in front of a blue-gray background.

Gurney Arnold, Jr. was the principal of the G. W. Brown Elementary School in Newburyport, Massachusetts for 31 years.

Born on August 30, 1933 in Jonesboro, Arkansas to Gurney and Leonie (Lansard) Arnold, the family moved to Hillsdale, Michigan in 1941. He graduated from Hillsdale High School in 1951 and Hillsdale College in 1955.

The USS Wasp, a large grey war ship, anchored in the Mediterranean.

The USS Wasp during a stopover on her Mediterranean cruise in 1958, around the time Gurney would have been on board.

He was drafted into the U.S. Navy aboard the USS WASP CVA and honorable discharged in 1961. He would go on to obtain a Master's degree from Salem State College in Salem, Massachusetts in 1964.

The Jackman School, a large brick building, where Gurney was a teacher.

The now closed Jackman School in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

In 1957, he met his wife, Dorothy (neé Albert) on Revere Beach in Revere, Massachusetts during Gurney's shore leave from the USS WASP. They married in 1958 and eventually settled in Newburyport where, in 1959, Gurney took a position as a teacher at the Jackman School while working nights at Owen's Illinois.

The Brown School, a large brick building with white trim, where Gurney was principal for 31 years.

The G.W. Brown School in Newburyport. Massachusetts.

They bought their home in Salisbury, Massachusetts in 1963. They had three children: Donna, born in 1959, Mark, born in 1960, and Lisa, born in 1963. Gurney became the principal of the Brown School in Newburyport in 1964 and remained there until his retirement in 1995.

Gurney and Dorothy, his wife of 63 years.

After retirement, Gurney enjoyed spending time watching his family grow, sharing stories of his time at sea, and tending to his treasured garden. Gurney Arnold, Jr. passed away on March 5, 2022.

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