Bill R. Hampton Ed.D

1934—2022

Loving Son, Brother, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Friend.   Exceptional Marine Corps Officer and Master Educator.

Dr. Bill Hampton died peacefully November 3, in Los Angeles CA after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s. He is best known as an outstanding high school English teacher, nationally lauded principal of McCluer North High School in Florissant, Missouri, Professor of Education at United States International University and County School Board President in San Diego, CA.

Dr. Hampton donated his body to UC San Diego School of Medicine, continuing a life devoted to education. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Sylvia Ball Hampton, daughter, Sally A. Hampton, son-in-law, Douglas Brzescinski, and sons, Charles W. Hampton, and Clark D. Hampton, 6 grandchildren, Amy, Abby, Kenneth, Kyle, Monica and Angela Hampton. Brother-in-law Norman H Ball and sister-in-law Phyllis D Abele.



Bill was born in Piedmont, Missouri to Amy Jane Durham and Charles Wheeler Hampton. Charles was a tenant farmer and concrete worker and Amy was a highly skilled seamstress, homemaker and gardener, who gave Bill the series of books called Collier’s Junior Classics for his 6th birthday, and he soon became a voracious reader.

When Bill was 7, his father found war-time factory work in St. Louis where Bill attended Mason Elementary School with his older sister, Peggy and younger brother, Larry. He sold newspapers from age 13 to 16 and then worked at Bettendorf’s grocery store as a stocker and checker. He was the lead tenor in his church and school musicals. After graduating from Southwest High School in 1952, Bill earned an associate degree at Harris Teachers College as he worked for a paper company unloading and loading trucks. U. of Missouri, Columbia (Mizzou), was next, where he earned a BA in English and Education and won the campus handball championship. While at Mizzou, Bill enlisted in the Marine Corps to train as an officer and met Sylvia Ball his senior year. After graduation in 1956, Bill left for Officer Candidate School in Quantico, VA and returned to St. Louis to marry Sylvia in September, then report back to finish training in Quantico and shortly after was stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC.

Bill soon became a Platoon Leader with 8-inch self-propelled howitzers at Camp Lejeune NC and was deployed with the Combat Unit as the 8-inch Self-Propelled Howitzer Platoon Leader, 6th Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, where he participated in the Expeditionary Force Lebanon Crisis Landing in 1958, ordered by President Eisenhower to secure a peaceful election for that country. While in Lebanon, Bill celebrated the birth of his first child and only daughter, Sally, with his platoon and one bottle of champagne, on a hill in Beirut. On his return he was promoted to Captain and served as Company Commander, Aggressor Forces, Fleet Marine Force, Camp Lejeune, NC.

In 1959, Bill retired from active duty and they moved back to St. Louis where he taught English at Ferguson High School and then McCluer, where he was English Dept. Chair and continued to serve in the Marine Corp Reserves as Company Commander and Battalion Operations Officer, 3rd infantry Battalion USMC.

Bill’s expertise as a master teacher of English and his years as Chair of the English Department at McCluer garnered the attention of the John Hay Fellowship committee that awarded him a year of study in humanities at Harvard University in 1965-66, followed by being named one of 20 English teachers in the US as an Experienced Teacher Fellow at University of Illinois for academic year 1967-68.

Bill was a consultant to the US Department of Education and a consultant reader for the National Council Teachers of English book, "TV As Art" in 1965 and selected to be a participant in the Ford Foundation’s conference on the American high school at Arlie House near Washington, DC in 1969. The conference of approximately 25 educators, planners and architects resulted in the publication, “The Greening of the High School.” This all led to his appointment to the Ferguson-Florissant district administrative offices as Assistant to the Superintendent and being named the founding principal of McCluer North High School by Superintendent, Warren Brown.

In 1970, Bill resigned as Major from the Marine Corp Reserves to lead the efforts for two successful bond and tax levies while working with the architect in planning the new high school. He was the moving force for McCluer North becoming a nationally recognized school and a standard for public education on the secondary level from its inception in August, 1971. 



In High School, Bill always remembered the interest shown by a teacher who told him he was “destined for great things.” That taught him to value the role of teacher and each student as an individual. He was a natural “shepherd“ with his students, so adopting the Advisement Program for the school was top of his list. With the support of the Kettering Foundation, Advisement became a critical component of McCluer North. Teachers, administrators and counselors would serve as advisors to approximately 18 student “advisees” who, then, had their own personal counselors to help in their course selection, career goals, personal attention, and an advocate for them as individuals.

Bill interviewed and hand selected the faculty with the expectation that each would embrace the role of advisor—and each did. Advisement translated into a challenging, wide-ranging curriculum, monitored by teachers and students.

Options were key to an individualized program of study, provided not only by a variety of quarter-courses, but allowing students to develop an individual course with a specific teacher. They were encouraged to explore learning opportunities outside the school in the Community Learning Program, enabling them to experience the demands of a particular job with a certified professional as part of their class schedule. Since the first graduation ceremony in 1974, advisors sit with their advisees in the audience and greet them as they receive their diplomas. This codifies the value of Advisement in the success of each student.

Bill inspired teachers to be creative. While his background was teaching English, he could inspire those in any department to experiment with their approach to teaching.

Bill introduced a student/faculty committee that fostered the improvement of racial relationships, critical, because within a few years, a court-ordered desegregation merger was handed down to McCluer North to welcome the entire population of Kinloch High School, a 100% African-American school, into its student body. The merger ran smoothly because Bill had the foresight to prepare the faculty, students and both communities for this important task. He spent the whole summer meeting with trusted advisors, community groups in Kinloch and Florissant to assure everyone that the school would continue with its highest standards for excellence. A conscientious effort was made to incorporate Kinloch High School traditions into the activities of MN. The Kinloch students were woven into the advisement groups, and teachers had learning sessions to gain knowledge of the African-American culture, again spearheaded by Bill.

Schools across the country sent small groups of educators to observe, not only innovative teaching methods, one-on-one interactions between advisors and advisees, but a pristine building and campus. Bill was invited to districts in other states to share his experience, philosophy and program ideas. Teachers were happy to do in-service training in other schools, especially about the advisement program. Custodians and cafeteria workers were highly respected and supported by Bill.



In November 1981, Bill was interviewed on World of Ideas about the community learning programs he developed at McCluer North.  

It is in 3 parts and can be viewed on Youtube here:   World of Ideas Bill Hampton Interview  or:   tinyurl.com/BillHamptonInterview

McCluer North won the coveted national award for Excellence in Education in 1983. The focus remains on the individual student and is the heartbeat of McCluer North High School.

Bill co-authored, with Robert Lauer, a text book for graduate level education courses, “Solving Problems In Secondary Education: A Human Organization Approach.”

In 1986, Bill finished his dissertation and received his doctorate in education (Ed.D.) at St. Louis University.

In 1987 he retired from the Ferguson-Florissant School District to become a Professor of Education at United States International University in San Diego, California, where he chaired the department, headed the masters program and taught educational leadership until his retirement in 2002. Bill was elected twice to the San Diego County School Board and served often as its President.

Please consider making a tax deductible donation to The Bill Hampton Scholarship Fund. 

Donations can be sent to:

Ferguson Florissant School District Administration Center

Attn:  Tammy Miller-Smith  

8855 Dunn Road

Hazelwood, MO  63042-2212

The checks/money order should be payable to Ferguson-Florissant School District and in the memo section on the bottom, please note Bill Hampton Scholarship.   Donors will receive a thank you letter with a Tax-ID for tax purposes.