One of Bolles’ long-term teachers just turned 100 years old on September 24, 2025. Mr. Rufus McClure has been a valuable part of the Bolles family since 1951. During his time at Bolles, he has influenced many careers and made a significant impact on the school.
Ms. Greenland, a Latin teacher at Bolles, recalls McClure hiring her 49 years ago. “During my interview he asked about my credentials, but he also talked about going to the symphony and doing music things.” She was impressed by his efforts to get to know all the staff on a personal level. She gives much of the credit of her success as a teacher to Mr. McClure.
McClure taught English throughout his time at Bolles. Additionally, he brought the AP program to Bolles and taught AP English Literature while acting as Head of the English Department. He recently told Ms. Greenland that he remembered teaching a student, Kevin Sack, how to write proper English essays back in 1977. That same student has now won three Pulitzer Prizes.
Dr. Kathryn Halloran is an AP and honors biology teacher and AP Capstone, as well as the Chair of the Honor Council. She met Mr. McClure 33 years ago when she started teaching at Bolles. Her most prominent memory of Mr. McClure was his influence on the honor council. “I think some of my fondest memories of him are from his work with the honor council, because he really made it very student-centric, and embodied the whole idea of the Bolles honor code.”
On a personal level, Halloran is most fond of his personality and not taking things personally. “If somebody did poorly in his class, he did not think that was because they did not like him or anything, he really wanted to figure out what was the matter and help them do better.”
Dr. Cynthia Anderson ’90 has known Mr. McClure for almost 40 years since she joined the honor council as a student. She recalls his presence on campus as a distinguished gentleman full of wisdom who always wore a bow tie and sometimes a beret.
“He always remembered our names during high school— even after we graduated. He has the deepest love for Shakespeare than anyone else I have ever known. He is really good at teaching kids how to write. He knew about the personal struggles in the lives of the writers and how that influenced their writing,” said Anderson.
Mr. McClure has certainly left a mark on thousands of students and many faculty. In addition to leading the English department and honor council, he served as Academic Dean from 1964-1980.
“He was always fair. He forced kids to rise to a higher level and to achieve their best to avoid mediocrity. He had high expectations and kids rose to that expectation,” Ms. Greenland said.
Each year he attends the middle and upper school awards ceremonies, where he hands out awards in his name. For middle school, the award is given to the most improved middle school student and the teacher who had the greatest influence on that student. In high school the award is given to the student member of the honor council who has contributed the most. McClure also still regularly attends the National Honor Society induction ceremony. For the past 20 years, he has walked the Acosta Bridge on his birthday which he did again this year.
Ms. Greenland is close with McClure and his family, and she helped celebrate his birthday with his family at the end of September. “That is the way it works at Bolles. Once you enter the Bolles community, you are in the Bolles community for a lifetime,” Greenland said. People remember him as a helper, director, and guide to writing well.
