C. T. Joy ES (formerly Chinhae ES) History
Opened: 1960
Closed: 2017
The US Naval Forces Korea Detachment-Chinhae was located on approximately 84 acres of the Republic of Korea Naval Base, Chinhae, Korea. The Charles Turner Joy American School consisted of two classrooms and a media center. The school had two full time teachers and a teaching principal. There was also a Korean Culture teacher/administrative assistant. The school had approximately thirty students in grades K–8. This school was formerly Chinhae Elementary School. Chinhae was known as the cherry blossom city and was located on the southern coast near Pusan.
The school was opened in 1960. The first principal, Gladys McPheron, was sent to organize the school and since there wasn’t any place to live, she stayed with teachers in Pusan until the commander offered her a place to stay with his family. When a two-unit house was completed, the principal lived in one unit, and the school was in the other unit. The school started in October 1960 with five students in five grades. By Christmas there were sixteen students in eight grades, and by May there were twenty students. The second year, the school moved into a Quonset hut. A second teacher was hired, and the students were divided between the teachers. The school moved again to an area by the Base Chapel using one of two connecting Quonset huts.
By the 1994-95 school year there were fifty-three students at the school with two full-time teachers and a teaching principal.
Based on information from DoDDS-Pacific Region 1946-1986 publication and DoDDS School Information Guides