From 1924 to 1948, as principal of McKinley High School — commonly called "Tokyo High" at the time — Miles E. Cary championed liberal "progressive education" to make an indelible impact on the social fabric of Hawai'i.
Adhering to John Dewey's belief in democratic individualism, and social and civic responsibility, Cary established an education system at McKinley based around not just the academic "Three Rs," but health-building, participation in home life, citizenship, proper use of leisure time and character-building.
Cary's belief that the children of Hawai'i's plantation laborers should be encouraged to achieve academically was unpopular with the white elite, but his contention that public schools could train leaders as effectively as private schools found fertile ground. Gov. George Ariyoshi, former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Masaji Marumoto, real-estate developer Chinn Ho and U.S. Sen. Hiram Fong were just a few of the thousands he inspired.
Cary had come to Hawai'i as a teacher in 1921 from the Seattle area, and taught at McKinley and on Maui before becoming McKinley's principal. During World War II, he took a year's leave to be educational director at a Poston, Ariz., internment camp for Japanese and Japanese-Americans. After leaving Hawai'i in 1948 to teach at the University of Minnesota, he also tirelessly promoted Hawai'i statehood before his death in the year the Islands achieved that goal.
