Home Page
Obituary - Wednesday September 6th
Complete List of Works
Dedication of Munroe Hall
 
John A. Munroe grew up in Wilmington, Delaware.
Born on March 15, 1914 he was the only son of Michael John Munroe and
Mary Dettling Munroe. Not only an only child, he was the only child in his mother's
family. He grew up with four doting aunts. Below is John at a young age in his now
famous "sailor suit" photo.

  

The note on the picture above and to the right, reads" Miss Dettling
507 W 22nd St. Refitting informal. Call Tues." At the time they lived
at 607 W 20th Street so more than the picture needed refitting.

The image below is in a Royal Studio, Wilmington jacket. The pencil inscription on
the jacket says Mrs. M. Munroe 3031 Market Street, Wilmington, DE. This was the
address of a house built or owned by Harry Hurff.


On the left is a picture of Michael John Munroe down on the shore of the Brandywine River. 
To the right is a picture of John A. Munroe at the age of 4 years old with his toy rifle in a tent
set up in his parent's backyard.



John Andrew Munroe attended Wilmington High School
in Wilmington, Delaware.

In 1932 John Andrew graduated from Wilmington High school. This is his graduation
photo. He did not attend his graduation because he was hospitalized at that time for
a bleeding disease that required periodic hospitalizations and transfusions until his late
twenties when, as is typical with Henoch-Schonlein purpura, the conditioned
dissappeared after adolescense.
 

The picture below is labeled May 1932 and may have been taken at the same sitting
as the other high school graduation photo.



Here is a picture of John A. Munroe when he was a young teacher at Newark
High School on Academy Street in Newark, Delaware. John was teaching English
while completing the requirements for his masters degree.

Below is a view of the outside of Newark High School where John first
had his own class to teach.


When the two twin graduate students arrived on the University campus,
John and  Dick began dating the coeds.

  

Here is the main campus of the University of Delaware.
  

Below is a picture of John and Dorothy on the beach in Nantucket  on their
Honeymoon in 1945. To the right is a picture of Dorothy on a bicycle on her honeymoon.

  

















     



On the left is John. One of the few pictures of him when he still smoked.
This is on his honeymoon. Below is a picture showing the two engaged couples.

     

 
The two engaged couples posing during their wedding rehearsals.
John and Dorothy were the first couple to say their vows.


  




Around 1948 John posed with his doctoral advisor Roy F. Nichols of the University of
Pennsylvania and Robert Lynd in front ot the columns at Old College on the University
of Delaware Campus. Left to right below, Robert Lynd, John Munroe, Roy Nichols.



On Sunday January 24, 1954 the Wilmington Sunday Star Magazine ran a profile of
John Munroe under the headline, "Affable Historian." That remained an apt description his entire life.


In 1949 John Munroe addressed a midwinter banquet at the University and this picture (below)
appeared on the cover of the Spring edition of the University's Alumni Newsletter. 

The picture below, to the right, shows John with his wife, father and Stephen and Carol
standing in the front yard of Tommy Massy's house at 605 West 20th Street, Wilmington.
His parents lived at 607 West 20th for many years.
   

This picture was taken around 1951 and shows John with Stephen and Carol.




The picture to the left is John Munroe and his oldest son, Stephen, 
probably on either Cape Cod or possibly the Delaware shore
on a trip that included, a close family friend, Camilla Day.


In 1960, the entire family except John was on horseback in Colorado. The "posse Munroe" traveled mostly by Buick.
The trip in 1960 also included a summer semester on the campus of the University of Wisconsin. They traveled in a Buick
that Dorothy's father picked out for them. The couple always had a good used car as long as Alfred Levis worked at
Brooks Price in Baltimore.



Around 1956 John, Dorothy, Stephen, Carol and Michael
moved to 148 South College Avenue where they lived until
1971. On Amstel behind them was the KA fraternity house.




        
Around 1962, we got Pip, a puppy from Coy Purcell's family pet. The picture below was
taken at Alfred and Irene Levis's retirement home on Kent Island on Maryland's Eastern
shore. Alfred and Irene lived there until Irene's health  brought them to a new house on
Ferncliff Drive in Windy Hills just outside of Newark, Delaware.

  
In November of 1962 Mary Dettling Munroe and Michael John Munroe celebrated
their 50th  wedding anniversary in the living room of their son's house at 148 South
College Avenue in Newark, Delaware. They had good reason to be proud of their
life and their son and his growing family.



Sometime in the early 1980s this group came together probably for bridge and socializing.
(Back row L to R) Walter and Peg McEvilly, Basil and Ethyl Sourochnikoff,  Jo Westrom, John Munroe Earl Krapff
(Font row L to R) Muriel Mitchell (just out of view) Sam Mitchell, Doris and Frank Nichols, Dorothy Munroe, Fran Krapff



In 1983 Peg McEvilly, Doris Nichols, Dot and John took a trip to see Alaska on the SS Rotterdam.
In the picture to the right, you can see the ice on the shore behind Dot and Peg McEvilly.

 

As the children grew there were repeated trips first to the Cape and later to
Rincon, Puerto Rico.  John Munroe was happiest when his family was near.

    

In 1984 a permanent house at 7 Ruth Lane in Harwich, MA on Cape
Cod became a natural focus point for summer vacations.



          

In January of 1989 John and Dorothy began a tradition of bringing the entire family to the town of Rincon on the
western shore of Puerto Rico. This picture was taken the first year and is before their youngest grandchild, Doug, was born.



On June 10th of 1997 John Munroe addressed the Delaware legislature, the current
and former governors as well as other dignitaries on the  centennial of the ratification of
the present state constitution in 1897. The previous state constitution had been ratified in 1831.


 In 1997 the University of Delaware converted a number of brick homes on Delaware Avenue
into office space by connecting them in  in the back to a central building which housed lecture rooms
for the departments of history and anthropology. On November 2 of that year,  this new building was
dedicated and became "Munroe Hall." Click on the image below to visit a page about the dedication.



Sometime around 2003, Julie and Michael returned to Lakeville with John and Dorothy to
visit our good friends the Scotts. Dick and Janet Scott, are loyal Delawarians who benefited
by taking Delaware History at the University of Delaware.

     
On Dad's 80th birthday, we all were together in Newark, Delaware.
We had a  big party with cake and ice cream in a nearby restaurant.

   
At Dad's 80th birthday celebration it was a good time for lots of old friends to visit.

     
Above,  Mom and Aunt Katch model the new cabinets in the
kitchen on 215 Cheltenham Road in Newark, Delaware.



On dad's 90th birthday, we all got together in the living room on Cheltenham Road in
Newark, Delaware. In July 2005, the Munroes and McCormicks got together in Yarmouth
to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of both couples. There were speeches and new
stories never before heard. Some stories were even disputed by the various participants.

 

   

 
This is only part of the group that got together for the 60th
wedding anniversary celebration on Cape Cod.



Below - In July of 2006 John and Dorothy went out to lunch at the Waterfront Restaurant on
Mattakeese Wharf with three good friends. (rear- left to right: Hank, Bryan, Dot)
(front- left to right:  Avis, John)


   John A. Munroe
    3/15/1914 to  9/6/2006

Home
Obituary - Wednesday September 6th
Complete List of Works
Dedication of Munroe Hall