John Murray (1826-1882) - eerste professor en voorste pedagoog

Abstract

John Murray (1826-1882) is in more than one respect primus inter pares: in a historic sense, he was the first professor designated at Stellenbosch. He furthermore also served as the first chairperson on the management of “Het Stellenbosch Gymnasium” from which the university would later develop. Apart from being the first professor, his biggest contribution was that of pedagogue. In addition to his part in the establishment of the Stellenbosch Gymnasium a special spin-off from his teaching career was his written work. In his short life he would personally produce 25 books – probably more, because in humility he always wrote under a pseudonym. Apart from religious matters, he also dealt skilfully with a wide variety of other subjects. The fact that he had an appreciative readership is clear from the frequent reprints of his publications, even into the 20th century.