John McGehee ’65

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Winner of a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching in 1985, John McGehee, a physics teacher at Rolling Hills High School for the past 18 years, has an almost evangelical zeal about teaching physics to young people. In his classes, which he conducts with high energy, good humor and spirited lab demonstrations, he combines solid theory with a bit of Barnum and Bailey. He continually stresses the interplay between theory and experimental observations and how physics pervades all of life. He single-handedly created and promoted the Physics Students Day at Magic Mountain amusement park, now attended annually by some 6,000 students from 220 high schools, who participate in solving physics problems about the acceleration, energy and free fall of the thrill rides. At a time of declining enrollment within his school, he has been able to maintain a full teaching load of advanced placement and college prep physics courses. Virtually 100 percent of his students go on to college, with the large majority choosing majors in science or technical fields. McGehee spends his summers doing research at TRW in laser photography and conducting workshops for physics teachers. He possesses that rare blend of love for his subject and for young people.