Help us celebrate longtime Bolles faculty member Rufus McClure’s 100^th Birthday at the All-Alumni Cocktail Party, Saturday, October 11, 2025. Please click HERE to send him well wishes or mail a birthday card to: The Bolles School Alumni Office, 7400 San Jose Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL 32217. We will present the messages to him that evening.

Rufus R. McClure arrived at Bolles fresh out of college in 1951. For the next 49 years, he served the School in just about every capacity possible. He taught English in the classroom until 1964, when he became Academic Dean, in which capacity he served until 1980, when he returned to the classroom to be Chair of the English Department.

During his tenure as Academic Dean, he founded the Bolles Fine and Performing Arts Department and co-founded The Phoenix Society, which epitomizes artistic achievement to this day. He launched the AP Program, taught creative writing and sponsored the Honor Court for 15 years. He retired briefly for two years and returned to be the Special Projects to the President part time. When he authored the 75^th Anniversary Coffee Table book in 2008, he had served the School for a total of 55 years.