Educator. Headmaster of the American School of Tangier (AST) for 35 years from 1972 until his death. In 1995, he established a sister school to AST -- the American School of Marrakesh (ASM) as a model institution, reflecting his personal belief in education and a belief in the Kingdom of Morocco. Joe was southern boy, born in Mobile, Alabama, but educated up north at Phillips Andover Academy and Princeton University. After graduation, he traveled the world and in 1962 landed in Morocco, where he got a job teaching English at AST. In the succeeding 45 years, McPhillips tenure defined the institution's standards and values. As well as a rigorous and passionate teacher and administrator, McPhillips was a theater director. His annual American School plays became a Tangier tradition, and he personally directed more than 20 of them. Joe drew on the resources of the ex-pat community and his global circle of friends, including such luminaries as William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsburg, Tennessee Williams, Paul Bowles, Yves St. Laurent, Oliver Stone and Jimmy Buffett to enrich the lives of his students. In a retrospective in Time Magazine's "The Middle East Blog," Scott Macleod wrote "...we owe him an immeasurable debt of gratitude. Few did more than Joe to embody and promote in this part of the world the best of what America represents for many of its citizens--ideals like excellence, creativity, tolerance, freedom, cultural pluralism, individualism and respect for the individual."
Educator. Headmaster of the American School of Tangier (AST) for 35 years from 1972 until his death. In 1995, he established a sister school to AST -- the American School of Marrakesh (ASM) as a model institution, reflecting his personal belief in education and a belief in the Kingdom of Morocco. Joe was southern boy, born in Mobile, Alabama, but educated up north at Phillips Andover Academy and Princeton University. After graduation, he traveled the world and in 1962 landed in Morocco, where he got a job teaching English at AST. In the succeeding 45 years, McPhillips tenure defined the institution's standards and values. As well as a rigorous and passionate teacher and administrator, McPhillips was a theater director. His annual American School plays became a Tangier tradition, and he personally directed more than 20 of them. Joe drew on the resources of the ex-pat community and his global circle of friends, including such luminaries as William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsburg, Tennessee Williams, Paul Bowles, Yves St. Laurent, Oliver Stone and Jimmy Buffett to enrich the lives of his students. In a retrospective in Time Magazine's "The Middle East Blog," Scott Macleod wrote "...we owe him an immeasurable debt of gratitude. Few did more than Joe to embody and promote in this part of the world the best of what America represents for many of its citizens--ideals like excellence, creativity, tolerance, freedom, cultural pluralism, individualism and respect for the individual."
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