2016 David Gourley (1970)
Owner
DAVID L. GOURLEY (Class of 1970)
Educator and school administrator,
Science teacher at Eisenhower Junior High (1975-1977)
Counselor at Kearns Junior High (1978-1983)
Principal of Hunter Junior High School (1987-1992)
Principal of Taylorsville High School (1993-2002)
Director of Junior High Schools for the Granite School District (1992-1993)
Assistant superintendent of the Granite School District (2002-2014)
Administrator of the Year—Granite School District (1996, 2006)
Named Utah Administrator of the Year (2007) by the Utah High School Administrators Association
Named Administrator of the Year (2003) by the Utah Interschool Athletic Administrators Association
Granite Association of School Administrators District Administrator of the Year (2014)
David Gourley was born into a family of educators. Discussions at family reunions were often about the current state of education and the laws being enacted by the legislature. From these discussions, he decided early on that he was not going to be an educator. He would be proven wrong on this prediction.
At the age of six he moved with his family from the Gourley farm in Pleasant Grove to his home in West Jordan. West Jordan was country living then and he had a wonderful childhood riding horses, playing with his dog, hunting with his father and playing with his neighborhood friends. Because West Jordan was small, he actually attended school with many of his friends for his entire public school experience.
David graduated from Bingham High School in 1970 and is still close to his classmates. During his time at Bingham he was involved in a number of activities including: student government, where he was elected senior class president, the Prospectors (service club), the Coppertonian Yearbook staff, and the band. He exclaims that the Class of 1970 was packed with amazing people. He has always looked back at his Bingham years with pride and fond memories.
Following high school, he attended Utah State University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Biology Science with a Composite in Secondary Education in 1974.
While attending college, he met his wife, Nancy, who also graduated in education in 1974. They were married, and moved back to Salt Lake City for a job. Interestingly, his wife was hired at David Gourley Elementary (named after his grandfather) where she worked one year until they started their family. He started his Masters’ program at the University of Utah in the fall of 1974 and in the Spring of 1975 accepted a job teaching science in the Granite School District. He continued his career and would earn a Master’s of Education Degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Utah in 1978, an Educational Specialist Degree in 1983 and a Doctor’s Degree in Education in 1986 from Brigham Young University. His Doctor’s Dissertation was on: Comparative Analysis of Student Achievement in 8 period block vs. traditional schedule.
During Mr. Gourley’s 39-year educational career with the Granite School District, he worked as a science teacher at Eisenhower Junior High (1975-77), a school Counselor at Kearns Junior High (1978-83), an assistant principal at Cyprus High School (1984-86), principal of Hunter Junior High (1987-92), Director of Junior High Schools for the Granite School District (1992-93), principal of Taylorsville High School (1993-02), and Assistant Superintendent of the Granite School District (2002-14). As an educator he would be honored as the Granite District Administrator of the Year in 1996 and 2006 and the Utah Administrator of the Year for Utah High School Association in 2007.
David retired in 2014, but continues to supervise student teachers for the Western Governor’s University. His wife, who left her teaching job for 18 years to be with their five children, Janae, David, Daniel, Scott, and Camille, retired a year before he did after working 21 years. They have lived in Bountiful for most of their married life and are active in community and church affairs. Most of his involvement has been with the young men of his ward and the scouting program, but he has also served in the ward bishopric and other assignments.
David and Nancy have been married for 42 years and are currently traveling and playing with their 21 grandchildren. He says that it is surreal to be at this point in his life, but he is not sure he could have done it any better if offered another chance to do it once again.