Professor Charles A. Morey was a member of the faculty, and a former graduate of Winona State Normal School before he assumed the role of principal following the resignation of Phelps.

Morey was described as having been a man of versatile tastes and many-sided abilities. He was largely responsible for upgrading the course of study for the training of teachers for the higher grades.

Morey was a firm believer in recruiting only the finest high school graduates and training them to be the teachers of the future. Under Morey's leadership, the entrance examination became more rigorous, several branches of professional study were added to the curriculum, and the plans began for a four-year course of study.

In May 1879, Mr. Morey resigned his position to enter the practice of law