FLEX TIME A l l G ood T h i n gs
va
Charlottesville
2014
Round Trip to
IT
1982
ct
happened almost by
and then blossomed into an abundant
able transformation Jeff and Leslie
What will they miss most? Easy
chance.
landscape of professional and person-
characterized in an easy banter of
question. “The boys,” Leslie smiled.
al accomplishments.
completing each other’s thoughts.
“Sorry, colleagues! You can replicate
After graduating from the University of Virginia
Jeff was appointed Director of
“In balance, it’s been great,” Jeff
adult relationships, but where could
and searching for a teaching job in
Admissions in 1987, a position he
said. “When we arrived, Brunswick
you find so many wonderful boys, all
1982, Jeff Harris stopped in Greenwich
held until 2010, when he became
was so small! The best of the change
in one place?”
for an overnight with Will Barnum, a
As the clock ticks toward June,
fellow alumnus of The Hill School, in
their home of 22 years on Patterson
Pottstown, Penn.
Ave. is under agreement — and, pack-
“There’s a little school here in
ing up, they’re “at a pause,” weeding
town you should think about,” said
through and negotiating proper
Barnum, whose brother, Nathaniel ’82,
berths for more than two decades’
was about to graduate. And so Harris
worth of accumulated memories.
submitted a resumé.
“I’ll come across something and say, ‘How cool is it to see this again?’”
The rest, as they say, is history: Harris became a Brunswick teacher
Leslie said. “But, then, Jeff will want to
and lacrosse coach in September 1982.
hang on to it.”
“Jeff and I had gotten married in
“It’s all part of the process,” Jeff
May,” his wife, Leslie, explained. “We
conceded.
moved to Greenwich in August. I took
“When we came to Brunswick,
my senior-year classes at Manhattan-
we never could have dreamed of all
ville and transferred the credits to
this,” he said, casting a figurative
graduate from UVa in 1983.” She
and good-natured glance toward the
joined Brunswick’s part-time faculty
Director of Athletics. Leslie served as
was creation of the King Street
the following September.
a teaching intern, 3rd-grade teacher,
Campus . . .”
“We originally thought we’d be here for just a few years,” Jeff recalled. Nearly 32 years later, after agreeing between themselves to postpone
and Spanish teacher, working in all
“There’s a bit of nostalgia for
divisions, and taking occasional time
the days when we were all in one
off to raise two children — son Carter
place and could know every boy and
’05 and daughter Tyler (GA ’07).
colleague,” Leslie continued, “but not
a decision until last September, Leslie
In 2000–2001, the family was
and Jeff decided “all good things must
granted a year’s leave to travel to
Upper Schoolers had to share the
come to an end.”
Adelaide, Australia, a destination
same lunchroom.”
After retiring in June, they’ll return
of previous lacrosse-related trips.
much for the days when Middle and
Still, they agreed,
to Charlottesville, Va., where Leslie
“It also helped us to set up a visit
the “sense of commu-
plans to start a gardening business,
to Australia for a Brunswick
nity and tenor or tone
with Jeff as chief financial officer and
lacrosse team a few years later,”
of the place would be
strategic partner in the new venture.
Jeff remembered.
very recognizable” to
The couple’s original plans for a short Greenwich stopover sprouted
40
times of Brunswick • SPRING 2014
Along with their family, Brunswick itself grew and changed — a remark-
a visitor returning again for the first time in more than 30 years.
crowd of his own recollections. “In the vision for the School, in the leadership, in everything — we’ve just been so tremendously fortunate.”
B