first person
In 1924, three headmasters—Lewis Perry of Exeter, Alfred Stearns of Andover, and Horace Taft of Taft—volunteered to raise one million dollars (they actually raised $1.5 million) from their own alumni because they believed in and trusted Mr. Boyden and what he already had accomplished. It could not be otherwise for a slight, 5 ‘4’’ individual who took a struggling high school of just 14 students and turned it into the Deerfield Academy the world knows: a school of dozens and dozens of staff and faculty, hundreds of students, and thousands of alumni—a school that reached the pinnacle of professional respect and global renown—all in one lifetime. Writing of Deerfield and Mr. Boyden, John McPhee ’49 concluded: “What seems incredible . . . is that . . . the visible substance and the invisible essence of it . . . was developed by one man.” The more one learns about Mr. Boyden and his achievements, the more one stands in awe and wonder. We of the Class of 1959 were fortunate enough to know him—if any then-adolescent could “know” an adult who held near unbridled sway over our lives (for decades, as it were) and was 80 years old when we graduated. However, today there are those younger than us who cannot have even that distant but personal contact. And yet they should know of Mr. Boyden and his efforts. And though we (still youthful) ’59ers inexorably may be becoming part of history, perhaps we still can be of use by capturing and conveying some of the lessons Mr. (and Mrs.) Boyden set for us. Frank Boyden was not only a true educator, he also was a true leader, for he led as true leaders lead—by example. What then can Mr. and Mrs. Boyden still teach us—by example?
and nobody else’s if you do.” Every June for decades, he urged his ill-paid faculty “to move on for their own good,” but then added that if they stayed: “they could build something together.”
The Rewards of Resilience Psychologists and therapists, including marriage and family therapists, have come to recognize the value of resilience in human beings, and for good reason—we all suffer setbacks in life—and it is important, once knocked down, to get back up, sometimes again and again. How did Mr. Boyden exemplify resilience early in his life? Intelligent, but ill-prepared for college by his high school education, he was known as “Plugger Bill” by his classmates because of the endless hours he spent studying during his early college years. Turned down for membership by all eleven of Amherst’s fraternities, “Bill” Boyden finally was taken in as a “stray” by Amherst’s thennewest fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi. Described as an “introverted grind” as a freshman, he went on to become the “biggest man in his class.” Could it be that the resilience he developed to surmount these early challenges enabled Mr. Boyden to find the strength to overcome a new set of challenges, and turn a failing high school into the Academy of which we are all so proud?
The Power of Purpose
Hard Work and Commitment
Peter Drucker, who invented the modern discipline of management, once asked (to paraphrase): “How is it that able people work so many hours, so hard, so imaginatively, as volunteers for free?” Some time later, he answered his own question with one powerful word: “Purpose.” Volunteers and individuals who work for lifetimes in non-profits as well as religious of every faith—all work for purpose, something greater than their mere selves. Mr. Boyden understood this. In his first year as headmaster he appealed to purpose in challenging his original 14 students: “I believe we can make this the best school in Franklin County. It will be your school
Every day Mr. Boyden was up at 6:00, at work by 7:00, and on the job until midnight. As one faculty member put it: “If you tried to follow him around, he would have you out cold by four o’clock in the afternoon.” Another said: “The faculty is never in a position to complain, because the headmaster and his wife work harder than anyone.” Nor was this commitment new; during his early years at The Academy, Mr. Boyden organized dances for his boys and girls, and afterward rode the Northampton -Greenfield trolley with them to ensure they got off at the right stops; and then (if it was the last run of the night) walked the six miles to his own home—alone. >>
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