FEBRUARY
WINTER 1969–1970
SPRI NG 1 9 7 0
$800,000 Needed
The Board launches a drive to raise the balance of , from the parent body in order to include the East Wing (future home of Pre-Kindergarten through Grade II) in the design.
Blast Off!
With a hearty boom, a billow of rising snow, and helium balloons lofted skyward, construction of the new Park School on Goddard Avenue was officially declared underway. Over parents, children, faculty, neighbors, and friends of the School toured the staked-out site, following balloons and posters marking he library, front entrance, playing fields, classrooms, and the hoped-for East Wing. The large group gathered in the “gymnasium” for the
groundbreaking ceremony and much awaited blast. Many commented that the -acre setting is truly park like — with rolling meadows, stately trees, and rugged puddingstone ledge (all of which have been incorporated into the design of the new school.) The blast itself took place at the top of the ledge when Anne Prescott and Charlie Cunningham plunged the handle of a bright yellow detonator box. The Park Parent, January
Make Way
The bulldozers have arrived. The ledge is being cleared to make way for the new school. Great care is being taken to preserve trees and natural puddingstone (all yellow-banded trees have been incorporated into the design.) Drive by and see the work in progress. The Park Parent, February
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I remember walking from my house near the Brookline
Reservoir to watch the groundbreaking ceremony. There was
snow on the ground and I brought my three-year-old brother (Nicholas ’82) with me. (I was ten.) The walk took MUCH longer than I had planned and we missed the ceremony.
Dick Leahy: A One-Man Building Committee
With construction underway, Building Committee Chairman Dick Leahy sets up several unorthodox procedures. First, while the Committee held regular meetings at least once a month, Dick was granted the power to make individual decisions to keep the project on schedule and avoid long deliberations. Second, Dick visited the building site every morning at seven o’clock to personally oversee the project and settle any questions on the spot.
Still, I remember the excitement surrounding the whole event on a beautiful winter’s day!
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In reality, Dick Leahy was a one-man building committee. A committee of ten couldn’t have surpassed his expertise or attention to detail.
— Kitta Frost ’74
— Charlie Cunningham 171 GODDA RD AVENUE TURNS 40
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