George M. Trautman

GEORGE M. TRAUTMAN of Avon Old Farms School

Commemorating Three Decades of Service

GEORGE M. TRAUTMAN of Avon Old Farms School

Commemorating Three Decades of Service

The Headmaster's Residence.

G

eorge M. Trautman is one of the great headmasters of our time; he has had a profound effect on the hearts and minds of Avon's

A Sense of Place

students, faculty, and staff, and on the soul of this school. He came to a struggling school and made it flourish. Trautman's work can be

seen in the successes that his "Men of Avon" have gone on to achieve and the contributions they have made to society.

George Trautman began his career as headmaster at Avon Old Farms School July 1, 1969. Upon his retirement from this position on June 1, 1998, he will have served the school 29 years, having transformed a floundering school into one that is dynamic, full, academically vibrant, diverse, and financially sound.

As a school community, an architectural design, and an educational ideal, Avon Old Farms School is the inspiration of a remarkable founder, Theodate Pope Riddle (1868-1946). While a student at Miss Porter's School in Farmington in the 1880s, Mrs. Riddle dreamed of building "an indestructible school for boys." In the years that followed, Mrs. Riddle became a registered architect, and her early ideas for a boys' school turned into detailed architectural sketches based on the concept of a self-sufficient village. She then acquired 3,000 acres of wooded land in the towns of Avon

3

by MARGARET

M.

DEGRAAF

!'

SENSE OF P LACE

and Farmington. Land clearing started in the spring of 1921; in 1922 foundations for the distinctive English Cotswold-style buildings were laid.

Beyond her architectural aspirations, Mrs. Riddle sought

to

create a

school that would be on the leading edge of educational philosophy and thought. As she conceived it, Avon Old Farms would seek to foster in its students initiative, willpower, and individual thinking-traits that Mrs. Riddle found lacking in "boys who are sent to exclusive modern preparatory schools by their wealthy parents." She further believed that students develop character through the process of intellectual, moral, and physical training. The ultimate purpose of this process was to produce a young man with the willpower and initiative to make right choices. Her chosen motto,

Aspirando et Perseverando, as well as the school's symbol, the winged beaver, both reflect these ideals.

When Avon Old Farms School opened its doors to 48 students in the fall of 1927, Theodate Pope Riddle's noble experiment was under way. The school struggled in those early years, beset by myriad problems that eventually caused it to close in 1944.

But, as if Avon's persevering spirit were ingrained in its very buildings-from the brownstone foundations to the horsehair mortar holding it all together- the school reopened in the fall of 1948. Shepherded through the next 20 years by the singular, spiritual strength of Provost Donald Theodate Pope Riddle.

Pierpont, the school grew.

4

A SENSE OF PLACE

If Don Pierpont brought new life to the school and nourished its roots, Trautman brought it to full flower.

T

hough transfigured ever so slightly by each new generation, Avon's

mission has remained alive. This mission has always been to educate young men not only in language, arts, and sciences, but in self-discipline, integrity, and respect for others. This, a passage from the 1948 school handbook, is as true today as it was then: Avon holds steadily to the cultural traditions of old, but at the same time, maintains a genuine and intimate interest in each boy's individuality and personality. It is interested not in sameness but in differences in boys, and gives to each the thought, care, and training which their parents wish their sons to have when away from home.

The original student handbook of 1928 spells out Mrs. Riddle's

philosophy through a passage from 2 Corinthians, later to be embraced by Don Pierpont, and echoed by George Trautman: Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day ... while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal... For we walk by faith, not by sight.

5

A SENSE OF PLACE

It is in all the thousand things that can be seen only with our hearts

that we see what George Trautman has truly wrought for Avon. Beyond the new buildings and renovations and beyond the growth of an endowment, is the greatest achievement for which any headmaster can hope-to shape young men with strength of character and inquiring minds. Much as the masons who chiseled Avon's buildings out of brownstone, so the headmaster's final "work" is only as good as the stone from which it's carved.

Avon has, from its beginning, sought boys of character; academic and athletic abilities were valuable, yes, but character was always the thing.

The dream of Avon is

to

create and sustain "a sense of place"-one

that, though fashioned after antiquity, can shelter new ideas; one that, challenged by the powerful forces of new generations, can harness that power for its own steady and high ideals; and one that, in successfully doing those things, will remain timeless.

A real community, a living community, is not a place in which you merely live; it is something that becomes part of you and stays in your heart; that you can take with you. George Trautman has sustained this The Winged Beaver, symbol of aspiration and perseverance, sits 011 the Headmaster's residence.

community for the past 29 years, and in this way, has left a permanent mark in the hearts of the boys who have passed through Avon's stone arches on their way to manhood.

For the boys, for us, and for you, George Trautman, this will always be your community, your place, and your anchor

6

to

windward.

/'

efore Don Pierpont died suddenly at the end of September 1968,

B

Foreword

he had been cheerfully leading a school on the way up to heights

it had not reached under Theodate Pope Riddle's reign, which

ended as she closed the school in 1944 during World War ll. Don had taken over when a few stalwart Hartford friends of Mrs. Riddle's acced-

by

ed to her wish that the school reopen, and wisely selected Don Pierpont

F.

to be provost (the effective head) of Avon Old Farms in 1948.

Don had been on the faculty of Columbia University. He immediately fell in love with Avon Old Farms School, his work, and the challenge of creating a school in an authentic Cotswold village in an incomparable setting in the Farmington Valley. In those 20 years with Don, we were constantly wading upstream, fighting a strong current. It was hard work. The school made slow but sure progress, with success in view a short number of years down the road, when his life was cut short by a heart attack while he was on a charitable visit to Boston.

A year or two before his death, Don had graciously hosted the Reaccreditation Committee from the NEASC, chaired by myoId teacher and headmaster at Noble and Greenough School in Dedham (Massachusetts), Eliot Putnam. One of his committee members was a young teacher from Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts-George Trautman. The committee had given a positive report on Avon Old Farms School and its mission, and Don looked forward to continuing his

Reed Estabrook, at the I996 alumni reunion.

7

REED ESTABROOK, JR.

'36

FOREWORD

labors, helping Avon reach its potential. He had worked at it 20 years when he was taken so abruptly. What were we to do after Don's death, with the school in its usual precarious position, and no one in those beautiful buildings capable of running the school, even temporarily?

After the funeral I called the Headmaster of Tabor Academy, Jim Wickenden. Without hesitation, he invited me up and said, "we'll see what we can do." We spent a couple of hours discussing the school's needs and problems. I inquired if he knew anyone we could get for that school year to carryon as a temporary head. Jim made a couple of phone calls to get things rolling. As I left, he said in passing that his man Trautman had been very impressed by what he saw at Avon, but he was still too green for a headmaster's job!

Jim was true to his word; he found Alan B. McMillen. A call to me on Monday, a visit with Mr. McMillen in Wellesley that night, a hastily-called board meeting on Wednesday, and the installation of Mr. McMillen as acting headmaster for the year was official on Saturday. (He was on sabbatical awaiting his new headmastership the following fall in New York.) Alan was the right man when we needed him, and his thorough report on the state of the school at the end of his Avon year was invaluable to us.

In the meantime my neighbor, Eliot Putnam of Noble and Greenough,

called me to say that George Trautman knew of Don's death and wanted the head's job so badly he could taste it. We knew then that we had George

8

FOREWORD

in our collective pockets, so we proceeded with a search. We used little outside help in the search, but before we were through we had seen, heard from, or talked to about 60 candidates. Our most interested candidate, George Trautman, was anxiously awaiting some word from the committee.

Finally, in early December, George and I made an arrangement to meet for the first time for dinner, with our wives, at the Red Coach Grill in Middleboro, Massachusetts. We all had a very nice time together, but as a candidate, he seemed a raw recruit. He didn't interview as well as he might have; he was too eager. He called me the next morning, said it was a bad interview, and asked if we could meet again, which we eventually did. I didn't find anything really wrong; his eagerness just got in the way of his wonderful attributes, which I soon came to know well.

On a Saturday, early in the new year, we met as a Selection Committee at school to review the list of the last few candidates on which we hoped to find our man. George Trautman was among them. My mind was already made up that he was our prime candidate. George was the last of the five candidates we screened that day, purposely put last. After he had left, Dick Harper '38 turned to me, and in a loud voice uttered those famous words, "Where did you find that tiger?"

George was the unanimous choice. We held a black-tie dinner to introduce him to the Board of Directors, who later voted unanimously to appoint him headmaster. That was 29 extraordinary years ago.

9

In 1955.

W

ith the appointment of George M. Trautman as provost (the title was changed to the more contemporary and authoritative "headmaster" by the Board of Directors five minutes

The Trautman Years I9 69- I 99 8

after his appointment), it was possible to plan for the future, and do more than "keep the ship on an even keel."

As Board President Estabrook recalls, "I drove to Marion, and spent hours with George, sitting in the Tabor Academy Chapel, mapping out the strategy and tactics. We decided that if we chose to do something simple, do it very well, chart a course, and stick to it, we would succeed. The course we decided upon was a basic meat-and-potatoes curriculum, completely college preparatory, geared towards the typically broad spectrum of students that Avon has sought and attracted ever since 1927. We further decided that it was the needs and not the wants of the students that should be considered, and that discipline was absolutely the first priority. Further than that, it was to be George's school, with the full support of the board."

The full support of the board, and the continuance in office of Reed Estabrook for 25 years, are two of the keys to the success that followed.

Even before George Trautman took on his new responsibilities at Avon, the student rebellion and unrest on college campuses was filtering slowly down to the secondary level, with issues such as participatory democracy in the governance of the academic institution receiving much attention. The short-lived Student-Faculty Senate at Avon Old Farms

II

by GORDON CLARK RAMSEY '80 HON.

T H E TRAUTMAN YEARS

1969 - 1998

(1968-69) was an example of those trends, as was the growing nationwide problem of alcohol and drug abuse.

Stuart Harper '70 estimates that as much as half of the student body during his junior year had used controlled substances either occasionally or regularly. Even before George arrived at Avon, acting provost Alan McMillen, in addition to "keeping the ship on an even keel," did the school a tremendous favor by not inviting back those students who, in his estimation, would not be able to, or choose to, live up to the rigors of the new regIme. During the spring of 1969, an ambitious series of "road shows" enti-

At work in I970'

tled Avon: What's Ahead? was mounted with administrators, faculty, and directors, endeavoring to set forth the new policies in as many cities as possible. The strategy was to spread the word primarily to present and prospective parents (and to a lesser extent, to alumni), without criticizing the good which the Pierpont years had produced.

The resignation of John K. Gile '39 as director of admissions and public relations, for personal reasons, did not make the task ahead any easier. Furthermore, returning students and their parents had to know what to expect when- and if-they chose to return to Avon Old Farms in the fall of 1969.

Of inestimable help at this crucial point was the backing of the board, particularly that of its elder statesman, Jack R. Aron, and others, including Louise Adams, Phil Hewes, Evan Jennings '39, and John Parsons. George

I2

TH E TRAUTMAN Y EARS 1969 - 1998

Trautman had confidently ("perhaps," he says in retrospect, "over-confidently") predicted that he could fill the school the first year, or, at least, by the beginning of the second. He was advised that he should take up to five years, and fill the school with the kinds of students that he felt best for the school. Without this kind of support, the tremendous success of the Trautman years would have been less certain.

The method Trautman used to banish the inroads made by the liberalism and casual approach of the past was to present his position clearly and to back it up with swift action. Initial changes (such as short haircuts for students and increased evening and weekend supervision by faculty) were difficult to accept, but it soon became evident that Avon's students were different from those at other boarding schools. They were dressed more neatly, had shorter hair, and more importantly they possessed a growing sense of pride and identity. At that time, any student willing to obey the rules had a good chance of being accepted.

Trautman began his first year by sending all returning students and their parents a letter indicating that the use of alcohol or drugs while at school would lead to expulsion; the coat and tie rule would be definitely maintained; weekend activities would be supervised; athletic participation of some sort would be required of all students; all school appointments would have to be met; and no student would be permitted to register unless his hair was short enough to satisfy the headmaster!

T H E TRAUTMAN YEARS 1 969-1998

"I held my breath," recalls George Trautman. "I set up a registration table in the middle of Diogenes circle, realizing that once we let the student into the school with long hair, it would be next to impossible to get him to cut it. Some students went back to the barber three times that afternoon before 1 let them register; one student sat down on the ground and wept bitterly. The parents loved the whole procedure, of course, because it was the first time that some of them had seen their sons coming into conflict with authority-and obeying it. But we did not lose a single student in the end."

Why the insistence on short hair? "I liked it, first of all. 1 felt it made the students look neater, would give a sense of pride and community, and also emphasize the fact that the faculty and administration were totally in charge of the school."

Here, indeed, was Theodate Pope Riddle's reason for a uniform dress code, 1969 version! Shearing adolescent Samsons by no means removed their rebellious vitality, however. "Many mornings when 1 would go into my office, 1 would discover BB shot through the windows," Trautman recalls.

"It was a very lonely, and somewhat frightening, time. 1 told the seniors that

1 was not expecting of them the same standards that 1 was of underclassmen, since they had come into a different school, under very different conditions and expectations. But, if 1 caught them influencing the underclassmen in any way contrary to the rules, or if 1 caught them in any

T H E TRAUTMAN YEARS I969-I998

violation of the drug or liquor regulations, I would come down on them with everything I had."

Perhaps the turning point occurred at a dance halfway through the year, when Stuart Harper, Vice Warden, who "had my doubts about George Trautman and the new rules," saw the attire and behavior of students from other schools. "They looked like slobs in comparison with our boys. It was then that I turned wholeheartedly in favor of George Trautman and what he was doing with the school."

If the year was one of changing expectations for the students, it was no less so for the faculty, many of whom were set in their ways, used to teaching, coaching, or running one activity, and perhaps a dormitory, and having the rest of their time to themselves-except for the required appearances at sit-down meals in the Refectory, which by tradition had never been abandoned.

Says George Trautman, "At the opening faculty meeting, I announced that for the first two weeks, every faculty member would be in a dormitory every night, helping the students to set study habits. The librarian asked how he could be in two places at once, the library and the dormitory, and I replied that this was likely to be a year in which we all had to be in at least two places at once. I outlined the duty schedule, which included the planned weekend activities, not just letting the boys go off to Hartford by themselves, increased coaching and advising requirements, and the fact that I

15

THE TRAUTMAN YEARS 1969 - 1998

THE TRAUTMAN YEARS 1969-1998

would personally make and review every policy decision at the school. But I was a lot younger and more sure of things than I am now, and it was a question, as I reminded the faculty, of "sink or swim.'" Thus did George Trautman begin the 1969-70 year.

Faculty spouses were also expected to be a part of the effort. Husbands and wives of faculty members have always been involved with life at the school to one degree or another (and many of the fondest memories of former students recall how nice it was to have families living on campus), but often spouses were not included in the day-to-day functioning of the school. Under George Trautman an effort has been made to encourage greater involvement on the part of faculty families and, indeed, many spouses are employed by the school in either full or part-time academic or administrative positions. This has further enriched life at Avon and made it possible for the school to attract the best possible faculty.

In the middle of his tenure, in 1984, George Trautman's success at

Avon was chronicled in The Head's Letter, as the first article in a series on "Great Heads Still in Office." Peter M. Evans, then director of athletics at Avon, was asked to comment on the Trautman Years, part of which is excerpted here:

In investigating George Trautman's past, one is drawn to some conspicuously consistent threads. He was a tough man, an indefatigable competitor, a 'winner' -always. George's capacity for hard work, his dedication, his propensity for embracing

17

THE TRAUTMAN YEARS 1969-1998

responsibility, coupled with his relentless pursuit of worthy goals, have generated a source of energy and growth in him and those around him.

George Trautman is the self-made man writ large. While instinctively worshipping at the altar of common sense in dealing with life's ever-changing puzzles, George has managed to meld an ingenious blend of rigidity in his adherence to fundamental principles with resiliency in their practical application to unique and complex problems. Supremely confident in where he is going and what is right, George, nonetheless, has always maintained a remarkable capacity to listen to and learn from others. He knows people and, more importantly, he knows himself If the measure of a leader lies in the fruits of his labor and the devotion of his following, then George Trautman is a leader par excellence.

At St. Paul's School for boys in Baltimore. Above, Trautman is pictured in the center, back row as a member of the "prep form" in 1945. At right, Trautman on the varsity lacrosse team.

From the moment of George's arrival, Avon Old Farms became a school committed to a kind of institutional dynamism. Directed change was perceivable in every nook and cranny of school life: philosophy, curriculum, athletics, facilities, admissions, college placement, and atmosphere. George Trautman was omnipresent. In the trenches with the faculty and the boys, his guiding hand touched all. The fundamental

18

T H E TRAUTMAN YEA R S

1969-1998

formula was simple and as unshakable as a school constructed in stone and oak: hard work, sweat, spirit, and caring.

George was at once the architect and the exemplar. Caring requires commitment and time, he would suggest. In order to teach, one must spend time with the boys-in the classroom, on the athletic fields, in the dormitories, and elsewhere. George thus unabashedly maintained a calculated aversion to faculty meetings. 'We're here to teach these boys how to read, write, do their sums, and help them to grow up-not waste time (lapping our gums in meetings.' Consequently, faculty meetings were brief, to the point, and infrequent.

He is a very private man, by nature, and utterly self-sufficient. Second, like all effective benevolent despots, he keeps his distance. If he has weaknesses with respect to dealing with the people in his domain, he has yet to expose them. In fact, it is appropriate to say that he is a political genius in balancing the sometimes countervailing forces of trustees, parents, alumni, faculty, and students-while never losing sight of what is best for the school.

TH E TRA U TM AN YE A RS 1969-1998

I

n 1984, with the hindsight of 15 years, George Trautman admitted that the swift changes of his first years at Avon must have been hard on long-

time personnel such as Bill Eastwood, Business Manager and Comptroller.

"I made his life miserable," says Trautman, "but 1 made every purchasing decision myself. 1 felt that 1 had to be in absolute control of everything at the school to get the school headed in the right direction."

George Trautman was returning

to

the grand tradition of leadership

of such headmasters as Peabody of Groton, Boyden of Deerfield, and Boyden's pupil, Wickenden of Tabor, who, George Trautman said, "taught me everything 1 know about administration." The modus operandi worked as well at Avon as it ever had in the past, thanks to a dedicated group of faculty including Frank Leavitt' 52, Sid Clark '65 Hon., Brad Mason '81 Hon., Seth F. Mendell '52, William G. Kron, Peter Evans, and Gail Laferriere, who were determined to see the school succeed, and realized that "desperate times required desperate measures."

A new leadership team soon emerged. "When the position of provost was abolished, there was no longer a need for an aide to the provost," explained George Trautman. There was to be no "next in command," no assistant headmaster or assistant

to

the headmaster. The deanship

remained one for both faculty and student affairs under John Green, George Kinkade's replacement, but after Green's departure to head the Rectory School, that position was bifurcated into a dean of students (Skip

20

THE TRAUTMAN YEARS 1969-1998

Flanagan} and a dean of faculty (Henry Pennell). An almost immediate appointment was that of Seth Mendell, who was then chairman of the history department, as director of alumni affairs. Significantly, under Trautman's leadership, Mendell kept teaching, coaching, and dormitory responsibilities for years after assuming the administrative post, still retaining some teaching when also acquiring the post of director of development in 1982.

An absolutely vital area to address was that of admissions. Trautman had chosen Harry Rice as his new director of admissions, and he describes the procedure they followed the first year. "Harry and I would attend morning meeting, and then get into the car. By appointment, we would visit all the feeder schools and similar schools, first those within an hour's driving distance, then all those within two hours' driving distance, then three, and so on. Our aim was to get the message of 'the new Avon' across first-hand to headmasters and directors of admissions. What kind of student were we looking for? Any student that was willing to accept the rules of Avon, but no one with any drug-related problem or serious psychological defect."

The message got across quickly, not only to headmasters and directors of admissions, but also to directors of study and educational advisors and counselors. Faith Howland, one of the latter, observed in 1973 that "Nails" Trautman is certainly turning that school around. It will soon be one of the great schools of its kind in the country."

21

Trautman with Seth Mendell '52.

TH E TR A UTMA N YE A R S I 969 - I 9 98

During the second year of Harry Rice's tenure as director of admissions, he collapsed and died while he and his wife were playing tennis with George and Mary Lee (Trautman's first wife) . He was succeeded by his assistant, Frank Leavitt, who carried on the tradition of personal tours for all prospective students and parents, which continues to this day.

Academic Life

W

illiam Kron, academic dean, is the only faculty member still at Avon who was on the faculty when George arrived. Hired in 1966

by Don Pierpont to teach chemistry, he and his wife, Gail, raised two children at Avon- Kari and Bob '89. Kron recalls that there were many things that were "tough" in those early years of Trautman's leadership; February 8,1971, for instance, when the gym collapsed under the weight of a standing foot of ice. (It was regarded as a miracle that no one was hurt; only a half hour before, the gym had been full.)

The difficulties for Kron were not, however, differences with Trautman over academic and philosophical issues of running the school.

And through the early years in particular, Kron found Trautman's unambiguous personality helpful (if not essential) to keeping the school running.

"There is absolutely no question where you stand with the headmaster."

"The hours are awful," Kron says, laughing. "When Avon is in session, the school owns the faculty." The predominant issue for teachers, Kron says, is that "George allows teachers to do what they need to do; he

22

T H E TRAUTMAN Y EARS 1969 - 1998

allows them to make their own decisions." Further, he says, "This is also a place where a teacher can make a difference. If teaching is truly one's life goal, I think Avon is a place where one can affect youth and not just go through the motions. " "That's a critical part of what makes this a student-centered school," Kron continues. "The atmosphere here, that George has fostered, is about professionalism for faculty," which includes follow-through with students.

For example, if a student is doing poorly, he is required to attend Saturday extra-help classes.

George Trautman has purposefully created a family environment at the school, which is good for all concerned- the faculty, their young children, and the students around them. "George has always encouraged family to come to meals; that has always been very important to me," Kron says.

The fact that Trautman has maintained Avon as a student-centered school, that "students are told that this school belongs to them," as Kron puts it, together with an emphasis on family life, adds up to a stable, community environment in which academic excellence can thrive.

The profound increase in both the academic strength and the number of applicants has not altered the basic educational philosophy of the school,

Members of the administration and faculty served at a fundraising dinner in I996. Here, Trautman takes a moment to chat with a facu lty child.

T H E TRAU T MAN YEARS 1969-1998

as underscored by the Board of Directors each year: to seek a widely diverse student body in terms of background, academic ability, and interest, and to hold them to the highest standards they can achieve. Those standards and achievements are impressive, as Avon boys continue to excel academically. The school has bolstered the curriculum with the addition of a wide range of advanced placement courses and by strengthening the cohesiveness of academic departments and their offerings. All boys go on to college, with roughly 85 percent going to the college of their first choice.

In 1969, there were 176 boys enrolled at Avon. For the past 20 years, the school has consistently been full, with an enrollment of between 360 and 370 boys. The number of faculty has risen accordingly, maintaining an 8-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, and an average class size of 12 students.

Moving through the 1970s and 1980s, Avon continued to substantially increase the size and selectivity associated with its student body, and diversity became the byword of the '90s.

The student body has grown much more diverse as a direct result of policy. Embracing Mrs. Riddle's original philosophy, Trautman sought to break the stereotype of the "elitist" private boys' school by seeking out an ethnically and culturally diverse student body. In 1998, 14 nations are represented; 16 percent of the student body are members of a minority group.

This has been made possible, in part, by a huge increase in financial aid, made possible, in turn by a constantly growing endowment. When Trautman took over, financial aid amounted

to

only $44,500. By 1998,

THE TRAUTMAN YEARS

1969-1998

143 students-39 percent of the student body-are receiving a total of $1,756,500 in financial aid; 5 students receive full merit scholarships. It is Trautman's philosophy that a diverse student body has a positive influence on young men, learning not just to get along with others, but to truly appreciate and learn from the differences of others.

One example of this commitment to diversity is the Hoffman Health Scholars program, a joint partnership of Avon Old Farms School and the University of Connecticut Health Center, established in 1992 through a gift from the Hoffman Foundation of West Hartford and scholarship funds from the school. Through this program, African-American boys with an aptitude for math or science receive a full scholarship to Avon. After graduating from college with appropriate grades and test scores, these scholars will receive preferred admission and full scholarships to UConn's School of Medicine or Dental Medicine. In 1997-98, the fifth year of the program, two boys have graduated from Avon and are attending Brown and Duke universities, while four others are currently at Avon.

Avon also sponsors two WALKS Scholars every year. WALKS is a foundation of five area independent schools, which offers scholarships to promising Hartford-area students of limited income. The school and the Foundation work together to identify promising students, who are offered WALKS Scholarships funded with help from corporate sponsors. George Trautman has been a staunch supporter of the program and a director of the WALKS Foundation for his entire tenure.

With WALKS Scholars Kelvin Roldan '97 and Reggie Miller '97.

T H E TRAUT M AN YEARS I969-I998

Accreditation

E

very 10 years, all schools (independent as well as public) go through a re-evaluation and reaccreditation process, overseen by the appropri-

ate regional association. In Avon's case, this is the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The NEASC evaluated Avon in 1977, 1987, and again in 1997. The process begins with a self-evaluation Oconducted by all constituencies within the school community, including students, faculty, administration, parents, and directors. A final report to the school details the committee's findings-in what areas the school excels and what areas could be improved. Trautman has always followed up recommendations to enhance the school's programs. Indeed, often the accreditation committee suggested changes that the administration had already identified as a priority, and the weight of the report itself helped to affect the change. For instance, recommendations in the past lead to building the Adams Theatre and the creation of more scholarship programs.

Under Trautman's leadership, the school has come through each of these evaluations well, but particularly so in the fall of 1997. Lance Odden, headmaster of The Taft School and chairman of the review committee, addressing the school the last morning of the committee's three-day visit, said "You know who you are, and you do what you say. Avon is an overWith Steele Pollard '92.

whelmingly distinguished and fine school. I think it's a great school in large part because of the great headmaster you've had here for nearly 30 years."

THE TRAUTM AN YEARS 1 969 -1998

P

hysically, the architecture of Avon is as striking today as it was when the school was completed in 1930. New buildings have either been

designed to complement the original structures or have been isolated from them. It was neither feasible nor possible to construct new facilities in the Riddle style and materials over the years; therefore, existing facilities were renovated whenever possible.

Older buildings whose purposes had become obsolete (such as the water tower and power plant) were renovated from the inside, leaving the integrity of the original architecture intact. As the Trautman era began, no new construction had been undertaken since the gymnasium (then the Pierpont Student Activities Center) in the mid-1960s and three additional faculty homes. If the 1970s were to see an increased student body, and an increased emphasis on athletic competition, new facilities were imperative.

First on Trautman's agenda was an indoor, covered hockey rink to replace the old outdoor rink in the parking lot behind the Village Green.

This rink became a reality in 1971, largely through the generosity of Evan D. Jennings IT '39. In 1988, a gift from Robert Fairchild '60 funded the rink's transformation into a world-class facility. Today, the JenningsFairchild Rink not only serves the school's hockey teams superbly, but also cements relations with families throughout the Farmington Valley, who use the rink around the clock for their youth hockey programs.

27

The Architecture

T H E T R AU T MAN Y EARS 1969-1998

The highlight of the school's Jubilee year, 1977-78, was the renovation of the old railroad station into Brooks House, a charming guest house and faculty apartment. That effort was spearheaded by the late Dr. Brooks Emeny and his family. Emeny was Mrs. Riddle's second cousin and served on every advisory and governing board of the school at one time or another from 1930 until his death in 1980.

Throughout the 1970s and '80s, every Issue of Seth Mendell's

Avonian magazine featured pictures of George Trautman, board members, and donors, shaking hands as a facility was gutted in preparation for renovation and reconstruction to meet new needs. A few issues later, a similar photograph showed the dedication of the transformed facility, funded through the generosity of alumni, parents, corporations and foundations.

The pace of renovations continued through the 1980s. From 1978

to

1983 the old Power House was transformed into the Jack R. Aron Academic Center, which houses the Baxter Library, the 400-seat Adams Theatre, the Ordway Science Wing, and the Sidney C. Clark Room for lectures and seminars.

New faculty housing was added in 1974, 1985, and 1994. A new With Evan Jennings '39-

school store, the Hawk's Nest, was built in 1975. Nestled in the woods on the north side of campus, this log cabin was built by students, under the direction of long-time Avon faculty member, Brad Mason '83 Hon. In the mid '80s, the original library was renovated

to

house the

T H E TRAUTMAN YEA R S 1969 - 1998

alumni and development office (later to become the headmaster's office) and the Estabrook Board Room; three new dormitories (Jennings, Jamerson, and Brown House) were added; a new maintenance facility and 12-bay garage were built, and the Water Tower was converted into an art gallery. An outstanding fine arts building was constructed in 1989, and named in honor of Reed Estabrook.

C

omputer knowledge was added as a graduation requirement in 198283, with the immediate addition of sufficient computers in the Barnes

Computer Center to realize that goal. The board's initiative to add computers came as the result of a Student Council request to the board in one of the private meetings that over the years have become a standard agenda item for all board meetings.

Then, from 1995 to 1996, a campus-wide computer network was installed, linking all faculty, administration, and students. It began in 1994 with a committee, and by May 1995, a full-time project manager had been hired. George Trautman didn't even use a computer at the time, but could see the tremendous potential of computer use at the school. With a very ambitious schedule, the campus was wired and the computer labs were up and running by October 1995. From 1996 through 1998, improvement of the network continued and e-mail became a critical part of our communications network. Through it, faculty, administration, and students can

Technology

T H E TRAUTMAN YEARS I969-I998

communicate with great efficiency. Trautman mandated that faculty grades and comments, as well as many other applications, be on-line (and some of the programs used were created by our own faculty). The computer network has revolutionized the application of education at Avon. The efficiency it affords leaves time for more creative educational pursuits.

George Trautman, together with enthusiastic support from faculty and students, masterminded Avon's computer and interactive technology, keeping Avon on top of these constantly changing media.

Athletics

G

eorge Trautman knew from experience in 1969 that one of the best and fastest ways to build an all-boys' school was to stress the quali-

ties of selflessness, teamwork, and perseverance that a strong athletic program provides, and in this George has succeeded.

The athletic program has expanded from 11 interscholastic sports to 15, most of which have two or more levels of competition.

"Before George Trautman, Avon was really a second-tier school in terms of athletics," says John Gardner, who has been at Avon for 23 years, and director of athletics from 1985 to 1998. In June 1998, he will assume the position of provost. "In terms of athletics, the best thing George did was get Avon into the new football league-the Erickson League-that started in 1973-74." The Erickson League included Hotchkiss, TrinityPawling, Taft, Kingswood-Oxford, Loomis, Kent, Hopkins, and Avon.

T H E TRAUTMAN Y EA R S 1969 - 1998

George was one of the "founding fathers" of the League, which expanded into the Founder's League in the mid-80s to include hockey, basketball, lacrosse, track, swimming, golf, and soccer. Choate and Westminster joined the League then, and it has served the schools well athletically.

Under George Trautman's leadership, football became a power in the late 1970s and '80s, almost always finishing near the top, and winning three league championships in a row. Avon now competes on an equal basis with the best schools in New England. The hockey team has also earned a strong reputation, by winning two New England Championships and many Founder's League titles. Lacrosse, likewise, has remained a power since the mid-'70s, winning several Western New England Championships and many Founder's League Championships. Soccer plays very competitively in the league and has become a strong team lately.

In baseball, Avon has dominated the Connatonic Baseball League

since the late '70s, and in 1995, moved into the Colonial League. In 1995 and '96, the baseball team won that league's championship. In 1997, the team had a 18-0 record; the first undefeated team in league history.

Several sports have been added during the Trautman years. The ski team started in the late '70s, track and field was revived in 1980, and squash was added to Avon's athletics program in the '80s.

George Trautman was a catalyst for what is now the Founder's League and has served as a strong, guiding force for the League, helping

Varsity hockey co-captains Dave Gibson '98 and Chris Migliore '98, with Trautman after winning the Christmas Hockey Classic in I997.

T H E TRAUTMAN YEARS 1 969 - 1998

Avon to become a powerful and respected school in the realm of athletics.

"Students at Avon take pride in their school through the success of their teams; that pride has been a galvanizing force that binds the students to the school," says Gardner. "George has been the architect of this. Through it all, he's been the one constant."

The Arts

A

s the school matured, Trautman expanded the offerings available in

the performing arts. In terms of learning teamwork and discipline,

active involvement in a theatrical production challenges students much as being on an athletic team does. For years, Brad Mason, as chairman of the department of performing arts, served as a one-man drama department (in addition to the many other roles he filled as teacher, advisor, and coach) . After Mason's retirement in 1983, the school hired directors from outside the school for each school play. With the construction of the Adams Theatre, drama has flourished . In the '90s, the position of drama director was created, filled by a theatrically-inclined English teacher. Theatre productions have also, incidentally, created opportunities for socializing with the two all-girls' schools nearby, Miss Porter's and The Ethel Walker School.

Music has been cultivated along with drama. Jim Balmer and Mary Nelson, husband and wife team, revived Avon's music department in 1986.

In their first year, they re-established the Chorale and founded the Riddlers,

32

THE TRAU T MAN Y EARS 1969 - 1998

which became an instant tradition. After Balmer and Nelson departed, Avon was fortunate to have the talents of several individuals until Tim Plambeck arrived in 1997 as music director. Later in the fall, his talented fiancee, Peg Cleveland, joined him as co-music director. The couple were married in the Chapel in March 1998.

As anyone who has ever attended morning meeting in the Chapel with George Trautman knows, the headmaster loves singing. (He has been known to ask students to "sing it again, and really sing this time," two or three times.)

When there is a demonstrated need, George Trautman somehow finds the money. One memorable example is Olivier Solanet '94, an excellent pianist who needed financial assistance in order to make his piano lessons at the Hartt School a reality. Apprised of the need, Trautman soon persuaded board member Captain Victor Delano to sponsor this deserving young man, who has gone on to Oberlin and a fine career.

Studio art, under the direction of department chair Gail Laferriere, has flourished during the Trautman years. In the '90s, Laferriere has guided the school's yearbook, The Winged Beaver, to win awards year after year. Every Avon student takes a basic course in the arts, and young artists can be challenged with a broad range of courses, culminating in an individually-designed folio course.

33

At the Boar's Head Festival, I985.

THE TRAUTMAN YEAR S 1969-1998

T

estament to the success of Avon's graduates is their willingness as alumni to continue to be involved in the life of the school and to sup-

port it financially. Indeed, during the Trautman era, the school has not only enhanced the strength of its student body and faculty, it has also "reached out" and developed vastly improved relationships with its off-campus constituencies, including the local community, parents, and alumni.

In the days when Avon was not strong financially and when the society at large began to question the need for or relevance of traditional, private secondary schools, it was only natural that the school found it easier to operate within its own sphere. Today, things are very different. Avon is strong financially and academically, making the value of communication with the Avon "family" quite apparent. Parents and alumni want to be part of the Avon experience, and they are welcomed back to the campus on numerous occasions throughout the year. The Alumni Association was reorganized in 1975 with an emphasis on input and involvement by alumni

With Pete Seeger '36 in I975.

volunteers. There are now local chapters and events throughout the country, supporting the school, and each May brings a pilgrimage of several hundred alumni and friends to the campus for alumni reunions.

Relations with the community are strong, and Avon Old Farms School is regarded with respect and admiration throughout both the Hartford-Farmington Valley region and the much broader New England independent school community. This is evidenced by the joint programs

34

T H E TRAUTMAN YEARS 1969-1998

held each year with neighboring schools as well as the greatly increased number of applications for day student admissions.

y the 1980s, Avon Old Farms School was on a sound financial foot-

B

Finances & Fund Raising

ing. It was no accident; through the hard work and careful planning of members of the board, and in particular, Business Manager Walter UUram, who joined Avon in 1974, Avon was able to develop business and

fiscal practices which have complemented advances in the academic life of the school.

Today, a balanced budget, attractive employee benefits packages, sound cash management, and computerized operations are the norm.

Ullram and his staff run, very successfully, the small village envisioned by Mrs. Riddle over half a century ago.

When George Trautman arrived in 1969, Avon was $350,000 in debt with virtually no endowment. In 1998, it has no debt and a $27 million endowment. The school also controls all of its land and buildings, which is common to most schools, but was not the case at Avon before George Trautman arrived.

Assuming control over its own affairs and its future was critical to the school's ultimate survival; it was crucial to establishing a clear direction and identity for the boys, the faculty, and the school as a whole.

35

The Eagle, symbolizing bravery, watches over Eagle Dormitory.

TH E T RAUTMA N Y E AR S 1969-1998

Gaining control of its assets will be among the enduring legacies of George Trautman's years at Avon Old Farms School.

The Trautman years have witnessed a transformation in fund raising. A series of capital campaigns, combined with the growing academic health and stability of the school, have created not only a healthy endowment, but also a thriving alumni and development office, which keeps up with the growing number of alumni who generously support the school. And, as Board Chairman Peter A. Aron '65, points out, Trautman has created a climate in which this kind of growth could happen. "A lot of things have happened because George has set a tone. He has created a chemistry and inspired a confidence in people that allowed them to make major financial commitments. This is important, With Spencer E. Beal '65 and Peter A. Aron '65 in I997.

because," Aron says, reiterating a basic tenet of fund raising, "people don't give to institutions; they give to people."

Avon's philosophical commitment to providing one of the few opportunities for single-sex education for boys has set it apart. The decision to remain an all-boys' school has proven to be a wise and forward -looking one, as educators now find that boys and girls are frequently better served at the high school level, if educated apart and brought together for social and cultural functions.

TH E TR AU T MAN YEA R S 1 969 - 199 8

"Avon will regard education as an unfinished problem," noted founder Theodate Pope Riddle at the opening faculty meeting in 1927, "and we shall expect the school to evolve its own mode of operation through reasonable study and experience" to, as George Trautman puts it, "teach young men to develop their own decision-making ability without letting them fall through the net to the ground." During Trautman's term, that goal has been successfully met and continues. "We have proved that it can be done," reflects Reed Estabrook, who served as chairman of the board for the first 25 years of Trautman's tenure. "Starting again in 1947 with no students, no faculty, no head, and no money, we have built the school as it is today."

Peter Aron, who took over as chairman in 1994, credits the steady relationship between Trautman, Estabrook, and the rest of the board with setting the school on the right course. "The headmaster's relationship with the board has been exceptional and mutually supportive," says Aron.

Louise Adams, Evan Jennings '39, Gilman Ordway '44, and Richard Pendleton '96 Hon. were among the leaders without whom Avon would not be the great school it is.

Robert A. Lazear, former Avon board member and the former headmaster of Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford, wrote in 1984: As a former Director, I would note that George does a good job.

He's open with his board. He doesn't try to hide things; if there's a bullet to be bitten, he bites it, sooner rather than later. He's a

37

Gilman Ordway '44 - philanthropist, environmentalist, manuscript collector, and Wyoming rancher-made possible the creation of the Ordway Science Wing in the Jack R. Aron Academic Center. Other generous gifts have helped to establish the Alumni Scholarship Fund and transformed the water tower into the Ordway Gallery for art exhibitions. Ordway also donated a real historical treasure to the school: his collection of scientific letters and Presidential correspondence.

THE TRAUTMAN YEARS 1969-1998

damned good manager, and has the self-confidence to be open.

If a Director asks a question, he gets a direct answer, not a lot of fluff, and Directors like that.

George does a superb job of making sure his Directors get to know his faculty, and vice versa. It's different in a boarding school than in a day school, but George makes a real effort at it, and that's all you can do. He's always self-confident enough to expose both students and faculty to members of the board.

George M. Trautman has literally shaped Avon Old Farms School into what it is. This school is the work of a determined man of unusual grit and sensitivity, a man of vision with an eye for detail; a man, fiercely disGeorge with first grandson, Matthew, in I985 . At right, Tim Trautman '75 and his wife, Mary, with their children, Matthew, jordan, and Maggie in I992. Bottom right, Matthew and Tim in I997the first father-son participants in the Alumni Hockey Game.

ciplined, who has learned to compromise without compromising his values. "George is relentless," says Henry Coons '71, director of alumni relations, who was a sophomore when Trautman arrived.

"George is a very complex person; he holds his cards very close to the chest," says Kenneth H. LaRocque, who succeeds Trautman as headmaster. "It's taken me 10 years to really get to know George. I feel very lucky to have been here during the last half of his tenure. I have watched this man, who was already a craftsman at running a school, call upon that wealth of experience to handle some very difficult situations. I've learned a tremendous amount from him; I think I can still learn a lot from him. " In the midst of daunting professional demands, George Trautman

THE TRAUTMAN YEARS 1969 - 1998

somehow found time, in his early years at Avon, to devote himself to the needs of a growing family. He and his first wife, Mary Lee, raised three children on the Avon campus: Emily, Timothy '75, and Courtney '8lo Divorced in 1985, Trautman was married later to the former Barbara Elliott. Barbara Has two children from her previous marriage, Tracey Elliott and Todd Elliott '82. Although a private man, the headmaster makes no secret of the feelings he has for his wife Barbara, his children, and his three grandchildren. He pretends no objectivity for his eldest grandson, Matthew '01, describing him as "a terrific kid" and taking pride in how well he's doing at Avon.

G

eorge Trautman has dedicated himself thoroughly to his professionthe education of adolescent boys. He has brought an unwavering

belief in standards of excellence for all areas of life here-academic, athletic, community service, and social relations. Through the course of his career here, no problem or issue has been too small (a stolen jacket) or too broad (love of one's fellow man) to speak to the boys about. He has made sure, above all else, that students are supported in their pursuit of maturity, responsibility, and an excellent education.

In keeping with the mission of its founder, Theodate Pope Riddle,

Avon has remained "an indestructible school for boys." It is George M. Trautman who has kept that mission alive-indestructible in both presence and spirit-for the past 29 years.

39

THE TRAUTMAN YEARS 1969-1998

With Barbara

R

alph Waldo Emerson, writing in the nineteenth century as America's great private boarding schools were beginning to take shape, observed that "An institution is the lengthened shadow of one

The Lengthened Shadow of One Man

man .... " Practically every word in his observation needs to be analyzed and interpreted, or "unpacked," as college English teachers are wont to

say these days, but the phrase "lengthened shadow" is the most appropriate to use in assessing the career and influence of George M .

Trautman at Avon Old Farms School from 1969 through 1998 .

George Trautman's shadow is a lengthened one because he has stood as a giant among boarding school headmasters in the last quarter of the 20th century, and particularly in New England. Physically, personally, and intellectually impressive at first meeting, George Trautman is a commanding presence, in every sense of the word. He is thoroughly in charge of, and the master of, any situation in which he finds himself.

Yet he accomplishes this mastery not through intimidation (though some students who have failed to live up to his and Avon's standards might initially disagree with that observation!), but through the assumption that everyone will react and respond in a thoroughly gentlemanly or ladylike fashion to his own gentlemanly demeanor and tone.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly for purposes of historical narrative and explanation, George Trautman's shadow is a lengthened one because he has stayed in one position for almost 30 years. This was the

43

by GORDON CLARK RAMSEY '80 HON.

THE LENGTHENED SHADOW OF ONE MAN

norm when private boarding schools were in their formative years, most especially in the case of Frank Boyden of Deerfield, who may rightly be said to be George Trautman's "grandfather" as a role model in the New England pantheon of great headmasters. A tenure 50 or even 60 years was not unheard of among headmasters in the years preceding World War I and lasting into the 1960s. What did this longevity mean in the development and running of schools like Avon Old Farms as we know it today?

"The key to running a good school," George Trautman told the Avon Old Farms History Project in 1982, "is doing something very simple, doing it perfectly, and doing it over and over and over again!" By this, George Trautman meant that the market for such a school as Avon remains constant in terms of its needs and its hopes. The consumers change, in that different students come through the school every four years, but the curriculum does not need constant changing because the same students practically never take the same course twice.

In independent education, a reputation is built by a solid track record of turning out well-educated graduates with moral values, civic commitment, and the determination to use all of their abilities, physical and mental, to their greatest potential for themselves, their families, and the society around them. Increasingly, that society is global; George Trautman foresaw that and other trends and incorporated them into his very basic philosophy.

44

T HE L ENGT H ENE D S H ADOW OF ONE MAN

George Trautman is a modest man, to the point of being genuinely bewildered that anyone would want to ask him for his philosophy, and then urge him to write it down and publish it. "I'll tell you, because you are interested," he advised the history project, "but my interest is in running a school for boys, not in being an educational philosopher!" He echoed almost the same sentiments in the 1990s when offered the chance to be freed from some of the day-to-day responsibilities of running the school

to

travel and meet with alumni and other donors with the ability

to aid the school substantially, though George Trautman is a highly successful fund-raiser, particularly in one-on-one circumstances.

Modesty is also reflected in George's insistence that he came to the right place at the right time. Sidney C. Clark '65 Hon., Chairman Emeritus of the English department, puts the matter into perspective from the faculty point of view: "George Trautman arrived at a watershed time for the school. Many schools and colleges were relaxing, if not abandoning, standards and requirements of clothing, haircuts, grooming, chapel attendance, and self-respect. Courageously, and with the support of a wise and involved board of directors, George Trautman reversed these trends firmly and effectively, and he has maintained the courage of his convictions throughout one of the longest tenures of any headmaster in the late 20th century."

Clark alludes to some very basic strengths (and historical weaknesses) in Avon's system of governance. Mrs. Riddle showed great foresight

45

THE LE NG THE NE D S H A D OW OF ONE MA N

in her educational philosophy and willingness to experiment. In fact, many parents of the 1930s and early 1940s thought the school "too experimental," in spite of the fact that Mrs. Riddle, through her architecture and elaborate village system of life, attempted to combine what she considered to be the best qualities of life in old England with that of New England.

Her final Deed of Trust for the school, should it reopen after being closed in 1944, prophesies aspects of the industrialization of American life following World War II, and contains the quotation chosen by the students for placement on the Riddle Refectory in the 1990s:

"There should be some oases in this country where love of tradition is fostered. Avon shall be one of these oases; one place, where, when Avonians return, they will find at least a semblance of permanence."

George Trautman embraced the "Deed of Trust," and said he "found very little I disagree with in its philosophy." So Avon's philosophical basis is one that encourages the preservation of the best, and the innovation of what is necessary to prepare Men of Avon for a complex global future.

In costume for Boar's Head.

If Mrs. Riddle's Deed of Trust was remarkable, so also, in quite a different way, was her relationship as founder with all three of her provosts, the title being carefully chosen to indicate that the provost was second in command. Mrs. Riddle simply chose not to understand that any organization must trust the chief executive officer to make day-to-day decisions and run the organization, in this case a boarding school, and not

T HE LE NGTHENE D S H A D OW O F ONE MAN

have either the founder or the board of directors assume that function.

It was George Trautman's-and Avon's-great good fortune in 1969 to have a board of directors that knew it wanted a school where standards and civility prevailed, and that it would support a new headmaster willing to bring about those standards. In fact, one generous donor told him, "Don't try to fill the school right away, take your time and get the students we want."

In an era when headmasters of independent schools, presidents of

colleges, and chairmen or chairwomen of the boards of trustees of these institutions change at the average rate of once every five years, it was George Trautman's and the school's blessing for Avon to have had only two board presidents since 1969: F. Reed Estabrook, Jr. '36 and Peter A. Aron '65. Always available for consultation, both men profited from the lesson of Mrs. Riddle's disastrous interference in the daily operation of the school, and have reiterated time and again the philosophy that: "The Board sets the policy, in conjunction with the headmaster; the headmaster, administration, and faculty carry it out." This continuity has permitted true long-range planning, instead of plans which change every five years to suit a new chairman or headmaster determined to put his or her stamp on things before moving on. It has also avoided the prevalent philosophy in America that unless an organization is growing, it is standing still or falling behind. Such planning often results in change for change's sake, and not for sound educational reasons.

47

TH E LENGT H ENE D S H ADOW OF ONE MAN

But Avon Old Farms School, on the other hand, has resisted the temptation to "go Luddite" and emulate those early 19th-century English workmen who destroyed labor-saving machines as a protest against progress, which they believed threatened their livelihood. Instead, Avon, with the foresight of Mrs. Riddle, has adopted the caution of Alexander Pope: Be not the first by whom the new is tried/ Nor yet the last to lay the

old aside.

C

arpenter Field, named for Daniel Carpenter '72, demonstrates the loyalty which George Trautman's alumni feel towards him and the

school. "As a student," Carpenter says now, "I was perhaps George's harshest and most vocal critic. I can now clearly see that ...the Trautman legacy will be the most valuable of all because the school now has a spirit within it to be the best, that is, tireless and unconquerable. George took a good school...and turned it into a great institution that will now probably last forever."

Such tributes, and others in the 1997-98 calendar dedicated The Owl, symbolizing wisdom, perched atop the Dean's office.

to

George M. Trautman, bespeak a great headmaster with a lengthened shadow, but perhaps they fail to communicate what George Trautman has said all along is the secret to his success. That secret lies in his ability to inspire and motivate students, in morning meeting, in Chapel, or in his

T H E LENGT H ENE D SHA D OW OF ONE MAN

famed after-luncheon announcements. The headmaster may be rallying faculty and student support for an upcoming game, using humor, even self-deprecating at times, to urge the team in question to do its utmost, and everyone else to come and support them. He may be illustrating how a student's mistake not only hurts the student involved, and what the immediate consequences will be, but how the whole community has been hurt by the mistake, and how to avoid a repetition.

For George Trautman never shirks the hard or unpleasant aspects of his job. He tells the anecdote about approaching Jim Wickenden, a Boyden-trained headmaster, after George's first faculty meeting under Wickenden at Tabor. "How do I get to sit where you are sitting?" the neophyte teacher asked the headmaster. "Learn how to do every unpleasant, nasty and difficult job in this school, and in 10 years, I'll recommend you!" advised his mentor.

George Trautman took his advice, and that is how, by 1969, Reed Estabrook was asked, "Where did you get that tiger!?" by board member Dick Harper '38 . The tiger in question came

to

Avon that spring, and so

impressed alumni that pledges were doubled and redoubled to the school during that first weekend.

And, as is apparent to all who know and love the school in 1998, the success has been doubling and redoubling ever since.

49

With Reed Estabrook '36 and Governor Lowell Weicker.

W

hen George Trautman wrote to the board of directors last

Afterword

year indicating that he had decided to step down as headmaster this spring, he summarized his feelings with these

words: "In many ways, this is a job I'd like to keep forever. And I must say that these past 29 years have been phenomenal ones- a tremendous opportunity and a dream that very few in this world get the chance to

by

fulfill. " Of course, very few schools ever get the chance to benefit from a

PETER A. ARON

leader like George, a man whose dedication, character, and professional skills have permeated and enriched every aspect of life at Avon Old Farms.

Indeed, the school owes George Trautman a tremendous debt of gratitude, not only for what he has done over the past three decades but also for the way he has positioned the school for generations to come.

When the final history of Avon Old Farms is written it will be the story- not of beautiful buildings and woodlands- but of the extraordinary people who shared a vision, instilled traditions and values, and always remained focused on one thing: the boys, the young Men of Avon. Mrs. Riddle, the old school provosts, Donald Pierpont, Reed Estabrook, and especially George Trautman, will long stand as the pillars upon on which the Avon of today has been built and will continue to grow in the future.

The Trautman years will, I believe, come to be seen as the period during which the school truly proved itself as a first-rate academic institution

5I

' 65

CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF DIRECTORS

AFTERW ORD

and took its rightful place among the great private secondary schools of America. The Riddle years saw the construction of.the school, the creation of the unique Old Farms village and sense of community spirit, as well as a series of attempts to sort out and clarify the academic philosophy of the school. The Pierpont years were a period of struggle, rebirth, and recommitment to the dream of an all-boys' school in which it was believed that every student, properly motivated and guided, could succeed. Mrs. Riddle provided the place and engendered in every boy a sense of citizenship. Don Pierpont brought academic structure and defined the kind of student who would most benefit from the Avon experience-the same kind of fine young man we continue to seek to this day. Mrs. Riddle aspired and Don Pierpont persevered. George Trautman took those basic building blocks and worked them into the structure, the systems, and spirit which is Avon today.

Over the years I've often been asked by people, "How does George With a few of "his boys," Lance Cashion '93, Perry Ho lland '93, and Travis Merritt '93 .

Trautman do it? Why is he so successful? How does he handle the stress?"

There are many answers, of course, but I think there are a few particular things about the man which truly define him and which we see reflected daily in the behavior and attitude of everyone in the school community.

First of all, George Trautman is a simple man. By that I mean singularly focused and clear about his mission and how he should carry that out.

His focus is always on the students; what's best for the boys in the school;

AFTERW O R D

what needs so be done to deliver on the promises made to the students and their families, from the moment they walk through the front entrance to the moment they depart. In discussions with faculty, parents, students, and members of the board, George has always kept the agenda and the issues simple and to the point. What's best for a group of boys or for an individual boy, in terms of achieving success, is ultimately the only issue.

Similarly, George has never been one for obfuscation or procrastination when it comes to making decisions . He confers with others, he does his thinking, he makes his decision and then sticks firmly with his decision. He maintains a sense of direction and he instills confidence in those around him- and that is what good leadership is all about.

It's always fascinated me to see how boys, on the one hand, seem to fear George, and on the other hand, feel a great affection for him and a great respect for his authority. I believe that that is simply a reflection of the respect George has for each of the students. He may get furious at a student for doing something stupid or thoughtless, but I have never seen him put down a student or humiliate him, or in any way suggest that he doesn't care. George's sense of fairness-no matter how firm he may have to be-is something that the boys understand and genuinely appreciate. The students know just where they stand. They know the limits and the rules and they know that privileges have to be earned. At the same time, George fully understands that people, especially adolescent boys, will

53

AFTE R WOR D

"push the envelope," that they will mess up, and that a second chance carefully bestowed is often the right way to go.

George Trautman truly wants everyone to live up to his potential and to succeed in whatever he does. That includes students, faculty, and staff of the school, as well as friends. He realizes that people have limitations but he does not believe that it's right for those limitations to be selfimposed. Rather, he believes that we all have an obligation to help one another achieve as much as possible,

to

draw out the best. George's desire

to see his students grow and succeed is only matched by his desire to see his faculty grow and succeed. He asks a tremendous amount from his teachers and members of the staff. At the same time, he knows that the more he asks, the more accomplished they will become, the better suited they will be to move ahead as teachers and administrators, and in a few cases, heads of schools.

Honesty, integrity, character, and values are things that people spend a lot of time talking about these days. But very few people are prepared to live their lives and follow a personal code of conduct consistent with absolute truthfulness and unselfish behavior. In George's mind, there is no other option, for he knows that boys learn most effectively through the examples set by teachers and role models 24 hours a day.

Each fall at faculty orientation before the opening of school, George tells the new teachers, "You can't fool these kids for a second. It you're not

54

AFTERWO RD

straight with them, if you are not a role model to whom they can look for guidance, you're not going to make it here."

I well remember a confrontation I happened to witness on campus between George and a boy several years ago. The young fellow had been caught for some minor infraction and then lied about it to the Headmaster. George confronted the young man, chewed him out a bit, and the incident ended with the boy saying, "I'm so sorry I lied to you sir, because I let you down." Whatever the boy had done to get in trouble was not nearly so bad as lying to the man he revered.

Boastfulness or hubris is not part of George Trautman's personality.

If anything, he's the first one to accept blame if something goes wrong and he goes overboard to give other people credit when things go right.

He firmly believes that the success of Avon Old Farms is not due to George Trautman but to everybody who lives and works as part of the school community. In fact, George is always genuinely touched when praised publicly and he is deeply moved when a boy or a family tells him that he has made a positive difference in a young life. He once told me, "You can't believe how good it feels when you see a kid turn out right and you can't believe how awful it is when you just can't find a way to help a kid who's having trouble." George simply feels so lucky about the life that he's lived that he wants everyone else to have just as much opportunity, excitement, and satisfaction.

55

With his successor, Kenneth H. LaRocque, I997.

AFTERWORD

I have never heard George tell an off-color joke or make an insensitive or hurtful remark at someone else's expense. And yet he has a marvelous sense of humor and there are times when he simply can't resist letting go with his thundering laugh. He is a great observer of the human comedy, amused by what one might call "antics," especially on the part of his students and young faculty members (so long as nobody gets hurt!). He also takes joy in telling stories on himself, never feeling selfconscious or inept. For example, his ability as a navigator has always been somewhat questionable and George likes to play up to the stories told about his being lost in fog or having the wrong charts. The fact is, he has sailed his way across huge expanses of open ocean, navigating with basic instruments and, so far, he's always made his landfall right on the dot!

The job of headmaster inevitably includes some painful and extremely trying moments. When a student is injured, a faculty member fails to measure up, or an alumnus gets his nose out of joint, it's the headmaster who takes the heat and the criticism.

I've often described George as "the glue that holds the school On the evergreen adorned stage, at commencement.

together." If that's the case, then Barbara Trautman is the glue that helps hold George Trautman together. She is a fabulously thoughtful and sensible person who has, in her own way, contributed tremendously to the success of the school and its head. She has never imposed herself on the

AFTERWO RD

workings of the school nor has she ever held herself up as critic or arbiter, but she has always been there to listen and share her perspective about things. How marvelous it has been for Avon, one of the last nearly allmale institutions of its kind, to have had Barbara's wise counsel and feminine touch at just the right times and places.

When George Trautman steps down as headmaster he will not be retiring from Avon Old Farms . He will be taking on important new responsibilities which only a man of his caliber and experience could handle. He will continue as an ambassador, counselor, and representative of the school to the local community and wherever Avon has alumni, friends, and prospective students. He has left an indelible mark on the school and prepared the school well for the generations of Avonians to come. Today, the school enjoys a wonderful balance of academics, athletics, and the arts. School spirit is high, the students work hard and play hard, and treat one another with respect. The support of the parent body is tremendous. The alumni no longer refer to themselves as being of the Old School or the Pierpont Years or the Trautman Years, they simply see themselves as Men of Avon who share a sense of pride in their school.

It is those positive feelings about the school which George Trautman

has worked so hard and so successfully to engender which shall carry the school into the next century with vigor and strength. That is a great legacy for anyone

to

leave behind.

57

THE T R AUTMAN YEARS 1969 - 1998

Were Mrs. Riddle

to

return to Avon today and be obliged to choose

one of the allegorical figures she placed around campus to represent George Trautman, she would have a tough time in making her choice. The compassionate pelican, the brave eagle, the long-lived elephant, Diogenes searching for truth and honesty, and the wise owl--each provide but one aspect of the man who has aspired and persevered for Avon Old Farms for three decades.

The Elephant, symbolizing memory and longevity, trumpets from the top of Elephant dormitory.

COLOPHON jlTHE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS CONTRIBUTED TO THE MAKING OF THIS BOOK. MANY OTHERS CONTRIBUTED IN LESS TANGIBLE WAYS; WE THANK YOU ALL. WE ALSO THANK PETER ARON, ELLIE AND TONY LEIGH, TIM TRAUTMAN, AND GEORGE AND BARBARA TRAUTMAN FOR THE USE OF PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHS.

jlPETER A. ARON

F.

'65

REED ESTABROOK, JR.

'36

HENRY R. COONS '7I ARTHUR B.W. CUSTER MARGARET Moss DEGRAAF PETER M. EVANS JOHN

T.

SUSAN CAROL

GARDNER

Y. HAILE

C.

KETCHAM

WILLIAM G. KRON KENNETH H . LAROCQUE GORDON CLARK RAMSEY '80 HON.

DESIGN: KATE SIEPMANN

PRINTED IN A LIMITED EDITION路

漏 AVON

MAy 1998

OLD FARMS SCHOOL' 500 OLD FARMS ROAD' AVON , CONNECTICUT 06001