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A LOOK BACK BY SHIRLEY RICHAR DS O N
The Legacies of
Lamb Court Below Left: Sarah Lord Lamb ’27. Left: In 2009 Nick Harris was posthumously awarded The Brewster Medal. His wife Penny Harris, son Lamont Harris ’84, and grandson Nicholas Harris, here with David Smith and Mike Cooper, accepted the award on his behalf. Above: Lamb House today. Right: Principal Burtis F. Vaughan and wife Virginia with students.
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y 1987 it was time for a second group of three colonial faculty homes and dormitories to be constructed on the south side of campus on what would become known as Lamb Court. Initial plans called for these dorms to mirror the first three built on the north side, including a single faculty apartment in each house. All six of these dormitories were designed to support student growth centered in a home and family-like atmosphere. One night after the project began on the south side construction, then Headmaster David M. Smith wandered over to the construction site and stood on the foundations. As he looked out toward the lake, he realized that under the existing plans “this beautiful view would have been enjoyed by trash cans in the basements.” He returned to his office, took out his copy of the plans, and sketched in lower level apartments, which were subsequently incorporated into the design so that two faculty families could reside in each dormitory. VAUGHAN HOUSE The first of the Lamb Court trio is dedicated to former teacher and principal Burtis F. Vaughan Jr. and his family. Vaughan arrived on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee
BRE WSTE R ACADE MY
aboard the M/S Mount Washington in 1939. A recent graduate of Columbia University, where he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees, Vaughan immersed himself in the life of the school, serving as a Latin and English teacher and as a football, baseball, and soccer coach. A gifted musician, he directed the glee club and bands. Through their mutual love of music and teaching, he and English teacher Virginia Paige Whiting became fast friends and married in December 1952. Following a national search, the board of trustees named Vaughan the seventh principal of the Academy on March 7, 1959, a position he would assume upon the retirement of Principal Vincent David Rogers at the end of that school year. During that summer the Vaughan family, which now included children Janna ’62, Jo Anne ’65, and David, moved across campus from Sanborn House (now Richardson House) to Lord House.
The most pressing issue of Vaughn’s tenure was the formation of a regional school district and ultimately the construction of a local high school, leaving the Academy to transform from a quasi public/private school to a completely independent academy for boarding students and a small contingent of day students whose families preferred an independent education. The steady hand of Principal Vaughan and the strength emanating from his reputation as a teacher and administrator in both the school and the local community proved invaluable to the trustees and the town leaders during a challenging time for Brewster. After bringing the Academy through the transition and driven by his desire to return to the classroom, Vaughan retired as principal on July 1, 1965. The Vaughans moved to Hampton, New Hampshire, where he became chair of foreign languages at Winnacunnet High School. Vaughan stayed connected to Brewster, serving as a trustee from 1986 to 1997. He passed away on September 3, 1998. LAMB HOUSE Lamb House was built during the spring and summer of 1988. Herbert Lamb, retired from the field of finance, joined the board