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THE CURTIS FAMILY
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The Curtis Family Settles In
BY LORRAINE S. CONNELLY
Before moving to campus last July, Dr. Alex Curtis had what he terms “eight long monthsâ€? to prepare for his ďŹ rst day here. “That time of waiting,â€? he says, “tested my patience. However, it did afford me the opportunity to learn all that I could about the history of our school, from the initial visions of William and Mary Atwater Choate to the Choate Rosemary Hall that we are today.â€? Until this past June, Dr. Curtis was Headmaster of Morristown–Beard School in New Jersey, which he led for seven years. His appointment as Choate Rosemary Hall’s headmaster brings us full circle in the history of the School. In 1890, Mary Atwater Choate appointed a British scholar, Caroline Ruutz-Rees, as the founding headmistress of Rosemary Hall. Dr. Curtis was raised in Windsor, Berkshire, and attended boarding school in London at St. Paul's School. Like Ruutz-Rees, he is also an accomplished scholar, with language training in Latin, French, Italian, German and Ancient Greek. Last August, at a Choate reception held at the Kennedy family home in Hyannis Port, Mass., Dr. Curtis and his wife, Dr. Elizabeth Fecko-Curtis, were ofďŹ cially welcomed, courtesy of Choate parents Ted Kennedy, Jr. and his wife, Dr. Katherine (Kiki) Kennedy P ’12.
Many are old enough to remember how thrilled our nation was in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy ’35 moved into the White House with his young family. We were enamored by his youthful exuberance and energy. In 2011, Alex and Beth, as they prefer to be called – and their two young sons, Morgan, age 13, and Samuel, age 11, have brought such energy to campus, and with it a wealth of new ideas to Choate Rosemary Hall. Says Alex, “Standing at the historic Kennedy home, I was reminded of the inuence and the power of education and especially, and speciďŹ cally, of the work we do at Choate. And it struck me that President Kennedy is one individual who stands for all others for whom the Choate experience was transformational. He understood that success meant something far larger than achieving his own personal goals ‌ it meant changing and challenging the status quo; it meant leading and inspiring humanity. Believing that, he was able to change the future and to make history.â€? Alex is looking forward to continuing on the path of accomplishment established by his predecessors, and to bringing Choate Rosemary Hall to new levels of success, achievement and recognition as a global leader in secondary education. At his side to help him accomplish all that is Beth. The couple met as college students at Swarthmore, sometimes known as the “Quaker Matchboxâ€? to those who claim that the college can be the perfect place to meet one’s better half. After graduating from Swarthmore, Alex earned a doctorate in art history from Princeton University’s Department of Art and Archaeology, and Beth pursued her doctorate in comparative politics at the University of Michigan. While living in New Jersey, Beth took a position at the Educational Testing Service, for which she continues to work as a part-time consultant. This fall, they hosted Tuesday and Thursday academic department receptions for faculty members and their spouses in the newly renovated Porter House, the Headmaster’s home on campus, and also had fun attending student mug nights in several dorms. Their easy warmth and graciousness are setting the tone for the entire Choate community.