Remembering Dr. Joseph R. Curry

Editor’s Note: Many thanks to Amy Logan for writing this article honoring the Academy’s 9th Headmaster. Excerpted remembrances offered at the time of Dr. Curry’s retirement (noted with an asterisk) and after his passing are shared throughout this article. A memorial service for Dr. Curry was a highlight of Reunion Weekend and took place at 11 am on Saturday, June 6, in Cowell Chapel.

DR. JOSEPH R. CURRY, 9th Headmaster of the Academy, died on Dec. 12, 2014, at the age of 81. Visionary and inspiring, he led the Academy from 1972 to 2000 through turbulent years and into a new era of great growth and strength.

At the time of his retirement, Dr. Curry reflected, “I didn’t ever expect to be a builder of buildings, or for Cushing to be a school of 400 kids. My vision was having a school where we put kids and our love of kids first, measuring Cushing by community, by caring, and by goodness.” By those measures, and by all others, he succeeded brilliantly and shaped Cushing profoundly, earning the respect and gratitude of countless students and their families and leaving an extraordinary legacy of community and excellence.

He was born in Clover, S.C., on Feb. 27, 1933, the son of Grady Webster Curry and Maude Jackson Curry. After graduating from Clover High School, he entered the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, graduating in 1955 with a commission to the U.S. Army. He decided against an Army career, later explaining that “to be a successful officer, one had to be willing to give up individuality, join the old boy network and use systems for preferment… none of this appealed to me. I valued my freedom more than the opportunity.”

The next chapter of his life and educational journey was transformative. To explore the role that a religious vocation might play in his life, he applied and was accepted to Harvard University. He often spoke of the intense intellectual excitement of those years and of the exhilaration of his complete immersion into the pursuit of knowledge. At the conclusion of his studies, he left Harvard with an S.T.B. in theological learning and the decision to continue studying history and philosophy. And even more importantly, he left having met and courted Jeannette “Jenny” Powell, a fellow Harvard graduate student in education and a gifted artist, whom he married in June 1958.

In July of that year, the Currys drove to El Paso, Tex., to report for his two-year stint in the Army, which he described as a wonderful experience. Reflecting on that time, he later noted, “It was a period of consolidation for me. I had opportunities to learn about avocations that were always of interest to me. Our daughter, Dana, was born there in 1959 and I have a true love for that part of the country.” That love of the Southwest would later provide an entry into his contributions to Native American education through Cushing’s founding partnerships.

At the conclusion of his military service, Dr. Curry embarked on his master’s degree in history at Trinity College, intent upon a secondary school teaching career, and in 1961 he accepted a position at the Mount Hermon School (now Northfield Mount Hermon), where he taught, coached wrestling, and served as the Director of their summer session. He recalled, “It was a fortuitous choice because I learned the craft of teaching, and had the opportunity to do virtually everything I wanted to do, from editing a book to continuing graduate school during summers to traveling abroad.”

Having taken a leave of absence in 1971 to complete his doctorate in education at UMass Amherst, he embarked on another job search, ready to lead a school as headmaster. Though not originally on the list of schools that he considered, he was intrigued by an opportunity at Cushing. The challenges were enormous—declining enrollment, financial instability, and a tumultuous time in education—and, to Cushing’s great good fortune, he saw it as the right opportunity for his experience, passion, and daunting energy and intellect, and he began in 1972 what would be his remarkable 28-year tenure.

The challenges of the early years cannot be overstated, as he rightly saw his first job as saving the Academy from closure. After having accomplished through sheer determination what seemed impossible to others, he embarked on a period of ground-breaking educational innovation

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*What I always remember about Dr. Curry was on Saturdays, when there were a lot of athletic events around campus, somehow he managed to be everywhere. [He was] almost like a political candidate—in one city at 10:00 am and in another state by noon. As a cross-country runner, I’d see him as I was coming out of the chute behind the football field. When I came down from the graveyard, there he was at the girls’ lacrosse game. Minutes later I’d see him on the varsity field. He should have suited up for us.

GEOFF GRANDBERG ’89

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Spring was coming and, as student body secretary, many students approached me about getting shorts approved for the dress code. I met with Dr. Curry, who had me first draft a policy inclusive of what defined “shorts” (i.e. Bermuda length, no rips, no jean shorts, etc.). Then he wanted me to get approval from the faculty. The further I got, the more he gave me to do, so I assumed he just didn’t want it and it would never happen.

Then, during an assembly, he mentioned to the faculty and student body that students were not dressing appropriately and that if they wanted shorts in the dress code to be seriously considered, they had better start dressing appropriately. Some students balked and then I stood up and said, “Please just tuck in your shirt and don’t wear ripped pants. I’ve been working hard to get you shorts so help me out.”

At formal dinner that night, to my great surprise, Dr. Curry came up to me and said that he was going to permit shorts and that I could announce it in the next assembly. He then told me he put me through these challenges and obstacles so that I could learn how a bureaucracy worked.

Ten years later, I visited campus and met with Dr. Curry. I repeated the story to him and told him that I thought he made an incredible contribution to Cushing. He simply replied, “This place is worthy.” That response aptly sums up to me the great man, educator, and teacher that Dr. Curry was. I will never forget him.

PETER BLITZER ’91

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I have the deepest respect for a man who led with respect, and always had his heart in the right place. Dr. Curry was an incredible leader, who embraced Cushing Academy whole-heartedly. For those of us who knew him, it’s impossible to think of Cushing Academy without thinking of Dr. Curry. He was a remarkable man. I was lucky to have him touch my life.

BARBARA DRONS-CARROLL ’76

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*I remember years ago [members] of the board were sitting around trying to decide whether to close Cushing. Fortunately, a young man from Harvard was willing to take a chance on us. I don’t think anyone who was not present at that time can appreciate the effect and success Dr. Curry has had on this great school.

HAZEN MASTER ’44 (D) FORMER TRUSTEE

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While Dr. Curry was an imposing physical presence, he was a warm and caring person. I attended Cushing during his tenure and respected him tremendously. He remembered everyone’s name (and I mean everyone), even if he had met them only once, or if it had been years since he had seen them.

REBECCA CHANIN ’85

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*He gave his encouragement and support to the arts. Today, one has only to walk through the beautiful fine arts building, attend the marvelous dramatic and musical productions and the inspiring concerts to realize the success of his vision.

[He embraced] strong convictions from the beginning in regard to the promotion and support of women in important positions in all phases of the school. As a result, an outstanding, dedicated group of women have contributed to Cushing in countless ways over the years, and continue to serve today.

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MARY G. FERN, HON ’92

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His great influence in my formative years has led to many moments of fond memories and appreciation for the privilege of his tutelage. To the chagrin of many other authority figures in my life, Dr. Curry set the standard of what it means to earn someone’s respect. Few ever came close to his example. Instead of missing him, I have chosen to embrace what he continues to teach me through his memory daily.

DOUG

COLTER ’78

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Dr. Curry was tough, but he was fair. I always knew where I stood with him and respected him very much.

BEN

IBBETSON ’90

through programs that would forever touch his students and the broader educational landscape, and then to building the facilities that he strongly believed Cushing students deserved.

A pioneer in understanding how students with learning-style differences learn best, he launched Cushing’s renowned Academic Support Program, creating a model that many other schools would follow. Likewise, the English as a Second Language program that he developed expanded the Cushing family worldwide and ushered in Cushing’s identity as an international educational leader, while building on a proud history of early international enrollments. He embarked on innovative uses of the campus and creative collaborations, including new summer programs.

He focused, always, on excellence: in academics, athletics, the arts, and in challenging students to excellence, along with his familiar exhortation to “make good choices.” Superb teaching was a hallmark of his tenure, and faculty considered themselves as learning from the best, striving to meet the high standards that always raised the bar. He never lost sight of what was at the heart of Cushing, noting that, “At any school, the most attractive asset is the teaching faculty. It is important, however, to distinguish between the most important asset and the most important activity at a school. It isn’t teaching—the most important activity is learning.”

Cushing’s campus blossomed under Dr. Curry’s boundless energy and discerning eye, inspiring a partnership with the Academy’s extraordinarily visionary and generous benefactors Edward G. Watkins ’56 and the late M. Anthony Fisher ’69, and with Theodore Iorio, the late George Cook ’39, the late George Wallace, and countless other trustees and contributors. Thanks to the remarkable investments by these leaders, the Fisher-Watkins Library in 1984 was the first of many much-needed facilities, followed by the Fisher-Watkins Dining Commons, the Theodore Iorio Arena, and the Emily Fisher Landau Center for the Visual Arts. The campus boundaries expanded, as well, with the purchase of additional acres.

In 1988, he co-founded the Native American Preparatory School, a summer program designed to make available to Native American students in the Southwest the same opportunities long-enjoyed by students at independent boarding schools. In recognition of his leadership, the Navajo Nation awarded him the Chief Manuelito Award, one of its highest honors.

Beloved by the community, Jenny served alongside Dr. Curry as gifted teacher, talented artist, respected colleague, gracious hostess, and treasured friend. Their children, and then also their grandchildren, were a source of great joy and pride to them both. Following his retirement in 2000, the Currys continued as residents of Ashburnham, purchasing a historic home adjacent to the campus. Jenny’s untimely death in November 2000 was a profound loss for the entire community. Dr. Curry is survived by his daughters, Dana Curry Lorway ’78 and Lisa Curry ’79, and two grandchildren, Savannah Grant and Breton Lorway ’17.

At Cushing today, the Joseph R. Curry Academic Center and an endowed faculty chair honor him, just two signs of the immeasurable gratitude of the community and the esteem in which he was held. Any reflection on his legacy, however, must begin and end with the impact he had on the lives he touched. These remembrances live in the hearts of all who knew Dr. Curry.