What Am I?

What Am I?

THE ORIGINAL ASH HOUSE was constructed in 1912. According to Cushing historian Frank Rand (1908), “Its cost was $95,000, its capacity 65 roomers. It also contained a dining hall with 140 seats, a small infirmary, steam heat, and space for a possible swimming pool.” It was almost named Fairbanks Hall—in honor of the Academy’s largest benefactor apart from Thomas Parkman Cushing—but the recently constructed Ashburnham town hall bore his name and the Academy’s Board worried that having the same name would cause confusion. The completion of the new dormitory allowed for more rooming space for girls in Lowe as well as a larger common area.

By 1912, Mr. Cowell had been Principal for 25 years. Professor Lane was still teaching—the only member of the faculty who had been there in 1887 when Cowell arrived. There had also been a host of other changes at the school in that time. The number of buildings had doubled from three to six. The number of faculty had more than doubled from seven to 16. The size of campus had quadrupled from five acres to 20. $12,000 had been added to the scholarship fund. Cushing sported a full complement of athletic teams, rather than just baseball as had been the case in 1887. Cushing had a newspaper, literary societies, and more than 1,000 alumni.

In a straw vote taken at Cushing in 1912, William Taft was preferred as president over Theodore Roosevelt, who was running for a third, non-consecutive term. Also running for president that year?

Principal Hervey S. Cowell, who was on the Prohibitionist ticket. He received three votes in the Cushing straw poll.

That was the year that Ivers Adams paid $50,000 to have a water system installed in town, bringing fresh water from Lake Naukeg into town—indeed, we still get our fresh water from Lake Naukeg— and giving Ashburnham what they hoped would be enough water for ample fire protection.

In the end, however, it would not be enough. The 1915 basketball team had finished their 10–1 season at the end of February, but by April 12, their coach Frank Hardy would be dead, perishing just feet from the entrance in the fire that destroyed the three-year-old Ash House. In addition to Frank Hardy, two town girls were trapped by a falling wall, and one tragically succumbed to her injuries.

The replacement Ashburnham House was completed in an astonishing six months, with students and alumni working tirelessly to secure the necessary funding to make it happen. Students sold candy, food, and pencils. The school sold tickets to lectures given by the faculty. Townspeople, local organizations, and visitors to the town were all induced to make donations. The Class of 1894, having witnessed their own fire (see the Spring 2013 issue of Cushing Today for that story), were especially generous. The new building had three stories, rather than four, but a “somewhat larger ground area, more fire protection devices, no space for a swimming pool, and about the same rooming accommodations,” according to Rand.

The fireplace medallion itself was a gift from Alfred Whitney and his wife. Alfred Whitney was one of the original 66 gentlemen students at Cushing. He was a longtime member of the Board of Trustees and with his brother, Orange, was owner of the chair factory at which Frank Hardy worked following his graduation from Cushing. Incidentally, Alfred Whitney’s mother was Eliza Cushing, making Alfred a distant cousin to Thomas Parkman Cushing.

More About Frank Hardy

Frank Hardy was a member of the Cushing Class of 1899. An athlete from Rindge, N.H., he enrolled at Cushing in 1895. He played at guard on the 1896 football team when, according to Rand, “he suffered an injury of such a nature as to preclude an active participation in sports.” Not able to play, he took on the role of manager and coach to various teams, despite the fact that he was still a student. After he graduated, he worked for three years at the W.F. Whitney Chair Factory.

In 1900, Mr. Hardy assembled a team he called the Cushing Graduates to play at the Sportsman’s Show in Boston. The show was, according to Rand, arranged to arouse an interest in the game of basketball, then less than 10 years old. The team was composed of James Vose (who would become Cushing’s Principal after Dr. Cowell’s retirement), Fred Dunn, John Vose (James’ twin), Amos Foster, and James Wheelan. They defeated Dartmouth by a score of 9 to 6 to win the tournament.

Hardy returned to Cushing in 1902 as a coach, and his teams had some substantial successes. In addition to his work at Cushing, he was a committed servant to the town, taking on several roles, including Selectman.

He was known to be a modest man, but passionate about good sportsmanship. According to Rand, “He was respected and admired by directors in other schools, and was much in demand as a basketball official.”

The plaque in his memory, mounted in the Main Building one year after his death, indicates that he died trying to locate the source of the fire. Other stories say that he was trying to find Mrs. Cooke and that he was trying to save valuables. “Presumably,” says Rand, “… he was trying to be everywhere, arousing occupants, or perhaps even trying to combat the flames, and was overcome by smoke.” We’ll never know exactly what happened. What we do know is that Frank Hardy gave his life in service to his Academy. We are in his debt.