Sharing a Century of Memories
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HE school launched its examination of “Memory,” the 2014–15 school theme, with a look at — and listen to — people’s memories of Loomis, Chaffee, and Loomis Chaffee in its first 100 years.
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In a September convocation, school archivist and history teacher Karen Parsons and historian and former headmaster John Ratté, authors of the Loomis centennial history book, Cherished Hopes and Honorable Ambition, shared stories from the book, vivid recollections of the school from generations of alumni, faculty, and students. John and Karen read passages from alumni of the 1930s through 2014 who recounted tales and impressions from their days on the Island: a boat ride to Hartford during the flood of 1938, a chemistry teacher’s profound influence, the smell of molasses cookies baking in the Homestead, the quiet of Founders Chapel, a snowy trudge from the train station to campus, a cow on the Warham Hall balcony, and many other memories.
Bussel Grants Help Fund Study Abroad
John Ratté autographs a copy of the centennial book for history teacher Rachel Engelke after the convocation. Photo: Lynn Petrillo ’86
“People form memories in different ways and then keep those memories alive in different ways,” Karen said. Karen and John asked the students to help preserve the next 50 years of Loomis memories. A half-century ago, then-Loomis archivist Lou Fowles wrote and sealed a letter to the centennial authors after he had finished writing the history of the school's first 50 years. Karen and John unsealed and read that letter
four years ago as they prepared to write the centennial book. In that same spirit, they wrote a letter to the future authors of Loomis’ 150th anniversary book. At the convocation, they held up the letter, placed it in an envelope, and sealed it with wax impressions of the Loomis seal. They asked the students to remind the school about the letter as the year 2064 approaches.
ITH the goal of enabling more Loomis Chaffee students to gain international experience, former Trustee John Bussel ’87; his mother, Ann B. Bussel; and his sister, Deborah Bussel, established a new fund through their family foundation this fall. The Bussel Family Fund for Study and Travel Abroad, an endowed travel scholarship program, will help Loomis students who are financial aid recipients to participate in trips offered by the Center for Global Studies. “Travel abroad has clearly become a fundamental part of the Loomis Chaffee experience, and it is essential that all Loomis students have a chance to enjoy and learn from that experience,” John says. About 10 percent of Loomis students now travel through the center’s programs each year. The new gift is the second fund that the family has created to support Loomis’ mission to educate its students “for service in the nation and in today’s global civilization.” In 2013, John, Ann, and Deborah established the Bussel Family International Lecture Series.
The freshly sealed letter to authors of Loomis Chaffee’s 150th anniversary book. Photo: Lynn Petrillo ’86
“Loomis does a wonderful job of exposing students to world events, cultures, and histories in our classrooms, but there is little substitute for actually being there,” explains Alexander McCandless, Christopher H. Lutz Director of the Center for Global Studies. In 2014–15, the center is sponsoring student trips to Quebec, the Dominican Republic, India, South Africa, Peru, and Spain. loomischaffee.org | 5