100 Years Voices and Memories Through the Decades
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Rectory at 100
Table of Contents The 1920s: The First Decade
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The 1980s: Settling In To Campus 1980s Timeline Highlights
108
The Founding Headmistress Mabel B. Bigelow
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110
Traditions: The Theater
112
An Ever-Abiding Faith Headmaster Frank H. Bigelow
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Step Into My Office Matt Green ’82
116
1920s Timeline Highlights
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Small Things...Creating Memories Corey Olds ’84
120
Rectory, As I Remember It Robert P.L. Frick ’28
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Lessons to Carry Through Life Alden Mills ’84 122
Traditions: Winter Carnival
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Traditions: The Orange & Black
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The 1930s: Bigelow Leadership
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Rectory: A Family Thing Rene Moreau, Staff
124
Evolution of a Gym
126
The 1990s:
128
1990s Timeline Highlights
130
Developing and Living the Rectory Creed Headmaster Thomas F. Army Jr.
132
Girls At Rectory
134 136
1930s Timeline Highlights
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The Purpose of School Headmaster John B. Bigelow
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Making Time for Tea
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The Great Outdoors
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Sports Is About Relationships Mike Healy, Athletic Director
An Emphasis on Health
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Children At Rectory: The CARe Program
140
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Traditions: Experiential Learning Program
146
The 1940s: Celebrating Twenty Years 1940s Timeline Highlights
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Taking Care of the Chickens: An R.P.A. Project
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The English Boys: Reminiscences Michael Henderson ’45
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Dear Diary… Edwin Dunbaugh ’40
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“My Dance Card Is Full!”
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The 1950s: Comings and Goings
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The 2000s: Expanding Campus 2000s Timeline Highlights
148 150
Traditions: Music at Rectory
156
Elementary School
160
Traditions: Celebrating Art
164
The 2010s: Coming Together
166
2010s Timeline Highlights
168
Rectory Evolves Headmaster Frederick W. Williams
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Tradition and Evolution
172
Dedication of John and Millie Green Hall
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1950s Timeline Highlights
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The Athletic Life
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Remembering My Father, “The General” Norman (Punch) Smith ’56
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Growing Up Rectory Blair Bigelow ’52
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Rectory Sports in a Markedly Different Time 176 Al Paul (Terry) Lefton ’72
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, Claudia Abbott ’60
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Athletics in the 2000s
177
Traditions: Family Tables
180
Traditions: MLK Day of Service
182 184
The 1960s: Diving Into A New Decade 76 1960s Timeline Highlights
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Traditions: The Ninth Grade Tile Project
IIP: The Beginning of a Learning Legacy
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Traditions: The Ninth Grade Capstone Project 185
Oak Shaw Returns to Rectory
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Celebrating 100 Years
Traditions: Chapel at Rectory
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The 1970s: Year-Round Learning
186
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1970s Timeline Highlights
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Our Wonderful Years at Rectory Headmaster John A. Green
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Fun Times Growing Up Owen Bly ’78
102
Reflecting on 35 Years William “Doc” A. Slater, Faculty
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Traditions: Clubs: A Day To Explore
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“Father Bigelow taught us and Mrs. Bigelow brought us up!” George Chandler Holt ’24, oldest alumnus
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Rectory at 100
1920: The Founding Mabel Augusta (Brittain) Bigelow Headmistress 1920–1943 The Rev. Frank H. Bigelow and I for years cherished the ideal of founding a school, not a great college-preparatory school, but a school for young boys in our home, where we could offer the advantages of home life, religious training, and the best education opportunities and preparation for the good collegepreparatory schools. We felt that with our love for children and intense desire to help them, we could start such a school and make it a place where boys would be happy. Our ideals were always to work with the individual boy that he might become better adjusted emotionally and educationally. At the end of the summer 1920, Dr. Hamilton Holt, then editor of The Independent and [later] president of Rollins College, told a friend and parishioner of Mr. Bigelow how sorry he was to have to take his ten-year-old son back to New York. The boy was an asthma sufferer who was greatly benefited by the climate of this region. The friend said, “Why don’t you talk to Mr. and Mrs. Bigelow about this? Their son had a great deal of nose-andthroat trouble before they came here. Mrs. Bigelow was a nurse before her marriage. She would take fine care of your boy, and I believe that she and Mr. Bigelow would be glad to have him as a companion for their son.” Dr. and Mrs. Holt talked with us and arrangements were made to have George spend the school months with us in Pomfret. Thus began the Rectory School.
THE RECTORY SCHOOL PRAYER Prayer introduced by Rev. Frank Bigelow and continued in use by John Bigelow until 1974
O God, we thank thee for the light. Help us to be straight and square in work and play;
Written by Headmistress Mabel Bigelow in 1936, excerpted from material prepared for an appeal for funds. Mabel “Mother” Bigelow had a soft spot in her heart for “her boys” with whom she enjoyed conversing, providing advice, and offering a safe place to be; however, she ran a tight ship, demanding cleanliness and proper etiquette and manners. Rectory’s oldest alumnus, George Chandler Holt ’24, wrote upon occasion of the School’s twentieth anniversary, “Father Bigelow taught us and Mrs. Bigelow brought us up.”
to be thoughtful for others; to be clean in thought, word, and deed; and to be strong and brave and more of a man each day, through Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Faculty, 1932. STANDING, LEFT TO RIGHT: Marian Branch (who later married Robert Merritt, kneeling in front of her), Gertrude Jones, Frank Bigelow, unidentified, Mabel Bigelow, Elizabeth Bigelow Abbott (founders’ daughter), Earl Wood. FRONT ROW: Robert Merritt, Bob Nash, Samuel Abbott (married to Elizabeth Bigelow), Mr. Jameson
Amen. 7
The Headmaster’s View
An Ever-Abiding Faith Rev. Frank H. Bigelow, Headmaster 1920–1937 Welcoming first student George Chandler Holt II in 1920 into their home, the rectory of Christ Memorial Church, altered Frank and Mabel Bigelow’s life course— what had been a wishful desire to found a small preparatory home school for boys became an everyday reality and their calling. An Episcopalian priest, Father Bigelow served as headmaster of Rectory School from 1920 to 1937 alongside his wife, affectionately called “Mother Bigelow.” As co-founders, Frank and Mabel’s complementary roles are aptly illustrated in George Holt’s remark upon the School’s 20th anniversary: “Father Bigelow taught us and Mrs. Bigelow brought us up!’ In Father Bigelow’s own words through his writings in the school’s newspaper, The Rectory News, one comes to understand his enduring beliefs and the founding spirit of the School—a devotion to a life of service; a personalized focus on the individual student within the context of supporting the values of community; the benefits of serious and structured study; the necessity of play, nature, and the outdoors; and, ultimately, the conviction of his ever-abiding spiritual faith. Looking over the group of boys at Rectory this year, both old and new, Mrs. Bigelow and I are sure that this will be one of our happiest years. With three [returning] boys as prefects…and with some of our little boys developing into older ones every year, we see the school developing a real foundation. (Fall 1930) I am more and more convinced that about all a school can do for a boy scholastically is to provide an atmosphere in which study can be done and teachers who will sympathetically and as wisely as they can, help the pupil to do it. … In our upper school study should be taken seriously as it is the main business, after all, of a school. To a high standard of work and achievement then, I will call our upper forms and ask the cooperation of parents, teachers and boys to that end. (December 1929)
which have really seized some boys amongst us, and unconsciously perhaps affected us all. (December 1931)
“All for each and each for all” should be the motto of a school, because it is the secret of a happy, wholesome, and fruitful school life.”
…Education will develop powers of concentration and mastery of subject matter more than sufficient to pass certain bare outlines of requirements, if it has time, but real education is living and thinking and in the largest sense human. (February 1931) This year, I am giving much of my time to scholastic and other problems of individual boys, our educational program has been made as elastic as possible, and I shall be glad to hear directly from any parent in regard to a boy’s particular case, as I am keeping very closely in touch with each boy, and desire his success in every relationship. (November 1931)
The boys and masters are now like old friends. We are an organism, a social group, rubbing against each other, occasionally irritated, often frustrated, but succeeding in spite of it all in building some intangible but real cohesion of spirit, aim, and objection. The real end of any living thing is to live—and unless the school is alive, it fails even though it functions perfectly as an educational factory, in which children go through the listless motions of apparent learning with an eye on the clock, and an ear for the bell. I think that we are alive with vital interests
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Rectory at 100
In the education of a boy the unconscious influence of natural surroundings can be greatly undervalued. Not the building, but where the buildings are is the question. To be in Pomfret is to be ministered to by a friendly, all the year-round beauty. Nature has no flamboyant attitudes…From our low and glacier-smoothed hills we look off in a December hush at softened, glowing skies, or are blown by tempestuous winds or driving rain with almost equal pleasure. There seems to be in December an Advent stillness. We expect that January will be cold. We hope for skating and snow. Will Nature fail to do her part to amuse the boys? But whatever comes, we love Pomfret and all her humours, for she is the most interesting, the most engaging and the most permanently effective teacher that we have. (December 1932)
It is the age of the so-called “gang spirit.” The word has a sinister significance. The gang and the gangster suggests secretiveness, cruelty, callous disregard of social rights, and lawless activities. But the gang has wonderful potent possibilities. The gang may be the school. It may mean loyalty to the whole group, and the subjection of the less desirable activities of the one for the good of all. And this is highly desirable to supply balance where, as we believe justly, we lay so much emphasis upon the individual…Each of us must develop the best he has in him, must be a real and significant person to add color and strength to the whole group and to contribute to the “good life”. “All for each and each for all” should be the motto of a school, because it is the secret of a happy, wholesome, and fruitful school life. In my experience I have never known one who was loyal to the school and who worked unselfishly for its good because he realized his privileges as a member, who did not enrich his own personality. The saddest person in the world is the one who always thinks of what he can get, never gives, and finds that he has lost
Faculty and students in front of Christ Church rectory, c. 1922. BACK ROW: Rev. John Rooney (teacher and rector), Mrs. Eleanor Bennett (art and handwriting), Miss Annie Ash (music), Mrs. Mabel Bigelow, Rev. Frank Bigelow, John Bigelow. MIDDLE ROW: Frederick or George Bartter, Benjamin Grosvenor, Peter de Florez. FRONT ROW: Herbert Seeley, unidentified, Junior Seagle
everything. Let us be good gangsters and realize that each person in the school is a member and so should have our loyalty, protection, and help. (October 1933) Speaking for myself, I believe that one of the famed “R’s” is fundamental. To be able to read at an early age, with reasonable speed, ease, and comprehension, is to have placed in one’s grasp a key to knowledge, culture, and power—yes and to happiness incomparable… The second “R” is important. Here at Rectory the boys are expected to write to their parents on Wednesdays and Sundays. One of these letters is supervised. The purpose is a laudable one. It is an effort to induce these boys to present one letter of reasonably “neat” appearance, with a minimum of misspelled words and a legibility which will not require the length of time necessary for the average crossword puzzle to decipher…To write legibly, to spell accurately, and to observe those rules of spacing, punctuation, and other niceties of letter writing and at the same time to think of something to write about, is after all a real test for many of us. (December 1935) The School now is established…For the good will of friends, the confidence of parents, especially of those whose boys entered the school [at its beginning] and have been with us ever since, we are deeply grateful…Our chief reliance has been upon the boys themselves. They were and are the School. God bless them. Our love to them wherever they are. They are welcome here always, and we are happy when they send us news of their comings and goings. (1928) I would be happy to hear from all of them, and especially to have them feel that there is always a warm welcome for them here at Rectory. (Fall 1930)
Frank H. Bigelow, Headmaster
1921–1922 Directory Faculty Rev. Frank Bigelow Mrs. Mabel Bigelow Rev. John Rooney, Rector at Putnam Miss Annie Ash, Music Mrs. Bennett, Art & Handwriting Boarding Students George Holt Charles Crump John Bigelow Frederick Bartter Phillip Ward George Bartter Herbert Seeley Kenneth Bell Junior Seagle Day Students Ruth Palmer Florence Grosvenor Ben Grosvenor Peter de Florez 9
1920s Timeline Highlights 1920
In 1917, Rev. Frank H. Bigelow, with his family, moves from Lime Rock, Connecticut, to be rector of Christ Memorial (Episcopal) Church in Pomfret, Connecticut.
1923
The Founding of a School
The Reverend Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bigelow found The Rectory School in their home, the rectory of Christ Memorial Church, Pomfret, CT. By 1922 there are six boys living and learning in the rectory, and Porter Sargent’s Handbook of American Private Schools advertises Rectory School as “a small home school for a limited number of boys between six and twelve years of age.” Tuition and Board for the school year is $1200.
Greystoke
To accommodate the growing enrollment, the Bigelows purchase Greystoke, a vacant former golf club house located on the north side of Christ Church. “Father Bigelow’s success as a teacher and his faculty for winning the love and respect of his boys, together with Mrs. Bigelow’s extraordinary energy and her ability to make robust boys of the most frail, cause the school to grow each year until, in 1923, another building is needed.” Rectory Catalog, 1942
John B. Bigelow and George Chandler Holt II
The First Students George Chandler Holt II and the founders’ son, John Bigelow, are Rectory’s first students. In 1921, George’s father, Hamilton Holt, editor of the abolitionist magazine The Independent, a founder of the NAACP, and trustee of neighboring Woodstock Academy, proposes a partnership between the Rectory School and Woodstock Academy. The proposal, which may have changed the course of two educational institutions still in existence today, is withdrawn by Rev. Bigelow.1 1 Smith, Robert J. A History of Woodstock Academy, 1801–2016. 2nd Revised Printing, The WA Alumni Association, 2018.
In front of Greystoke, 1924: Mr. Newell Weed, Mrs. Mabel Bigelow, Ms. Annie Ash, Rev. Frank Bigelow, John Bigelow, and other students, including Herbert Seeley, Wendell Palmer, Kenneth Bell, Benjamin Grosvenor, Ruth Palmer, Ann Wicks, Edward Stevenson, and Florence Grosvenor
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Rectory at 100
1924–25 Directory Students living in Greystoke hail from: Pomfret, CT (4) New Haven, CT (1) New Jersey (1) New York, NY (6) Johnstown, NY (1) Maryland (2) Rhode Island (1) Vermont (1) Pennsylvania (2) Hyannisport, MA (1)
1925
Disaster Strikes Greystoke
In the spring, while Rev. Bigelow is conducting Sunday services at Christ Church, Greystoke burns to the ground. Fortunately, no one is injured, but the fire results in publicity about the school. John Bigelow later recalls a sharp increase in enrollment the following year. After the fire, the Bigelows rent Out of Bounds (now owned by the School) as a dormitory.
Main House Acquired In the summer of 1925 the Harrison Estate (the former Pomfret Stock Farm), situated across the street from Christ Church, becomes available, and the Bigelows acquire the approximately 160 acres, with its c. 1795 Thomas Grosvenor House (Main House), barn, several large buildings (the Cedars and Northwest Cottage), and various outbuildings. In September, Rectory opens on its present site with 36 boarding students.
X Marks the Spot In his postcard home, Alexander (Sandy) Day Mackintosh ’28 helpfully marked his room’s location. Boarding students lived on the upper floors of the Main House. This pyx was given to Father Bigelow on the occasion of his last sermon at Christ Church.
1927
No Longer an Experiment
1929
Growth and Addition
Father Bigelow resigns as rector of Christ Church to devote himself full time to the growing school. With this decision, Father Bigelow writes, “The School now is established. Six years ago it was an experiment.”
In the first major construction on campus, the Connecticut State Trade School builds a refectory and dormitory building consisting of two floors of dormitories over dining and kitchen areas. 11
Campus Voices
With its bowed window and wide hearth, this room in the Main House, seen here in 1935, has been a common room, a study room, a library, a teachers’ lounge, and a reception area, 1935. ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: John Brooks ’41, Joel Brooke (teacher), James Wilbur ’38, Douglas Anderson ’40, Geoffrey Hawkwood ’42 (with head down), S. Harvey Day ’40, Douglas Bonner ’40
I Remember Rectory... Dana Waring ’31 The Rectory School in 1924 was a rather small operation, maybe 20 boys of elementary-school age, run by the Reverend and Mrs. Bigelow. I was the youngest one there. The school was an adjunct of his church and was housed in a fairly large old house (called Greystoke and located just north of the church) that backed up on an old field with woods behind. My bed was on the upstairs enclosed porch, so I would wake up in the morning looking at the sky and trees and birds. One of my favorite pastimes was shinnying up the birch trees that lined the field until I got high enough so that the tree would bend down and let me off on the ground.
about filled all the space available. If “music” was not forthcoming, someone would rap on the door until it did. The choir practiced on Saturday evenings, but that was also when movies were shown in the big house. We were required to wear stiff little Eaton collars and ties, which I found very uncomfortable. We had dancing lessons for which girls came from a nearby girls school, and, of course, for the dances we had to get all dressed up. Those lessons gave me the fundamentals that came in handy later on.
I remember experiencing an earthquake; the big chandelier in the hall swayed and we We boys had a wonderful time could feel the shaking, but nothing serious making long tunnels all through happened. Some of my happiest memories Early one morning in the spring of 1925 before the children were out of bed, Greystoke [the snow]...and interconnecting revolve around weather. There was a sleet caught on fire and we all had to evacuate. They storm one night, and it coated everything, them into a real maze shepherded us all out of the building. I did including the grass, with clear ice. Since manage to take one set of clothes with me, but the school building was on a ridge, it was I lost everything else, including all my shoes. The Bigelows bought a downhill to the barns where we tended to the chickens and sheep large old mansion (the Harrison Estate) on the other side of the road and cows. The sledding was wonderful. from the church and carried on, but it was rather hectic for a while. Later in the winter, the snow drifted in behind the evergreen trees, I remember considerably more from my second year. The mansion making a long pile that was six to eight feet high. We boys had a had with it a trotting track surrounded by evergreen trees that were wonderful time making long tunnels all through it at many different some 20 or 30 feet tall. Inside the oval track, the athletic coach levels and interconnecting them into a real maze. had laid out a football field. With so few boys, they wanted me to Dana Waring ‘31 first came to Rectory in the fall of 1924 when he was 7 play, but being the youngest, it was pretty hard on me. Mother had years old. He attended 2nd and 3rd grades and was one of 18 students scrimped so I could have piano lessons. For practice, we were in the at Rectory, and the only member of the 2nd grade. little space under the stairwell with the upright piano, and I just
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Rectory at 100
Campus Voices
Studying in the Main House, c. 1931
I Remember Rectory... Richard (Dick) Rose ’30 Originally published in the John B. Bigelow Commemorative Issue of The Rectory News, 2000. Father Bigelow was a very fatherly person. He was a very serious Episcopalian minister when he was officiating. The rest of the time he was a teddy bear. Mother Bigelow—everyone called him Father Bigelow and everyone called her Mother Bigelow—was a very positive person. If she was admonishing a student, you could hear her all over the building, but she had a soft spot in her heart. I was very homesick when I came to Rectory. One morning I went weepily to Mother Bigelow’s room in the Main House, and she took me in and comforted me. She was a very strict disciplinarian. One of the things I remember is when we went into the dining hall for meals, she stood in the doorway and inspected everyone’s hands as they went in. She ran a tight ship. The first and second years, I lived in the Main House. The third year, I was in the new dormitory [Dining Hall Building]. But I was in the Main House when the frogs and salamanders got loose. Mother Bigelow was the daughter of a wellknown naturalist, so she was interested in all of nature’s living creatures. In my room, I had a cage of reptiles and amphibians with her blessing. Every once in a while, the snakes and the frogs would get loose. That didn’t upset Mrs. Bigelow because she had grown up with all these things. Some boys were upset; some weren’t. I was sort of a spoiled child when I went to Rectory. I wasn’t going to eat my oatmeal. Mother Bigelow took me into the kitchen and sat me on a stool in front of the oatmeal, and there I sat for most of the day, and finally at the end of the day, I decided I wanted something else to eat, so I ate the oatmeal. Thirty years later, when my son was in the school in the class of 1960, Mother Bigelow was still living, and she said, “You didn’t know it, but I was just about to give in when you ate the oatmeal.” Rectory gave me a good grounding academically and socially, which has benefited me the rest of my life. Richard (Dick) Rose, ’30 arrived at Rectory in 1927, just before his 12th birthday.
In my room, I had a cage of reptiles and amphibians with [Mrs. Bigelow’s] blessing. Every once in a while, the snakes and the frogs would get loose.
“1923 was the first year we went so far as to graduate anybody. The diplomas were written out by hand, with, however, a real attempt at solemnity. I still write the diplomas by hand, as silently as ever (tradition is something to be prized), but the paper is better!” Frank Bigelow, The Rectory News, February 1935
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Rectory Traditions
The Orange & Black
Color Officers 1968–1969: John Bishop, Bruce Bemis, Erik Erikson, Robert Johnson, Robert Fernley, Thymon VanWaveren, Edward Park, Peter deTreville
As early as the School’s first decade, the student body was divided into two teams named for the school colors, orange and black. By setting up an environment of healthy competition, the Bigelows strove to develop promptness, neatness, and good scholastic habits, which were stressed and taught through awards and honors. Black and Orange teams competed in sports contests at annual events such as Winter Carnival, Father’s and Mother’s Days, and the “red-letter day” of Thanksgiving. Team scores were published regularly in the school newspaper. Within the past three decades, Black and Orange Days are, once again, annual events with the whole School dressing in team colors and competing, with high spirits, in a variety of activity contests and athletic competitions.
THE ORANGE AND BLACK November twentieth Mr. Bigelow announced that there would be a meeting of the school after lunch. When we got to the assembly-room Mr. Clark called John Bancroft and Howard Mosher up to the front of the room. The school had been divided into Orange and Black and captains were chosen, Bancroft and Mosher being elected. Kenneth Soper ’30, The Rectory News, December 1929 HEADMASTER’S LETTER, NOVEMBER 8, 1944
Louis Wilkin ’55 captured the spirit of the competition with his drawing in The Rectory News, 1955.
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Rectory at 100
Father’s Day, October 28th, was cold and blustery, with a strong wind blowing from the northeast. Nevertheless, most of the parents donned heavy wraps and sat, or stamped their feet through the Orange and Black football game.
FATHER’S DAY AT RECTORY SCHOOL On October 28 our school celebrated Father’s Day. After the morning assembly there was a Ranger Parade of the Rectory School boys. First we marched around the parade grounds. When we had completed the circuit, we halted before the reviewing officers. We opened ranks and the officers inspected us. Then we marched around the grounds again and the officers gave us their decision. There were two companies, Orange Team and Black Team. The Black Team won the points. The parents were very interested. We were most excited about the football game between the Orange Team and the Black Team, which was to come next. The Orange Team played a good game, but the Black Team played better. They won by the score of 19–13. Carl von Conta ’47, The Rectory News, November 1944
“I was unexpectedly dragged into the Orange and Black Hockey game. The Oranges beat us. I won two first prizes and one second prize in the races. There were only two of us racing, and I had to win one or the other.” Edwin Dunbaugh ’40, excerpted from his memory on page 51
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Making Time for Tea The Important Lessons of Tea Time Afternoon tea is one of Rectory’s oldest traditions. Tea and sweets were a welcome pause after sports and showers. Yet, within the fabric of school life, they also taught students how to function in a formal setting. The lessons learned were those of etiquette, manners, social conversation, and thinking of others. Mrs. (Mabel) Bigelow’s teas were offered in an atmosphere that bridged the social gap between students and faculty. On occasion, special invitations were extended to students as a reward for promptness, neatness, or good grades; to parents and visitors on campus; to girls invited to the tea dances; and to various groups of students divided by individual forms, corridors, or interests, such as music or a foreign language. However, for the students, “these informal teas…added so much to the home atmosphere of the school.” (Lovat Cooper-Ellis ‘33, Rectory News, April 1932)
“Tea is served by Mrs. Bigelow every afternoon in her living room for Masters and friends. On Saturdays boys on the A Conduct List and Honor Scholarship List are invited. As parents are often here on Saturdays this is a very pleasant occasion.” The Rectory News, Fall 1930 32
Rectory at 100
“There was, between the Rectory and the Inn, a long lane leading to a house, where two sisters had a tea room. I believe it was called The Mad Hatter. Here a polite social ‘visit’ could be rewarded by a light refreshment!” Robert Frick ’28, excerpted from his memory on page 12
TEA AT BRITTAN HOUSE On Sunday afternoon, October 9th, Brittain House was formally opened with a most successful tea and reception given by Father and Mrs. Bigelow. Guests from Providence, Thompson, Putnam, Woodstock, Brooklyn, Danielson, and Pomfret were warmly greeted in the living-room by Father and Mrs. Bigelow, together with Miss Elizabeth, John Bigelow, and the masters. Brittain House was beautifully decorated with fall leaves and flowers, some gathered by the boys and masters, others presented by friends of the school. In the evening Mrs. Bigelow entertained all the boys in Forms IA and II. Stories were told, refreshments were served, and all the boys voted it a most delightful evening. The Rectory News, Fall 1932
FOUR O’CLOCK TEA We had the tradition of tea at 4 o’clock. Mrs. John had a beautiful tea service, and we’d all sit in our blazers and have tea and cookies after sports and showers. Mr. John’s comic relief was listening to the famous Maine comedians, Bert and I. In his teas we would sit and listen to a record of them, and we would be in hysterics. Scott Kirkpatrick ’61, John B. Bigelow Commemorative Issue of The Rectory News, 2000
MISS ASH’S TEA Two Sundays ago, Miss Annie, as we call her, invited a group of boys from Form II with a few from Form I to tea. The boys from Form II were “Bill” Wood, Arthur Chalmers, “Dick” Morse, Ogden Macomber, Jeffrey Ferris, and Julian Penrose. From Form I there was “Greg” Sheldon, Harrison Butterworth, and Tom Prout, with “Ned” Ridgely from Form E. We started out about 4:00 P.M. and got there at 4:15 P.M. Miss Annie was out on the front lawn already [sic] to snap a time exposure. She took two pictures of us, and Julian Penrose took two with Miss Annie in them. After that, we all came in and sat around reading the paper or listening to the World Series over the radio till tea was ready. Soon, Miss Annie came in and served tea, sandwiches, and cake. After tea, some of us went out on the back porch and saw a baseball game between Pomfret and another team through field glasses. When we were about to leave, Pomfret made a run and brought the score 4 to 3 in favor of that town. After that, we all piled into Miss Annie’s 4-passenger Ford and sped off for school. We all agreed that it was a very good party and wish to express our thanks for her generous hospitality. Thomas Peck Prout Jr. ’31, The Rectory News, Fall 1930 33
Taking Care of the Chickens: An R.P.A. Project
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Rectory at 100
In 1939 Mother (Mabel) Bigelow was searching for a farmer to capitalize and manage a farm at Rectory School. Her proposal was for Rectory to provide land and barns as well as buy the products. Although no record has been found of the Bigelows securing a farm manager in 1939, Rectory did have farm animals, vegetable gardens, hay fields, an orchard, and maple trees during the 1940s. The first chickens arrived in 1940, and another 200 in 1941 when an old horse stable was turned into a chicken coop. By 1942, the chickens were supplying the School with about 80 eggs per day. Realizing the value of a well-organized work program and seeing “the strong desire of some boys to do more manual work,” Rectory formulated in 1940 the Rectory Projects Administration (modeled after the W.P.A.). In addition to tending the chickens and the gardens, the R.P.A. managed such varied tasks as baling old paper, waxing floors, building steps, painting, and making maple syrup. “A spirit of enthusiastic co-operation is essential to the working of the operation.” (1942 School Catalog)
A LETTER HOME We are printing below a letter recently written home by a Rectory boy. Each week the boys write two letters, one of which is part of the English assignment and is corrected by a master, and the other is sent home uninspected. The master correcting this letter found it so interesting that he asked for permission of the boy to print it in The Rectory News. May 7, 1941 Dear Mother and Dad, Well, we’re in the chicken business, and what a business! The settinghen has had her chicks. We expected more chickens to come out of the thirteen eggs, but sad as it may be, there were only three. Of course one egg was not expected to burst and come forth with a chick, but the other nine were. There are many views on why the nine eggs did not hatch, some blaming the keepers and some blaming the eggs. I could fill up five more pages on what was blamed, but that still doesn’t do anything for the eggs. We, the keepers, had the pleasure of getting rid of the four week old eggs that didn’t hatch, and some fun! The place where we put them is no secret, for their fragrant odor still haunts them. Somebody got the idea of buying chicks to replace the ones that did not hatch. This idea was carried out and last night to the mother hen was given ten more chickens. Well, everything was just lovey dovey with mama hen and her new children until recess and then I guess mother hen caught on that these newcomers weren’t hers, so she began pecking them left and right. I got down there just in time to save nine out of the ten chicks. The tenth chick was a “goner.” I, of course, separated the new chicks from the hen. I couldn’t stick them with the other hens because they would peck them, too. I finally decided that I would have to be mama hen to them. I took them up to my room and pulled out my bottom drawer, lined it with paper, stuck them in it, and laid it out in the sun. By this time I was ten minutes late to class. We played a game away at Bancroft this afternoon so I couldn’t feed them or do anything for them for six hours. I was in a mess. Mr. John took the chickens under his wing after lunch so I was quite relieved. At the present I think he’s struggling with an incubator. He’s housing the chickens in his bathroom. They’re getting real personal attention.
The R.P.A. The hours listed are the boy-hours, which are much greater, but an attempt to approximate the result in terms of manhours for the average workman. Work for lower rink 20 Chickens since November 27 300 Pigs since April 15 30 Clean up of garden 5 Waxing of floors 10 Mowing lawns 12 Steps 10 Wheelbarrow 6 Care of tools 25 Brittain House chicken house 16 Care of chicks 125 Moving fence for pigs 8 Painting chairs 8 Clean up paper 5 Transplanting and garden work 30 Clean up of leaves in the fall 25
We lost the Bancroft game fifteen to five. They have a swell pitcher. Last year when we played them not one of our team got a hit.
Clean up of lawns in spring 25
Mid-term marks are out and I didn’t do so badly. I got six B’s and an A.
Orchard 20
Love, Alan
Wood for brooder 32 TOTAL MAN HOURS
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Alan McCorkle ’42, The Rectory News, June 1941 Upon graduation, Alan was presented with the Charles Rockwell Cup, awarded to the boy of the graduating class who had been at Rectory for at least two years and has done the most for the school.
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“My Dance Card Is Full!” Dancing Lessons and the Rectory Tea Dances In June 1948, headmaster John Bigelow announced that ballroom dancing instruction would be offered as an elective in the following winter term (January 1949) and that Mrs. Faith Chapdelaine, member of the Association of Dancing Masters, had been secured to lead the 12-week session. “Emphasis will be placed on a thorough mastery of the waltz and foxtrot, but it is also planned that the older boys will learn the currently most popular dance step, while the younger ones will learn the polka.” Amongst those boys who signed up for the lessons was 12-year-old, Tom Succop ’50. Perhaps his mother signed Tom up for the lessons, or perhaps Tommy was drawn to the excitement that Mrs. Chapdelaine “plans to provide a few girls from her other classes as partners for the Rectory boys.” Indeed, soon after the classes had started, Mr. John remarked, “Mrs. Chapdelaine’s Monday afternoon dancing classes have grown in popularity during the term. The importation of numerous girls from The importation of numerous her other classes to act as partners for the girls to act as partners for the Rectory boys has done nothing to diminish Rectory boys has done nothing our students’ enthusiasm. Apparently the majority of young boys today do not in to diminish our students’ the least feel toward the opposite sex as did enthusiasm. most of my contemporaries and I at a like age. We, if my memory is at all accurate, regarded girls as a race apart… [and] to be avoided whenever possible.” The series of lessons culminated in a spring Tea Dance hosted by Mrs. Chapdelaine and Mrs. John Bigelow. With especial thanks to Mr. Succop, by way of his donation to the Rectory Archives of a dance card with small attached pencil, we have a glimpse into that Friday evening of May 6, 1949. Miss Sue Nelson was the lucky young lady who engaged three dances with Tommy that evening. During the program, which was scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m., the boys and girls tripped the light fantastic across the dance room floor with foxtrots, waltzes and a polka. Kenneth Rawley’s Orchestra, from Putnam, Connecticut, provided the music. From the Archives: Article by Elisabeth Levesque, Archivist, who received Rectory School’s Distinguished Service Award in 2021.
THE TEA DANCE Friday night, May 6, 1949, we had our last dance. That night the atmosphere was gay with the spring flowers Mrs. Bond gathered, with girls’ bright dresses, and with the lively music played by the orchestra from Putnam. Our hosts and hostesses were Mrs. Chapdelaine, Mr. and Mrs. John, and Mr. Brooks. Mrs. Chapdelaine and Mrs. Bond made out programs, showing with whom we were to have each dance. The whole affair lasted two and one half hours. We had three foxtrots and two waltzes before the intermission. During the intermission we had punch and candy. After we had punch we started in with a foxtrot. Then we had one other foxtrot and two waltzes and a polka. During the polka two of the boys tripped and fell down. Even though it was a very hot night, we all had a lot of fun. After the dance we went to bed late, tired, but happy. David Hubby ’50, The Rectory News, June 1949
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“Today we had our tea dance. I wasn’t going to go, but Mr. Brooke persuaded me. I really had lots of fun except my new shoes were killing my feet. Once in a while I got stuck with a girl. I wore a navy blue coat, white flannel trousers, white and brown shoes.” Edwin Dunbaugh ’40, excerpted from his memory on page 51 STANDING: Judy Chase, Dana Wells, Tom Succop, Jack Reading, David Hubby, Jack Bigelow; MIDDLE ROW: John Bonner, Michael Wilcox, John Hopkins, John Swinnerton, Fred Blackall; SEATED: Cliff Jennings/Alfred Dawley?, Pierre Barre, Fred Wardenburg IV
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The Athletic Life In the early years, daily exercise was in the forms of recreational exploration, calisthenics, or organized athletic competitions. Students played football, tennis, and baseball; they shoveled snow off the pond for hockey. They climbed trees, strapped on cross-country skis, carried toboggans to Cow Hill, and ran around the former Harrison horse track that circles the pond. Lessons learned about sportsmanship and collaboration on the fields, in the woods, and on the courts were brought into classrooms and the dining hall, carried along to secondary school, and remained with them for life. One student even brought these lessons to the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics!
Bill for Athletic Equipment October 29, 1938 Football Shoes......$5.25 Football Helmet......$3.75 Shoulder Pads......$3.75 Football Pants......$6.00 Rectory Jersey......$4.60 Rectory Stockings......$1.35 Rectory Cap......$1.25 as sent to the father of Bill Carrick ’39 ABOVE: Varsity “R” letter; RIGHT: Tennis courts with barn/gym in the background, 1939; Football helmet; Football team, 1946; BOTTOM: Football team, 1926; OPPOSITE: Baseball practice, c. 1945; Tom Succop’s ’50 baseball glove
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“At Rectory, sports are considered an integral part of the boys’ education.” The Rectory News, May 1970
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“Time passes, buildings change, people change, but core values that develop character remain.” Claudia Abbott ’60
Faculty, 1952–1953. STANDING: Mr. Thompson (assistant headmaster), Mr. Putnam, Mr. Burns, Mr. John Bigelow, Mr. Graves, Mr. Valliant ’41 (returned to teach), Mr. Eckhardt; SEATED: Mrs. Rile and Mrs. Rowe (dorm mistresses), Miss Howard (first and second grade teacher), Mrs. Burns, Mrs. Vaillant
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Campus Voices
LEFT: Headmaster John Bigelow presents Claudia Abbott with a book prize; RIGHT: Claudia, third from right
I Remember Rectory... Claudia Abbott ’60 Excerpted from her Chapel Talk, 2016 Let’s enter a time machine and teleport ourselves back to a time when staircase near Mr. Williams’ office, and if you are a boarder, you there was no social media, no laptops, no cellphones. We are arriving may buy two candy bars once a week. In the main lobby there is a in 1952, 32 years after the beginning of Rectory when the school highly polished staircase that is completely off limits to students, was founded by the Reverend Frank Bigelow and his wife, Mabel. and the room is decorated with ornately carved Victorian furniture. The campus is small. The parking lot by the infirmary is a grass A timid 5-year-old girl with braids enters through the main door to playground, and the headmaster, John Bigelow (fondly remembered as that lobby, about to begin an unforgettable eight-year journey. Come Mr. John), lives in a building called Cedars. An old barn serves as a along with me as I reflect on this experience. gym and is the location for some wonderful Hallowe’en parties. There My teachers are all interested in me as an individual. There is only is no swimming pool, art barn, new dining one international student in the school. hall, Hamilton Dormitory, Tang Center, or Comments from teachers were very Assignment homework sheets are cranked girls’ dorms across the street because at this out on a mimeograph machine with blue time there are only a couple of female day short but confirmed that I was doing ink that smudges, and cursive handwriting students. well in a class of all boys. Perhaps is practiced and required. Weekly letters to The walls on the third floor of Dining Hall that’s why I acquired the nickname family members must be sent home, and Dormitory are made of cardboard fiber and desks are assigned on a regular schedule. Rough Tough Cream Puff. make a great place to hide comic books, Reports from teachers are very short but which are strictly forbidden and believed to confirm that I was doing well in a class of destroy youth’s morals and intelligence. Since one of the goals is to all boys. Perhaps that’s why I acquired the nickname Rough Tough prepare students for formal situations in the adult world, Mrs. Bigelow Cream Puff by 8th grade. School ends at 1 p.m. for me, and I go holds small formal luncheons. The meal includes finger bowls to dip home because it is not proper for a girl to be on an athletic team your fingers in after you eat. Social graces are a part of our education, with boys. and I remember many events with cookies and tea at the Cedars, the Time passes, buildings change, people change, but Rectory family headmaster’s home. Annie Lindgren and Gertrude Jones serve tea and will forever remain special. I thank you for taking a trip with me cookies to the boys twice a week during “rest period” before dinner. to remember how the dream of one family, the Bigelows, became a The school dances are a major event! Unlike the dances nowadays, girls reality. The Rectory School will celebrate its 100th anniversary in the wear white gloves and the boys are on one side of the room and the year 2020. It will be a time to embrace the past as Rectory molds its girls on the other, just waiting for someone to make a move. future to launch students to be prepared for All classes are held in the Main House, and the school library is a dark room with bookcases and long tables. The school chapel is located near the Tang Center’s current location. All plays and graduations are held in an assembly hall where the CARe Center is today. What is now the technology office is a woodworking shop. The third floor of the Main House is one large open space for art class. School supplies are sold in a booth at the bottom of the
today and tomorrow’s world. Arriving as a 5-year-old in 1952, Claudia Saunders Abbott’s ‘60 Rectory journey spans eight years as a student and 16 years as a learning specialist in the School’s Individualized Instruction Program.
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IIP: The Beginning of a Learning Legacy At the School’s inception, Reverend Mr. and Mrs. Bigelow’s emphasis is on nurturing students through individualized attention in a caring, homelike environment. In 1927, the Bigelows daughter, Elizabeth, having graduated from Smith College, returns to Rectory to teach and focus her scholastic interests on students who have difficulty with reading—an interest that results in course offerings in which “a trained reading tutor gives her entire time to working with individual boys.” However, it is Elizabeth’s brother, John, who eventually is credited with formalizing a tutoring program for students needing language (re)training. His connection with noted neuropsychiatrist and language specialist Dr. Samuel T. Orton and the Orton-Gillingham approach to remediating reading difficulties strongly influences Rectory’s academic vision for almost 80 years. From 1948 to 1984, Rectory’s learning services are shaped by Orton associates Page and Laura Sharp, noted as experts in the field of language disabilities. The tutoring program specializes in remediation of language difficulties, which in the 1960s is divided into two categories: remedial reading and developmental reading complete with reading accelerators and SRA Builders. After Laura Sharp’s retirement in 1984, the program’s focus broadens to include help with study skills and homework, offerings for gifted and advanced placement, and small-group classes for academic credit. Now referred to as the Individualized Instruction Program (IIP), the department is known for a carefully selected match between a student’s needs and the IIP Specialist’s strengths. Today many of Rectory’s student-centered programs are under the umbrella of the Learning Services department: diagnostic testing, accommodation plans, remedial reading, enrichment sessions, study hall support, academic and study skills development, and English language learning. However, as in the beginning, the program continues to be predicated on the needs and interests of the individual student. LEFT: Elizabeth Bigelow Abbott providing individual attention and instruction in 1938; BELOW: Dr. Michael Ellovich, Rectory’s school psychologist for over five decades, directed the IIP program in the mid-1960s. Rectory’s Archives retains early Orton-Gillingham materials, including manuals (below) and drill cards (opposite).
I thoroughly enjoyed my three years at Rectory in view of academics, sports, student and teacher interaction and incredible food. Those variables certainly enriched my unique time at the school. I have supported, and will continue to support, Rectory because of all that the School did in its scholastic mission to help me grow as a student and person. I will forever be indebted to this wonderful place. Rob Perkin
LEFT TO RIGHT: Learning specialists/tutors: Laura Sharp; Karin (Kay) Saunders; Jesse Jennings
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LEARNING ABOUT THE WORLD I always loved teaching at Rectory as I felt I was in a national and international environment with students from various states in the U.S. and even Canada, plus those from other countries such as Mexico, Korea, Japan, and China. Having worked prior at the United Nations in New York for the Economic and Social Council and the UN Development Program, Rectory’s outwardlooking environment was to some degree similar, though the ages much younger. Learning to get along with others whose culture and native tongues were different was an important aspect of the school. Everyone on the faculty had had different experiences, which they shared in lively conversations—our midmorning coffee breaks were always a stimulating treat. As a tutor I was fascinated with my exposure to the OrtonGillingham approach to remediating reading, spelling, and penmanship. For me it was like studying my own first language as if it were a foreign language. Although Laura Sharp, our Director of Language Training (as IIP was called then), was a daunting figure, the methods she taught us to help our students were simply amazing. Our repertoire included feeling the letters using sandpaper as a medium and moving while reading. In particular, I remember one colleague who was a stickler for making sure her tutees could capably write in cursive, stressing the importance of how it makes an imprint on the brain. Marjorie Ellsworth, Faculty
WHAT RECTORY DID FOR ME My parents had the wherewithal to realize I needed some intensive tutoring to improve my reading skills. It was a struggle, but one day the light went on. I wasn’t reading the same line over and over. I could finally comprehend what I was reading, and it became a joy to get through an entire book in days instead of a month. Scott Marshutz ’72
“Although Laura Sharp, our Director of Language Training (as IIP was called then), was a daunting figure, the methods she taught us to help our students were simply amazing. Our repertoire included feeling the letters using sandpaper as a medium and moving while reading.” Marjorie Ellsworth, Faculty/Tutor
LEFT TO RIGHT: Learning specialists/tutors: Carole Gooder; Elisabeth (Lisa) Levesque; Gretalyn Elmen
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Rectory Traditions
Clubs: A Day to Explore From exploring the campus’s rocky glen and woodlands to horseback riding, archery, and mountain biking, learning outside of the walls of the traditional classroom rounds out the Rectory experience. Whether it’s photography, yearbook, or student newspaper; whether orienteering, riflery, roller–skating, biking, woodshop, chess, or elaborate card games, Rectory clubs foster discovery as varied as the students who participate in them.
CLUB PROGRAMS Monday afternoons, visitors at Rectory find the boys involved in a multitude of varied activities. In the library boys are playing cards, chess, or checkers. Upstairs you may hear contemporary music and see a group of boys intently listening. Elsewhere the band may be practicing, or boys may be building models. All are part of Rectory’s club program. The last two years have seen the establishment and growth of a comprehensive club program under the direction of Mr. Jonathan H. Harms and involving virtually all the students at Rectory. More than a dozen clubs are organized at any one time. They are developed on a term basis and allow boys to select the club of their choice three times during the school year. While some clubs, like the photography club, are offered each term during the year, others, like the skating club, owe their existence to seasonal changes. For those interested in music there are the guitar club, the contemporary popular music club, and the Rectory band. The news-of-the-week club each Monday prepares a current events news program which is presented the following Tuesday morning as the daily
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chapel program for that day. Rectory’s own radio system, WRSR, is run as a club activity but broadcasts also during free time on weekends under the direction of the student station manager. Throughout the year, members of the photography club and yearbook club are gathering photographs and material for Rectory’s yearbook. The 1968–1969 yearbook was Rectory’s first, and all those who have seen it can attest to the excellent job done by the members of last year’s club. We are all awaiting this year’s edition this summer. The car club has members who are interested in automobiles, and they spend their time discussing cars and engines. There are clubs for those interested in chess, checkers, and cards as well as stamps, creative writing, and debating. Boys interested in building models of all sorts join the model club. The hiking club trudges along fall, winter, and spring. In the fall and spring boys can join such activities as golf, tennis, lacrosse, riflery, shotgun, and archery. In the winter, clubs such as ice-skating, skiing, and volleyball take over. As boys and teachers express new and different interests, clubs take up the challenge. Last winter, for example, a group formed a gymnastics club while last spring a teacher and several boys went fishing every Monday afternoon. The club program has become a popular and well-supported part of Rectory’s extracurricular activities and with variety and flexibility should continue to offer stimulating recreational needs for Rectory’s boys. The Rectory News, December 1969
HORSE SHOW The Rectory Riding Club participated in the winter horse show at Sunnycroft Farm in Thompson. There were 38 classes, and we entered 18 of them. Dan Feucht won a first place with a blue ribbon and trophy and a sixth place. The Rectory News, May 1970
THE DARKROOM Under the supervision of Mr. Clark, a darkroom has been built by Mr. Junkins in the old storeroom to develop films. Of late, several boys have taken a great interest in taking photographs of their friends and the school grounds. The room contains a washbasin and several cupboards, in which are kept the chemicals and other necessities for developing pictures. Mr. Clark is teaching the interested boys how to mix the chemicals and develop photographs. This will be a great value to them in the future. William Wood ’31, The Rectory News, April 1931
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The 1980s: Settling Into Campus
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Rectory Traditions
The Theater Imaginative play and creative expression are evident in classrooms, on the stage, and at leisure play. In the 1930s, students performed short skits to share what was learned in the lower school classrooms, and dramatic performances were included in the annual Winter Carnival and Thanksgiving programs, with students entertaining parents, local guests, and each other. Invited performers thrilled students by bringing tales from around the world. Time spent on or near the Rectory stage introduces students to the world of theater but also prepares them for roles they might imagine only later in life.
OLD RECTORY, A PLAY CELEBRATING RECTORY’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY Our play, which was shown on Parents’ Day, October 17, was a great success. Everyone enjoyed it. It was a comedy about life at Rectory during the 1920s. The play was produced and directed by Mr. George Smith. Kevin Leary was the narrator. Carl deGersdorff played Mother Bigelow, and Dean Everard played Father Bigelow. Other members of the cast were Ed Dunn, David Long, Ned Ripley, Eric Russell, Tom Fogarty, John Oncken, Toby Cudahy, Brian Powers, and Nancy Karns. All in all, everyone had a good time acting in the play. Afterwards the players and Mr. Smith had a pizza party. Steve Kernan ’71, The Rectory News, December 1970
“Mrs. White, my dedicated music and drama teacher, who, in productions of Oliver, Guys and Dolls, and Fiddler on the Roof, may as well have been giving blood, cared about the kids.” Matt Green ’82, excerpted from his voice on page 116
Civil war play, 19XX; Play 1942; Primary school play 1944; Beauty and the Beast, 1976.
“That drama production at Rectory opened for me the doors of the wide world of theater, leading to a lifetime of working or participating in theatrical productions, radio and television broadcasting, and related advertising events.” Bernie Ryan ’38, excerpted from his memory on page 32
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Soon after Lillian (Swish) White’s arrival, Rectory’s “Children’s Music Theatre” brought an original improvised version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to the delight of children at local public schools, and the Rectory Chapel Choir was formed to serve every Sunday morning at Christ Church. While nurturing a child’s emotions and artistic expression, Swish’s enthusiastic energy for music, especially music theater, fueled more than a decade of performances for delighted audiences with productions of Oliver, Guys and Dolls, South Pacific, and Fiddler on the Roof.
“The teacher who gave me great inspiration was ‘Swish’ White. Mrs. White was in charge of the drama department, and my fondest memories were of participating in memorable shows such as Guys and Dolls and South Pacific. She had great enthusiasm and spirit, and those productions are embedded in my memories through the songs, the costumes, and the lasting friendships formed with members of the casts.” Lisa Walsh ’84
NEW FACULTY: “SWISH” WHITE ARRIVES Mrs. White’s educational philosophy is, “Education is the shaping of personalities, not only for their vocations, but also for coping with the stresses of life. The well-balanced teacher, one appreciative of art and music, has more resources to draw upon and to in turn pass along to her pu pils. The child’s emotions and the artistic expression must be nurtured along with the academic skills.’’ The Rectory News, August 1975
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Campus Voices
LEFT: Becca, center, in the lead role in the production of Oliver, while to the right Jean Lupien ’84 and Lisa Walsh ’84 look on; RIGHT: Becca walking by her fellow cast members Jennifer Fields ’82 and Victoria Kouyoumjian ’82 in Guys and Dolls.
I Remember Rectory... Becca Allen ’84 Rectory was great. I was a day student and back then there were something like 75 boys and 12 girls. It was very different than it is now. Looking back, I missed out on the cattiness of middle school girls because I was surrounded by boys—I wasn’t aware of it then, though, but it was a different dynamic.
Theater was huge. Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, South Pacific, and Oliver (9th-grade year), which was my favorite, as I had the lead.
Back in the day when we had cassette tapes, my friends and I (other girl day students) would go to Strawberries, the music store, to buy cassettes. The boys would put in their orders, and ...my big love was the plays. we’d get them what was on their list and bring them Swish White, the theater back to campus. The Clash, Duran Duran—David Bowie was huge!
I received the best education at Rectory because of the small class size and the great teachers. For a kid like me who didn’t easily excel in director, made sure everyone academics, it was a good environment. I was There was some mischief, though. Each year they in class with kids who had a similar learning had a role: acting, playing would invite in girls from a nearby girls school to style, and it felt like we were all in it together, instruments, designing sets. campus for a dance. One of my friends, Billy Suggs, which created a greater ease to be called on and spiked the punch at the school dance—not with answer questions. There was a value in that and booze, as you might suspect, but with laxatives! providing a curriculum centered on the kids’ educational needs. I think it was the next day, Mr. Green called me to his office and I got to experience things I wouldn’t have done, like play sports, but my big love was the plays. Swish White, the theater director, made sure everyone had a role: acting, playing instruments, designing sets.
asked me what I knew about it. I could never lie. I knew the answer! Billy was so mad at me. I will always remember that moment because it made me realize that I always have to tell the truth.
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Experiential Learning Program Whether it’s in March or May, students eagerly anticipate the start of the annual Experiential Learning Program (MELP). Providing students with hands-on learning experiences outside of the traditional classroom, each MELP course offers a chance for students and teachers alike to study an interest or a passion. Want to sleep on a 20th-century New England fishing vessel? Done. How about trekking up a snow- and ice-covered mountain or canoeing through the Allagash Wilderness Waterway? You can! If you are into touring the majestic sound stages in Nashville or the flora and fauna of Huntington Beach, those are options, too! While many of the trips are off campus, several encourage local exploration of sports, food, or manufacturing plants in New England. Visit the Hale Elementary Wing during MELP and you may find yourself immersed in the wilds of the deep blue sea. It’s all about nurturing our natural curiosities, following a passion, and realizing that learning is all around us. One of the years for MELP we went to Vermont with Mr. Wade and stayed in a yurt for the week. We were off the grid, and it was definitely something I hadn’t experienced before. When we arrived at the site a lot of the supplies we needed weren’t there. While Mr. Wade was cooking dinner—a hodgepodge of stuff—we had to look for twigs and branches to use as chopsticks. After dinner we washed our plates in the snow. Some of us had to get up occasionally to stoke the fire during the nights, but everyone got up early each morning. One of the days, we went mountain climbing. It was so icy that in order to keep climbing up, we had to hold on to trees and branches so we wouldn’t slide back down. Mr. Wade just kept trekking up through the snow and ice, and we had to keep up with him. When we got near the top, the snow was as deep as our chest in some places. You had to watch where you stepped. I lost a boot in the snow once and was lucky to find it. I was more careful after that. We were all super relieved to get to the top. It was a great accomplishment. I think everyone felt that way. We stayed up there in the snow for a little while. Since it was so icy, we got to ride our backpacks back down the trail. We had to be careful of where people had sunk into the snow, though. I’ll never forget it. Spencer Kuchle ’05
School could get chaotic. I had my ups and downs academically and some triumphs and challenges in sports. I tried to enjoy the experience overall. There were times that were more relaxing though. Mr. (Thomas) Washburn, one of my math teachers, was in charge of the fly fishing MELP. I’d never been fishing before. It was pretty cool. There was not a whole lot of action, and it was just six of us and Mr. Washburn. We learned how to string our own hooks and rods. We’d go find a local creek somewhere in Pomfret and fish for a few hours. We’d talk and watch the day go by. It was really okay to not be doing a lot. No stress. Chris Chambers ’10 I have always been fascinated by space since an early age. My interest was intensified when I had the opportunity to participate in MELP’s Fantasy of Flight and travel to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. I saw firsthand the benefits and engineering requirements that revolve around space exploration. Space provides so many opportunities for development and room for expansion. I have a specific interest in aerospace engineering, as it is one of the last final frontiers. Kenny Mills ’17 It’s not something you’d think middle schoolers would find interesting, but we spent a week traveling around Vermont and exploring different bridges. We spent the whole MELP exploring various bridges! It was fascinating. Steve Lanzit ’02
“The idea behind the March Experiential Learning Program (MELP) is that while students may remember only 10 percent of what they hear, 20 percent of what they see, and 50 percent of what they read, they are likely to remember 90 percent of what they do. Listening, looking, reading, and writing are all part of MELP, but the emphasis is definitely on doing.” The Rectory News, Fall 2004
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MELP MOSAIC TRADITION From 2002 to 2015, Glass with Class MELP created 14 wall-sized mosaics, a permanent collection that continues to bring vital, meaningful artwork to what were once nondescript stairwells and hallways. Each one tells a story, some metaphorically, that illustrates qualities of life at Rectory: friendships, growth, achievement, and gratitude, to name a few. Even more, the mosaics, themselves, represent the art of building community among our Glass with Class students as they persevered for a common purpose. For only a week, they learned to respect and control glass by adroitly using pistol-grip cutters, nippers, and grozers to fashion pieces to fill the established design. Eyes became trained to observe striations and color variations to determine best placement for glass pieces. In collaboration, students of various ages and cultures realized they helped each other create something beautiful for all. When alumni return to Rectory, they proudly identify their specific mosaic and recall the challenges and joy they experienced. Many even bled in the process! Our time working together became a “priceless and irreplaceable” memory, and the mosaics, a visible legacy of love. Claudia Ricci and Nancy Green, Co-Founders of Glass with Class MELP
MELP experiences: CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP: Glass with Class (standing at the mosaic hanging in the Grosvenor House entry); Canoeing the Allagash; The World Around Us; Over The Hills We Ride; Outdoor Hiking; Jekyll Island; Water, Water Everywhere; Disney World
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The art program is given a home of its own, moving into the Collins Art Barn, with two classrooms, a faculty work office, and a darkroom. The attached silo contains a kiln used to fire the students’ pottery.
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Rectory at 100
Rectory Traditions
Celebrating Art Creative expression can build confidence, uncover passions, encourage teamwork, and connect imagination with practical knowledge and learning. Rectory’s diverse art programs offer invaluable opportunities for personal, emotional, and social growth. Inspiration and innovation, fostered by immersion in the arts, spill into the classroom and enhance our students’ academic skill development. In the Collins Art Barn, students are encouraged to create using paint, pencil, glass, clay, papier mâché–the materials used are limited only by their availability. Photography students learn the art of developing and manipulating film in the dark room while also learning to edit digital photographs using online tools. The woodshop is a hub of activity where students build their own tools, frame the Grade 9 tiles, and even construct a boat. When Rectory students express themselves through art, there is no stopping them!
BOYS DEVOTE CRAFT PERIOD TO LEATHER AND METAL WORK
PRINTMAKING IS ALWAYS POPULAR
A great many activities are being developed in the art room. On rainy days hammers, saws, and paint brushes are required to do extra duties. Crafters are doing excellent work with pottery, pewter, leather, and metal. We try to correlate art with social studies. The primary grades are painting the development of trains from the DeWitt Clinton to the streamlined trains as well as making models from wood and clay. In the 4th and 5th grades, an illustrated map of South America is being painted on beaver board. Tom-toms, shields, weaving, and pottery are being done nicely by the 6th grade.
The horse and fence were sketched on shirt cardboard, then cut with ordinary scissors, assembled, and glued into a good arrangement on another shirt cardboard. The resulting 3-D picture was inked and then placed on a clean sheet of paper. After careful rubbing with the palm of the hand, a good clean impression was achieved. Every try is not successful, but one soon learns the trick if one is observant and patient. Dorcas Couri, Faculty, The Rectory News 1969
The Rectory News, October 1935
GETTING OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE I went to Rectory with the idea that I would strictly focus on basketball—my love for the arts was something I never expected to happen. In a semester, we would try different mediums, including printmaking, drawing, ceramics, and watercolor painting. My favorite class was printmaking because it was something I had never tried before, and it allowed me a new outlet to express myself in a different way. I was able to make the creative decisions I wanted for my pieces, and it gave me a great sense of pride when I saw the finished products I created. Art is now an outlet that will be with me forever. Nala Cornegy ’20 167
Tradition and Evolution
RECTORY’S PUBLICATION FIRSTS
The Rectory News 1927 174
Rectory at 100
Rectory Yearbook 1968–1969
DiRectory 1997
RecStory 1999
Designed by Beatrice Stevens, noted artist, illustrator, and Rectory faculty member, Rectory’s Seal, with its seated schoolboy holding books in one hand and a football in the other, was the School’s symbol since the 1930s. Recognizing that the Seal no longer accurately represented the broad identity of the School community but also wanting a bold, easily recognized image that draws in Rectory’s treasured history, a new logo is approved in 2017. Intended to bridge Rectory’s past with its present and appeal to the future, the new logo features the Father Bigelow Memorial Building bell tower.
Continuing the Tradition I started my career at Rectory in July 2001 working in the Alumni and Development office before becoming Rectory’s Director of Communications in 2013. I know how incredible Rectory is and wanted to share Rectory’s stories and strengths with the world.
It’s all in a name, briefly... Volume VI, no. 3 of The Rectory News exclaims in an article headlined:
Our New Name: Brittain–Bigelow School “Many of our friends will rub their eyes, no doubt, when they see that the school known to them for ten years as ‘Rectory’, [sic] has now a new name.” Why the change? Headmaster Frank Bigelow explains, “Rectory is no longer a descriptive title. We have not lived in a rectory for eight years. It was adopted at the beginning for no other reason than that we were occupying one.” Scarcely four months later, under the banner of The Rectory News, June 4, 1931, the Headmaster’s Letter shares, “Here we are with our old title and the school with its old name, and we shall soon forget the little flurry caused by our change.” Apparently a questionnaire was sent out, and “the very nice letters received from our friends” swung the vote in favor of keeping the name “Rectory.” One letter, described as “really remarkable,” added a postscript: “P.S. I’m as much worked-up over this as some people were over the last Presidential election!”
By 2013, the School had evolved into today’s kindergarten through Grade 9 institution, and our residential program had expanded to include girls. It became apparent that the School needed to reflect upon how far it had come and where it wanted to go. While cognizant of Rectory’s almost 100 year history, we asked, “What is our identity?” and started the process of ensuring that our core messaging, brand standards, and visual identity reflected the full 360° experience of Rectory today. This work initially standardized our typeface and retained the cherished black and orange school colors, but we knew we had more to do. Determining that the schoolboy seal no longer accurately represented the totality of today’s Rectory School, we established two key components: maintain Rectory’s history and ensure that our name was visible and identifiable, even from a distance. These discussions reinforced that the bell tower atop the Father Bigelow Memorial Building—set in September 1938—was an iconic symbol of the School. For decades, with its handheld pull rope snaking down into the second-floor hallway, the bell was rung to bring the Rectory community together. At the tower’s peak, the weather vane signifies the direction Rectory provides for our students. The bell tower was the obvious choice for our new logo! While the School’s logo may have changed in 2017, the School’s core values—the philosophy of meeting students where they are and giving them the attention and support needed to succeed—have never wavered. Dawn Chmura, Director of Communications
175
“All for each and each for all” should be the motto of a school, because it is the secret of a happy, wholesome, and fruitful school life.” Father Frank Bigelow
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Rectory at 100