Remembering a Rumsey Icon

Photo by Allan Karan ’55 taken in the Gate House in 1952

Dorothy Rochon An erson

1931-2016

On Alumni Day June 10, 2017 the Rumsey Hall community will celebrate the life and legacy of Dorothy Rochon Anderson at a special dedication of the new administration building named in her honor. A true Rumsey Icon, Dorothy’s remarkable service spanned 45 years, through the leadership of five Heads of School. Dorothy passed away peacefully in Litchfield, CT in December 2016.

In 1949, shortly after graduating high school Dorothy was hired by John Schereschewsky Sr. as Secretary. She served as dorm parent to the Prime to II nd Form boys residing in Sanford House. Throughout the years her hard work and ingenuity vaulted her to the position of Business Manager. With a steady hand and generosity of spirit she was instrumental in helping navigate the school through the decades, managing the School’s finances in a key supporting role to the Board of Trustees as forty years of the School’s history unfolded. A Rumsey Medal of Honoree, Dorothy will always be remembered for her selfless dedication. After her retirement in 1994 Dorothy remained an active consultant, most notably penning a

detailed history of Rumsey’s early Cornwall days onward that is referenced to this day. Three of Dorothy’s children, daughters Diann ’82, Erin ’82 and Kelly ’86 attended Rumsey and stepson, Reif Anderson served as a Faculty Member from 1976-1978.

“She was a no-nonsense, but caring and wise presence in our lives.”.

On Alumni Day in June 2016 it was with delighted surprise that Dorothy would learn located on the site of the previous Main

that the soon to be constructed building, Office, would stand as a lasting tribute to her life of service to Rumsey. A permanent plaque naming the many alumni, trustees and former faculty who made gifts to the School in her honor will be installed in the entryway of the building during the summer of 2017. The Dorothy Rochon Anderson Memorial Building serves as a hub of daily activity for students and faculty and an Admission welcome center for visiting families considering Rumsey as their new School home. The building also houses the Headmaster’s office, Secondary School Placement, Development, Communications and Alumni.

Dorothy in 1987 watching a Varsity Football game

Dorothy was not a glass of milk. She was more like a rum punch with subtle, overlapping flavors and spices, garnished with fruit, maybe a tiny umbrella on the side and colorful sipping straws.

—Former Headmaster Tom Farmen

Dorothy throws the ceremonial first pitch for the Varsity Baseball team in 1994

If you think of Rumsey Hall School as the body of a community, Dorothy was the heart. Her commitment and compassion for the school inspired others to look at the job not as work but as a service. I was fortunate to be part of the staff alongside her, and also to be her friend. We were focused during the office hours but then we also got to have fun after! A visit with Dorothy always meant you had to hang on to your glass when the great danes entered the room. She was a great business manager and a great teacher. There will only ever be one Dorothy.

—Former Staff Member Sheila Anson

Former Staff Member Sheila Anson and Executive Assistant Julie Fredlund with Dorothy in 1984

Dorothy is the reason I am at Rumsey. The memories of her that stand out in my mind most were the occasions when several of us from the office (Former Staff Members Rosemary Brown, Sheila Anson and Janet Rogers, to name a few) were fortunate enough to share a meal with her and Madame Algrant at one of their homes where we laughed plenty, ate well and reminisced for hours. Dorothy was a strong and devoted business woman with a caring heart, a lot of energy and a sincere desire to help others. She is indeed leaving her mark in our little corner of the world.

—Executive Assistant Julie Fredlund

Dorothy with students in the Main Office

“One Halloween night my classmate, Wes Pullen, and I slipped off campus and went trick-or-treating down Romford Road. Later (with a few candy bars more to our credit than we’d left with), we thought we had managed to sneak back on campus without anyone knowing. Rumor had it, however, that Miss Rochon knew about our escapade. She kept our secret all year long. We never heard another word about it and graduated safely in June 1962. Whew!”

—Roger Cawley ’62

“Whenever faced with a seemingly impossible task,

Dorothy would be the one to get it done. She did everything. Many times I sought her out for counsel. We would sit down together to discuss the School’s finances, but Dorothy would be the one to present and explain the complex parts to the Board of

Trustees. She was the brain trust when I was Headmaster.

“I came to Rumsey in 1959 as a 9-year-old I st Former. My first dorm was Sanford House. I was about as home sick as one could be. Dorothy Rochon was my dorm mother and she was both very kind and very wise: for that I will never forget her.”

— Edward Donner ’65

—Former Headmaster Lou Magnoli ” “I was a boarding student in the Sanford House, before and after the fire. Dot Rochon was a friend of my parents in those years. She was a no-nonsense but caring and wise presence in our lives. Because she had a relationship with my parents, I got away with nothing. She never needed to raise her voice. One was not afraid of her but she commanded respect. Even though she did not teach, she had her table in the D.G. Barr Dining Hall, always there for breakfast and dinner, never for lunch.”

—Peter “Murray” Hart ’62

In 2004 Dorothy speaks to a Monday Activity group that is researching the history of the Rumsey campus, Washington Depot, CT and the Bantam River Valley.

A Special dedication of the Dorothy Rochon Anderson Memorial Building will be held on Alumni Day, June 10, 2017.

Dorothy was such a good soul. In VI th or VII th Form, she took me and a bunch of other Rumsey students to serve a meal and repaint some “ walls at one of the shelters where she volunteered. She did not try to lecture us or even tell us why we were there – in her own quiet way, she just let us figure it out for ourselves. It made such an impression on me that service to others, after undoubtedly long exhausting days dealing with all of us at Rumsey, was just another part of who she was and it was something that she did without any fanfare. Service is now routinely a part of many schools’ curriculum, but back in the 70s, I believe that she was unique in bringing us together in this very meaningful way. —Hudson Fuller ’81 ”

Dorothy’s dog Dorcas

“When I arrived at Rumsey in 1953, I was 11 years old, Dorothy Rochon was 21 or 22, and her beloved dog, Dorcas, was just a puppy. It was a simpler time at Rumsey…We have all seen those movies where the CEO looks like he is running the company but really, behind the scenes, the secretary is getting it all done. It felt like that with Dorothy. She always knew everything...It doesn’t surprise me that Dorothy became the School historian. So much of it she either created herself or she was right there watching it happen. Dorothy Rochon was the steady backbone of Rumsey. ” —Alan White ’56

Top to Bottom: Headmaster Matt ’81 and Amy Hoeniger, Executive Assistant Julie Fredlund with Dorothy and her son Former Faculty Member Reif with the rendering of the new building; Dorothy on a campus visit during construction, Fall 2016

Please join the many alumni, past parents, former trustees and former faculty who have made gifts honoring Dorothy Rochon Anderson and her impact on the School. Gifts will be recognized on a special plaque displayed in the foyer of the new building. Contact Director of Development Carol Maxwell at 860.868.0535 or cmaxwell@rumseyhall.org, prior to June 30, 2017 to be a part of this special tribute.Thank you.