from the board chair It gives me great pleasure to address the Rumsey Hall community for the first time as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. I have been on the Board, without interruption, for 30 years and was elected as permanent Chair at our April, 2018 meeting. I have never been more committed to the exceptional educational experience that Rumsey Hall provides than I am today. My family has deep roots at Rumsey. My sister Nancy began at the School in the Fall of 1951, I started in 1956, and my brother Stephen followed in 1959. Three cousins also attended Rumsey and my mother and my aunt were both Rumsey Language Skills teachers for several decades. I was asked to join the Rumsey Board in 1989 after having served on a separate Development Committee in the early 1980’s. Consequently, the Solley family has experienced the wisdom and leadership of six Headmasters, each of whom have contributed to the School’s growth and identity. While Rumsey Hall has been an important focus of my life, my roles on various Washington town committees, and my part in Solley Brothers, my family business, have given me a deep understanding of both our local and school communities. I am a third generation resident of Washington and for the past 45 years my brother, Stephen Solley ’68, and I have operated the family farm, supplying quality hay forage to the horse trade. In the past, we had a separate excavation company, an experience that taught me the fundamentals of basic house construction, land improvement and landscape design. My essential understandings of property development have allowed me to play a key role on Rumsey’s Board, beginning in the late 80’s when the Board realized that the infrastructure of the School was aging and building maintenance had been deferred for many years. It was at this juncture that the then Board of Trustees, headed by P.W. Tate Brown, took this opportunity to create a Buildings and Property Committee and named me as Chair. This marked the beginning of a 30-year process of rebuilding the Rumsey Hall School. First, “the unseen infrastructure” was upgraded; septic systems, water lines, and three-phase electricity was brought in from Washington Depot; then over the next 25-years dorms were rebuilt, a new dining hall and a hockey rink were constructed, the administration building was razed and rebuilt doubling the original size, three new classroom buildings were added and the gym space was increased complete with a new auditorium. In 1999, the school purchased 42 acres from our neighbors, the Bronsons, which allowed a renovated farmhouse to become the new Headmaster’s house. Two new athletic fields and three new tennis courts were also added. Our most recent, and exciting school acquisition, just happened this past June when Headmaster Matt Hoeniger and I negotiated again with the Bronson family to purchase the neighboring 83-acre valley property to allow for the possibility of further expansion for faculty housing, athletic fields and maintenance facilities. I am proud to add that this 30-year long $40 million-plus campus investment has been done with no long term debt. This is an achievement that was made possible by the strong commitment of Rumsey Alumni and Trustees, Parents both current and past, Washington townspeople and the School’s Long Range Planning Committee. So as your newly elected Board Chair, I bring to the Rumsey community a veteran Board member’s experience and dedication to Rumsey’s Mission and growth. I give my support to our first class faculty and staff, and my assurances for a financially secure institution that is overseen by a dedicated Board of Trustees. My heartfelt thanks and appreciation go out to all of those who help Rumsey Hall School embrace and express our values of Effort, Family and Community. Sincerely, Nicholas N. Solley ’64 Chairman of the Board
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