S P O T L I G H T
Frustrated by unpredictable New England winters, Len was instrumental in the construction of Mays Rink, making Taft the first prep school in the country to have artificial ice. the rebelliousness and anti-authority attitude of youth. In 1969, following our greatest season ever, he shocked the team and then the school by telling us he was moving on. The unwillingness of students to sacrifice for the common good had disillusioned him, and he concluded that his time of working with youth was over. During that season, we had to suspend several players for smoking cigarettes in spite of the fact that we were in the midst of the greatest year ever. That seemed symptomatic of the lack of respect epidemic in that era, and Len did not want to work under those circumstances any longer. In 1969, Len Sargent was fifty-six. He began a second life by marrying Sandy, the Westover girl whose wartime marriage had ended, and by moving to an end-of-the-road ranch in the Cin-
nabar Basin near Corwin Springs, Montana, where he became a leading citizen, rancher, and conservationist. Through his efforts, the wolf was returned to Yellowstone Park, the Absaroka Baretooth Wilderness Area was created, and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and the Montana Environmental Information Center were established. The Sargents practiced a profound land ethic that led to the creation and endowment of the Cinnabar Foundation in 1983, which provides grants for environmental protection and wildlife conservation in Montana and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. He was active in several successful conservation battles, including one that halted plans for a dam on the Yellowstone River. In recent years, Len was honored by the national conservation movements for his pioneering efforts. Even after leaving Taft, he remained in close touch. Until 1992, he hired Taft students to work on the ranch, and, yearly, he returned to stay with Patsy and me, usually to try to take in a hockey game. He was a par-
ticular fan of girls’ hockey as he didn’t like the hitting that has taken over the boys’ game. Often, he was here for Alumni Day as well. Periodically, we visited him and saw him flourishing as a leading citizen of Montana. Len was the last master who knew Horace Taft, and throughout his life he exemplified the values Mr. Taft laid down. He built hockey at our school. He was loved by his players, by his students in general, and by the alumni. He made Taft a better place. He also had the courage to stand for his convictions during very difficult times. He had the wisdom to leave at the right moment to build another life which contributed equally to the greater good of our country, the Yellowstone Valley, and our environment in general. He left our school and our West better for generations yet to come. His life is an example of how to serve long and well. An article about Len and Sandy appeared in the Fall 1994 issue of the Taft Bulletin, reprinted from Montana Magazine.
Len and Sandy were reunited after many years and married in 1969, starting new lives together in Montana. Taft Bulletin
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