Taft’s Own Creation “Countless times in the last two decades, I’ve relied on lessons Ferdie taught me. He’s a rare animal, wellliked by all, who can sit at a table of ten competitor schools, magically defuse petty rivalries, get all players to shed their egos and focus on what is good for kids and ultimately for schools. The gospel according to Ferd has spread widely, as so many school and admissions leaders have schooled under his wing.” —Peter Frew ’75,
director of admissions
c Both members of the ASSIST Board of Trustees, Yi-ming Yang ’87 and Ferdie visit China last fall. For many in Asia, Ferdie is Taft.
20 Taft Bulletin Winter 2007
T
he story begins in any September when the faculty meets to close out the old year and open a new one. Head administrators wait their turns to give their annual reports. Beyond the Tudor windows a troupe of leaves pinwheels after a school bus on Route 6. Ferdie sits comfortably in his dapper coat and tie, his tasseled shoes crossed and shining like a pair of riding boots. At his turn, he rises to report on admissions. His voice is level, his visage tan and open, his language formal, concise. A hundred teachers grow still, hoping that the stats will again validate where they are and what they do. “The number of applicants for the number of openings this year was eight to one, from the deepest pool of candidates we’ve seen yet,” he explains, and it’s true, and he means it because he’s read every kid’s application. “Eagle scouts, team captains, latin scholars, cellists,... this is the most impressive group we’ve ever enrolled.” Removing his glasses to look out at everyone, he adds, “My staff has worked hard and well. The new people moving in tomorrow are bright, ambitious, and interesting. That last quality gave them the edge.” The faculty laughs. Ferdie pauses to smile. Then he says from the heart, “But we didn’t bring them to Taft.…You did.” Momentarily the school is his. In a rush of gratitude after the meeting, the seasoned teachers inform the new ones that Ferdie is “the godfather” of the admissions business, that his myriad connections worldwide are almost mythical. Ferdie’s career began at his own Taft interview, which he never forgot. After graduation from Taft, Chapel Hill, and the National Guard, Ferdie was hired in 1971 by John Esty, on recommendations from Joe Cunningham and Lance Odden—one voice from the old school; the other for the new. It was also significant that both of these men shared genteel family backgrounds, premier educations, and the philosophy of Horace Taft. Mr. Taft believed in teaching the whole student, criticizing miscreant behavior or sloth, but withholding judgment of character. As a young protégé, Ferdie could hardly escape their influence. Moreover, he thrived on their faith in him.