51
FacultyFeature
YEARS LATER
T
Tatnall’s longest-serving teacher is retiring at the end of the school year. But the joy of defining his impact is only just beginning.
When you mention the name Bruce Chipman to Tatnall students, alumni, and parents, huge smiles and humorous personal anecdotes always follow. You may hear about his dapper attire, his holiday riddles, Coach Chipman’s highs and lows during the season, his mirthful self-deprecation, or many of the other quirks and charms that have endeared him to this community over a legendary career. Dr. Chipman’s legacy is ingrained into the fabric of Tatnall, and his impact on our school is second only to that which he has made on the students who have known him as a teacher, advisor, English department chair, Dean of Students, director, coach, mentor, and friend. Though enjoying his 51st year as a Tatnall educator, when Dr. Chipman reflects upon his career, he asserts that “teaching found him” — and so did Tatnall.
“Tatnall’s mission of arts, athletics, academics, and authentic relationships fit me very comfortably because that’s how I came to value ‘the whole student’ — by encouraging them to explore all sides of themselves,” Dr. Chipman says. As a college student, Dr. Chipman — then just Bruce – completed a successful first year at the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering, only to conclude that “engineering held no passion for me.” Teaching was nowhere among his interests at that point, but literature, history, and theater were. So, he transitioned to an English major at UVA. “The humanities don’t provide us with easy answers — only provocative questions — and I was intrigued by listening to ideas quite foreign to me and having to write and speak about them,” Dr. Chipman says.
1989
40
TATNALL TODAY
FALL/WINTER 2023
Later, he was invited to attend a five-year graduate program at Tufts University as a PhD Fellow. It seemed like a logical next step, so he accepted. While completing his doctorate, he joined the Tufts University English Department, teaching literature there for three years. After publishing the first of his two books, Bruce was on a career track to become a professor. But an intrusive thought kept gnawing away at him:
Bruce’s junior prom
