A L U M N A
P R O F I L E
A Marvelous Vacation Noel Robbins Congdon ’46 “In addition to helping you with your education, they were also teaching you to grow up,” says Noel Robbins Congdon ’46. “John and Julie Forman liked and understood young people.”
Noel Robbins Congdon ’46 had seen a lot of the world by the time she came to Forman School in the fall of 1942. Her parents, Hilda and James Stanton (Stan) Robbins, were in the travel business and moved around a lot. Born in New York City in 1928, Noel had seen London and Paris before she turned 10. “They were entrepreneurs and were always on an adventure,” says Noel. “My sister and I just went along for the ride. We went to Europe at least once a year.” In 1938, while living in Bronxville, NY, her parents convinced the Holland America Line to fit empty steerage space with three-bunk cabins. Cunard soon followed suit. Their idea was the beginning of what became known as student third-class travel. The family enjoyed some stability until Stan was called to Washington D.C. to work for the United States government because of his potentially useful international resources and contacts. While in Washington, the family met General Harold Harris, who was looking into Forman for his children, Harold Jr. and Alta Mae, who eventually did attend. The Robbins did their own research and Noel and sister Chelsea, born in 1927, headed for Litchfield in the fall of 1942. “I was quite seriously dyslexic and had been my whole life. My family thought I was very cute and funny. But just kind of dumb,” says Noel. “I only read backwards and did mirror reading. I was pretty seriously off.” Chelsea, on the other hand, did very well in school. As they grew up together in Bronxville, which had a well-
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Noel Robbins Congdon ’46
known public school system, Noel didn’t really earn passing grades but continued to advance. “Every time grades came in, my parents would give Chelsea a little present,” says Noel. “Of course, I didn’t get one because my grades weren’t any good. It didn’t feel like punishment, though. It was just the way things go.” Noel had a lot of catching up to do when she arrived at Forman. Over time, Noel saw wonderful improvement in her reading skills and also did well in math, music, and languages. Noel remembers her time at Forman with
