FACULTY AND STAFF
FACULTY AND STAFF
Board of Trustees member Clay Rolader ’72, who has known Jere since they were in elementary school, has seen his classmate’s impact up close. “Throughout the time I have been on the board, the school has turned to Jere time and again at major transformational moments to articulate the direction in which the school needed to go,” he says. “I think his greatest legacy will be the amazing strategic plans that he had such a hand in crafting over the years. I watched him herd cats until consensus arrived, wordsmith complicated concepts until they became the ideals we strive for, and sell ideas to our community until they came into our daily conversations. That’s what great leaders do.”
Jere Wells ’72
Assistant Headmaster, Director of The Glenn Institute for Philanthropy and Service Learning 1983-2016 On a warm morning in early September 1959, Westminster’s newest Wildcats arrived at Scott Hall eager to meet their pre-first teachers. Jere Wells was among those students, and that day launched an extraordinary, nearly six-decade-long relationship marked by his devotion and service. An Alpha Omega, Jere graduated from Westminster in 1972 and went on to attend Washington and Lee and the University of Georgia, receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees as a Bulldog. His first teaching position was at Woodberry Forest School in Virginia under the legendary former Westminster faculty member Emmett Wright. When Jere’s wife, Della, was accepted to Emory Law School in 1983, the Wells family returned to Atlanta, and Jere returned to his alma mater. Over the ensuing 33 years, Jere served Westminster in myriad capacities including college counselor, assistant principal, director of studies, admissions director, interim principal, assistant headmaster, and director of the Glenn Institute. Former Westminster President Bill Clarkson calls Jere one of the most gifted educators there is. “His extraordinary and singular contributions to the life and excellence of the School are unparalleled,” he says. “Jere’s impact cannot be overestimated. What an amazing ‘school man’!”
30 | Fall 2016
As deeply as Jere invested in Westminster as an institution, he has given much of himself to the heart of Westminster— the students. One of Jere’s former students, Dean of Faculty Thad Persons ’88, describes his relationship with Jere, which began in 11th grade English, this way: Jere was my teacher. Thirty years later, Jere remains my teacher. He gave me the scholarship to understand Shakespeare, the courage to attend graduate school, and the wisdom to value the essential over the immediate. Jere taught me Hamlet, a play that has profoundly shaped my life, and Hamlet’s words about his father mirror my reverence for my teacher, my mentor, and my friend: “I shall not look upon his like again.”
the world needs skilled and creative problem-solvers and that their habits for learning developed at Westminster can prepare them for that work.” The school has also grown in the richness of its diversity, in every sense of the word. “The Westminster of today values inclusion and cultural curiosity in ways we were only beginning to conceive in the 1960s,” he continues. When invited to offer his aspirations for Westminster’s future, Jere expressed his hope that the school will continue on its current arc. “The world we prepare our students for today is ever more complex and challenging, and the school must evolve if the academic skills and the personal habits and values developed here are to prepare them to be effective leaders and citizens,” he says. Service, of course, remains close to Jere’s heart as he thinks about the future. “Westminster students are blessed with extraordinary opportunities for growth, and our mission as a Christian school should continue focusing on the ways we can apply those abundant gifts for the betterment of our communities, whether local or global,” he says.
FORMER WESTMINSTER PRESIDENT BILL CLARKSON CALLS JERE ONE OF THE MOST GIFTED EDUCATORS THERE IS. “HIS EXTRAORDINARY AND SINGULAR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LIFE AND EXCELLENCE OF THE SCHOOL ARE UNPARALLELED,” HE SAYS. Jere Wells is indeed an amazing “school man.” He has been part of Westminster for almost 60 years as a student, alumnus, teacher, and leader. He inspired his students. He helped shape our school’s values. He gave voice to our vision. As he looks ahead to his next adventure, we wish him Godspeed—until we meet again. -Jane Lauderdale Armstrong ’74
At the end of last school year, the Wells family again made a move. Jere received a two-year appointment as director of the Educational Leadership and Ministry Program at Yale Divinity School, where Della is enrolled as a seminary student. Jere, a consummate educator with teaching in his marrow, will help equip future educators in his new role preparing seminarians to apply their training in a school or college setting. During his tenure as a faculty member, Jere says he saw the school develop a broader, more comprehensive understanding of excellent education. “Without abandoning our commitment to discipline-based expertise, we have developed interdisciplinary curricula such as our STEAM work, experiential education strategies such as project-based learning, and a wealth of travel-oriented programs and exchanges. The successful JanTerm is a fulfillment of the school’s steady growth in all these areas,” he says. “Westminster’s students are increasingly aware that
Jere shares a laugh with his longtime friend and colleague Scoot Dimon ‘70 during this spring’s commencement ceremony.
WESTMINSTER | 31