SPEAKING
OF
CHARACTER
“ These boys have performed the noble deed of stepping out of their comfort zones, which is how a person gains experience. They have wandered into the unknown,
On “A Commitment to Character”
and grown because of it.” —Adrian Appleman ‘11
by Adrian Appleman ‘11
Trinity-Pawling’s commitment is stated outright in its slogan: “A Commitment to Character.” Even the school motto asserts the values that the school upholds: “Fides et Virtus” (loosely translated as Faith and Virtue). These two principles are the School’s foundation.
T
The school provides us with the materials, and we make it happen.
PA S A D E NA , C A L I F O R N I A Photo from 1941 yearbook
This letter is occasioned by the excellent and timely articles on commitment to character in the current issue of Trinity-Pawling
“A Commitment to Character” truly means a commitment to us.
The operative word in that definition is “individual.” “A Commit-
Sometimes, students see the school as an establishment to work
Magazine. I attended the school in 1938 - 1942 but did not graduate because the school was a victim of the economic
ment to Character” actually means that the school feels a commit-
against, but in fact that establishment is our tool to pursue our
depredations of the Great Depression and was sold “out from under” my class, whose members had to find other schools
ment to make each individual develop their own mental and moral
interests. We, the students, define Trinity-Pawling.
to graduate from. I finished at The Hill School in the class of 1943.
Athletics are an important part of the curriculum because
is most fundamentally defined as “high moral standards.” From its
of the values they build — teamwork, accountability, sportsman-
Latin roots, it can be defined as the qualities of being a man.
ship, humility, etc. They are there for those who wish to pursue
If you put both of these definitions together, the result truly speaks
it as a passion, but also for those who want to take it for a spin.
of the marrow of Trinity-Pawling.
In fact, that is true about any activity on campus. Ciccio Biundo
But let me take you back to the earliest years of the school that was founded I believe in 1910 (then under the name of The Pawling School) by Dr. Frederick Gamage. The original students were housed in a hotel in downtown Pawling while the main building was being finished. My father, Wesley Marion Oler, was one of the founding students and graduated as Senior Prefect of the class of 1912. He was captain of the track team and also a prodigious athlete, having been the Interscholastic
’11, a standout hockey player, is an editor for the yearbook, and
Champion of the high jump, and elected to the U.S. Olympic Team in time for the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. He was
opportunities: the Phoenix editorial staff, the T-P players, the Trini-
Mike Grace ’10, an exceptional runner, writes for the Phoenix, but
an exemplar of the kind of character that you so eloquently celebrate in your articles. But let me tell you more about it.
tannus (yearbook) production team, the T-P Relief Group, the Jazz
neither of them ever thought about jumping into the proverbial pool
Band, the Environmental Council, the Trinitones, the Acolytes, and
until they stuck their toe in first to get a feel for the water. Ben Ros
the Honor Council to name a few. These groups, activities, and
’10, editor of the Phoenix, is passionate about his newspaper, yet
councils are students congregating on the ground of a common
he still ran cross-country for the past three years. These boys have
goal or interest. Stroll through the computer lab on a Thursday
performed the noble deed of stepping out of their comfort zones,
evening and you will see the Phoenix editorial staff plowing away
which is how a person gains experience. They have wandered
asked Mr. Barstow, a partner of Thomas Edison, to build a science building for the school. Mr. Barstow agreed to do so, as
on their latest issue of the student newspaper. During one of your
into the unknown, and grown because of it. “Life expands or
he later told me, because my father had been so kind and supportive to his son during his years at Pawling when many
free periods you might see the Trinitannus staff gathering photos
contracts in direct proportion to one’s courage,” according to a
of the students had treated him with contempt. He built one of the finest science buildings of any prep school of its time.
and assembling pages. Walk past the Arts Center one evening
quote from Anäis Nin. The courage to try something new is
and you’ll hear the squeaks of the Jazz Band from the third story
what builds character.
In addition to athletics, the school offers myriad
window. Peak inside and you’ll see students around the pottery
Because this school is comprised of students with a vast
My father was president of the Board of Trustees of the school during the Great Depression. (My brother, William H. Oler ‘41, was a recent devoted member of the Board of Trustees.) My father approached William Barstow, the father of a school mate, Frederick Barstow, a frail and awkward student, who had died as a result of injuries sustained in the first World War, not from some act of bravery which he was too frail to do, but from carrying heavy boxes of ammunition. My father
I learned a lesson about character from that story. You write that Dr. Gamage founded the school on the belief that boys who become men in your hallowed halls would “serve their fellow men with faith and virtue — fides et virtus, perhaps, best exemplified by doing the right thing when no one is watching …” I would emphasize my father’s life-long belief that meant
array of interests and a vast array of backgrounds, it is a school
reaching their second hour in the dark room, the Trinitones being
of many values. The cornerstones of Trinity-Pawling are shaped,
not just treating others with respect and dignity, but particularly those who are the weakest and often the despised and
scolded once again for their mispronounced vowels, or the theater
defined, and refined by the students. We are here to reach our
marginalized among us. That may not lead us to achievement and success, but it is a core sign of the character — of the
troupe blocking a scene from the school play for the fifth time.
full potential, and the school is here to help us reach this goal.
faith and virtue — that sustains the character of our nation. It has lived in my heart throughout my life, due not just to my father,
What you will witness in any of these scenarios is Trinity-Pawling
Adrian is a junior from Brewster, NY. He sings with the Trinitones, is an editor for the student newspaper, the Phoenix, is a chapel acolyte, performs in school theater productions, and earned a place on the Headmaster’s List (Dean’s List) for the fall term.
but to Dr. Gamage and the great, wise and graceful members of the school faculty, some of whom I remember, whose spirit
School at its core. The faculty do a stellar job of supporting the students and fostering the environment that makes Trinity-Pawling such
Sincerely,
V I E W
This article, as well as a few others in this magazine, originally appeared in the student newspaper the Phoenix. To see more, please visit it’s digital roost on T-P’s website under T-P Today.
W I N T E R
Thank you, and Ms. Reade, for writing about training character by living it in the school’s daily life.
2 0 1 0
The Rev. Clarke K. Oler
...“serve their fellow men with faith and virtue – fides et virtus.”
H I L L
6 T R I N I T Y- PAW L I N G
I believe abides, after all these years, in Trinity-Pawling.
T H E
a successful school. But in actuality the students run the school.
F R O M
tables working on their latest project, aspiring photographers
V I E W
H I L L
C L A R K E K I M B E R LY O L E R
being “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.”
qualities. These mental and moral qualities tie into “virtue.” Virtue
T H E
Headmaster Archibald A. Smith III Trinity-Pawling School 700 Route 22 Pawling, NY 12564 Dear Mr. Smith:
he American-Oxford dictionary defines “character” as
F R O M
LETTER FROM ALUMNUS, CLARKE OLER ‘43
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