Campus Launch of the Exeter Initiatives
November 1, 2004

Exeter Pennants Point the Way to the Launch Festivities

The Exeter campus was alive with activity during the weekend of October 30. Alumni/ae, students, faculty and staff celebrated the official launch of The Exeter Initiatives. The weekend’s events included the traditional dinner honoring the senior class and Exeter volunteers, a panel discussion featuring three Academy principals, Harkness sessions with the whole community, a launch ceremony featuring Pulitzer prize-winning author David McCullough, who later led a special Harkness session with eight students on the Academy stage, an organ concert featuring Boston organist Michael Kleinschmidt on the Academy’s new Ruffatti instrument and special dinners and dancing for the campus community.

Click here to view Launch Photo Album

Friday Night Dinner

Four Student Readers Perform "The Generous Education" written by Mary Tuomanen '99

Honoring Volunteerism at Exeter
Volunteers from the classes of 1926 right up to 2004 joined current Exeter seniors on Friday evening, October 29th, for a dinner that officially kicked off the campus launch weekend and honored the spirit of volunteerism at Exeter. Jim Rogers III ’63; P’05, president of the Academy trustees, opened the program, followed by Jenny Young du Pont ’78, president of the General Alumni/ae Association and Academy trustee, who introduced Kirk C Bansak ’05, the senior class president. S. Kimberly Welch ’72, outgoing General Alumni/ae Association president and Academy trustee, was honored for her many contributions to the Academy community, and the program portion of the evening was capped with a performance by four current students of a piece titled, “The Generous Education.” Written by alumna Mary Tuomanen ’99 and directed by Rob G. Richards, instructor in drama and acting chair of the drama department, “The Generous Education” captured Exeter’s strong commitment through the ages to the concept of non sibi.

In his opening remarks, Trustee President Jim Rogers touched on why alumni/ae and parents might volunteer for Exeter: “Each of us has a different story behind our presence here tonight. Some of us volunteer for Exeter because a classmate or older graduate inspired us and showed us the way. Some of us volunteer out of gratitude for a scholarship or other assistance the Academy gave. Some of us remember and honor a specific teacher or friend through our work. But no matter how our stories differ, I suspect each of us believes that Exeter touched or changed us in some profound way and that we’re inspired to volunteer out of a desire to ensure that Exeter continues to challenge and change successive generations of students in equally profound ways.”

Alumnus Bud Galston ’26 was the oldest ranking Exeter volunteer in attendance at Friday’s dinner. Rogers recognized Galston for his 50 years of service to the Academy, noting, “You are an inspiration to all of us, and we are proud to have you with us.” Current General Alumni/ae Association President and Academy Trustee Jenny Young du Pont ’78 presented outgoing GAA President and Trustee Kim Welch ’72 with a gift in honor of her service to Exeter. Among the Exonians quoted in “The Generous Education: A Piece for Four Voices” was Bronson Binger ’48, who was also in attendance.

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Principals’ Panel:

Three Exeter Principals Convened for a Riveting Panel Discussion

Thirty Years of Leadership
Saturday morning of the launch weekend began with a Principals’ Panel, which convened two of Exeter’s former principals with the current leader of the school. Principals Emeriti Stephen Kurtz ’44, ’46, ’78 (Hon.); P’77 and Kendra Stearns O’Donnell ’31, ’47, ’63, ’91, ’97 (Hon.); P’00 joined Principal Ty Tingley ’48, ’64, ’01 (Hon.); P’99 on the Assembly Hall stage for a conversation moderated by former Academy Trustee Rob Shapiro ’68. Shapiro noted that the event was “a rare opportunity to explore insights that only people who have occupied this position can have.” Covering everything from the role of the Deed of Gift in the opening of school ceremony to challenges faced by each principal during his or her tenure, the conversation was at times humorous, at times serious, at times philosophical, and as a whole, riveting. After the Principals’ Panel, guests quickly made their way to Harkness classes, which they shared with current Exeter students, teachers and staff.

EXCERPTS:

	Principal Tyler C. Tingley
	Principal Emeritus Stephen Kurtz
	Principal Emerita Kendra Stearns O'Donnell

Ty Tingley on the Deed of Gift and its relevance to Exeter today:
“My sense is that one of the things that our culture is struggling with is how to be a moral—and a rigorously moral—culture in the face of this winner-take all, aggressive economy that we exist in. We see kids coming to the Academy who are in a mad race to get to college and often, when we get them here, we have to slow them down and say, ‘Wait a minute, these four years at Exeter are likely to be the best education you’ll ever have in your life. Take these seriously; respect this education; savor it while you’re here.’ And that grows out of the Deed of Gift, and I think, in fact, it’s not a question of how the deed changes, but how it holds center. I think that’s really what it provides for us; it gives us some strength and a course that allows us to be a school that has a rigorous academic environment and also a rigorous ethical environment, and I think that’s an incredibly rare thing in our culture today.”

Stephen Kurtz on why he loves Exeter:
“What I love about this place, what I respect most about it, is that it’s a place where self-realization is possible...I used to say when I was here, ‘Somewhere, somebody is doing something better than we are,’ and that remains true. But I also sometimes think that the place where something better is going on is right here, and we don’t know it yet. This is a marvelous place, and it’s a place of introspection, and yet it’s also a place that instills the confidence to speak...the results of our introspection.”

Kendra Stearns O’Donnell on Exeter’s future:
“I think, in fact, that Exeter will become a rarer and more precious treasure as the generations go by, and I would just hope that those who live here, who serve this school, keep her great, because her greatness is going to be more and more in demand in this society. We cannot take Exeter for granted.”

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Launch Ceremony

Title:
Calling Out Our Virtues: Author David McCullough addresses Exeter

Principal Tingley Addresses the Audience at The Exeter Initiatives Launch Ceremony

Text:
The October 30 campus launch ceremony of The Exeter Initiatives was the highlight of a special weekend in the history of the Academy, drawing well over 1,000 members of the Exeter family. On hand to help frame that history was keynote speaker David McCullough, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of John Adams and Truman. In her introduction of McCullough, Academy Trustee Julie Dunfey ’76; P’08 noted, “David McCullough has reached a broad audience with the spiritual and historical stories we share as a nation. He has chronicled the dramatic interior scenes, the internal struggles and the inner lives behind extraordinary human accomplishments and tragedy...As my mentor, Ken Burns, has said, his mentor, David McCullough, ‘has put the word “story” back into history and knows about how much the past is our greatest teacher; about how, finding where we have been, we can know better where we are going.’ ’’

McCullough’s address focused on America’s founding fathers and mothers, in particular John, Abigail and John Quincy Adams. Drawing from primary texts and his own work, McCullough highlighted the extent to which America’s founders valued and championed education as the best means to achieving effective and lasting self-government. He received a standing ovation for his remarks. (Click here to read an excerpt of McCullough’s speech.)

Following the speech was the premiere of a short film about Exeter by filmmaker Rick Rabe of Big Leap. Rick combined archival images and film with his own interviews of alumni/ae, teachers and students to create this stirring piece. The film will be shown at all regional celebrations of The Exeter Initiatives in the coming year.

The ceremony culminated in an address by Principal Tingley in which he touched upon the strength and importance of Exeter’s values and the overarching vision of The Exeter Initiatives. Principal Tingley also announced, for the first time in public, that early donors had already pledged nearly half of the campaign’s $305 million goal.

Pulitzer Prize-winning Author and Historian David McCullough

McCullough on Education:
"The oldest written constitution still in use in the world today is the constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, written by John Adams at a stand-up, plain pine lawyer’s desk about the size of this podium. You can see it in the library of the Adams House in Quincy. And in that constitution, which is essentially a rough draft of our own Constitution, is a paragraph on education, which was written at a time when no such paragraph had ever been included in any document about a government or a nation’s mission. “And the advantages of education in the various parts of the country and among the different orders of the people, it shall be the duty of legislatures and magistrates in all future periods of this Commonwealth to cherish.” And then he goes on to specify what education should be, “To countenance and inculcate the principles of humanity and benevolence.” Now sometimes we hear that our educational programs or the ways by which we educate our children should not include values. Well, if you asked—“Did the founders have the idea that we should be teaching values?”—the answer is, absolutely, of course. Here, again, is Adams on the purpose of education: “To countenance and inculcate the principles of humanity and general benevolence, public and private charity, industry, frugality, honesty—we will teach people to be honest—punctual, sincerity and”—I hope you love this as much as I do—“good humor.” It says in the Constitution there will be good humor. “And all social affections and generous sentiments among the people.” There it is. That’s part of education. And it seems to me that is exactly the program that this venerable, great school has held to all along, and isn’t that marvelous?"

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Harkness in the Round

David McCullough Signing Manuscripts for Students

After lunch, guests made their way back to the Assembly Hall to observe a Harkness class during which eight Exeter students discussed the first few chapters of David McCullough’s next book with the author. Students who participated in the class were the first members of the public permitted to read any of the as yet unpublished manuscript, which will focus on the founding fathers. The class was facilitated by history instructor Jack Herney ’46, ’71 (Hon.). Afterward, Mr. McCullough autographed copies of each student’s manuscript.

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Organ Dedication

Organist Michael Kleinschmidt

To mark the official dedication of the Academy’s new Fratelli Ruffatti organ, which was installed during the summer of 2004, launch weekend guests were treated to a concert by Michael Kleinschmidt, the director of music and organist of Trinity Church, Copley Square, Boston. Concertgoers enjoyed works by Bach, Widor, Saint-Saëns, Alain, Duruflé and an improvisation by Kleinschmidt himself, which highlighted the range of the organ’s voices and some of the more unusual ones. To end the concert, Kleinschmidt led guests in the singing of a hymn.

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Saturday Night Dinners

Toasting The Exeter Initiatives

On Saturday evening, early donors to The Exeter Initiatives along with volunteer leaders attended a special dinner in Grainger Auditorium of the Phelps Science Center. The evening commenced with a welcome by Principal Ty Tingley and a series of toasts by Jim Rogers, president of the Academy trustees, Chuck Harris, Academy trustee and chair of The Exeter Initiatives and Barbara Eggers, history instructor and dean of faculty. As Principal Tingley noted in his opening comments, the night was a way to thank those attending for their “remarkable, inspiring commitment to the Academy.”

Possibly the most memorable moment of the evening came during Chuck Harris’ toast when he made the surprise announcement that Dan, Valerie and Gregory Brown, of the classes of 1982, 1985 and 1993 respectively, have established an endowed fund in honor of their father, Richard. The Richard G. Brown Technology Endowment Fund, which will provide computers and other technology to financial aid students, honors Dick’s tremendous contributions to the Academy not just as a teacher of mathematics, but as an early and innovative advocate for technology at Exeter, both in and out of the classroom.

The Brown Family: Blythe, Richard, Dan, Gregory, Valerie and Connie

Meanwhile, students and faculty enjoyed a rare family-style seated meal in the Academy dining halls where dormitory proctors waited on tables. After dinner, the community was invited to attend a dance in Love Gym.

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*all photos by Dan Courter and Brian Crowley