Avon Old Farms School

OLD FARMS SCHOOL
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With thy warm breath
Dispel the heaven's cool clouds
That hide thee from my sight .
With thy golden rays
Smite me thou restless one
And I'll record thy flight.
From thy last red flare on the hills,
Fling a thought
To comfort me thru the night.
Theodate Pope R iddle ( TPR),
Founder, 192 7
Avon Old Farms is a Secondary School and Junior College for boys,
located in the Township of Avon, Connecticut. It i five miles from
Farmington, Connecticut, and twelve miles from Hartford.
The College has an estate of nearly 3 ,ooo acres, bordered on the east
by the Farmington River. Part of the property has been known for a
century and a half as Old Farm ; the southern portion is a rough forest
where deer are often seen, and through which two trout streams f7.ow.
From the Catalogue, 1928
AVON
VON
OLD FARMS SCHOOL
Celebrating
75 Years
Photography by William Mere r
Royal ton Pre
Arlington, Ma sa husett
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are grateful for the encouragement and willing assistance
of many people at Avon Old Farms: Peter A. Aron '65,
hairman of the Board of Directors, and Kenneth H.
LaRocque, Headmaster, for their unflagging support of this
project;
arol Ketcham, Director of External Affair and the
keeper of the archives, for her professionalism and helping
hand at every turn; John T. Gardner, Provost, Peter M. Evans,
Director of Development, and Henry R. Coons '71, Director of
Alumni Relations and Planned Giving, for their leadership, good will, and good advice along
the way; and Margaret M. DeGraaf, Director of Publication , whose vision and enthusiastic
guidance made this project happen.
A special thanks to those who tend to the everyday needs of a beautiful and orderly campus:
Glenn Wilcox, Director of Physical Plant, and Steve Kraft, A istant Director of Phy ical
Plant, and their staff; James Kirschner, Director of Dining Services, and his staff; and Martin
Hankard, Director of Campu
ecurity, for their help in countless invaluable ways.
Thanks also to Bernie Hammons, Polo Coach and faculty member from 1936-1964, for his
help in identifying individuals in our archives; and to Judy Wilson and her team at
Lithographies for their fine work with scanning archival materials.
Thank you to all the faculty of the school, too numerous to mention by name, who
graciously and patiently welcomed us into their classrooms. And finally, with great
appreciation, thank you to all the boys, whose spirit, energy, and pride show throughout
the book.
Execu tive Editor: William W. Mercer
De igner: Dianne ]. Schaefer
Libr ary of
ongress C at alogue C ard Number: 2001-135335
Hardcover International S t andard Book Number: 0-962 7386-9- 7
First Edition December 2001
ommissioned by Avon Old Farms
chool
500 Old F arm Road
Avon, Connec ticut 06001
Published by Royalston Pres
14 7 Highland Avenue
Arlington, M assachusetts 024 76
781-643-490 7
Photogr aphs Copyright 2001 by William Mercer
PRINTED I
BY
C HINA
PALACE PRESS lNTERNATIO AL, SAN FRA CISCO, CALIFORNIA
Film Processing, Color Services, Needham, M assachus tts
Nei ther this book or portions thereof, nor the pho tographs therein
m ay be reproduced in any form without the permi ion of Roy alston Press.
8
IO
Boys need to belong to a team, a
community, a club, a cause; they
need
to
know where and how they fit
into the larger scheme of things.
Kenneth
H.
LaRocque, Headma tcr
II
AN INDESTRUCTIBLE ScHooL FOR Boys
I
n many ways Avon Old Farms School is not so different than at its founding 75 years ago.
Its guiding principles remain unchanged and as indestructible as the School itself, as its
founder, Theodate Pope Riddle, would have wished. Mr . Riddle poured her energy and
expended her fortune creating Avon Old Farms. It sprung from her own imagination as a
schoolgirl at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, when she boldly declared to friends that
she was going to build "an indestructible school for boys." Her distinctive Tudor Cotswold
architecture defines this school- one cannot visit Avon Old Farms and not be touched by
its magic. Indeed many remain under its spell.
That which makes us different is more important than that which makes us the same. Mrs.
Riddle believed in diversity of thought, opinion, and personality. She believed deeply in the
traditions of the elite but was not an elitist. She wanted to nurture the strong character of
growing boys, and believed to do that, they needed to be kept busy with a variety of activi­
ties -scholarship, community service, and farm work. Every boy had a job. Every boy spent
time in nature.
The school has grown from 48 boys at its opening in 1927 to a full capacity of 372. We
have filled and overflowed Mrs. Riddle's original buildings, and have continued to build.
By any measure, we are very different today- academically, athletically, socially-a
a reflection of a very different society. Yet certainly Mrs. Riddle would recognize her
school, and I like to think that she would recognize her boys. The young men of Avon
are recognizable, not just by the winged beaver on their blazers, but by their direct and
friendly gaze.
This book is meant to represent and celebrate one moment in time-Avon's 75'h
Anniversary, a time of great vitality. A we celebrate our 75 years and pay tribute not only
to our founder, but to all the alumni who helped to build this school, we also celebrate
everything that Avon is today.
Peter A. Aron
Chairman, Board of Directors
You are young and hold the future
in your hands. Your commitment
to
believing in happy endings gives
me hope that the world that my
generation has not yet cured, may
in fact have a chance
to
improve.
Jonathan A. Crocker,
hairman, Department of English,
From bis 1999 Chapel Talk
14
I')
PRIDE
OF
PLACE
W
hen I arrived at Avon Old Farms School in the fall of 1981, I knew
immediately that I had become part of a special place. It didn't take long for
founder Theodate Pope Riddle's "indestructible school for boys" to inspire in me, as it
had in so many others before me, a pride of place. As we celebrate Avon Old Farms
School's 75-year history, we honor Mrs. Riddle's creation and pay tribute to the
hundreds of Men of Avon whose lives have been influenced and shaped with their
experiences here.
As a school community, an architectural design, and an educational ideal, Avon
Old Farms is the inspiration of a remarkable founder. Mrs. Riddle sought to create a
school on the leading edge of educational philosophy, one that would foster in its
students initiative, willpower, and individual thinking. Her chosen motto, Aspirando
et Perseverando, as well as the School's symbol, the winged beaver, reflect these ideals.
When Avon Old Farms first opened its doors in the fall of 1927, Mrs. Riddle's
noble experiment was underway. The School struggled in those early years, beset by
myriad problems that eventually caused it to clo e in 1944. By 1947, with the war
over, members of the School's former board joined in a mission to revive their
beloved Avon Old Farms. Thanks to their efforts, the School reopened in the fall of
1948. Shepherded through the next 20 years by the singular, spiritual strength of
Provost Donald Pierpont, Avon Old Farms grew.
With the passing of Don Pierpont, George Trautman took firm hold of the tiller.
Full sail through the storm of the 1960s and '70s, Trautman governed Avon Old
Farms with the steadiest of leadership for a full 29 years before stepping aside. When
I took over as headmaster in 1998, Avon Old Farms had never been in a better po i­
tion; it was a vibrant community of learners that was both academically sound and
financially secure.
Through the commitment and leadership of Headmasters Don Pierpont and
George Trautman, together with more than even decades of dedicated and capable
faculty member , Avon Old Farms is today one of the top independent secondary
chools in the country. Our unwavering focus on boys' development, which continue
to be the e sence of an Avon education, i h lping to hap new standard for boy '
chool nationwid . I am privileged to be leading Avon at uch a positive point in
our evolution.
19
The mission of Avon Old Farms, simply stated, i "to be the best school for boy
in the country." To my mind, this commitment reinforces Mrs. Riddle's ideal of build­
ing "an indestructible school for boys." This does not mean that we strive to be the
most selective school or the school with the most impressive list of colleges to which
its graduates matriculate. Instead, we aim to be the school that best addre ses the
developmental needs of adolescent males. Our goal is to facilitate their j umey to
manhood, helping them to grow into successful, contributing members of ociety.
To achieve this, we remain committed to designing programs, hiring faculty, and
building facilitie with th unique needs of teenag boy in mind.
At Avon Old Farms we have also identified important core values: those valu s
that are the foundation of our School and which we seek to inculcate in our
20
student . The
values are basic in nature, yet vital to our community's health and
ultiLTrnt succes . They are, integrity: being honest to oneself and to others; scholarship:
involving oneself in the quest for knowledge; civility: displaying courte y and manners;
altruism: xercising an unselfish concern for the welfare of others; tolerance: accepting
diff rences among people; sportsmanship (in competition and in life): being fair, being
a good loser and a gracious winner; self-discipline: regulating oneself for the sake of
improvement; and responsibility: being trustworthy and able to choose for oneself
betw en right and wrong.
If we are successful in imparting these values to our students, then we know that we
are providing them with the moral foundation they need to live a fulfilling life. If we
can achieve this goal, we are well on our way to "being the best."
Avon Old Farms has also reaffirmed its commitment to several fundamental theme
around which the School has developed and flourished throughout its 75-year history.
Avon Old Farms will remain a boys' school . In an all-male environment, we are more
successful helping boys become men than we would be in a coeducational setting.
21
Bless those who teach and those who learn.
Give to the weak, encouragement ;
to the strong, compassion;
to the doubting, faith;
to the sure, humility;
to the striving, strength.
And to all, peace, tranquility, and hope.
We ask this for thy mercy's sake.
From the Headmaster's Prayer
22
Avon un ler tands the psy h of boys. We know how
challenge th m, how
to
to
motivate them, how to
inspir them, how to help them become men-good men.
Toward this nd, we will continue
to
provide boys with multigenerational rol
model , addr s their need for activity and physicality, and fulfill their d ire
to
belong to a cau e greater than themselves.
We will maintain our all-school meetings and our family-style meals. Here in th village
that Mrs. Riddle designed, we are a community. By joining together several times
each day, we nourish that spirit. It is during these gatherings that we are able
to
impart our core values and talk about the issues with which teenage boys grapple on
a daily ba is.
We will continue our vespers and chapel services. In America today, the vast majority
of teenage boys do not spend time developing their spiritual lives. Our vespers and
chapel services do not espou e any particular r ligiou tradition, but they do provide
our students with the opportunity to consider their live from an ethical and moral
perspective.
We will continue to embrace our liberal arts approach to learning. I n an increasingly
specialized society, we provide our students with the ability to communicate, to
synthesize ideas, and to problem solve. We believe that it is important for them to be
able to look at the world through the eyes of a scienti t, a historian, a poet, and
numerou other lenses if they are going to be good citizens of the world, capable of
making balanced and informed decisions on societal i ues.
Team sports will continue
to
be vital
to
our educational program. We believe that the
experience of being part of an athletic team is rich soil for the cultivation of charac­
ter. Being on a team teaches important l ife lessons: how
to
stretch oneself past one'
comfort zone, how to work with other to achieve a common goal, how to vvin, and
how
to
lose.
The arts will remain an integral part of our educational program. As teenage boys are
challenged
to
build and shape their adult identity, exploring their own creativity
help them make sense of their world- around them and inside of them. To b the
be t chool for boys, we must be pa sionate about our commitment to the arts.
Community service will hold an important position in school life. Young men want to
contribute to causes greater than th m elve , and, in doing so, they benefit th ir
school community, society at large, and them el ve . At Avon, all tudent parti ipate
in our work program and contribute
to
the well-being of others, both within our
chool community and bey nd it wall .
23
Our residential life program is committed
to
encouraging older students to be role models
for our younger boys. At Avon, boys look not only
to
faculty members as role models
and men.tors, they also look to other students. Our residential life program is
designed to encourage bonds between classmates, develop relation.ships and interac­
tion. among all classes, foster close ties with dormitory faculty, and gradually encour­
age older students to assume leadership role .
These goals and core values
embraced by Avon Old Farms today
are, in essence, a reaffirmation. of
founder Theodate Pope Riddle's origi­
n.al ideals. Though transfigured ever so
slightly by each new generation,
Avon's mission has remained alive.
This mission has always been to
educate young men not only in lan­
guage, arts, and sciences, but also in
self-discipline, integrity, and respect
for other . From its beginnings 75
years ago, Avon has sought boys of
character. A cademic and athletic
ability have always been valuable, to
be sure, but character is paramount.
The dream of Avon is
to
create and sustain "a sen e of place"- one that, though
grounded in tradition. and history, can shelter new ideas; one that, challenged by the
powerful forces of new generations, can harness that power for its own steady and
high ideals; and one that, in successfully doing those thin.gs, will remain timeless.
The 21" century will present new challenges and opportunities for our School, but
if we remain true to our ideals, Avon Old Farms will continue to be a community
where traditions live, where scholarship flourishes, and where boys can become men.
Kenneth H. LaRocque,
Headmaster
Avon holds steadily to the cultural traditions of old, but at the same time,
maintains a genuine and intimate interest in each boy's individuality and
personality. It is interested not in sameness but in differences in boys, and
gives to each the thought, care, and training which their parents wish their
sons to have when away from home.
From th
tudent Handbook, 194
2
--==-:..
-�.._ -
30
All of a sudden there was a blackboard and there was something called a gerund up there that
I had never heard of. That first day of classes, it really hit home; it was a whole new world.
Henry R. Coons ' 71, Dir ctor of Alumni Relations, on his first English class as a student at A\'On
l
What I will remember about this team [is that] they brought
honor
to
you,
to
me, to us, by demonstrating that not only will
Avon Old Farms boys come to your school and beat you, they
will be great guys about it. It is nice, and in moments like that
one, I am proud to bask in the glow that you provide.
Timothy M. Beneski, Faculty, Department of English, speaking about
his undefeated fourths soccer team, in his 1999 Chapel Talk
35
9
..p
42
4
As these young men have moved through our classes this year, we have
found, gradually, that the words "teacher" and "student" are inadequate to
describe the relationships that bind us. Invariably, many have become
colleagues and friends.
William Kron, Dean of Faculty, From his Award Night remark
44
45
49
In late March, the club held a
Duck Dinner to signify the dose
of the term. This was a very
well�cooked meal, as Verne
broiled the ducks
From the
50
to
perfection.
Winged Beaver,
1940
A forest is ever-changing;
in spring the tender green
of new leaves and tasselled
buds, birds nesting or in
migratory flight, flowers and curled fronds of ferns
pushing through wet, black earth ; in summer cool
shadows along lazy streams ; in autumn red trees, blue
mist, the rustle of fallen leaves.
From the Catalogue, 192 7
51
53
Up, up the long delirious burning blue
1' ve topped the wind�swept heights with easy grace,
W here never lark, or even eagle flew.
From High Flight, Written by
John Gillespie Magee Jr. '40,
hortly before his death in December 194 1
54
55
And so, at this Christmas time, I greet you.
Nat quite as the world sends greetings,
but with profound esteem,
and with the prayer that for you,
now and forever,
the day breaks and the shadows flee away.
From a letter written by Fra Giovanni in the year 1513,
read by Sidney Clark at Christmas Vespers
59
I beg you friends,
if tonight I sing and ring my bells too gail)',
Remember this feast come but once a )'ear
And our lesson , they come daily!
The Jester, The Boar's HeaJ Festt\'al
68
9
72
7
74
We are a family here. We work
and we play hard-together.
Kenneth H. LaRocque, Headmaster,
first day of classes, 1998
77
79
Bo
8
<9
What you want boys to come
away with is the feeling-the
confidence - that they can be
artistic and make it part of their
lives.
Gail Laferriere, Chairman,
Department of Visual Arts
92
The 1valley rings with mirth and joy ;
Among the hills the echoes pla)'
A never never ending song,
To welcome in the May . . .
And thus, as happy as the da)',
Those Shepherds wear the time away.
William Wl1rdswmth, fwm
The Idle She/1herd-8u'VS
l))
94
95
Here, doing the right thing is as important
as finding the right answer. Teaching values
is as important as teaching any academic
discipline.
Kenneth H. LaRocque, Headmaster
97
99
Do it the right way. Focus on what you' re
doing. Work hard. Be there every day.
George M. Trautman, Headrna ter, 1969-1998
1 03
1 05
10 7
We are eager to move on,
and ufJon reflection, loath
to
leave.
From the foreword of th 1940 yearbook
I IO
I l I
II2
n the face of it, the Avon Old Farm
chool that welcomed my son,
harlie Custer '04, as a freshman in th fall of 2000 is a very different
place from the school where his grandfather, EJdy
uster '43, first enrolled in
1937. There are new buildings, of course; only three of the six classrooms in
which Charlie tudie existed in Eddy's day.
There are new programs as well. Charlie's Avon is firmly committed to inter­
scholastic athletics, and its athletic program is universally respected among
independent schools. Eddy's school, while it featured programs in sport as
unusual as crew and polo, limited itself primarily to intramural sports, and its
teams played for Diogenes and Eagle. Technology, too, has changed the school.
Charlie's teachers can project the Internet onto classroom screens and give tests
and quizzes online; Eddy, and his father-John Sherman Custer,
an Avon faculty member from 1930-44- undoubtedly never
even dreamed of such a thing.
On the other hand, much of the school has changed very
little, as is evident on the following pages. The quadrangle, where
both Eddy and Charlie grew up as "faculty brats," looks and feel
very much as it did in Mrs. Riddle' day, and the Refectory, with
its powerful arches, continue to inspire awe. Perhaps Charlie
cannot make the Avon List and join the Literature Club a his
grandfather did, but he can aspire to make the Headmaster's List,
and he can write for the Hippocrene. Charlie will never know
Verne Priest, the School's woodsman, but he can join the Nimrod
Club, and take the same delight in the pond, the stream, and the
woods that thousand of oth r men of Avon-including hi
grandfather - have taken before him. Indeed, it is reasonable
to assume much of Charlie's experience at Avon will closely
resemble his grandfather's. He will face many of the same
challenges, endure many of the ame victories and defeats. He
will find lifelong friend , inspirational teachers, and a powerful
sense of belonging.
Surveying th
Estate, circa 1923
The reality is that Charlie's school and Eddy's school share
more than Mrs. Riddle's beautiful buildings; the faces and some of the facilities
change, but the spirit of the place remains. Mr . Riddle called it a "village;"
now we use the word "community." However you say it, it means a place where
people strive together toward a common goal, a place where people treat each
other with civility and re peer, a place where the bond forged by common
experiences and shared burden develop into friendship that la t forever.
It means a place to which you can always come home.
Arthur B.W.
uster, Farnlt)', Department of Histor)'
1 13
The building of "Avon College" gets underway. Land
clearing for the school began in the spring of 1921. By
1922, the foundations for the water tower, the forge,
and the carpenter hop were laid. By 1924, there were
325 workmen on ite- including some imported from
England and Italy- and the carpenter shop was
finished. The carpenter shop was was not tran formed
into the chapel, as we know it, until 1949.
Boys in the doorway to the Dean's House with the Post Office in the
background. The carved inscription around the doorway is from
William
hake peare and reads,
we them derive than our foregoers.
Theodate Pope Riddle, 1868- 1946. Architect,
visionary, and founder of Avon Old Farms
School, "T PR" composed poetry as well as
architectural plans. Although she accomplished
much in her life, he considered "Avon College"
her finest achievement.
114
Honors thrive when rather from our acts
Two boy working the Washington
Hoe Pr ss in the Print
hop.
All �chool and student publications
were printed on campus.
The cover of the school
catalogu
,
192 7.
The student body, 1933-34.
I I
5
There hall be a Summary Court consisting of three
Judges, who shall be citizens of the sixth form .. . one
of them shall be President] udge. They shall be
appointed by the Warden for their ability to
perform judicial duties imfJartially, and shall serve
while they are students at the School.
T PR from the
Deed of Trust
The Refectory was run on a clocl<Aike basis and,
at a given hour when the bell rang, the big doors were
to be shut regardless of late comers. Bill Burrage and
I usually had this duty and, although it was great fun
to slam the doors in someone' face, it hardly
increased our popularity.
Alan Burnham '32
Candlelight and formal attire--dinner in the Refectory.
A quarryman dres ing facing stone (or
ashlar)-Juras ic red bed and tone that
wa quarried from the E tate.
Dean Richard H. Sears ( Latin Ma ter and Dean, 192 8-1944)
presides over a study hall .
The ashlar is not cut to any special
Tutors keep in close daily touch with the work of the boys
design or size, but a maximum and
and the boys may at any time call upon their Tutor for
minimum size is given. This saves a lot
guidance and encouragement.
of stone as the cutter can take any piece
of rough stone and square it up
Francis M. Froelicher, Provost, 1927- l 929
to
whatever size it will make . As little
work as possible is done of the face of
the stone. The very high places are
knocked off using a hammer and point.
Then a peen hammer is used in order to
get a fairly fiat surface . In some cases,
it is only necessary to use the peen
hammer. The cutting is all done by eye.
The use of a straight edge is omitted.
TPR
The power house wa
completed in 1926 to
supply the Quadrangle
with electricity and heat.
Work in the power house
wa considered a necessary
part of the community
work expected of all boys.
I I7
Beams for the Carpenter Shop, of
mountain oak from North
Carolina, are dressed and shaped.
Although the awmill was used
for some of the initial interior
woodwork, where oak timbers
were used, they were hewn with
the broad axe.
The boys are invited to use their imagination and express their
ideas in any form which may suit them - with the result that
they take a real interest in their work and progress rapidly.
StuJent HanJbook, 1928
u8
Regulation 'white flannels'
on the tennis ourt.
Cal isthenics on the Village Green, 193 7.
Hockey on
Lower Walton PonJ.
The Woodsman shall be an experienced and
/Jractical worker from the Maine woods or
Canada. He shall be steeped in woodlore and
highly qualified
to
instruct boys in woodcraft.
TPR from The Deed of Trust
Th
Nimrod Club, from the
1942
Winged Beaver.
Sitting,
from left: George M.
McKinney'43, Malcolm G.
Maginnis '42, and Han on E.
Ely '42.
randing, from left:
Edmund
. Miller 42 David
'
,
. Bigelow '44, Richard N.
Clark '42, Mr. Thayer, Mr.
Child, Verne Priest, Mr.
tabler, Mr. Brown, and
Henry Daden '43. On the
roof: Laurence C. Bigelow, '43,
David J.
tanley '42, Clement
Pollock '42, James M.
tewart
'43, and Tedrowe Watkins '42.
The Fire Brigade.
In case of fire every
boy does his share of
the fighting.
Student Handbook, 1928
The
arpenter Shop beams laid out, being fitted, circa 1923.
Winter in the woods by B aver Dam Pond.
Boys m study hall
in
one of rbe Quadrangle build mg�.
From the \X'mged Beai·er, 1937
I 21
The A Club, for the athl tic lettermen of the school, from the
Winged Beaver,
1942.
First row, from left: David J.
tanley '42, David R. P. Burns '43,
Henry Daden '43, Pet r B. Hewes '43, Harry L. Flynn '46,
Gilbert Elliott '42, and Roger A. Fowler '42. Second row, from
left: John R. Cheshire '42,
harles S. Knowles '42, Hanson E.
Ely '42, Tedrowe Watkins '42, Frederick 0. Lyter '42, Rus ell
Hunter '42, and Richard N. Clark '42. Third row, from left:
Malcolm G. Maginni '42,
lifford W. Hankin '42, Thomas M.
Jones '42, William G. Grainger '42, Isaac G.
David R. Stinson '42.
The post and beam frame of the forge is raised.
Students in the Library, located
on the second floor of the Bank
Building, overseen by French
Master Jean E. A. Fraisier.
122
mith Jr. '42, and
A snap bot from the Winged Beaver taken at
the polo match against Andover on Founder '
Day, 1937. Avon i riding in front on Al Joi on,
with Andover in pursuit. The identity of the
Avon player i unknown, although the pol
team at that time was composed of Harris H.
Bucklin '37, Thomas K. Curtis '38, D nald M.
Davidson '38, Charles E. Perkins '37, and Paul
Schoellkopf '37.
Instruction in polo shall be given.
Emphasis shall be placed on polo, as it
develops quick reactions, coordination
and courage. Avon colours shall be
worn at all games. Polo shall be the
only extramural sport at Avon.
TPR from
The Deed of Trust
William B. Rand '32, here being congratulated by Mrs. Riddle. Bill Rand was captain of
Avon's polo team and went on to become captain of the polo team at Yale.
12 3
The Photographer's
lub, from the
Winged Beaver, 1937.
First row, from left: deforest W. Trimingham
'40, Edmund S. McCawley Jr. '40, Gilson S. Terriberry '39, Charles C. Towers '38, Mr. Paul Child,
Richard S. Whiting '39, Frank C. Hart '41, and Dewey H. Nelson '41. Second row, from left:
Christopher H. Phillips '39, Donald Brinckerhoff '38, Richard E. Williams '40, and Bronson
B. T. Eden '42.
All lumber used for farm work, scaffolding, and
temporary buildings, was awed in the School 's mill.
The logs were obtained from the School property.
124
The framing of the Forge nears completion.
Students may have the opportunity of raising domestic fowl
and small animals. . . A farm affords an ideal environment
for youth. Avon students who are interested in animals shall
be given instruction in the feeding, care, and judging of live
stock .. . The Founder believes that a boy who has never
known the hardships of work on a farm, in the forest or in
the shops, and has never experienced the joy of completing
a task, even when it means enduring physical discomfort
and pain, has been deprived of one of the most valuable
experiences that life can offer for the development of
character.
TPR from
The Deed of Trust
The care of the forest i largely in the hands of the boys.
chool
atalogue, 1928.
1 25
The Water Tower nearing completion rises 80 feet, circ a 1923.
The frame of the Refectory begins to take shape. Its di tinctive tone
buttresses are visible through the three-foot-thick m asonry w alls.
Exercise shall for the most part
be in the open air.
T PR from
T he Deed of Trust
Horsing around i n the Quadr angle.
A pe 1formance of "Tr ial by Jury."
Probably the greatest events at Avon, in those
early yeaTS , were the G ilbert & Sullivan
operettas . . . pe1formed in the Refectory .
Alan Burnham '32
Donald W. Pierpont wa provost (or
head of the
chool ) from 1947
to
1 96 8 .
Pierpont got the School gmng aga m after
the war years ; for this and his faith in
ev ery boy, he was loved by his Men of
Avon. His term was cut hort when he
died of a heart attack m 196 .
The completed Water Tower, Forge, and
arpenter Shop , circa 1924, and today.
1 28
M E N O F AV O N
S trike the drumhead , fly the banner
Youth leaps forward like a wave
Sweeping all that's bad before it ,
B uild a future for the brave .
T hwart the foolis h , guard the prudent ,
S trike out boldly for the right :
Keep this land the home of freedom
W here all men may take delight.
Make our school and make our nation
Into places where secure ,
Lawfulness will find a haven
And where peace will long endure.
Now we gather, Men of Avon
Men of honor, men of will :
Set our hearts upon the mountains ,
And our destiny fulfill.
1'
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