Girard College
Encyclopedia
Girard College is an independent boarding school
on a 43-acre (170,000m²) campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, in the United States
.
Girard is for academically capable students, grades one through 12, and awards a full scholarship with a yearly value of approximately $42,000 to every child admitted to the school. The scholarship covers most of the costs of attending Girard, including tuition, room and board, books, and school uniforms. The scholarship is renewable yearly until high-school graduation. Applicants must be at least six years old, demonstrate good social skills and the potential for scholastic achievement, and come from a single-parent, lower-income family. Girard accepts students on the basis of school records, admissions testing, a visit, and interviews, without preference for race, gender, religion, or national origin.
Girard's mission is to prepare students for advanced education and life as informed, ethical, and productive citizens through a rigorous educational program that promotes intellectual, social, and emotional growth.
was the eldest of 14 children. His mother died when he was 11, and he left home at the age of 14 to spend the next 12 years sailing the seas and learning the international mercantile and shipping business.
Girard arrived in Philadelphia in June 1776 and remained there for the rest of his life. During his 55 years there, he became the richest American of his time.
Girard was married to Mary Lum from 1777 until her death in 1815. They had no children.
Girard’s first fortune was in international shipping and merchant activities. He sent his ships, crews, and captains around the world and deposited his growing wealth in the First Bank of the United States in Philadelphia. When the First Bank lost its charter in 1811, he bought the bank's building, left his money there, and reopened as the Bank of Stephen Girard. This made him America’s first private banker. He made his second fortune in banking and helped raise the $16 million required for the U.S. government to fight the War of 1812. Forklore has it incorrectly that he saved the government from bankruptcy. By the time of his death, his fortune totaled approximately $7.5 million.
One of the most interesting chapters of Girard’s life was his role in fighting Philadelphia’s yellow-fever epidemic in the summer of 1793. He was instrumental in running the city’s hospital at William Hamilton's home, “Bush Hill,” using his business skills to better organize the hospital’s health care and record keeping and becoming personally involved in nursing. The significance of his heroism that summer is that we see, for the first time, a man who stepped forward to assist his beloved city of Philadelphia in a way that no one else would.
The elderly Girard started to think about what he would do with his fortune. With the assistance of attorney William J. Duane in the 1820s, he wrote a long will outlining every detail of how his fortune would be used. He delighted in keeping the document secret, knowing that everyone wondered what would happen to his fortune. Immediately after his death, the provisions of his will were made public. In addition to extensive personal and institutional bequests, he left the bulk of his fortune to the City of Philadelphia to build and operate a residential school for needy children from single-parent households. This innovative social vision was considered extremely unusual both then and now: to use the Girard fortune not to endow another Ivy League university but to assist children in need. In 1831, the bequest was the largest single act of philanthropy in American history.
Girard’s will eventually became famous for his restriction that students must be “poor, white, male, orphans.” The school remained for needy white boys for over a century. From 1954, with the U. S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, there was increasing interest in integrating Girard College by race. After a long, bitter 14-year civil-rights struggle (including Martin Luther King's speaking at Girard’s front gates in August 1965), the first four black boys entered the school in September 1968 and the first black girls in 1984. Current enrollment is about evenly divided between boys and girls and about 80% African-American.
The Girard Estate remains open in perpetuity and provides much of the operating budget for the school.
.
His vision as a school for poor, orphaned boys who had lost their fathers was unique in educating an entirely unserved population. Girard saw a chance to educate boys who might otherwise be lost and to prepare them for useful, productive lives. Girard's vision for the school can best be understood in the context of early 19th-century Philadelphia. The city was at the forefront of creating innovative American institutions designed to solve a specific social challenge, such as the Eastern State Penitentiary (humane incarceration), the Pennsylvania Hospital (mental illness), the Pennsylvania Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb (disabilities), and the Franklin Institute (scientific knowledge). Girard chose to dedicate his immense fortune to help educate Americans for the future.
The term "orphan" does appear in the Will. However, in 1831, a mother who became a widow had no rights and resources, and guardians were often appointed. In reality, Girard operated as a school for boys who were fatherless as a result of death of the father and were not children with no living parents or guardians, such as may become the wards of orphanages. Therefore, the use of the term "orphans." As the 20th century progressed and women achieved full and equal rights and status including the right to vote, "orphans" became erroneous as a term of reference for Girard students, who, up to 1960s social changes, were fatherless by means of death.
The grounds provision of the will and others like it led to a number of rumors about the contents of Girard's will. One widely believed but ultimately apocryphal "provision" was that the financier demanded that Girard College be surrounded by a 20 feet (6.1 m) wall. To be in absolute compliance with his will, his benefactors built the wall but sank it 10 feet (3 m) below ground so that it would appear at a less extreme height.
Not part of the School District of Philadelphia
, the school was segregated well after Brown v. Board of Education
until it was ordered to desegregate by the Supreme Court. Perhaps the key to the ruling was that Girard, following its founder's will, was administered by the Board of City Trusts, and that public institution could not maintain that historical entrance requirement. The first African-American male student was admitted in 1968.
The first female student was admitted as a first grader in 1984, following more adjustments to the admission criteria, so that the death of a father was no longer required. Girls were gradually integrated into the school over a 12-year period with subsequent new female students only permitted to enroll in the same graduating class as the first female student or a younger class. The first females graduated in 1993. Girard's first female valedictorian is Kimberly Green. The graduating class of 1996 was the first class to graduate with more females than males, although it remains more or less balanced.
The College made history in May 2009 when it named Autumn Adkins as its 16th president in its 160-year existence. Ms. Adkins, who succeeded Dominic Cermele, became both the first woman and first African-American to head the school. She was educated at the University of Virginia and Columbia University and worked previoulsy at Friends Seminary, Sidwell Friends, and Mercersburg Academy.
Entering 2010, student enrollment at Girard is 549; of these, 183 are Lower School students (grades 1-6) and 366 attend the Upper School (grades 9-12). Girard employs 127 faculty members; 71 are academic teachers and 56 are residential advisors. Class sizes range between 12 and 20 students in the elementary school and 16-22 students in the middle school. In the high school, advance-placement classes average 9 students, honors classes 15 students, and regular classes 20 to 25 students.
Girard’s performance-based curriculum is in accordance with national standards. All grade levels and subject areas have specific benchmarks and content standards that measure successful student outcomes and achievements. Girard is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. It also holds membership in the National Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Boarding Schools, and the Coalition for Residential Education
Virtually all Girard graduates are accepted into colleges and universities with approximately 95% continuing to to higher-education institutions. Schools most frequently attended by Girard students include Drexel University, Pennsylvania State University, and Temple University. In recent years, top Girard students have enrolled at Columbia University, Cornell University, George Washington University, Howard University, New York University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Ursinus College, Villanova University, and Washington University.
(1786–1844) was chairman of the school’s building committee and president of the Second Bank of the United States
in Philadelphia.
Girard’s will demanded an architectural competition for the school's design. Endowed with his $2-million contribution, the 1832 competition was the first American architectural competition to have truly national participation. The winning architect was Thomas Ustick Walter (1804–1887). After the Girard commission, Walter went on to design the dome of the United State Capitol in Washington, D.C. He later returned to Philadelphia and became an assistant architect on the City Hall and, in 1857, a founding member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Founder’s Hall was the school’s original classroom building. It has three main floors, each measuring 14000 square feet (1,300.6 m²). The plan for each floor, according to Stephen Girard's specifications, consists of a 100 x 20 ft. front hall, four 50 ft. square rooms with 25 ft. ceilings arranged two-by-two, and a back hall that is the same size as the front hall. The scale of the spaces was impressively large when the building first opened.
Resulting from his association with architect Walter, Nicholas Biddle hired him in 1834 to convert the Biddle country seat, Andalusia
, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
, from a large Pennsylvania farmhouse into an exemplary domestic Greek-Revival structure.
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
on a 43-acre (170,000m²) campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Girard is for academically capable students, grades one through 12, and awards a full scholarship with a yearly value of approximately $42,000 to every child admitted to the school. The scholarship covers most of the costs of attending Girard, including tuition, room and board, books, and school uniforms. The scholarship is renewable yearly until high-school graduation. Applicants must be at least six years old, demonstrate good social skills and the potential for scholastic achievement, and come from a single-parent, lower-income family. Girard accepts students on the basis of school records, admissions testing, a visit, and interviews, without preference for race, gender, religion, or national origin.
Girard's mission is to prepare students for advanced education and life as informed, ethical, and productive citizens through a rigorous educational program that promotes intellectual, social, and emotional growth.
Stephen Girard's Legacy
Born in Bordeaux, France, Stephen GirardStephen Girard
Stephen Girard was a French-born, naturalized American, philanthropist and banker. He personally saved the U.S. government from financial collapse during the War of 1812, and became one of the wealthiest men in America, estimated to have been the fourth richest American of all time, based on the...
was the eldest of 14 children. His mother died when he was 11, and he left home at the age of 14 to spend the next 12 years sailing the seas and learning the international mercantile and shipping business.
Girard arrived in Philadelphia in June 1776 and remained there for the rest of his life. During his 55 years there, he became the richest American of his time.
Girard was married to Mary Lum from 1777 until her death in 1815. They had no children.
Girard’s first fortune was in international shipping and merchant activities. He sent his ships, crews, and captains around the world and deposited his growing wealth in the First Bank of the United States in Philadelphia. When the First Bank lost its charter in 1811, he bought the bank's building, left his money there, and reopened as the Bank of Stephen Girard. This made him America’s first private banker. He made his second fortune in banking and helped raise the $16 million required for the U.S. government to fight the War of 1812. Forklore has it incorrectly that he saved the government from bankruptcy. By the time of his death, his fortune totaled approximately $7.5 million.
One of the most interesting chapters of Girard’s life was his role in fighting Philadelphia’s yellow-fever epidemic in the summer of 1793. He was instrumental in running the city’s hospital at William Hamilton's home, “Bush Hill,” using his business skills to better organize the hospital’s health care and record keeping and becoming personally involved in nursing. The significance of his heroism that summer is that we see, for the first time, a man who stepped forward to assist his beloved city of Philadelphia in a way that no one else would.
The elderly Girard started to think about what he would do with his fortune. With the assistance of attorney William J. Duane in the 1820s, he wrote a long will outlining every detail of how his fortune would be used. He delighted in keeping the document secret, knowing that everyone wondered what would happen to his fortune. Immediately after his death, the provisions of his will were made public. In addition to extensive personal and institutional bequests, he left the bulk of his fortune to the City of Philadelphia to build and operate a residential school for needy children from single-parent households. This innovative social vision was considered extremely unusual both then and now: to use the Girard fortune not to endow another Ivy League university but to assist children in need. In 1831, the bequest was the largest single act of philanthropy in American history.
Girard’s will eventually became famous for his restriction that students must be “poor, white, male, orphans.” The school remained for needy white boys for over a century. From 1954, with the U. S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, there was increasing interest in integrating Girard College by race. After a long, bitter 14-year civil-rights struggle (including Martin Luther King's speaking at Girard’s front gates in August 1965), the first four black boys entered the school in September 1968 and the first black girls in 1984. Current enrollment is about evenly divided between boys and girls and about 80% African-American.
The Girard Estate remains open in perpetuity and provides much of the operating budget for the school.
History of Girard College
Girard College was founded in 1833 and opened on January 1, 1848, under provisions of the will of Stephen GirardStephen Girard
Stephen Girard was a French-born, naturalized American, philanthropist and banker. He personally saved the U.S. government from financial collapse during the War of 1812, and became one of the wealthiest men in America, estimated to have been the fourth richest American of all time, based on the...
.
His vision as a school for poor, orphaned boys who had lost their fathers was unique in educating an entirely unserved population. Girard saw a chance to educate boys who might otherwise be lost and to prepare them for useful, productive lives. Girard's vision for the school can best be understood in the context of early 19th-century Philadelphia. The city was at the forefront of creating innovative American institutions designed to solve a specific social challenge, such as the Eastern State Penitentiary (humane incarceration), the Pennsylvania Hospital (mental illness), the Pennsylvania Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb (disabilities), and the Franklin Institute (scientific knowledge). Girard chose to dedicate his immense fortune to help educate Americans for the future.
The term "orphan" does appear in the Will. However, in 1831, a mother who became a widow had no rights and resources, and guardians were often appointed. In reality, Girard operated as a school for boys who were fatherless as a result of death of the father and were not children with no living parents or guardians, such as may become the wards of orphanages. Therefore, the use of the term "orphans." As the 20th century progressed and women achieved full and equal rights and status including the right to vote, "orphans" became erroneous as a term of reference for Girard students, who, up to 1960s social changes, were fatherless by means of death.
The grounds provision of the will and others like it led to a number of rumors about the contents of Girard's will. One widely believed but ultimately apocryphal "provision" was that the financier demanded that Girard College be surrounded by a 20 feet (6.1 m) wall. To be in absolute compliance with his will, his benefactors built the wall but sank it 10 feet (3 m) below ground so that it would appear at a less extreme height.
Not part of the School District of Philadelphia
School District of Philadelphia
The School District of Philadelphia is a school district based in the School District of Philadelphia Education Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that includes all public schools in the city of Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the eighth largest school district in the nation.The School...
, the school was segregated well after Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
until it was ordered to desegregate by the Supreme Court. Perhaps the key to the ruling was that Girard, following its founder's will, was administered by the Board of City Trusts, and that public institution could not maintain that historical entrance requirement. The first African-American male student was admitted in 1968.
The first female student was admitted as a first grader in 1984, following more adjustments to the admission criteria, so that the death of a father was no longer required. Girls were gradually integrated into the school over a 12-year period with subsequent new female students only permitted to enroll in the same graduating class as the first female student or a younger class. The first females graduated in 1993. Girard's first female valedictorian is Kimberly Green. The graduating class of 1996 was the first class to graduate with more females than males, although it remains more or less balanced.
The College made history in May 2009 when it named Autumn Adkins as its 16th president in its 160-year existence. Ms. Adkins, who succeeded Dominic Cermele, became both the first woman and first African-American to head the school. She was educated at the University of Virginia and Columbia University and worked previoulsy at Friends Seminary, Sidwell Friends, and Mercersburg Academy.
Program
All students live in single-sex dormitories arranged by grade level. Residential advisors occupy apartments in the dorm buildings, creating a caring, familial atmosphere for students. Girard requires that all students participate in the five-day program for the full benefit of its academic and residential curricula. Many students whose families live nearby choose to go home on weekends. There are occasions when children stay on campus on weekends. Girard offers supervised weekend activities, such as sports, social events, trips, community service, study time, and tutoring. Girard is open to students of all religious backgrounds. Twice a month at the beginning of the school day, all students attend nondenominational services in the school’s chapel, offering a forum for spiritual and moral development.Entering 2010, student enrollment at Girard is 549; of these, 183 are Lower School students (grades 1-6) and 366 attend the Upper School (grades 9-12). Girard employs 127 faculty members; 71 are academic teachers and 56 are residential advisors. Class sizes range between 12 and 20 students in the elementary school and 16-22 students in the middle school. In the high school, advance-placement classes average 9 students, honors classes 15 students, and regular classes 20 to 25 students.
Girard’s performance-based curriculum is in accordance with national standards. All grade levels and subject areas have specific benchmarks and content standards that measure successful student outcomes and achievements. Girard is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. It also holds membership in the National Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Boarding Schools, and the Coalition for Residential Education
Virtually all Girard graduates are accepted into colleges and universities with approximately 95% continuing to to higher-education institutions. Schools most frequently attended by Girard students include Drexel University, Pennsylvania State University, and Temple University. In recent years, top Girard students have enrolled at Columbia University, Cornell University, George Washington University, Howard University, New York University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Ursinus College, Villanova University, and Washington University.
Founder's Hall
Claims are that the Founder’s Hall at Girard College (1833–1847) is one of the finest example of American Greek-Revival architecture. School founder Girard specified in his will the dimensions and plan of the building. Nicholas BiddleNicholas Biddle
Nicholas Biddle may refer to:* Nicholas Biddle , officer in the American Continental Navy* Nicholas Biddle , American banker and President of the Second Bank of the United States...
(1786–1844) was chairman of the school’s building committee and president of the Second Bank of the United States
Second Bank of the United States
The Second Bank of the United States was chartered in 1816, five years after the First Bank of the United States lost its own charter. The Second Bank of the United States was initially headquartered in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, the same as the First Bank, and had branches throughout the...
in Philadelphia.
Girard’s will demanded an architectural competition for the school's design. Endowed with his $2-million contribution, the 1832 competition was the first American architectural competition to have truly national participation. The winning architect was Thomas Ustick Walter (1804–1887). After the Girard commission, Walter went on to design the dome of the United State Capitol in Washington, D.C. He later returned to Philadelphia and became an assistant architect on the City Hall and, in 1857, a founding member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Founder’s Hall was the school’s original classroom building. It has three main floors, each measuring 14000 square feet (1,300.6 m²). The plan for each floor, according to Stephen Girard's specifications, consists of a 100 x 20 ft. front hall, four 50 ft. square rooms with 25 ft. ceilings arranged two-by-two, and a back hall that is the same size as the front hall. The scale of the spaces was impressively large when the building first opened.
Resulting from his association with architect Walter, Nicholas Biddle hired him in 1834 to convert the Biddle country seat, Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
, from a large Pennsylvania farmhouse into an exemplary domestic Greek-Revival structure.
Notable alumni
Graduates (or, in some cases, former students) of Girard College include:- Mark Elkins (class of '70), singer-songwriter, CD 'Noisy Appetites'
- Lawrence Cunningham, author and professor
- Harry Davis, former Major League Baseball player.
- Myer Feldman, aide to President John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. - Al HarkerAl HarkerAlbert “Al” Harker was a U.S. soccer player who was a member of the U.S. team at the 1934 FIFA World Cup. During his Hall of Fame career, he won three American Soccer League championships, two league cups, a U.S. Amateur Cup title and the 1935 U.S...
, 1934 FIFA World Cup1934 FIFA World CupThe 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934....
and professional soccer player. Member of the National Soccer Hall of FameNational Soccer Hall of FameThe National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
. - Richard Harris, prospector-first major gold discovery in Juneau, AlaskaJuneau, AlaskaThe City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
. - Gary Hodgson, former Major League Baseball player.
- Russell JohnsonRussell JohnsonRussell David Johnson is an American television and film actor best known as "The Professor" on the CBS television sitcom Gilligan's Island...
, actor, "the professor" on Gilligan's IslandGilligan's IslandGilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
. - Franz KlineFranz KlineFranz Jozef Kline was an American painter mainly associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement centered around New York in the 1940s and 1950s. He was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and attended Girard College, an academy in Philadelphia for fatherless boys...
, an American Abstract Expressionist painter from the 1940s and 1950s. - Tracey LeeTracey LeeTracey Lee is a former rapper and is now a Lawyer. He became known in 1997 when his single "The Theme " had some commercial success. His debut album Many Facez followed on March 25, 1997...
, rapper. - George HegaminGeorge HegaminGeorge Russell Hegamin is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers....
, former NFL Offensive Tackle (Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Bucs) - Johnny LushJohnny LushJohn Charles Lush , was a former professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1904-1910. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies.On May 1, 1906, while with the Phillies, Lush no-hit the Brooklyn Superbas 6-0...
, former Major League Baseball player. - John "Jocko" MilliganJocko MilliganJohn "Jocko" Milligan , was a professional baseball player who played catcher in the Major Leagues from 1884-1893. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics, St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Athletics, Washington Senators, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Giants.-External links:...
, former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player. - Walter K. Durham, one of the most popular Main Line architect/builders of the twentieth century.
- James Hamilton Windrim, artist/architect-designed the Bank of the United StatesBank of the United StatesBank of the United States may refer to:* First Bank of the United States * Second Bank of the United States * Bank of United States , a commercial bank not affiliated with the government* U.S...
. - Ashton YoubotyAshton YoubotyAshton Youboty is an American football cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
, NFL CornerbackCornerbackA cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
for the Buffalo BillsBuffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - Mike Freeman, Actor/Journalist
- Teddy Bender, Sun Oil Tycoon
- William Ball, author of 21 books about the Linux operating system and other Open Source software
- John Gearhart, PhD, stem cell pioneer.
External links
- Girard College
- Girard College Alumni Association
- Listing, drawings, and photographs at the Historic American Buildings SurveyHistoric American Buildings SurveyThe Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
- The Winterthur Library Overview of an archival finding aid on Girard College.
- Report of the Committee on Clothing, Diet, &c. to the Board of Trustees of the Girard College for Orphans (1835)