Lenox School for Boys
Encyclopedia
Lenox School for Boys was a New England
preparatory school
for students in grades 9-12 in Lenox, Massachusetts
, USA established by the Protestant Episcopal Church of New England. It existed from 1926 under Rev. G. Gardner Monks, the school's first Headmaster until 1946. Then his successor, The Rev. Robert L. Curry, D.D was headmaster. Financial problems resulted, first, in the 1972 merger on the Lenox campus with the Bordentown Military Institute
and, then, the shutdown of the combined entity the following year as the Vietnam War
reduced the popularity of a military education.
Lenox boasted a student body of from 150 to 250 boys with about 32 teachers or masters. The School was modeled on the English 'public' school system (Independent school (United Kingdom)) and instead of grades to designate classes, the term "Forms" was used. The School also used a system of Prefects which were members of the 6th form (the senior year) and were elected by the Senior class or appointed by the Headmaster. In addition to rigorous academic demands, the school was notable for its sports teams. The motto of the school was Non Ministrari-Sed Ministrare; "not to be ministered unto but to minister" or, currently, "not to be served but to serve".
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
preparatory school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
for students in grades 9-12 in Lenox, Massachusetts
Lenox, Massachusetts
Lenox is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Set in Western Massachusetts, it is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,077 at the 2000 census. Where the town has a border with Stockbridge is the site of Tanglewood, summer...
, USA established by the Protestant Episcopal Church of New England. It existed from 1926 under Rev. G. Gardner Monks, the school's first Headmaster until 1946. Then his successor, The Rev. Robert L. Curry, D.D was headmaster. Financial problems resulted, first, in the 1972 merger on the Lenox campus with the Bordentown Military Institute
Bordentown Military Institute
The Bordentown Military Institute was a private high school in Bordentown, New Jersey from 1881 to 1973.-History:It was created in 1881 when Reverend William Bowen purchased the Spring Villa Female Seminary building and reopened it as the Bordentown Military Institute. In 1972 it was merged with...
and, then, the shutdown of the combined entity the following year as the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
reduced the popularity of a military education.
Lenox boasted a student body of from 150 to 250 boys with about 32 teachers or masters. The School was modeled on the English 'public' school system (Independent school (United Kingdom)) and instead of grades to designate classes, the term "Forms" was used. The School also used a system of Prefects which were members of the 6th form (the senior year) and were elected by the Senior class or appointed by the Headmaster. In addition to rigorous academic demands, the school was notable for its sports teams. The motto of the school was Non Ministrari-Sed Ministrare; "not to be ministered unto but to minister" or, currently, "not to be served but to serve".
Notable alumni
- Robert C. Seamans, Jr.Robert SeamansRobert Channing Seamans, Jr. was a NASA Deputy Administrator and MIT professor.-Birth and education:He was born in Salem, Massachusetts to Pauline and Robert Seamans. His great-great-grandfather was Otis Tufts...
, Deputy Administrator of NASA during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations; Secretary of the Air Force under Richard Nixon - John Allen GableJohn Allen GableDr. John Allen Gable served as executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association from 1974 through to his death in February 2005. He was widely considered the world's leading authority on Theodore Roosevelt.-Biography:...
, (1961), executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association until his death - Lucien A. Hold, (1965), a comedy-club talent booker and manager who helped discover and promote the early careers of New York comedians Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld and Adam Sandler. Married to Vanessa HollingsheadVanessa HollingsheadVanessa Hollingshead is an American actress and stand-up comedian who has performed on many comedy programs including Comedy Central Presents, Live At Jongleurs and The Jim Breuer Show. She has also acted in a number of films, including a small role in the 1999 film, Ghost Dog: The Way of the...
. Deceased 2004. - Kirk Scharfenberg, (1961), a distinguished journalist who worked for the New York Times and the Boston Globe. He shared the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Journalism given to the Boston Globe for "Local Investigative Specialized Reporting," on the subject of racism in Boston. He was also famous for an editorial of March 15, 1980, under the headline: "Mush from the Wimp". This referred to a proposal by then President Carter. The headline was inadvertently included in a printed edition of the Globe. Deceased 1992.
- Robert L. Crosby, (1961), a Swift Boat captain in Vietnam, where he died, was a friend of presidential candidate John Kerry.
- Clifton O. Dummett, (1961), a dental professor at LSU who helped integrate the New Orleans Yacht club, now deceased. He was a known for his dental lectures on pediatric dentistry.
- Watermelon SlimWatermelon SlimBill Homans, professionally known as "Watermelon Slim", is an American blues musician. He plays both guitar and harmonica. He is currently signed to NorthernBlues Music, based in Toronto, Ontario.-Biography:...
, a musician - Francis G. James, Sr. (1932), a professor of Irish history at Tulane University for nearly 40 years.
- Stanley LoomisStanley LoomisStanley Loomis was the author of four books on French history: Du Barry , Paris in the Terror , A Crime of Passion , and The Fatal Friendship . Paris in the Terror was named one of the “books of the century” by the University of California, Berkeley...
, author of four books on French history - William Earnshaw, Ph.D., (1968), faculty member at the Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Edinburgh