Pomfret School
Encyclopedia
Pomfret School is an independent coeducational boarding and day school in Pomfret, Connecticut
, United States
for grades 9 through 12 plus a post-graduate year. Pomfret School was founded in 1894, on the principles of intellectual rigor and the development of character. It aims to help students realize their scholarly, financial, physical and spiritual potential and recognize their responsibilities as members of a community.
Pomfret is located on Connecticut Route 169 next to The Rectory School
.
in 1894. Architect Ernest Flagg
(1857–1946) designed the Romanesque stone Clark Memorial Chapel
in 1907, and the distinctive brick Georgian school house, four dormitories, Pyne infirmary & Lewis gymnasium from 1907 to 1917. The DuPont Library, the gift of Henry B. DuPont, was designed by The Cambridge Seven in 1970; The Centennial Building of 1994 was designed by Mark Simon '64 of Centerbrook Architects. In October 2004, the school opened a new athletic center and student union designed by Tai Soo Kim Partners. The athletic center was donated by Jon Corzine
, former governor of New Jersey
and parent of a recent Pomfret graduate, and the Student Union was donated by Robert Olmsted, an alumnus and long-time trustee of the school. Other new facilities include the Jahn Rink, designed by architect Helmut Jahn
, another parent of a recent graduate; the Blodgett Boathouse and Blodgett Tennis Center, both donated by Mark Blodgett '75; a state-of-the-art observatory; and the Lasell Alumni House. The school also owns a student-run radio station, WBVC (FM)
91.1 FM.
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Pomfret, Connecticut
Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,798 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for grades 9 through 12 plus a post-graduate year. Pomfret School was founded in 1894, on the principles of intellectual rigor and the development of character. It aims to help students realize their scholarly, financial, physical and spiritual potential and recognize their responsibilities as members of a community.
Pomfret is located on Connecticut Route 169 next to The Rectory School
The Rectory School
The Rectory School is an independent, coeducational, junior boarding and day school in Pomfret, Connecticut, USA. The school was founded by Rev. Frank H. Bigelow in 1920...
.
Facilities
The campus was designed by landscape designer Frederick Law OlmstedFrederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
in 1894. Architect Ernest Flagg
Ernest Flagg
Ernest Flagg was a noted American architect in the Beaux-Arts style. He was also an advocate for urban reform and architecture's social responsibility.-Biography:...
(1857–1946) designed the Romanesque stone Clark Memorial Chapel
Edward Walter Clark, Jr.
Edward Walter Clark, Jr. was commodore of the Philadelphia Corinthian Yacht Club and senior partner in the E. W. Clark & Co. investment house.-Biography:He was born in 1858 to Edward White Clark and Mary Todhunter Sill...
in 1907, and the distinctive brick Georgian school house, four dormitories, Pyne infirmary & Lewis gymnasium from 1907 to 1917. The DuPont Library, the gift of Henry B. DuPont, was designed by The Cambridge Seven in 1970; The Centennial Building of 1994 was designed by Mark Simon '64 of Centerbrook Architects. In October 2004, the school opened a new athletic center and student union designed by Tai Soo Kim Partners. The athletic center was donated by Jon Corzine
Jon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...
, former governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
and parent of a recent Pomfret graduate, and the Student Union was donated by Robert Olmsted, an alumnus and long-time trustee of the school. Other new facilities include the Jahn Rink, designed by architect Helmut Jahn
Helmut Jahn
Helmut Jahn is a German-American architect, well known for designs such as the US$800 million Sony Center on the Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, the Messeturm in Frankfurt and the One Liberty Place, formerly the tallest building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, an international...
, another parent of a recent graduate; the Blodgett Boathouse and Blodgett Tennis Center, both donated by Mark Blodgett '75; a state-of-the-art observatory; and the Lasell Alumni House. The school also owns a student-run radio station, WBVC (FM)
WBVC (FM)
-General information:WBVC is a freeform high school radio station located in Pomfret, Connecticut. Directly affiliated with Pomfret School, the station is funded through a gift from Bill and Virginia Cargill, whose initials, BVC, form the stations call letters.-External links:*...
91.1 FM.
Notable alumni
- Edward Stettinius, Jr.Edward Stettinius, Jr.Edward Reilly Stettinius, Jr. was United States Secretary of State under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, serving from 1944 to 1945....
, first United States Ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. Secretary of State - Edward StreeterEdward StreeterEdward Streeter was an American novelist and journalist, best known for the 1949 novel Father of the Bride and his Dere Mable series....
'10, banker and author of Father of the Bride and Mr. Hobbs' Vacation. - William P. CareyWilliam P. CareyWilliam Polk Carey born in Baltimore, Maryland is an American businessman and founder of W. P. Carey & Co. LLC, a corporate real estate financing firm headquartered in New York City. The world’s largest publicly traded limited liability company, W. P...
'48, businessman, philanthropist - Herbert Claiborne Pell, Jr.Herbert PellHerbert Claiborne Pell, Jr. was a United States Representative from New York, U.S. Minister to Portugal, U.S. Minister to Hungary, and an instigator and member of the United Nations War Crimes Commission....
, Member of Congress (D-NY) and U.S. Minister to Hungary & Portugal - Eric D. ColemanEric D. ColemanEric D. Coleman is a Democratic Party politician in the United States. He currently serves as state senator of Connecticut's 2nd District, representing Bloomfield, Hartford, and Windsor...
, State Senator, Deputy President Pro Tempore in the Connecticut Senate - Frederic W. Lincoln, Jr.Frederic W. Lincoln, Jr.Frederic Walker Lincoln, III was born the son of Frederic Walker Lincoln, Jr. and was married into the Rockefeller family. He was educated at Pomfret School, and graduated from Princeton University in 1921. Prior to graduation he served as a sergeant in the aviation section of the Army Signal Corps...
, former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the New York Medical College - William F. DraperWilliam Franklin DraperWilliam Franklin Draper was lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, and an American painter.-Early life:...
, prominent portrait painter - Adam HochschildAdam HochschildAdam Hochschild is an American author and journalist.-Biography:Hochschild was born in New York City. As a college student, he spent a summer working on an anti-government newspaper in South Africa and subsequently worked briefly as a civil rights worker in Mississippi in 1964...
'60, a founder of Mother Jones, author of the best-selling book King Leopold's Ghost - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr. is an American radio host, activist, and attorney specializing in environmental law. He is the third of eleven children born to Ethel Skakel Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy and is the nephew of John F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy...
'72, son of Senator Robert Kennedy, Chairman of the Waterkeeper AllianceWaterkeeper AllianceWaterkeeper Alliance is an environmental organization founded in 1999, responding to a growing movement of organizations with the name Riverkeeper, Baykeeper, Soundkeeper, and other related "keeper" names, of which there are over 150 around the globe... - Ridley PearsonRidley PearsonRidley Pearson, born on March 13, 1953 in Glen Cove, New York, is an American writer. Pearson has historically written suspense and thriller novels for an adult audience, but has also begun branching out by writing adventure books for children....
'71, best-selling author of The Art of Deception and co-author of Peter & The Starcatchers. - Alex GibneyAlex GibneyAlex Gibney is an American documentary film director and producer. In 2010, Esquire magazine said Gibney "is becoming the most important documentarian of our time."...
, Academy Award winner for Documentary Feature; American documentary film director and producer. - Jack HardyJack Hardy (singer-songwriter)John Studebaker "Jack" Hardy was an American lyrical singer-songwriter and playwright based in Greenwich Village, who was influential as a writer, performer, and mentor in the North American and European folk music scenes for decades...
'65, singer-songwriter - Donald E. Williams, Jr.Donald E. Williams, Jr.Donald E. Williams, Jr. was first elected to the Connecticut General Assembly in a special election in 1993. Prior to his service in the State Senate, he served two terms as the First Selectman for the town of Thompson. In July 2004, Senator Williams was elected to serve as the President Pro...
'75, State SenatorState SenatorA state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
, (D) President Pro Tempore of the Connecticut Senate - Prince Lorenzo BorgheseLorenzo BorgheseLorenzo Borghese , commonly known as Prince Lorenzo Borghese, is a member of the House of Borghese, a cosmetics entrepreneur and animal advocate, and the featured bachelor on the 9th season of ABC’s The Bachelor American television show. Lorenzo is the son of Prince Francesco Marco Luigi Costanzo...
, star of ABC's The Bachelor: Rome - Sarah VaillancourtSarah VaillancourtSarah Marie Vaillancourt is a Canadian women's ice hockey player. She is a member of the Canadian national women's hockey team and a member of Montreal Stars .-Playing career:...
, two time Olympic gold medalist in ice hockey - Peter Beard '56, photographer.
- Jon StoneJon StoneJon Stone is best known for writing and producing Sesame Street, and is credited with helping develop characters such as Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch. He is regarded by many as one of the best children's television writers. He started working for children's programs in 1955...
'48, a founding producer of Sesame Street and author - Scott LarnedScott LarnedScott Larned was the keyboardist and founding member of Dark Star Orchestra, a popular Grateful Dead tribute band...
, late member of the Dark Star Orchestra - Roger AngellRoger AngellRoger Angell is an American essayist. He has been a regular contributor to The New Yorker and was its chief fiction editor for many years...
'38, Fiction editor and regular contributor at The New Yorker - Robert B. FiskeRobert B. FiskeRobert Bishop Fiske, Jr. is a prominent trial attorney and a partner with the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York City...
'48, United States Attorney and Whitewater controversy Special Prosecutor - Robert VickreyRobert VickreyRobert Remsen Vickrey was a Massachusetts-based artist and author who specialized in the ancient medium of egg tempera...
'44, artist and author who specializes in the ancient medium of egg tempera - Joe BoydJoe BoydJoe Boyd is an American record producer and former owner of the Witchseason production company. Boyd was instrumental in launching the careers of Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, and The Incredible String Band.-Career:...
, record producer and author of White Bicycles - Making Music in the 1960s - Arthur Purdy StoutArthur Purdy Stout-Early years and education:Arthur Purdy Stout was the fourth son of Joseph and Julia Frances Stout. He attended the Pomfret School and Yale University, where he earned an A.B. degree in 1907. After spending a year abroad, Arthur entered the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University....
, '03, noted American surgeon and pathologist - Mather ZickelMather ZickelMather Zickel is a New York-born actor, mainly known for comedy roles, as well as the character Kieran in . He has worked in both film and television since the late 1990s. He graduated from the Pomfret School in 1988 and New York University in 1992...
'88, actor
Former Faculty
- William E. PeckWilliam E. PeckWilliam E. Peck is the founder of Pomfret School in Pomfret, Connecticut, a small boarding school. Peck founded the school in 1894; prior to that, he served as head of St. Mark's School in Southborough, Massachusetts....
, founder and first headmaster 1894-1897, previously Head of St. Mark's School - Gov. John N. Dempsey, Pomfret soccer coach and subsequently Governor of Connecticut 1961-1971
- Rep. Horace Seely-Brown, Jr.Horace Seely-Brown, Jr.Horace Seely-Brown Jr. was a US Representative from Connecticut.Seely-Brown was born in Kensington, Maryland. He attended the public schools of Hoosick, New York and graduated from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York in 1929. He was a student at Yale University in 1929 and 1930...
, Member of Congress (R-CT) 1947-49, 1951–59, 1961–63
Prominent guests & fellows
- David McCulloughDavid McCulloughDavid Gaub McCullough is an American author, narrator, historian, and lecturer. He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award....
, writer, historian and host of The American Experience on public television - Joyce Carol OatesJoyce Carol OatesJoyce Carol Oates is an American author. Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction...
, national award-winning author - Robert BallardRobert BallardRobert Duane Ballard is a former United States Navy officer and a professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island who is most noted for his work in underwater archaeology. He is most famous for the discoveries of the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985, the battleship Bismarck in 1989,...
, oceanographer, discoverer of RMS Titanic - Frank McCourtFrank McCourtFrancis "Frank" McCourt was an Irish-American teacher and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer, best known as the author of Angela’s Ashes, an award-winning, tragicomic memoir of the misery and squalor of his childhood....
, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Angela's Ashes - Carlos FuentesCarlos FuentesCarlos Fuentes Macías is a Mexican writer and one of the best-known living novelists and essayists in the Spanish-speaking world. He has influenced contemporary Latin American literature, and his works have been widely translated into English and other languages.-Biography:Fuentes was born in...
, Latin American novelist - Jacques d'Amboise, world renowned dancer with the New York City Ballet Company
- Victor WootenVictor WootenVictor Lemonte Wooten is an American bass player, composer, author, and producer, and has been the recipient of five Grammy Awards....
, Bass guitarist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones - Oteil BurbridgeOteil BurbridgeOteil Burbridge, in Washington, D.C.), is a Grammy Award-nominated American multi-instrumentalist, specializing on the bass guitar, trained in playing jazz and classical music from an early age. He has achieved fame primarily on bass guitar during the current resurgence of the Allman Brothers Band...
, Bass guitarist for the Allman Brothers Band - Shelby FooteShelby FooteShelby Dade Foote, Jr. was an American historian and novelist who wrote The Civil War: A Narrative, a massive, three-volume history of the war. With geographic and cultural roots in the Mississippi Delta, Foote's life and writing paralleled the radical shift from the agrarian planter system of the...
, Author & American Civil War Historian - Chevy ChaseChevy ChaseCornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...
, writer, actor, performer - Jean-Michel CousteauJean-Michel CousteauJean-Michel Cousteau is a French explorer, environmentalist, educator, and film producer. The first son of ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, he is the father of Fabien Cousteau and Celine Cousteau.-Biography:...
, explorer, environmentalist, educator, film producer - Gov. Christine Todd WhitmanChristine Todd WhitmanChristine Todd "Christie" Whitman is an American Republican politician and author who served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, and was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. She was New...
, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Governor of New Jersey - Donald JohansonDonald JohansonDonald Carl Johanson is an American paleoanthropologist. Along with Maurice Taieb, and Yves Coppens he is known for the discovery of the skeleton of the female hominid australopithecine known as "Lucy", in the Afar Triangle region of Hadar, Ethiopia.-Early years:Johanson was born in Chicago,...
, paleoanthropologist, discovered the 3.2 million-year-old skeleton known as "Lucy" - Brian GreeneBrian GreeneBrian Greene is an American theoretical physicist and string theorist. He has been a professor at Columbia University since 1996. Greene has worked on mirror symmetry, relating two different Calabi-Yau manifolds...
, physicist and String Theorist - Bill BrysonBill BrysonWilliam McGuire "Bill" Bryson, OBE, is a best-selling American author of humorous books on travel, as well as books on the English language and on science. Born an American, he was a resident of Britain for most of his adult life before moving back to the US in 1995...
, writer A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail - Rep. Shirley ChisholmShirley ChisholmShirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was an American politician, educator, and author. She was a Congresswoman, representing New York's 12th Congressional District for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. In 1968, she became the first black woman elected to Congress...
, (D-NY) first African American woman elected to the United States Congress - Tom BrokawTom BrokawThomas John "Tom" Brokaw is an American television journalist and author best known as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004. He is the author of The Greatest Generation and other books and the recipient of numerous awards and honors...
, Anchor of the NBC Nightly News - David BrinkleyDavid BrinkleyDavid McClure Brinkley was an American newscaster for NBC and ABC in a career lasting from 1943 to 1997....
, American television newscaster - Carole SimpsonCarole SimpsonCarole Simpson is a broadcast journalist, news anchor, and author- Biography :Simpson, a graduate of the University of Michigan, began her career on radio at WCFL in Chicago, Illinois. She moved to television at Chicago's WMAQ and onto NBC News in 1974, becoming the first African-American woman...
, ABC News Anchor - Gov. Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.Lowell Palmer Weicker, Jr. is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the 85th Governor of Connecticut, and unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for President in 1980...
, (R-CT) U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator and Governor of Connecticut - Bob FellerBob FellerOn December 8, 1941, Feller enlisted in the Navy, volunteering immediately for combat service, becoming the first Major League Baseball player to do so following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7. Feller served as Gun Captain aboard the USS Alabama, and missed four seasons during his service...
, Former Major League Baseball pitcher and Hall of Famer. - George PlimptonGeorge PlimptonGeorge Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:...
, Journalist, writer, editor, and actor - Benny GoodmanBenny GoodmanBenjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
, jazz musician, clarinetist and bandleader - Dana GioiaDana Gioia-Poetry:It was as a poet that Gioia first began to attract widespread attention in the early 1980s, with frequent appearances in The Hudson Review, Poetry, and The New Yorker. In the same period, he published a number of essays and book reviews...
, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts - Peter KaplanPeter KaplanPeter Kaplan is the former Editor-In-Chief of the New York Observer, a weekly newspaper. He wrote the introduction to the book The Kingdom of New York....
, Editor-In-Chief of the New York ObserverNew York ObserverThe New York Observer is a weekly newspaper first published in New York City on September 22, 1987, by Arthur L. Carter, a very successful former investment banker with publishing interests. The Observer focuses on the city's culture, real estate, the media, politics and the entertainment and... - Wade DavisWade DavisEdmund Wade Davis is a Canadian anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author and photographer whose work has focused on worldwide indigenous cultures, especially in North and South America and particularly involving the traditional uses and beliefs associated with psychoactive plants...
, Noted Canadian anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author and photographer - Chuck HoganChuck HoganChuck Hogan is an American author. He is the author of Prince of Thieves: A Novel, a work upon which Ben Affleck's Academy Award-nominated film The Town is based on. The work won the 2005 Hammett Prize and was called one of the ten best novels of the year by Stephen King...
, Famous novelist, known for The Prince of Thieves and The Strain Trilogy which he co-writes with Guillermo del ToroGuillermo del ToroGuillermo del Toro is a Mexican director, producer, screenwriter, novelist and designer. He is mostly known for his acclaimed films, Blade II, Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy film franchise. He is a frequent collaborator with Ron Perlman, Federico Luppi and Doug Jones... - The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York
- Brian DennehyBrian DennehyBrian Mannion Dennehy is an American actor of film, stage and screen.-Early years:Dennehy was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Hannah and Edward Dennehy, who was a wire service editor for the Associated Press; he has two brothers, Michael and Edward. Dennehy is of Irish ancestry and was...
, Actor - The Reverend Peter L. PondPeter L. PondThe Reverend Peter Lawrence Pond was a New England clergyman, activist and philanthropist who worked with Cambodian orphans on the Thai-Cambodian border...
, activist and philanthropist - Carolyn PorcoCarolyn PorcoCarolyn C. Porco is an American planetary scientist known for her work in the exploration of the outer solar system, beginning with her imaging work on the Voyager missions to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in the 1980s. She leads the imaging science team on the Cassini mission currently in...
, Planetary scientist and director of the Cassini Imaging Team