Avon Old Farms School — Celebrating 75 Years

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

VON OLD FARMS SCHOOL

Celebrating 7 5 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.

8

Execu tive Editor: William W. Mercer

De igner: Dianne ] . Schaefer

Libr ary of ongress C atalogue C ard Number: 2001-135335

Hardcover International Standard 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, Massachusetts 024 76

781-643-490 7

Photogr aphs Copyright 2001 by William Mercer

PRINTED I C HINA

BY PALACE PRESS lNTERNATIO AL, SAN FRA CISCO, CALIFORNIA

Film Processing, Color Services, Needham, Massachus tts

Nei ther this book or portions thereof, nor the pho tographs therein

may be reproduced in any form without the permi ion of Royalston Press.

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

I I

AN INDESTRUCTIBLE ScHooL FOR Boys

In 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.

14

Jonathan A. Crocker,

hairman, Department of English, From bis 1999 Chapel Talk

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

20

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

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

d iff 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

22

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

Avon un ler tands the psy h of boys. We know how to motivate them, how to

challenge th m, 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. In 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. Academic 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

-� .. _ ---==-:..

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

44

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

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 to perfection.

From the Winged Beaver, 1940

50

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 f erns

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

Up, up the long delirious burning blue

1' ve topped the wind�swept heights with easy grace,

Where never lark, or even eagle flew.

From High Flight, Written by

John Gillespie Magee Jr. '40, hortl y before his death in December 194 1

54

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

We are a family here. We work

and we play hard-together.

Kenneth H. LaRocque, Headmaster, first day of classes, 1998

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

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))

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

9 7

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

I IO

We are eager to move on,

and ufJon reflection, loath to leave.

From the foreword of th 1940 yearbook

Surveying th Estate, circa 1923

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.

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

114

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.

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, Honors thrive when rather from our acts we them derive than our foregoers.

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

design or size, but a maximum and

minimum size is given. This saves a lot

of stone as the cutter can take any piece

of rough stone and square it up 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.

Tutors keep in close daily touch with the work of the boys

and the boys may at any time call upon their Tutor for

guidance and encouragement.

Francis M. Froelicher, Provost, 1927- l 929

I I 7

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.

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.

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

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 post and beam frame of the forge is raised.

122

Students in the Library, located on the second floor of the Bank

Building, overseen by French

Master Jean E. A. Fraisier.

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. mith Jr. '42, and David R. Stinson '42.

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 '3 7, and Paul Schoellkopf '3 7.

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.


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.

123

124

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.

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.


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 walls.

Exercise shall for the most part

be in the open air.

T PR from The Deed of Trust

A pe1formance of "Tr ial by Jury." Probably the greatest events at Avon, in those early yeaTS , were the Gilbert & Sullivan

operettas . . . pe1formed in the Refectory .

Alan Burnham '32

Horsing around in the Quadr angle.

1 28

The completed Water Tower, Forge, and arpenter Shop , circa 1924, and today.

Donald W. Pierpont wa provost (or head of the chool ) from 194 7 to 1 968 .

Pierpont got the School gmng aga m after

the war years ; for this and his faith in

every boy, he was loved by his Men of

Avon. His term was cut hort when he

died of a heart attack m 196 .

M E N O F AV O N

Strike the drumhead , fly the banner

Youth leaps forward like a wave

Sweeping all that's bad before it ,

Build a future for the brave .

T hwart the foolish , guard the prudent ,

S trike out boldly for the right :

Keep this land the home of freedom

Where 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' 7

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Avon Old Farms School — Celebrating 75 Years

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Transcript of Avon Old Farms School — Celebrating 75 Years