Lenox School for Boys

Lenox School was a private preparatory school for boys in grades nine through twelve in Lenox, Massachusetts. The school was affiliated with the Protestant Episcopal Church.

Lenox School
St. Martin's Hall
Location
Lenox
,
Massachusetts

U.S.
Coordinates42°20′58″N 73°16′59″W
Information
TypePrivate secondary school, boarding and day students
MottoMotto Non Ministrari sed Ministrare ("Not to be served but to serve")
Established1926
Closed1972
HeadmasterRev. G. Gardner Monks (1926-1946), Rev. Robert L. Curry (1946-1972)
Grades9-12
Enrollment250
CampusRural
AffiliationEpiscopal

School history

The school opened in 1926 under the leadership of Rev. G. Gardner Monks, the school's first headmaster. In 1946 the Rev. Robert L. Curry, D.D. became the second and longest serving headmaster, leaving in 1969. Over the years Lenox's enrollment ranged from 150 to 250 boys with about 32 teachers or masters. The school was modeled on the English public school system and instead of grades to designate classes, the term 'forms' was used. Third Form referred to the freshman year through the Sixth Form for the senior year. The school used a system of 'prefects' who were members of the Sixth Form and were elected by the senior class or appointed by the headmaster. There were two Senior Prefects.

It was primarily a residential boarding school, with some day students commuting from the surrounding region of the central Berkshire Hills. The church influence was felt through a number of Episcopal clergy faculty members, required sacred studies classes and a daily chapel service at Trinity Episcopal Church. In addition to strong academic standards, 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 more commonly translated as "not to be served but to serve".[1]

Eventually, financial problems led to the school's closure. A 1972 merger with the Bordentown Military Institute was an uncomfortable alliance between two disparate school cultures. By the following school year, the combined entity was closed, as the Vietnam War had reduced the popularity of a military education.[2] The fate of the school was not unique among private secondary schools in the central Berkshires. By the mid-1970s neighboring Foxhollow School, Windsor Mountain School, Cranwell Preparatory School (Jesuit) and Stockbridge School had all closed. Like Lenox School, these were small boarding schools serving students from throughout the northeast and sometimes beyond, occupying campuses that were once grand estates, often referred to as 'Berkshire Cottages' by their seasonal Gilded Age occupants.

The core of the school's campus is now the site of Shakespeare & Company. In spite of nearly five decades passing since the closure of Lenox School for Boys, student loyalty is reflected in an active alumni organization that produces a quarterly newsletter and convenes an annual Fall reunion in Lenox.

Notable alumni
  • Robert C. Seamans, Jr., Deputy Administrator of NASA during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations; Secretary of the Air Force under Richard Nixon
  • William Anthony Paddon, (1931) Canadian physician, author and seventh Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Francis G. James, Sr. (1932), professor of Irish history at Tulane University for nearly 40 years
  • Rt. Rev. William Benjamin Spofford, Jr., (1938), Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon (1969-1979), Assistant Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington (1979-1984, 1990), b. 1921, d. 2013
  • Stanley Loomis, (1940), author of four books on French history
  • John Allen Gable, (1961), executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association until his death
  • Kirk Scharfenberg, (1961), distinguished journalist with the New York Times and the Boston Globe, 1984 Pulitzer Prize winner.[3]
  • Robert L. Crosby, (1961), Swift Boat captain in Vietnam, where he died, was a friend of presidential candidate John Kerry
  • Clifton O. Dummett, (1961), professor of dentistry at LSU, helped integrate the New Orleans Yacht club, known for lectures on pediatric dentistry, deceased.
  • Richard Wilhelm, (1964), hotel executive with The Waldorf Astoria, St. Regis and The Plaza Hotels in NYC, President/CEO of Interbank-Brener, Island Outpost Hotels, Trust Hotels & Resorts, EVP & GM Fairfiled Communities[4]
  • Nathaniel Benjamin, (1965), master wooden boat builder [5]
  • Lucien A. Hold, (1965), comedy-club talent booker & manager, helped discover & promote the early careers of New York comedians Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld and Adam Sandler. Married to Vanessa Hollingshead. Deceased 2004.[6]
  • William Homans (Watermelon Slim), blues musician
  • William Earnshaw, Ph.D., (1968), Professor of Chromosome Dynamics at the University of Edinburgh, Institute of Cell Biology

References
  1. The Lenox School Campus Today; logo. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  2. "Bordentown Military Institute Alumni Association". Bordentown Military Institute Alumni Association. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  3. "Kirk Scharfenberg, 48; Editor on Boston Globe", The New York Times, July 29, 1992. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  4. "Richard Wilhelm Named Managing Hotel Director for Vector Holdings". Hotel Online. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  5. Wooden Boats: In Pursuit of the Perfect Craft at an American Boatyard page 75, Retrieved 2013-03-20
  6. "Lucien Hold; early champion of top comics; 57", New York Times, December 8, 2004. Retrieved 2020-3-7.
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