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The Gunnery Since 1850
USINFO | 2013-12-09 14:30
In 1850, Frederick William Gunn, educator, prominent abolitionist, and outdoorsman, along with his wife, Abigail Brinsmade Gunn, founded The Gunnery in Washington, Connecticut. A man and woman of courage and vision, they opened their home to educate a handful of young people. In so doing they established a school which has flourished by standing squarely on the ideals of its founders – intellectual strength, moral courage, physical rigor and character.
Founded in the “home school” rather than the Anglican tradition, Frederick Gunn's educational system provided a modified classical education, athletic opportunities, environmental awareness and moral values. A champion of humanity and freedom, he designed his school as a community based on mutual respect. In a much less inclusive era (1850-1882), The Gunnery welcomed girls, international students and students of color.
Frederick Gunn is recognized as the originator of leisure camping in the United States. He walked with his students 40 miles to a Milford, Connecticut beach where they practiced camping skills in the 1860s. The custom continued into the 1870s at nearby Lake Waramaug, where academic subjects were added to the outdoor curriculum during a semester of camping. Gunn’s accomplishment is commemorated every year when the whole school takes a fall holiday to hike in the nearby Steep Rock Reservation.
The founder was known to be a disciplinarian with an imaginative flair for reinforcing his points: When students were caught engaged in fisticuffs, they were forced to sit in each other's laps for 30 minutes; a child using foul language was asked to lecture to a herd of cows without using the same word twice; a restless interrupter of the class was told to run around the church blowing a horn at each corner until he was fatigued enough to sit still; and a liar walked 10 miles and brought back a wood chip to prove he did it.
John Chapin Brinsmade succeeded his father-in-law as head of school in 1881 continuing a tradition of academic innovation as the public school system established itself in Connecticut. He expanded the school outside of the family home, building a dormitory, a schoolhouse and a gymnasium. During his tenure fraternities were established, which had teachers as well as students as members, and the science curriculum was expanded to include labs as college entrance became more competitive. Mr. Brinsmade headed the school for 41 years, the longest tenure in the school’s history to date.
In 1922 the privately-owned school was purchased by a group of alumni acting as trustees, and Hamilton Gibson (’02) was installed as the third headmaster. He abolished the fraternities, believing they were detrimental to the community spirit of the school, and converted the institution into an all-boys school, in keeping with the prevalent practice of independent schools at the time. It was Mr. Gibson's vision, with the help of architect Richard Henry Dana, to turn the school away from the main road, where car traffic was on the rise and create a quadrangle of colonial revival buildings. With the help of generous benefactors including the Van Sinderen family and the Bourne family, five buildings were constructed and the schoolhouse was remodeled in keeping with the new architecture. The enrollment of the school tripled.
Tertius van Dyke’s tenure as headmaster began in 1937, and was marked by the addition of a lower school and the resulting expansion of enrollment.
Russell Bartlett (headmaster 1942-1945) shepherded the school through the rigors of World War II rationing and adjustments in the curriculum and the school calendar to prepare the boys for the armed services.
When tragically Mr. Bartlett died in office, Ogden Miller was appointed headmaster in 1946. Having previously served as Director of Athletics at Yale, Mr. Miller raised the level of athletic participation and promoted the success of Gunnery teams. At the same time he increased the academic reputation of the students and prepared the school to meet the challenges of the incipient civil rights movement. During his tenure the school campus almost doubled in size with the purchase of the Bourne estate with its 40-room Tudor mansion, which serves as the administration building today. Mr. Miller retired in 1969.
Burgess Ayres assumed the headship that year in a changing social environment, which featured the Vietnam war protests and the rise of the feminist movement. He initiated a period of student and curriculum coordination with a nearby girls’ school, Wykeham Rise. During his tenure Gunnery’s Outdoor Club, while exploring archaeology, found some of the oldest Indian remains in New England. A college level course in archaeology was added to the curriculum. He retired in 1977.
David Kern (1977-1979) oversaw the return to full coeducation in 1977 after 56 years of single sex education.
In 1979, longtime faculty member Michael Eanes became headmaster. During his tenure the school greatly expanded its athletic facilities and added Advanced Placement and Independent Studies courses to prepare the students for an ever-increasing competition for college entrance. Female sports’ facilities and dormitories were expanded.
In 1991 Susan Graham was named the first female head of school. Under her aegis, a long-needed campus renovation was undertaken, the hockey rink was fully enclosed and the Emerson Performing Arts Center replaced a crumbling 1913 gymnasium/drama barn. In 2000, an alumni center, named for longtime Latin teacher and baseball coach Edward Buxton, was constructed next to the Bourne administration building. In 2002, the 1960s’ dining facilities were replaced with a large addition and makeover of Browne dining hall, which was renamed Virginia Hamilton Solley Hall after one of The Gunnery’s primary benefactors. A student center was established in the old dining area; and the student post office and store were relocated from Brinsmade dorm, which, in turn, provided needed classroom space. Up-to-date visual arts and photography studios were created on the ground floor of Memorial gym when the maintenance facilities were moved to a new building in back of the tennis courts. In 2007, The Gunnery dedicated Teddy House, a freshman boys’ dorm, a project which was made possible by the leadership gift of Dick Ebersol and Susan St. James in memory of their son Teddy Ebersol. In 2009, longtime benefactors, the Tisch family made possible the renovation and expansion of the schoolhouse with the largest gift in the school’s history, $7million.
Having celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2000, the school proudly rests on the principles and traditions of its founder. The Gunnery has embraced the challenge of remaining a small school, sufficiently intimate to sustain the compelling values of Frederick Gunn's mission and to ensure its enduring strength.
After 21 years, Susie Graham retired in June 2012 and was replaced by Peter W.E. Becker from the Lawrenceville School. Mr. Becker has a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in History from Yale University. He inherits a school with 285 students from 16 states and 16 countries, a faculty of 56, a rejuvenated campus, a balanced, rigorous curriculum, and a vigorous, after- school program of 36 interscholastic teams, arts programs, and community service.
Founded in the “home school” rather than the Anglican tradition, Frederick Gunn's educational system provided a modified classical education, athletic opportunities, environmental awareness and moral values. A champion of humanity and freedom, he designed his school as a community based on mutual respect. In a much less inclusive era (1850-1882), The Gunnery welcomed girls, international students and students of color.
Frederick Gunn is recognized as the originator of leisure camping in the United States. He walked with his students 40 miles to a Milford, Connecticut beach where they practiced camping skills in the 1860s. The custom continued into the 1870s at nearby Lake Waramaug, where academic subjects were added to the outdoor curriculum during a semester of camping. Gunn’s accomplishment is commemorated every year when the whole school takes a fall holiday to hike in the nearby Steep Rock Reservation.
The founder was known to be a disciplinarian with an imaginative flair for reinforcing his points: When students were caught engaged in fisticuffs, they were forced to sit in each other's laps for 30 minutes; a child using foul language was asked to lecture to a herd of cows without using the same word twice; a restless interrupter of the class was told to run around the church blowing a horn at each corner until he was fatigued enough to sit still; and a liar walked 10 miles and brought back a wood chip to prove he did it.
John Chapin Brinsmade succeeded his father-in-law as head of school in 1881 continuing a tradition of academic innovation as the public school system established itself in Connecticut. He expanded the school outside of the family home, building a dormitory, a schoolhouse and a gymnasium. During his tenure fraternities were established, which had teachers as well as students as members, and the science curriculum was expanded to include labs as college entrance became more competitive. Mr. Brinsmade headed the school for 41 years, the longest tenure in the school’s history to date.
In 1922 the privately-owned school was purchased by a group of alumni acting as trustees, and Hamilton Gibson (’02) was installed as the third headmaster. He abolished the fraternities, believing they were detrimental to the community spirit of the school, and converted the institution into an all-boys school, in keeping with the prevalent practice of independent schools at the time. It was Mr. Gibson's vision, with the help of architect Richard Henry Dana, to turn the school away from the main road, where car traffic was on the rise and create a quadrangle of colonial revival buildings. With the help of generous benefactors including the Van Sinderen family and the Bourne family, five buildings were constructed and the schoolhouse was remodeled in keeping with the new architecture. The enrollment of the school tripled.
Tertius van Dyke’s tenure as headmaster began in 1937, and was marked by the addition of a lower school and the resulting expansion of enrollment.
Russell Bartlett (headmaster 1942-1945) shepherded the school through the rigors of World War II rationing and adjustments in the curriculum and the school calendar to prepare the boys for the armed services.
When tragically Mr. Bartlett died in office, Ogden Miller was appointed headmaster in 1946. Having previously served as Director of Athletics at Yale, Mr. Miller raised the level of athletic participation and promoted the success of Gunnery teams. At the same time he increased the academic reputation of the students and prepared the school to meet the challenges of the incipient civil rights movement. During his tenure the school campus almost doubled in size with the purchase of the Bourne estate with its 40-room Tudor mansion, which serves as the administration building today. Mr. Miller retired in 1969.
Burgess Ayres assumed the headship that year in a changing social environment, which featured the Vietnam war protests and the rise of the feminist movement. He initiated a period of student and curriculum coordination with a nearby girls’ school, Wykeham Rise. During his tenure Gunnery’s Outdoor Club, while exploring archaeology, found some of the oldest Indian remains in New England. A college level course in archaeology was added to the curriculum. He retired in 1977.
David Kern (1977-1979) oversaw the return to full coeducation in 1977 after 56 years of single sex education.
In 1979, longtime faculty member Michael Eanes became headmaster. During his tenure the school greatly expanded its athletic facilities and added Advanced Placement and Independent Studies courses to prepare the students for an ever-increasing competition for college entrance. Female sports’ facilities and dormitories were expanded.
In 1991 Susan Graham was named the first female head of school. Under her aegis, a long-needed campus renovation was undertaken, the hockey rink was fully enclosed and the Emerson Performing Arts Center replaced a crumbling 1913 gymnasium/drama barn. In 2000, an alumni center, named for longtime Latin teacher and baseball coach Edward Buxton, was constructed next to the Bourne administration building. In 2002, the 1960s’ dining facilities were replaced with a large addition and makeover of Browne dining hall, which was renamed Virginia Hamilton Solley Hall after one of The Gunnery’s primary benefactors. A student center was established in the old dining area; and the student post office and store were relocated from Brinsmade dorm, which, in turn, provided needed classroom space. Up-to-date visual arts and photography studios were created on the ground floor of Memorial gym when the maintenance facilities were moved to a new building in back of the tennis courts. In 2007, The Gunnery dedicated Teddy House, a freshman boys’ dorm, a project which was made possible by the leadership gift of Dick Ebersol and Susan St. James in memory of their son Teddy Ebersol. In 2009, longtime benefactors, the Tisch family made possible the renovation and expansion of the schoolhouse with the largest gift in the school’s history, $7million.
Having celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2000, the school proudly rests on the principles and traditions of its founder. The Gunnery has embraced the challenge of remaining a small school, sufficiently intimate to sustain the compelling values of Frederick Gunn's mission and to ensure its enduring strength.
After 21 years, Susie Graham retired in June 2012 and was replaced by Peter W.E. Becker from the Lawrenceville School. Mr. Becker has a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in History from Yale University. He inherits a school with 285 students from 16 states and 16 countries, a faculty of 56, a rejuvenated campus, a balanced, rigorous curriculum, and a vigorous, after- school program of 36 interscholastic teams, arts programs, and community service.
