The Hill School - Dial Yearbook (Pottstown, PA)

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Historian David McCullou h During the early weeks of January, The Hill was host to Mr. David McCul- lough, author and historian. As the George Bissel Visiting Scholar for 1985-86, Mr. McCullough lectured to history, English, and humanities classes as well as to the entire school on subjects ranging from writing pa- pers to George Washington. Through- out each of his talks, Mr. McCullough stressed the importance not only of studying history but also of reading and writing in general and the impor- tance that those skills have in today's society. From the beginning, Mr. McCul- lough surprised many Hill students with his profound viewpoints and his basic ideals of different societies. ln Memorial Hall, he delivered a lecture to the entire school on the value of studying the humanities during one's time in high school and college. Dur- ing his lecture Mr. McCullough warned his audience not to become too concentrated in any particular academic discipline. This message came especially as a shock to those who believed that, in the high-tech environment of today's world, one should specialize only in a field of mathematics, computer science, or business economics. The reasoning behind Mr. McCullough's thesis was that the fields of English, history, and languages allow for expansion into other fields of study, while at the same time endowing the student with knowledge and skills tnamely the abilities to read, write, and research wellj which never become outmoded. The following day, Mr. McCullough spoke to all the history classes with the exception of Ancient History. He lectured for seven straight periods and each lecture had a different theme. His lectures covered such di- verse topics as George Washington and Huey Long as American con- trasts, the persecution of the Ameri- 2B Campus Life Bissel Forum ,Wx .. mdk' J- - - ., --tv t--',' 5. - At. ---1.-1.fff'f':-.- -.I A px' x--c 3. -. qui. W, TIM -'ts-'cw ,. -1-f,f?:f1f at A. ' --i1'2'- .'71.- J Uv-ti,-i A ww pta, Q nb, . -1.1, T f gf .fx1 -1261 ,wa QW: 1 N59 . tflim 4 'F f. Pm A gfrdlm ' fl . -Zum. .'.iw.- v- C ' ' -f .,-..--W .1 .T m- ?-tg. '-.mia- f',-i i- if- if ' . , , ,. -: .,,,w,-,jf -. mg. '.. , can Indians, and the demer acter of Adolf Hitler. ln ea lectures, Mr. McCullough di particular aspect of histo ture, or culture, especially ted char- h of his cussed a y, litera- concern- ing the impacts of certain events and individuals on the world as i The next day, Mr. McCull tinued his discussions by le Fifth and Sixth Form Englis manities sections. Again h covered a broad range of from preparing research p great American women Then Mr. McCullough dep Hill, leaving behind in the many Hill students questio he had discussed. One aspect of Mr. McC l l is today. ugh con- turing to and hu- is topics subjects, apers to uthors. rted the inds of is which .illough's visit which many Hill students will re- member was his habit of ending every lecture with a quick succession of questions, in which he asked random- ly-selected students: with which per- son from history the students would most like to talk, who they thought was America's greatest President, and where the student would prefer to have been raised. Mr. McCullough's unique style of discussion and inquiry will remain im- pressed upon the minds of mass Hill students as an example of the schol- arly approach to life, and it is an ap- preciation of this approach with which The Hill tries daily to imbue its students.

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Sandford Arts Festival The Sixth Annual J. Webster Sand- ford Festival of the Arts continued the excellent standard set by the pre- vious five festivals. Given in memory of J. Webster Sandford '29 by his wife, Mrs. Sandford, and her son, Jo- seph Sandford '59, and the rest of the Class of '29, the Festival is regarded as the zenith of the cultural arts ex- perience here at The Hill. The school remains indebted to Mrs. Sandford and her son, Joseph, for providing the Hill community with a week of cultur- al arts that would otherwise be unob- tainable. This year's festival commenced with the return of the Manhattan Sa- voyards to The Hill, who had per- formed The Best of Gilbert and Sulli- van in front of an appreciative Hill audience in early November. For the Festival, the group staged an opera entitled, Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte, School for Lovers. The quality of the singers and the originality of the mu- sic insured that the performance would not soon be forgotten by The Hill community. Following the opera, Mike Croff, a renowned country folk singer, per- formed his best ballads in front of the students and faculty. Of all the acts in the Festival, Mr. Croff's was received with the most enthusiasm as were his folk music workshops that he held after his performance. After Mr. Croff had performed his music, Frank Fowle, who had per- formed in the Festival two years ago, presented dramatic readings from Homer's lliad. Especially enlightening to the Classics students, Mr. Fowle's readings further enhanced the mean- ing of the Classics already being taught at The Hill. The last production of the Festival was the presentation of William lnge's Bus Stop by The Hedgerow Theatrical Group. Best known as Marilyn Monroe's debut hit, the play produced an actress who was en- chanting, but no where near the beau- ty of the late great actress. The meaning of the Festival goes beyond the cultural experience that it provides for The Hill. J. Webster Sandford '29 held The Hill and the experiences he lived here in high es- teem. lt was this esteem and admira- tion that he felt for the school that prompted him to want to repay the school for the fine education he had received here. However, he died be- fore he could properly repay the school. Therefore, he left this respon- sibility in the hands of his wife, Mrs. J. Webster Sandford. Mrs. Sandford, with the aid of her son, Joseph Sand- ford '59, established a fund for the promotion of the cultural arts at The Hill. Since Mr. Sandford's untimely death in 1979, Mrs. Sandford and Jo- seph Sandford have been most gener- ous in their donations for the Festival. For the past six years, it has been the Sandford's generosity that has pro- vided The Hill with the quality artists that it has hosted. This year's J. Webster Sandford Festival of the Arts was one of the most well rounded of the six festivals. Due to the work of Mr. Anderson and the support of the Sandford's, the Festival continued the tradition of ex- cellence associated with the cultural arts festival. Appreciations are due to the Sandford's, Mr. Anderson and to those students who voluntarily aided in the staging of the productions. And a special appreciation is given to those performers who enlightened this year's audience. The combined efforts of these people provided the fuel that launched another successful J. Webster Sandford Festival of the Arts. Campus Life 29