Governors Academy - Milestone Yearbook (Byfield, MA)

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NX XXXX XXXXE f ,ff ff' i 1 1 -as . H f -v i, ' . s N- . - 4f-, e - - - ' ' - -' it . X X x I I xxx X x 1 I ,fr 1 if I 1 I x X , x x 'ix' X 1 , X , 1 x N X X N s Q I f : , 3 SN X 4 '. X ' , Z xvr' f 1 1 s X al, 1 ,, N N . I g s -s 1 4 -qA'r , ' 5 t A 1 sf xhlf pg ,S Y lf ' W come a distinguished professor at Bowdoin, was a tutor at Harvard for two yearsg and it is interesting at this time to note that he represented his class of 1799 on the alumni committee which sent out the invitations to all Harvard men to return for the two hundredth anniversary celebration in 1836. V The most interesting and almost amusing episode in this story of the School's sons at Harvard centers around the election of Samuel Webber to the presidency in I806. As you will see, a pupil of Moody's was either President of Harvard or a mem- ber of the Corporation for thirty consecutive years. When Willard's twenty-two year term ended with his death in 1804, Pearson, who besides being a professor had for several years been an active member of the Corporation, was chosen Acting President until a successor could be elected. Eventually in 1806 the choice was be- tween Pearson and Webber. When the latter was elected Pearson was so incensed that he tendered his resignation to the Corporation and returned to Andover to teach in the Theological Seminary. To complete the story, his place on the Corpora- tion was taken by none other than Theophilus Parsons, who served until 1812. Webber died in 1810 and although his term was short his colleagues mourned the loss of a learned, faithful, industrious, and pious President. The inscription on his grave in the Mt. Auburn Cemetery notes in Latin that he was a native of Byfield. The School still has many relationships with Harvard College, but of course, never since these early years have they been quite so close. Although today Gover- nor Dummer Academy is proud of the diversity of its collegiate interests on the part of students and faculty alike, it treasures these early associations with the country's oldest College. THE MILESTONE, having presented another hirtorical feature article, concur: with Herman Melville in the saying: And duration is not of the future but W' the part. We are indebted to'Mr. Stephen Stackpole, former member of the Governor Dumrner faculty and now .secretary to the President of Harvard University, for his valuable contribution on the relationship of this school and Harvard College in the early days. I i 9 fi?,..:a-.gv.1'-1Lg.,f,.1-.. ..,. , . ., , --- .-:-13,-:ujigy-.: ' 4' 'YN z.r,..uf,. ,-:,-- 1. i-. a-.:. '.- 1:55-3:g:.ggfq:,,g,fqp1 mag:g:31'ilfj?i?4?55,1LE:5x II

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Tux X X - N ' f ' ' ' - 1 ' . 'X' - : ' ' - - I-16 . .. . - , ig ,, - ' X X N f 1 f I X 1 X 'xx X XXX X 1 1, ,!' X f 1 , ,f ff X N N X X x C 'I . . f f ff . ' Wg , 1 ' xx x , w N , 1 X XJ. f - . A f N N . L X - . f .,. ., f l g 1 xv NYJ! ' Fed ' V s. , 1 at the York Grammar School and during the term of his Trusteeship, President of Harvard. It is interesting to recall in this connection that besides Willard five other Harvard Presidents served on the Board in an unbroken line beginning with Ed- ward Everett in 1848 and ending with Eliot's predecessor in 1870. The early Masters of the School likewise had Harvard afiiliations. In a small volume entitled Harvard Memories President Eliot speaks of the fact that in the middle of the eighteenth century Harvard began to prepare a notable number of men for distinguished public and professional life. Samuel Moody '46 is one of live alumni cited to prove this point. Isaac Smith, the second Master, was a Harvard man, a Tutor there in 1774-75, and just before his appointment at Byfield was the College Librarian and prepared the first printed catalogue of the Library. Although Allen, his successor, was not a Harvard man, it is interesting that his name was suggested to the Trustees by President Kirkland. His short term was followed by that ofAbiel Abbott, Harvard 1787, who had been a Tutor after gradua- tion. It is of course the graduates who have given the School its most intimate and striking relationships with Harvard. In the first fifty-six years of the School 203 graduates received their degrees at Cambridge, and three-quarters of these were pupils of Samuel Moody during his twenty-seven years as Master. Six of these graduates in later years received honorary recognition from their alma mater. One was Samuel Phillips of Andover, and another was Rufus King, who received his LL.D. on the same platform with Mr. Justice William Paterson of New Jersey and Chief Justice John Marshall. Ten of Moody's pupils and three of Smith's held appointments at Harvard on the teaching staff or governing boards. Oddly enough, the first of these was Jonathan Eames, who was a Tutor from 1778-80. Although the number of graduates on the Harvard faculty at various times may not be so striking since the School was the only one ofits type in Massachusetts for fifteen years, yet the rank which many of these attained testifies to the excellent preparation they received. Just before the turn of the century the Harvard staff Cexclusive of two professors of medicinel consisted of a president, three endowed professors, a French instructor, and from three to four tutors. During the eleven years from 1792-1803 every one of these first four positions was filled by a former pupil of Samuel Moody and for all but four of these years so was the librarianship. Willard was President, and the professors were David Tappan, Hollis Professor of Divinity, Eliphalet Pearson Qfirst principal of Phillips Academyj, Hancock Professor of Hebrew and Other Oriental Languages, and Samuel Webber, Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. Of the other graduates who rose to distinction, Theophilus Parsons served on the Corporation, Dudley Atkins Tyng on the Board of Overseers, and William Prescott on both. James Jackson was one of the earliest professors of medicine, then called the Theory and Practice of Physic. Parker Cleaveland, later to be- l! 4 ' 'Wt 1-Hsu , , , .,.-. .::'1:.:-211'-xg--:' E - -:'-1'r'-: i'aT'G' . . ,. -V ..,... ..ff.'.'.,.,-c'.:.2- -z:'l'::-:'. ,4.--.-1-f '. --:.'.'--:-'-'?:-.Ln.-f-.!:.-'.'. sg:i:5fE,zz31'! .E 25: -- ,. .,... - r-.,-55,112-.f:1A Q ' f:g:.f.-szvfw fr IO

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x XX X X XXXX I X 1 I E X 5 I 'NOX n . - Q f f 1 ' ' ' -NN -x, ,xxx X xx X xi ,.S.,',- 1 ,f,'f!f I, , if-1 1 N X-XXX XXQ X x - :av 3 f ff f A .- ' ' J: - ' f' ex - X , R . ., .bn f . .,.-. , .,, h N - xs - - - iq 3 A ,A fl U , . . I , 1 , S N . Q' - ' 'f f 0 f - ' 1 1 '-, - -- -X v X -Rf .1 , N, .xl f 1 '- 1 N- .- F.: : I O XF ' l. W , Board of Trustees P7'6.Viff677f MR. JAMES IBUNCAN PHILLIPS Boston Vin?-Pr12.vidm1f DR. .ARTHUR FWELL XVOrcester .S'1'f1'a'l1z11v MR. JOSEPH N. lJU1VIMER Rowley Trmmrrr MR. LEON M. l.I'I l'I.E Boston MR. FRANK L. BOYDEN . . Deerfield MR, FDVVARD VV. EAMES , South Byfield DR. CLAUDE M. FUESS . . . . Andover MR. FREIDERICK H. GCJOIJNVIN New York, N. Y. MR. VVTLLTAM A. LANG . . . Melrose REV. GLENN TILLEY MORSE . West Newbury REV. CARROLL PERRY . , . Ipswich MR. CHARLES H. VTAYLOR, JR. . . Brookline MR. DAVID VVHEATLAND . . Marblehead I2