Governors Academy - Milestone Yearbook (Byfield, MA)

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1 'sz ,I . f- ' ' .. , . Y ' ' 's' l' , - ,.f vvpef a . if J 5 331, X xv Q X' 'ia , -fn 6' so . 4 Y ns ' a 4 5 ngtiifzy. M, i A l under the floor to prevent vibration. Nineteen new windows were installed in the building to provide adequate lighting, the exterior was reshingled, and plans were drawn forthe heating plant. The boys also made floor plans for the efficient location and operation of the machines to be installed later. During the summer of 1938, skilled workmen were used to make such prepara- tions for the next stages as were beyond the skill of the boys. A boiler was installed adequate to heat not only the boys' machine shop but also all buildings in the group. foils, radiators, and connections were made and plumbing installed. Later the boys eompleted the heating connections and installed a hot water system. By the fall of 1938 all was in readiness for the installation of machinery. A small group of boys were busy during the fall term in dismantling an old LaSalle automobile. reconditioning the motor, and setting it on a permanent base in the shop to act as a power plant. Vompleted. the motor develops 85 horsepower, enough to meet all power demands. The first machinery to be installed included a small lathe contributed by John Newman of the Class of 1939 and a drill press contributed by Mr. Frederick H. Payne of the Deerfield Tap and Die Forporation. hir. Payne also contributed a set ol' screw plates which proved very useful in subsequent construction. Through the generosity of Mr. Philip NI. hlorgan of the Rlorgan Construction Vompany of lvorcester, the shop next received a Vincinnati No. 3 universal milling va .A I Q I 1: G . . . lo ' 4 . ' 4. .gg -N . ' A .1 4 4- I gtg H, - , . , - an - - .A :L .f-igaxgfg fe- . ' ' f gi .4 . ' f A :ff ' ' ' ,, Yigieen- 'Rf 0 , 2. 0. ' AJ, ff' 1 ll!

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X L-B-Q lg' i708 . i e, xx , 5 X -.,4,! I , !,' 7, X e e se .xy uf. l ' , . , W 3 , X-?s4 - + 4-Q if 1 '. - v e '- , -X x Q ' Ks X Q' ' New . ' if ffi '44 , .4 'qu ? . Y A 'f 5' i e NX ' V ,- 1' f , I , The Machine Shop For the original idea of the machine shop at Governor Dunnner, one must look to the Oundle School in England, where under the leadership of Headmaster Sanderson the machine shops grew to be an integral part of the school educational policy. There, they were used as laboratories where boys learned practical mathe- matics and science and where the interest of indifferent students, stimulated by practical problems of construction and design, might be developed and extended to include related fields. At Oundle every boy was required by Dr. Sanderson to spend several hours a day in the shopsg and the equipment was increased until at the time of the World War it was sufficient to permit the production of shell cases and other military supplies. At Governor Dummer there is no intention that the shop shall ever be more than its name implies, a place where a limited number of boys may cultivate their interest in mechanical problems. In a school whose primary purpose is to prepare boys to make the most of their opportunities in college, the boys' schedule is already too full to permit them to spend hours each day in the machine shop or to engage in the manufacture of munitions. But there are boys wh o are preparing for engineer- ing colleges and who should not be without the opportunity to develop those interests which have led them to choose engineering as a profession. And there are others who may not be planning to be engineers but who would nevertheless prefer to spend their spare time in making things, or in learning to make things. It is for such boys that the Governor Dummer machine shop is intended. Although the Oundle School shop obviously could not be fitted into the schedule of an American preparatory school, Mr. Sanderson's experiment there definitely proved that me- chanically-minded boys who have an opportunity to exercise their talents not only develop them but also become more proficient in unrelated academic pursuits. The acquisition of the Noyes farm and buildings by gift and purchase in the summer of 1937, for the first time made possible the development of the shop pro- gram which the headmaster and trustees had in mind. As soon as the possibility was definitely established, the plan was placed before the student body. It was explained to the boys that the funds available must be reserved for the purchase of materials and that the boys themselves would have to supply most of the labor. The response was enthusiasticg nearly half the boys in school volunteered to assist. Thirty-five volunteers were accepted, and the work of remodelling the old cattle barn began. The first stage of the work consisted of removing the interior structures in order to secure unobstructed floor area. After the stanchions, pens, and concrete feed troughs had been removed, the floor was found to be in an unsafe condition. With used planks from demolished buildings in Newburyport, a sturdy and durable un- derflooring was constructed by the boys at a fraction of the cost of new flooring. La- ter. a hard pine top was laid over the planking, and additional supports were placed -f-- -1 . 9

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5 '53 . 1708 e, gig Q M g xf ' ,W ' 4,3 me ' 1 's sf ' 1 a f - m . g .I ll machine with an index head, mandrels, and colletsg a twenly-Your-inch Stock- bridge Shaper: a. Bement heavy drill press: a thirteen-loot Draper latheg and a grinder. lYith that equipment it is now possible to complete any project the boys may undertake. Dr. Edward if Koenig ol' Buffalo, New York, has since presented an eight- cylinder Stearns sleeve-valve motor to be used for demonstration purposes but also available as an additional source of power if needed. ' The installation of shaft hangers, shafting, and belting has occupied a group ol' l 3 boys during the early weeks of the present termg but already the facilities ofthe shop i l are being put to use on definite projects. One group ol' boys is installing an additional . . . . I set ol gears in a Ford truck assembly in order to make a larm tractor. The shop has already reached a point where it is dillicult to recall that only a I little over a year ago the building was a disused cow stable. lint it is expected that many boys in later classes will recall with gratitude the etlorts ol' the boys whose labors brought about the change and the generosity ol' a number of parents and friends whose gifts, aggregating several thousands ol' dollars, defrayed much ol' the cost of materials, skilled labor, and supervision. g Q, '1 ll I, I 1 1 ll ll l li , l l ' s l l I l 1 l I l u i A,if-- , 1 V Q f - 4 , f - 1 .4 .-Q. - X, - -, 4 I- 0 -I --, Y H . J 4 ' I, I e 753-V f-- '- 'T--V'-f c C' at Fl ll