Harvard Boys High School - Review Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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blow when the University of Chicago opened the University High School. At that time at least thirty or forty pupils went in a body to the new school. lt is of course always difficult for an unendowed school to compete in physical equipment with schools backed either by taxes or by tremendous financial resources. The fact that the Harvard School has been able to do so success- fully is significant. The year 1905 marked also the death of one of Hcfrvard's best friends, a member of its board of trustees,-William Rainey Harper, presi- dent of the University of Chicago. Since 1896 the school has been in the Kenwood district, from 1898 until 1906 in the Gossage house, set far back from Lake Park Avenue and 47th Street in a huge lot, with a large playground adjoining: then at the northeast corner of 47th Street and Drexel Boulevard, and finally in the new home built for it in 1917 by means of a loan raised by friends and alumni. The campaign for the necessary 55120000 loan was undertaken singlehanded by Mr. Scho- binger in his seventieth year. The first big boost for the fund was given by I. Ogden Armour, whose business was then in the flush of war expansion: he offered ten thousand dollars to start the ball rolling. lt was during this time that Mr. Schobinger felt his life work rewarded by the kindness and generous interest of his many old boys who wished to see the school in a permanent home. ln the course of years, the Harvard School absorbed several other prepara- tory schools in the neighborhood and became the preeminent boys' day school of the South Side. ln 1912 an able and enthusiastic young man became associated with the school as a teacher of the classics. Mr. Schobinger was so impressed with his ability that some years later he asked him to assume greater responsi- bilities, and in 1919 Mr. Pence became co-principal with him. ln 1925, due to the disabilities of age, Mr. Schobinger became principal emeritus, and Miss Schobinger assistant principal. Upon her father's death in 1927, she assumed the duties of full principal together with Mr. Pence, an arrangement that is still in force. The school has weathered many storms in the course of seventy-five years. lt has passed through depressionsgthat of 1873, the financial crisis of 1893, the panic of 1907, the war, 1914-1918, and this final long depression of 1929 to 1939. lt has passed through tragedies far worse than panic and depression, but has held up its head proudly, confident in the knowledge that its name and honor have remained unsmirched. We feel that the Harvard School for Boys would not have stood the test of time if it had not contributed something worth while to the city and its development: and so we bespeak the con- tinued support of the community, the alumni, and the school body. Now again the school building has become too small. During the past twenty years the importance of physical development has been more and more emphasized, and the growth of the school demands more elbow room. Our present gymnasium is too small to accommodate our many play teams, large and small. Once before, when the school was farther north, a gymna- sium was built on the east end of the lot. That is exactly what we plan to do now, with the help of friends and alumni, and thus fitly celebrate the seventy- fifth anniversary of Chicago's oldest private school. PAGE 16

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five o'clock in the afternoon. A large part of the program consisted of public demonstrations of proficiency in various subjects, given before an audience of proud or apprehensive parents. if COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES FRIDAY, IUNE 16, 1882 PRIMARY CLASSES-A.M. HIGHER DEPARTMENT4P.lVI. 1:30 - 2:00 Algebra Cicero Arithmetic 2:00 2:30 Latin Greek Virgil French 2:30 3:00 Geography Reading Greek Prose 3:00 3:10 Recess 3:00 4:00 Declamations SPEAKERS Pierrepont Isham Samuel Dexter William B. lansen Walter Dore William Gold Hibbard Iames T. Hill Camillo von Klenze Iohn E. lV1cBean Iacob R. Wineman Morton Denison Hull Frank W. Wentworth 'A' In 1880 Iohn C, Grant came into the school as a teacher, became Mr. Scho- binger's partner the following year, and remained as co-principal until his death in 1913. Many old-timers will remember the tall, fine-looking man with his piercing blue eyes that struck terror into the hearts of any evil doers, and even of innocent bystanders. Mr. Grant was a man whose very presence and dignity inspired respect. In 1878 the school moved into a building it had purchased at 2101 Indiana Avenue, at the south-east corner of 21st Street. The facilities of this building were subsequently increased by the construction of a gymnasium and class rooms at the east end of the lot, with a tan-bark covered playground between. The school remained there until 1896, when a shift in population to the south made a move necessary. The city had grown by that time to more than one and a half millions. In 1905 the school was dealt almost a fatal PAGE 15

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ALUMNINOTES f FOREWORD The material for these Alumni Notes has been gathered over a period of eighteen months. During this tirne, innumerable personal letters, cards, blanks, and form letters have been sent out, hundreds of personal messages have been added to form letters, and many alumni and friends have been called upon for help. The response has been excellent. Not more than a dozen letters have been returned for want of a correct address: and the majority of blanks have been promptly returned, properly filled out, and frequently accompanied by additional information and pleasant personal messages. The latter have greatly added to the pleasure of the work. We could hardly get over our school-teacher habit of putting the old boys in their places. Those who did as they were asked were mentally marked satisfactory7 but if they added a friendly or interesting rnessage, they were given A or A+. The ones who didn't answer, and even kept the stamped and addressed envelope which had been provided, were flunked quite heartlessly. There are, however, few of these. Messrs. Charles H. Hamill, Arthur Meeker, Daniel I. Schuyler, Clarence Huling, Shirley High and Iohn I. Bryant were particu- larly helpful in locating lost boys of their respective times: and we are deeply indebted to Mrs. lohn Walsh, who proved a mine of useful information. By the time the work was concluded, we rnust admit that in regard to alumni We heartily echoed the sentiments of the little girl mentioned by Iune Provines, who after studying penguins at school, wrote in her report: I have learned rnore about penguins than I care to know. The records of the school were not kept accurately before 1880, which represents the first class graduating under Mr. Schobinger's regime, nor was a catalogue or student-roll kept. Therefore, although this is the seventy-fifth anniversary number of the Review, the notes will cover only the sixty years from l88O to l94O. What conclusions, if any, can be drawn from this survey of Harvard School boys over a period of sixty years, in relation to school, college, and private or business life? One striking fact is the ever increasing tendency of Harvard School boys to obtain the greater part of their preparatory education here, and to com- plete their high school work with us. In looking over the attendance records of the past twenty-five years, we find very many boys who have spent ten, eleven or twelve years in the school. ln a recent graduating class of fifteen, eight had had their entire education with us. A Ten Year Club would have a large membership. This was not the case in the early years, and up to about 1920, when many boys went East to Exeter, Andover, Hill, St. Mark's or St. Paul's for their junior and senior years. Now many boys come from other schools to spend their last two years at Harvard and, in very many cases, to take a postgraduate year before entering college. For the past fifteen years we have never been without one or two postgraduates. PAGE 17