Hopkins School - Per Annos Yearbook (New Haven, CT)

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Mr. Sherk was National Chairman of the Youth Ex- change Plan, an extensive program which fosters the exchange of secondary level students between the States and foreign countries. He is also a permanent delegate to the New England Association of Colleges and Schools. He was elected to the Rotary Club of New Haven in 1954, and was the Director in 1960, 1961, 1964 and 1965. In April, 1958, Mayor Richard C. Lee appoint- ed him a New Haven representative on the Regional Planning Authority of South Central Connecticut. ln February, 1959, Mr. Sherk was named to the Board of Zoning Appelas for a one-year term, was renamed the following year and again in 1963. The Hopkins family - alumni, faculty and friends, teven studentsl - has seen Allen Sherk these past twenty-one years as an imposing campus figure, radiating at once a keen involvement in the life of Hopkins and at the same time displaying an intense concern with the lives and for- tunes of the hundreds of young people who have passed through the Hopkins portal of knowledge to a waiting world. Allen Sherk's serious interest in his young charges is a legend in Hopkins life. He remembers with astonishing - and sometimes embarrassing - detail, the peccadillos of his young students as they moved about the campus to learn and to play as they prepared themselves for adult life. When I met him in 1953, even before he was formally ordained as Headmaster, I found him to be a young man of high purpose as well as of great ideas, bursting with vision ' and excitement as he approached his new assignment, high on the bluff overlooking what came to be his adopted and beloved city. My associations with him were at once Yale oriented tl was on Yale's administrative staff when first he came to New Havenb and community oriented. How ideally Allen took up his assignments in our city, not only as a Yale alumnus and as Hopkins Headmaster, but also as a citizen of New Haven. For me his most important contributions, however, were in the community life of New Haven. Many times as Mayor I turned to Allen for advice, sometimes for consolation, and often to accept special assignments of significance to our city. He responded, always, in a helpful manner. Among his community assignments, he became Chairman of the Board of Zoning Appeals, at a time when political deals and political favoritism were threatening our better residential neighborhoods with encroachments which would have destroyed the quality of life in those areas. Al- len understood both the political and social significance of his assignment. He never wavered nor did he compromise. Under him the Zoning Board became a model of rectitude and integrity. Political deals which would have subverted what we were trying to accomplish were thwarted by Allen with courage and without equivocation. Shabby deals sought by shabby men for reasons of greed and politics, under Allen were no longer the accepted pattern in the function of this august board, as a result, our development of New Haven was able to proceed unhindered by zoning decisions which could have brought scandal to our efforts, and probably would have destroyed all of the things for which many of us had worked so hard to achieve. He is a man of character, and his character was tested sorely many a time in his ten years of service to our city. He helped make New Haven a better city, and in the process he added luster and dignity to the name of an institution which has stood for exactly those qualities for more than three centuries. Allen Sherk is too young for anyone to write his obituary, either political or otherwise, and these words of mine are not intended as such. Rather, I wish simply to underscore his importance to our city in all of my sixteen years as its Mayor. Because of his qualities of character and dedica- tion, neither Hopkins nor Hew Haven will ever again be quite the same. Richard C. Lee V. In 1959, The Council of Masters of Yale University appointed him a fellow of Saybrook College for a five- year term. In january, 1961, he received a letter an- nouncing the decision of the President and Fellows of Yale University to confer upon him the Honorary De- gree of Master of Arts. During his twenty-one years as headmaster, Mr. Sherk has been responsible for the construction of several buildings on our campus: the science wing of Baldwin Hall, Lovell Hall, Lovell field, the replica of the original Hopkins schoolhouse, the headmaster's house, the Learning Center, the locker room facilities off of the gymnasium, the Day Prospect Hill building and the pressbox on the field which he built himself with the help of students. It was my pleasure to greet Mr. Sherk some twenty years ago at a dinner given for Dr. Lovell at the Hotel Taft. My impressison of him at that moment has remained with me through the years. I saw him as imaginative and possessing an abundance of energy. That energy and dedication to Hopkins have never diminished. Headmastering has become a complex occupation and, sadly, almost too demanding. I recall with pleasure the days Mr. Sherk had time to teach and coach. l'm sorry that boys in later years missed the opportunity to know him in these fields. I have always felt that his real love in education was being close to students. Burt N. Erich 5

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ment, which was never better than when he ran it. As in the dormitory, Allen could look to the future, taking great care to train men to do their assigned duties well. More importantly, he trained them to do his own job, showing a selflessness not always evident in professional life. The traits so clearly seen in the dormitory and classroom were carried to the athletic fields, as Allen turned track from a dumping spot for disappointed baseball players to a major sport. This second career lasted for nine years. What a sad day it was for all of us when Hopkins Grammar called Allen to its Headmastership. We rejoiced for Hopkins, but we were very sorry for ourselves. The gratitude of the administra- tion, however, for all Allen had done was only strength- ened when we realized that he had trained replacements for Housemaster, department chairman, and track coach. All are still active in the school in one way or another. Before some careless reader sits down to write a letter of condolence to Polly, the writer will say that Allen is now as alive as when he came to Milton and when he left it. Re- tirement for him will not be a rest - it will be a new chal- lenge, and he will meet it with characteristic vigor. john G. Pocock In 1953, the family settled permanently in New Ha- ven, when Mr. Sherk became the one hundred and second headmaster of Hopkins Grammar School. Five years later their daughter Ellen was born. In the spring of 1953 the many, many friends of George Lovell met in the Taft Hotel ballroom to salute his innova- tive years at Hopkins - rejuvenating the then 292-year old school and creating the new-type country day school on Forest Road. On that occasion we were introduced to the incoming Headmaster - with mixed emotions. When it came his turn to speak, Allen Sherk won our affection and respect and hopes by making plain that he had done his homework in the weeks preceding his arrival in New Haven. He reviewed Dr. Lovell's vision and drive in utilizing the school spirit of the alumni-trustees and abiding respect 4 and affection felt by New Haven people for the nearly three-century old school with its romantic origin in Colo- nial days, pledged to the breeding up of hopeful youths. Mr. Sherk's presentation of this familiar story revived our realization of the significance of our history, and he won our faith and approval of him, the newcomer who under- stood and would uphold the traditions of our school. Mr. Sherk seems never to have lost that vision, and his ef- forts have been unremitting like those of Athenian youths who were pledged to leave their city not less but greater. This all means to us, the young and not-so-young, new school or old school, that we respect Al Sherk's achieve- ments and feel grateful for what he has done here on the hill: Lovell Hall with auditorium, dining room, stage and music room, improved athletic fields, the Learning Cen- ter, and most recently - girls. Helen H. Barton A Hello, I'm your new neighbor, Allen Sherk, the strang- er announced as we peered through the screen door on that spring evening in 1953. Of course, we knew from the grapevine that he was to be the new Headmaster, but any significant impression of the dimensions of the man were conspicuously absent from that source. As I recall, it was not long into the summer before his strengths were appar- ent as evening bull sessions about the school unfolded. Many stalwarts from that vintage class of '54 participated in these get acquainted visits, so that by fall Sherk and Hop- kins were off and running at a fast pace. I particularly remember one unruly study hall period in the late fall monitored by Peter Bluett, that gentle target of Ken Raynor's jokes, teacher of Spanish, and an unmitigated optimist about the behavior of young men. In uncharacter- istic despair he challenged the group to quiet down or, in spite of his conviction that my brother and I had conspired with Mr. Sherk to run the school, he would take the puni- tive action of sending the Lindskog twin down to Mr. Sherk's office. That, he concluded, would start a revolu- tion around this place. With hindsight it is clear, and others sensed it then, that a revolution was indeed already taking place at Hopkins and that it had nothing to do with the proximity of the Sherk and Lindskog residences. Rather, it was the vigor and vision of the new Headmaster, who would accelerate Hopkins from its mid-century plateau to new levels of achievement. Twenty years later, Allen Sherk has made an important mark on many of us. Some of his accomplishments are highly visible: the new buildings, the merged school, the outstanding faculty. Others are less prominent but of no lesser stature. From close at hand, I have watched him nur- ture a moribund alumni association back to active partici- pation in the life of the school. And as a new trustee in 1970, I learned of the confidence which that group placed in his judgement and the high esteem in which these peo- ple held him. As the minutes of their meetings will reflect, the Trustees are in no sense a rubber stamp committee. Over the years in the heat of deliberation and evaluation of his position and recommendations, they developed a high regard for his professional judgement, standards of excel- lence, and economical financial management. This sense of trust and esteem seems to me to be the capstone to all that Allen Sherk has done for and meant to Hopkins. Carl W. Lindskog

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The day that Allen and Polly Sherk were introduced to the Hopkins faculty, in April of 1953, my mind went back 18 years to the Keewaydin Camps in Vermont, where Allen and I were new staff-men. No one there on Carnival Day will forget the most daring stunt of them all: the wild ride in Allen's cable car from the top of a lofty spruce! It was no surprise to me, therefore, to see Allen, as our new head- master, roll up his sleeves and tackle every one of Hopkins' problems in his first year. The imagination, energy, dedica- tion and drive that he demonstrated as he singlehandedly performed the tasks of business manager, college counse- lor, director of admissions and headmaster, - and even, for two weeks, of substitute French teacher! - have char- acterized his 21 years of service to Hopkins and Hopkins Day Prospect Hill. One has to have served through those years with him to appreciate fully the great contribution that he has made to the school. From a friendship that has spanned nearly four decades, Allen, I salute you and say, Well done, and Godspeed! Edward R. DeNoyon In 1953, Hopkins Grammar School's enrollment was a little over two hundred boys. Mr. Sherk increased this number to three hundred sixty-five, where it remained for several years before the merger with the Day Pros- pect Hill School. This was not the only merger he par- ticipated in: in 1960, he was on the committee to merge Prospect Hill and the Day School. I am delighted that this year's classbook is dedicated to Allen Sherk on the occasion of his retirement. I believe in the long line of headmasters Al has been the 100th ap- pointee since Hopkins was founded in 1660. His tenure for the past 21 years has been exceeded only by that of his predecessor, George Lovell. These two historical items, while noteworthy, in no way reflect the distinctive con- tributions Al has made to the present stature of our institution. Everyone will agree that the past two decades have been dominated by change. It has been a difficult period for schools throughout the country, some have prospered, others have not. At Hopkins one can point first to substan- tial physical growth. Seven new buildings have been erect- ed, and during this period the student body and the faculty have been doubled. Faculty salaries have been steadily improved, the school's capital assets quadrupled, and throughout, the school's operating budget has been bal- anced. However, what is more significant in the way of growth, and what is not as easy to measure, is found in the quality of students and faculty. It is also found in the course of study and in the changes, experiments, and expansion made in the curriculum. When one discussesiour school with educators outside the area, one finds that it has in- deed an excellent, if not outstanding, rating in the country day school field. Mr. Sherk, who is now retiring as Head- master, leaves at a point when the school is a stronger and more vital institution than when he took office in 1953. We are all deeply indebted to Al for the major role he played in this achievement. With good wishes, Richard C. Carroll 6 , u After having achieved his goals for this school during twenty-one years of an often hectic but satisfying life, Allen Sherk has decided to step down. At the time of this writing, we do not know what his next activities will be, but we know they will be carried out with his usual enthusiasm and energy and we wish him and his family much success and happiness. As a nervous young graduate student I arrived at Hop- kins to be interviewed for a teaching position, my first full- time job. The Headmaster greeted me warmly, discussed the science opening, showed me the school, generally made me feel less apprehensive. He asked to meet my fian- cee twho had been waiting in the carl and made us feel that he was really interested in us as people. Shortly there- after Allen Sherk was my first boss, although that con- cept was to mellow. I came to know Allen as demanding yet encouraging, as serious yet a dead-panned practical joker. I came to see him as a driving force in the school, as one who deeply loved the institution and had great aspira- tions for its future. And I realized that his own personal involvement and dedication could not help but produce results. It has been my great pleasure to be involved as part of Al's team over the years, to help in making decisions and implementing them, Our families have developed a warm friendship, started perhaps because our daughters were born within two weeks of each other. Allen introduced us to their New Hampshire home, which he planned and built, and I have watched him relax and regain strength there - whether sailing on the lake, trying to split a huge boulder to expand the basement, tending to his vegetable garden, or cutting wood for the fireplace. Allen is not yet ready for full retire- ment, but I hope his life can include more Deering-type relaxation, wherever he may be, after twenty-one years at a pretty hectic pace, he surely deserves this. I am eternally grateful to Allen for hiring me, for having confidence in meg Hopkins is an important and wonderful part of my life. Thanks for everything, Allen, and best wishes for the future! Leslie M. Wrigley