Phillips Exeter Academy - PEAN Yearbook (Exeter, NH)

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The chapel in the Third Acad- emy Building was not a great deal different from today. The present Academy tower is perhaps the greatest trademark of Exeter. hundred in 1955. The faculty has increased from six to over ninety. Buildings have been constructed, and there have been many other physical advances. In the four years that the members of the class of 1955 have been at Exeter the old Alumni Hall, once used as a dining hall, has been redecorated and converted into the Lamont Art Gallery. In response to a long demand and with the help of alumni contributions an artificial hockey rink was constructed and first used in 195 3. And even now there is talk, speculation. and planning for a new building for the music department, a building which would also contain space for an auditorium which the school so badly needs. Since the last years of the nineteenth century Exeter life has undergone some rather fundamental changes. Today there is much less emphasis on athletics than there was in 1880 or the early years of the twentieth century. Many more activities-or diversions as they are sometimes classified-are open to the Exonians of today, although school regulations are in general stricter. With the application of the Harkness Plan teaching methods and techniques have been altered and improved. Consid- erably more attention can be given to the Exeter student than was the case before the Harkness Plan. This fact becomes increas- ingly significant when one remembers that college enrollments are soaring while neither the facilities nor the teaching profession can effectively take the added strain. The more students the less

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N if My A1552 'Y rpg Q IK' AL, 'A' v 1 l il .ifitfaz L gn 1-1 if , '59 1 i ' ae if 1 ls , I ,M W ' Q, xi . ,W OO 99 1... 4, 4. Tr ,. 1 7 Fraternities were abolished in 1943. I V1 eg ,-,.l if I' From 1947 to 1951, Peam' were very nmch alike, too much alike. They can all be characterized by splashes of color, use of bold type, catchy subtitles, large numbers of photographs, which were usually superb, and a relatively small number of ads. VVhile the art work was, in general, not very inspired. the writing was better. Not sophisticated, it was often very realistic. There was one great change. With the '48 edition the Supplement became a permanent feature. Before this innovation spring sports stories of one year had to be included in the Perm of the following year. The Supplement eliminated a rather absurd situation. Although these five Peam' were much alike, they reflected a great many interesting things about the Academy. ln 1948 the faculty announced that with the beginning of the next year, there would be no Latin requirement. ln the same year an electric-power failure resulted in a mass riot and Fxonians caused many dollars damage to town property. For this riot the movies and the Spring Dance were cancelled. In 1946, William G. Saltonstall was appointed to succeed Principal Lewis Perry. Wrote the editors of the '49 l'ea1e1, But who would be his successor? When Mr. Saltonstall was named, some of us thought that he had been kidnapped from the United States Senate to fill this position. The impressions of the '52, '53, and '54 P00715 are still in our minds. And they are very different impressions. The 1952 annual was an example of a book that was technically and mechanically perfect. The layout was rigid, conserva- tive, the writing was not particularly original. Only the photography reflected something out of the ordinary. And yet the finished product was a very respect- able, dignified, and complete annual. Nothing can be said in favor of the '53 Perm, it was one of the worst. The offset was very poorly done, even the binding was HOC acceptable. On the other hand, a great deal can he said for the '54 Perm, and particularly for the original art work which was unquestionably the most striking feature. The class editorial began Let this be a success story. The class of '54 was a suecessg the '54 Perm was also a success. And both left a firm imprint on their successors. And that brings us to 1955. It has been a long seventy-five years since an anonymous group of Exonians instigated the Perm. During those years the Academy has changed immensely, both tangibly and intangibly. The enrollment has increased from less than three hundred students in 1880 to over seven If Qtbi

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.32 Q .. I 5 X fy 'I W! 1., A ills vii s Q 3 , -I-fr' ,iff r . I, Ah V if ' s A ks r 'a 0' , rl 1 K l 1 individual attention for each one. And while this may not affect the better students, it cannot but help be a detriment to those who are average or less than average. ln other xvays the scholastic program at lixeter has been examined and im- proved. Field courses, advanced placement tests, and revamping of many courses Cparticularly the math coursesj are the tangible results of this examination. And it is lilcely that there will be more changes in the near future. During the last seventy-five years the Penn has changed somewhat, as a tradition began and de- veloped. The organization has increased in size and probably in importance. Next to the Exolliml, it is the most important student activity. llut although the P01111 has undergone many changes- as a student organization and as a yearbook-the aims of the first editors have remained inviolate, something which other editors have tried to attain. There have been drifts towards realism, towards completeness, there have been drifts away from realism and away from completeness. More than once has the Peavl fallen into a stereo- typed pattern. But at other times originality, ambition, and perseverance have combined to produce remarkable yearboolcs. Perhaps in this year, the diamond anniversary of the Perm, it is justifiable to make the generalization that the Perm has progressed, that it is a song of triumph and not a wail of despair.