Wellesley High School - Wellesleyan Yearbook (Wellesley, MA)

Page 6 text:

Mr. Crockett Elected “Teacher of the Year” by Students Mr Wilbury Crockett, Teacher ot the Year A classic stands the test ol time. I attended Mr. Crockett’s World Litera¬ ture Class many years ago, but what I gained is still remembered with joy and satistaction. I had no professors in college or graduate school who gave more to their students in depth and stimulation than Mr. Crockett gave to us. He is a rare and precious classic” teacher. A quick glance in Mr. Crockett ' s classroom tells an impressive story. He is a kind, encouraging and challeng¬ ing teacher who treats his students not as children but as equals. He teaches us to respect literature and the arts, but more importantly he teaches us to respect ourselves. When we leave his classroom, we feel that we have accomplishea a great deal. He shows us that he is proud to be our teacher, and he is one man who we would never want to disappoint. As we look back on our high school years, Mr. Crockett will stand out for his sincerity, wisdorr and understanding. — Bonnie Miller, and Ann Morgenthaler Co-Editors in Chief 1980 WELLESLEY AN Almost a quarter century of a century ago I had the priv¬ ilege of working with a man who taught me more about the joys of thinking for oneself than most of the teachers I have known since. This man is Wilbury A. Crockett, teacher. Unlike so many, Mr. Crockett deserves to be called a teacher because he knows how to encourage youth to face themselves, their developing belief systems, and to begin the life long task of independent, critical thinking, acting, and being. — John Barrel! Class of 1956 — Steve Austin Class of 1947 Many of us can trace back our choice of college or career, our search after ' the best that has been thought and said,’ and even the very principles of integrity that guide us, to our experience in Mr. Crockett’s class. An experience of inquiry and dis¬ covery not confined within classroom walls but reaching deeply into our minds and hearts. An expe¬ rience outlasting any school year and lighting the rest of our lives. If we discovered abilities and interests we never knew we had, it was he who awakened us to them. If we made dreams become realities, it was because of his daily encouragement, unceasing inspiration, rare wisdom and insight. Suffice it to say that again and again through the years, whether in thought or in person, we all come back to him. And we come back with the warmest admiration, gratitude, and love. Mr. Crockett is the teacher of a lifetime. — Sylvia Plath Class of 1950 Generations of students, dating back to the 1940 ' s, remember Mr. Crockett ' s lectures. ■2

Page 5 text:

Wellesleyan 1980 Dedication.2 Focus.4 Activities.18 Faculty.38 Academics.58 Athletics .80 Organizations .... 128 Seniors.142 Underclassmen ... 192 Traditions .210 Index.226 Advertisements . . . 230 R 6 - A cr r 3 u y n C4 1

Page 7 text:

Of all the teachers I have had in high school, college, and grad¬ uate school, the one who had the most profound influence on my creative, intellectual, and personal growth was Wilbury Crockett. I still remember his classroom, where learning was brought to life by his insight and imagination. His relationship with us was an extraordinary mixture of respect, intellectual challenge, under¬ standing, and love. I will always be proud to have known as teacher and friend Mr. Crockett, a rare man with the unique gift of living and sharing life with his mind and with his heart. — Beth Hinchliffe Class of 1971 Through my parents’ sacrifice, I was privileged to grow up in Wellesley and blessed to have Mr. Crockett for English throughout High School. His teaching uniquely blended an appreciation for the English language with an introduction to the seminal works of English and American Literature. While we learned ‘English’, Mr. Crockett’s clan also learned enduring values through an extra¬ ordinary examination of the tensions and resolutions that interlace great literature. Despite the length and intensity of my many aca¬ demic encounters, quite unequivocally, Mr. Crockett’s course at Wellesley stands head and shoulders above the rest in durable util¬ ity. i Mr. Crockett’s teaching was always notable for the gen¬ uine respect he gave his students. By setting higher than usual goals for his students, Mr. Crockett helped us grow and develop as individuals, with enhanced self-expecta¬ tions. All too frequently, a long concentration in one area of study produces a narrowness of mind, and blindness to other areas. This has never been true of Mr. Crockett — he stretched our minds. He has earned our respect, admi¬ ration and gratitude as an outstanding human being and teacher. — Jonathan Grandine Class of 1964 As high school students in the early sixties, we were all hotshots; motivated more by the pleasure of competing with each other than by any genuine love of literature. Under the guidance of Mr. Wilbury Crockett, however, we moved from competition to collaboration and from infatua¬ tion with verbiage to love and respect for thoughtful expression, and we worked hard for the right to sit in his classes. For those of us who found, as I did in later life, that our vocations demanded writing and our interests encouraged it, Mr. Crockett’s English class was our first taste of the writer’s craft. — Jon Perry Class of 1964 — Douglas C. Bauer Class of 1956 Chatting with Laura Bothteld. 3