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Page 10 text:
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? .l l A Q wk Perhaps the most significant change ever to occur in the Acade- my's history was in 1955 when W. Gray Mattern, Ir., became the nineteenth Headmaster. A Yale graduate at 19, Mr. Mattern's edu- cational career began as an English teacher at Taft, where some of the boys were older than he. At age 24, he became Headmaster of The Irvington School. Several years later he came to Wilbraham. In a little more than a decade, Mr. Mattern has increased the size of the school from 170 to 5300. In the future he sees a possible growth to 450. Since Mr. Matternis appointment a young, exciting faculty has been formed. And, year by year, student caliber has improved. The air at Wilbraham today is one of cautious optimism. Stu- dents and faculty are excited about the possibilities of the future for Wilbraham. At the same time, however, no one is neglecting the present, and the responsibility which everyone shares. Proof of this is the athletic records that were made this year. The football team had its most successful season in years. Highlights of that season included wins over Suffield and Williston by respective scores of 40-0 and 8-0. Basketball, baseball, hockey, skiing and Wrestling all had highly successful years. Spring track was again undefeated in dual meets. In the classroom too, innovations, exciting and valuable, were made. One American history class held a two week Vietnam Peace Conference, which saw the North Vietnam Udelegationn walk out at the end. The i'Student Projectl'-sponsored Colloquium appeared to be a huge success, and it is hoped that weekends of its nature will be continued. The tutoring which was begun with The Northern Educational Service in conjunction with the 6'Student Projectu gave 60 boys a chance to view, and try to ameliorate, the positions in this world of 60 underprivileged children in Springfield. And so Wilbraham is a concerned community, with a sense of accomplish- ment, looking ahead with eagerness. 6 Present
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Page 9 text:
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This is NVilbraham, always moving aheadg never standing still. But let's move back for a while to 1817 and see what has happened during the past 150 years. In 1817 lames Monroe was new to the office of Presi- dent. Many of the revolutionary leaders were still active. Throughout the country education was needed if the young republic was to thrive or even exist. And so in New Market, New Hampshire, XVesleyan Academy opened with five boys, five girls, and two faculty members. From 1817 to 1824 the Academy enrolled 400 students and the school became the first successful Methodist school in the United States. In 1824, it became apparent that the New Market location was hardly adequate. And so the school moved to XVilbraham, and Old Academy, the only school building at the time, was constructed. NVith Doctor NVilbur Fisk as principal, the school grew in the first year from seven to 10-1 students. By 1831, when Dr. Fisk left to be the first President of YVesleyan Univer' sity, 1150 students had gone out from NVes1eyan Academy. Tluis, in its first 15 years of existence, the school educated more than 1500 boys and girls, a truly remarkable accomplishment. The Academy continued to thrive. Most of the stu- dents in the 1830's and 1840's went on to WVesleyan, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, VVilliams and Amherst. New courses were introduced and in 18-18 a ladies graduating Louise was invoked. The tuition in 1866 was six dollars a term with room and board three dollars a week. The Academy continued to grow throughout the 1800's with the additions of Fisk Hall in 1851, Biiiiiey Hall in 1854, Rich Hall in 1861, and the Smith Gymnasium in 1896. In its day Smith was an outstanding Building. In its basement were bowling alleys and the main section of the building housed the first basketball court in the Connecticut Valley. At the turn of the century the Academy was still a center of education for New England. However, soon after the turn of the century, the enrollment began to decline, Clue primarily to a busi- ness depression which had gripped the country. In 1911 XVesleyan Academy closed. The closing was only temporary, for in 1912 it reopened as NVi1brahani Academy. The era of a great school had ended, the era of a greater was incipient. Physical changes have occurred over and over since then. lylodernization of Rich Hall was undertaken in 1931. Corbin Field House and the Chapel were acquired in 1929 and 19331 respectively. The Board Track was built in 1935 and Hodgkins, VVinchester, and Chapin Houses, among others, have been obtained since then. In 19633 Chamberlin was built, and the following year the Swimming Pool was added onto the Creenhalgh Cymnasium, which was itself completed in 1951. 5
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