Charismatic art teacher Joe Swayze, who has doubled as advisor to The Nobleman for the past 28 years (with some time off for good behavior) is stepping down at the end of this academic year.
Swayze, according to his own description, has always been a little off the curve: When most of his 300 Williams' classmates were obtaining deferrals or exemptions from serving in Vietnam, Joe was among eight who were drafted. When most of his fellow soldiers were picking up their rifles and ammunition, Joe was assigned a camera and a clipboard and named an information officer for the U.S. Army's 9th Infantry Division.
"I think someone thought I was related to John Cameron Swayze," Joe said of the popular TV newscaster who predated Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow. From there it was an easy job hop to the Bennington Banner, in Vermont, where his wife Joanna, also a member of Nobles' art department, was finishing a degree at Bennington College. The next move was to the Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, MA, which had just received a Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Excellence and had been named the best small newspaper in the United States. Coincidentally Joe worked on the Eagle with Nobles alumnus Nick King ?64, now the Metro editor of The Boston Globe.
Under Swayze's tutelage the Nobleman won a plethora of awards. The Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the Massachusetts Press Association and other regional groups, statewide and in New England, have bestowed their highest awards on the publication. The only independent day school newspaper with a comparable record is Buckingham Browne and Nichols' Vanguard when it was advised by Nobles' alum-nus Rob Leith '71, an English teacher there. "Rob received The Nobleman at bb&n, liked what he saw, took on the Vanguard job, and did it brilliantly," Joe noted.
How did The Nobleman's elevation under Swayze come about? Joanna's brother was graduated from Andover and brought home the Phillippian, "a real newspaper with real stories that prompted serious dialogue in the community," Joe recalled. In addition to all that, it was the early '70s and interest in journalism was soaring thanks to Watergate and journalists Woodward and Bernstein.
When English Department eminence Dick Baker, who would go on to become Head of School, was Director of Studies, he would tell his students and advisees, "If you want to use your words and have an impact on the com-munity, try out for The Nobleman."
Once in awhile, Swayze recalls being advised (or possibly warned) by a faculty member or administrator trying to be helpful: "We could work together on this problem. We don't want you to be branded a troublemaker. You want to be a member of the team. Don't run this story."
How would he characterize today's Nobleman? "On the one hand, today's kids are more likely to self-censor... on the other hand, I'm a little older so I've perhaps become more relaxed."
Nevertheless, there is "no institution like a newspaper," Joe said. "Kids who want to argue, write, stay involved in a range of issues, they are the ones attracted to student journalism and oftentimes continue with this passion."
Boston Globe Business writer and alumnus Peter Howe '82 confirmed how his affinity for journalism and for excellence was honed under Swayze. "Joe was one of those teachers who are willing to hold students to very high expectations that they can do excellent work, far beyond that expected of teenagers. Joe set extremely high expectations and standards, which is the very best thing you can do for teenage kids."
What will Swayze do with his newfound block of time, everyone asks? He plans to "go more external...a newspaper is so internal." He's "absolutely thrilled the School is bringing the old darkroom in the Castle back to life." Joe expects to work on special projects, travel more, complete the Swayze move to their new home in Rockport.
"It's been a lot of fun," he added. "I think Peter [his successor as Nobleman advisor, English teacher Peter Raymond] will have a lot of fun with it, too."
-Joyce Leffler Eldridge
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