Giving Back to the Independent School Community
Noble Grads Who Serve as Heads
 | | Ralph Wales N76 |
By Sue Rockwell
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story, focusing on Nobles grads who went on to become heads of school, refers only to living, non-retired heads of independent schools. If we inadvertently omitted anyone from this group, we apologize in advance. We heard from Sally Newell that her husband James Newell ‘61, now retired, was head of the Riverside School in Vermont (grades 4-8) for 16 years. We also know that Tom Edwards ‘57 was head of the public Freeport (ME) High School. Nobles’ own head, Robert P. Henderson, Jr. ’76, was omitted because his career as a head has been described in previous Bulletins. A subsequent story might encompass these other educators.
Ralph Wales ‘76 admits his “rebellious years” began at Noble and Greenough. It was here that he routinely challenged the institution’s mission and, consequently, learned to think, feel and speak his convictions provocatively. Now, as head of the Gordon School, a nursery through eighth grade school in Rhode Island, Wales encourages his own students to ask questions, challenge answers and discover their dreams.
“I fell in love with teaching in a profound and deep way. I have reinforced the Gordon School’s gentle tendency because of my respect and love of children,” said Wales about his first job as a third, fourth and fifth grade teacher.
Teachers enter the profession because they love the craft; leaders move to the fore because they are destined to do so. As independent school heads, many graduates have demonstrated an adeptness to do both. Some are nearing retirement, others still raising their own families, but all came into the profession with a fervor for knowledge which flourished during their years at Nobles.
“People who want to teach just know it. I believe it is a calling,” comments Noble and Greenough Head of School Bob Henderson, Jr. ‘76 who readily admits the best part of his day is teaching even though he loves to shape the future vision of this institution.
Wales’ years at Nobles followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, Ralph Lowell, a 1907 graduate. Wales enthusiastically credits three instructors with acutely shaping his teaching and leadership skills: John Paine, his history teacher, for teaching the art of engaged argument; Lisa Colt, an art teacher, for guiding him to empathize with others; and, finally, Dick Baker, his English teacher, for probing him to think with intellectual curiosity.
Initially, Wales gained administrative experience at the Buckley School in California. Although he started out as an assistant principal, he quickly advanced to interim principal of the lower school only to move on after a few years to the Gordon School, where he was aggressively recruited by Chris Arnold, a former Latin teacher at Nobles.
Over the past nine years, Wales’ vision has “created a seed of revolution” by influencing the Gordon School to embrace the racial mix and the socioeconomic diversity of Rhode Island. “We recognize that a multicultural environment is essential to the strategic plan of educating young people in order to prepare them to thrive in the world beyond Gordon,” comments Wales. Their commitment to building diversity on-campus, an undertaking that has also proven enriching at Nobles over recent years, has resulted in 19 percent students of color, 15 percent faculty and administrators of color and 23 percent Trustees of color.
Still proud of his confidence to challenge the administration of Nobles in the early ‘70s, he admires similar qualities in his students, “Middle schoolers represent the hope of the world because they question everything. I love that eighth graders remain the leaders at the Gordon School because by nature they challenge authority. It puts the hypocrisy of the world in front of us and challenges us as an educational institution to meet it.” Currently, Wales, his wife, Martha and their three daughters live in Providence, RI.
 | | Peter Briggs N50 |
For Peter Briggs ’59, Dick Flood ‘53 and Selden Edwards ‘59, it was a particular Noble and Greenough headmaster, Eliot Putnam, who engaged them. From 1943 to 1971, Putnam served as a symbolic figure, a remarkable athletic presence, and the translator of the institution’s culture. The morning assembly, which continues to be a mainstay at Nobles, provided Putnam a forum to deliver regular thought-provoking passages at the start of each day. A few of the passages that remain favorites among alumni/ae include: “The Tall Gentleman Helping Someone,” Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If,” and “Casey at the Bat.” As compelling as the passages were, it was Putnam’s vigorous style and innate ability to govern that provoked students to strive harder and commit to the community’s core values.
Selden Edwards ‘59, head of Sacramento Country Day School, also credits Putnam and others as making an “indelible impression” on him. “I was a boy from a small farming community and out of my element. I took a look at Putnam and loved what he stood for—an embodiment of top-of-the-pyramid values,” Edwards remembers.
Peter Briggs ‘50 recalls accepting his first position as head of Ohio Western Reserve Academy, in Hudson, OH, and visiting Putnam to share the news. “He was tough as nails but soft as a grape. Even though he gruffly told me to take the job before they called me back and reneged on the offer, I knew he was proud. I adored him, we all did,” he said.
Briggs’ illustrious career continues to take him afar. Over the last five years, he has traveled around the country to serve as interim head at a variety of schools including St. James Episcopal School in Los Angeles, CA; Potomac School in Mclean, VA; Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, VA; and Fort Worth Country Day School in Fort Worth, TX and this year at St. Timothy’s School in Baltimore, MD. Reflecting on his interim positions, Briggs noted, “It is fulfilling and even exhilarating in the twilight of my career to be able to give direction to fundamentally good schools which have hit some temporary bumps in the road.”
Prior to these positions, he served for twenty years at the Seven Hills School in Cincinnati, which has become a school “he is proud to have his grandchildren go to.” Under his tenure, Seven Hills, the choice school in the city, created a rigorous academic curriculum and diversified from all-girls into a co-ed institution. Looking forward to retiring, Briggs and his wife, Charlin will retain their permanent home in Cincinnati.
Also approaching retirement this year, Salisbury School Head Dick Flood ‘53 along with his wife, Sally, will leave behind a legacy as “the team that has been the catalyst to bringing Salisbury where it is today.” Flood has brought in the resources to build a brand new campus, strengthen admissions, hire talented and enthusiastic teachers, and build a growing endowment.
He knew from a very early age that being head of an independent school would never be just a job, but a way of life. This way of life originated years before he stepped into a classroom. Born at 507 Bridge Street in Dedham (the original Nobles’ address before 10 Campus Drive was established), he thrived firsthand at the knees of parents Ellen and Dick, whose unfailing dedication, love and loyalty to Noble and Greenough as the assistant to Head Eliot Putnam (and as faculty wife) were characteristic of that era. In those days, a faculty wife, while not receiving remuneration, contributed in countless ways to the community.
 | | Selden Edwards N59 |
After getting started at Pomfret, Westminster and Fulbright Schools, Flood eventually ventured back to Nobles in 1967 and stayed as an instructor until he left for Salisbury in 1988. He was never able to free himself “from the knowledge that my mentors were now my colleagues.” He reminisced fondly, “The [Nobles] faculty and administrators in the ‘50s, ‘60s and early ‘70s were truly committed, and graduates like myself remain devoted to them.”
Flood followed in his father’s footsteps, proving to be equally passionate about and committed about his work. Recently concluding its Centennial year, Salisbury celebrated this important and historical event under the aegis of Flood and his advisory council. Michael Sylvester, board trustee, commented, “Finding a replacement for Dick and Sally will be our toughest challenge as we begin our next hundred years. [They are] clearly, a beloved couple at the school.” Upon retirement, the Floods will move to Canaan Valley, CT, where they look forward to spending time with their children, Dicky ’77, Sam ’79, and Cassie, along with spouses and seven grandchildren.
Selden Edwards ‘59 arrived at the position of headmaster after working as an English teacher in six different schools. He claims that Sydney Eaton, a Nobles English teacher, invoked in him a love of Shakespeare that followed him throughout his career. “My contribution and passion as teacher and headmaster have been to bring the best of classical education to the classroom,” said Edwards.
Edwards’ primary accomplishment at Sacramento Country Day has been projecting his student-centered education philosophy, which means making education accessible: “Instead of ‘you coming to it, it comes to you.” He also is credited with readying a two-campus development that encompasses an 80-acre gift of land for eventual occupancy.
“I just finished my dissertation on tribal psychology and leadership. I believe there is a leader in everybody, it just needs to be discovered,” Edwards concludes, “Great teachers comes from emulating their great teachers. I hope the profession attracts young people who want to navigate adolescent mine fields, inspire knowledge and lead by example.” Edwards lives in Sacramento with his wife, Gaby, and hopes to write and do workshops for teachers and adults in the near future.
George (Tripp) Sargent III ’84 has found a home closest to his heart—in the Schoolhouse. The son of Lee Sargent, the former Noble and Greenough history teacher, football coach and athletic director, young Tripp Sargent grew up in the independent school environment. As a result, he has always valued the exceptional education that Nobles provided for him. Not sure whether he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, Tripp had to “leave the nest” to reclaim his passion in Colorado, thousands of miles from the safe haven of New England.
“I have tried to take what I learned at Nobles and replicate that at my school,” explains Sargent, 7th-8th grade Manning School principal in Golden, Colorado. “I have hired teachers who are devoted to the profession. The superior education I received at Nobles happened because of the passion and quality of the teachers and administrators.” He believes that while teachers have direct one-on-one interaction with kids, the principal takes on a variety of roles—educator, manager of teachers, disciplinarian of the students and spokesperson for the school.
Sargent takes pride in his positive communication skills as principal. “We have grown to 300 students in two years, and parents have a trust in the values and expectations that we espouse at The Manning School,” said Sargent.
 | | Dick Flood N53 |
Sargent, a 1998 Dartmouth graduate, began his journey in 1990 from the East Coast to Colorado, where he worked as a manual laborer in an effort to “clear his head.” Eventually, his toils led him to his current career. “I decided that education was where I could have the greatest effect and be the happiest,” remarked Sargent. He also earned an Interdisciplinary Science Master’s degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder, CO.
Sargent’s career has primarily been in public schools. His success at Brighton Heritage Academy, an “at risk” school, included helping the institution to grow from 75 to 150 students and improving students’ useful skills and school attendance.
His life in Colorado has provided constant change over the last twelve years, including his marriage and the births of his two children. Sargent remains non-committal about the prospect of remaining in Colorado: “While it doesn’t seem like it will happen anytime soon, you never know, maybe someday I will venture back home to New England and head up a school like Noble and Greenough.”
Ned Lawson ‘64 left a 28-year environmental law career to sit at the helm of the Duxbury Maritime Bay School and has never looked back. “Although I’m only 56, I’ve been sailing for 57 years,” quips Lawson about his venture as executive director at a school which offers programs such as sailing, racing, rowing, boat building, and marine ecology.
The genesis of DMBS began several years ago, when Lawson and Fred Clifford ‘54, former Noble and Greenough board president, successfully transformed an unused boatyard into a school that has grown to include over 1500 participants. It was a ‘FOR SALE’ sign for vacant property next to the Duxbury Yacht Club that caught Lawson’s attention. Concerned about its being developed for a non-water dependent purpose, both men forged ahead to create a not-for-profit school in 1998. The school grew quickly and by the first summer, 300 youngsters and 50 adults were enrolled. This earned DBMS the “Outstanding New Program” award from US Sailing, the national governing body for the sport of sailing. Currently, DBMS is in the planning phase of a $5 million campaign to improve its shore-side facilities.
Lawson’s connection to Nobles’ roots extends as deep as his love of sailing. It reaches back to his maternal grandfather, Edward Farnsworth, graduating in the early 1900s; his father, Frank B. Lawson, in 1932; his two brothers, Frank Jr. in 1962 and Samuel in 1967; his daughter Meg in 1995; son Ted in 1999; and daughter Jenny in 2000. In addition, his father taught and served as business manager from 1946 until his retirement in 1979. Ned also has a cousin, an uncle, and a niece who are graduates in addition to another niece who is here now.
Lawson credits Noble and Greenough with inculcating in him from an early age the importance of building and nurturing one’s own community. After graduating from Nobles, Lawson continued on a path that led him to a life dedicated to the public sector, defending the environment and eventually charting a course back to the sea. He noted, “It was the right time for me to make a change. What we thought was a good idea, actually was a great idea. I feel fortunate to be a part of it, to work with many talented people and to encourage a love of the sea.” For more information about the courses and programs at the Duxbury Bay Maritime School, call 781-934-7555.
 | | Ham Clark N68 |
L. Hamilton Clark Jr. ’68 has always been known as a mover. Now he’ll have the opportunity to put that epithet to the test. As the brand new head of the Episcopal School in Philadelphia, Clark has been asked to move the Episcopal School campus 10 miles west to 120 acres of farmland in Newtowne Square, four times the size of the current quarters. His goal: to enable Episcopal to be “the best school in the country.” To that end he is currently working with the noted architectural firm of Graham Gund Associates on a master plan for the highly respected school.
Clark came to Episcopal over the summer after 15 years as head of Sewickley Academy just outside Pittsburgh. His biggest accomplishment there, he feels, was to “move the institution beyond its parochial outlook. They’re much more developed and connected to the inner city now,” he offered, thanks to junior-year abroad programs (exchange programs in Australia and China; semester programs in Switzerland) and community service offerings akin to those that have helped place his alma mater, Nobles, on the educational map. Similarly, he worked hard to increase diversity at Sewickley, again following the Nobles model. He gave students greater exposure to city life and to world cultures beyond.
In addition to the above transcendent initiatives that impact students directly, he increased the endowment fourfold, the enrollment from 580 to 800, and doubled annual giving. His ambitious capital campaign resulted in the construction of a new middle school and library and an overall renovation to the rest of the campus.
The Clark family’s connection with Nobles transcends Ham’s own education here. His wife Ceci was the co-head Middle School, an English teacher and girls’ soccer coach. Ham was the School’s graduate trustee, which gave him “insight into working with Boards and propelled me to go on as a head.” While Ceci was here, Clark was Admission Director and College Counselor for one-time Nobles rival Buckingham Browne and Nichols, where he was legendary for the aggressive tactics he used to lure the best and the brightest students. BB&N’s large number of Harvard parents, Clark said, prepared him “for dealing with a sophisticated, demanding parent group [when I went on to become head].”
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