President's Message July 2022

2022 Lenox School Reunion

October 14 and 15, 2022

A milestone reunion for ’67, ’62,’57 and frankly… all other classes, masters and staff are called.

(and we’re going to start auctioning the memorabilia!)

We have also arranged for a terrific catering operation to supply all of the meals right at the S&Co’s Bernstein Theatre this year. Every meal will be accompanied by an auction of the memorabilia, so bring your checkbook and don’t miss out on the Lenox School item you’ve had your eyes on all these years!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t recount how fortunate we are to have S&Co as stewards of the property and our gracious and warm hosts again. I count our blessings that they ended up with the campus.

“If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.”

Maya Angelou

Well that about sums up what the Lenox School Centennial Legacy Fund is all about. We’re are raising the funds necessary to keep the history and legacy of Lenox School alive thorough ongoing scholarships and donations in honor of Lenox School, along with a website that tells the history and has all the memorabilia, year books, and important documents digitized and maintained in perpetuity. And this 2022 all school reunion is positioned to drive us toward that centennial of the school in 2026.

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”

Pericles

What we are going to accomplish by having this fund operate will serve as an ongoing message to others beyond our time, reflecting not just what Lenox did for all that were fortunate to attend; but to provide the larger message of what can be done when selflessness and dedication to service becomes woven into ones life. The world is in need of this now more than ever.

“There are some who bring a light so great to the world, that even after they have gone the light remains”

Unattributed

I recognize that we have obituaries elsewhere in the Pen & Scroll, however, having attended the memorial for a classmate; the funeral of a friend and staff member; and suffering the loss of a cherished master recently; I am including the following:

Mr. Fawcett passed away on June 30^th. His contributions were not only to Lenox School and those of us fortunate enough to know him; but to all that he interacted with throughout his life. His light remains and shines through us. We shall carry on the scholarship we founded in his honor.

 

Several members of the class of ’68 had the opportunity to attend the memorial service for our classmate Tim Cole. Tim’s impact on the lives of others truly reflected “Sed Ministrare”.

Part of the obituary for Beryl Wells read:

“In 1962 Beryl and her family moved to Lenox, MA where she worked in the office at Lenox School for Boys and ran the snack shop until the school closed…”

The truth is, she was much more - loco parentis to the “Boys” (as she referred to us until her passing) and her service to the “Boys” was 24/7 365. We were enhanced to know Beryl, and diminished in her passing. She and Bud remain in our hearts. 

“Do your little bit of good where you are, it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world”

Desmond Tutu

I’d be remiss if I didn’t recount how wonderful it was to do LSAA’s little bits of good by bestowing two Pickett Scholarships at Miss Hall’s in person this year. The sense of service inculcated at Miss Hall’s emulates very much the “Sed Ministrare” philosophy we were exposed to at Lenox.

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.”

Albert Einstein

The board truly had to get creative in thinking about how do we place LSAA on the glide path to 2026 while making sure we had fun in the process Well, thankfully we are blessed with good bit of brain power and intelligence on our board.

We’re continuing to have the reunions of course as part of having fun. But the fun part is not only reconnecting this year and the years to follow, but we’re venturing into a creative way to transition the memorabilia to a new home, by of all things… an LSAA series of auctions.

While we concurrently are seeing if some of the items can go to the Episcopalian Diocese of Western MA or the Berkshire Athenaeum, we’re giving the opportunity for alums and guests at the reunion to capture that long sought Lenox School item!

We plan to have both silent and active auctions at each meal. Proceeds of course will be divided between the Centennial Legacy Fund and the LSAA operating account. This should be a hoot!

I’ll bring the gavel, you bring your sense of humor (and your checkbook!).

14-15 October 2022 - Save the Date.

Be there or … we’ll come find you!