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Feature
Charley Dey A Lifetime of Finding Out b y k a t i e j e w e t t, p h . d . Charles Frederick Dey, a former head of Choate Rosemary Hall, passed away at home on April 16, 2020. His full obituary is posted on choate.edu. As I stepped onto the snow-covered driveway of their home last December, carrying my iPad, a near-essential accessory at Choate Rosemary Hall that would not exist today without their early leadership, my heart was both light with anticipation and full of many stories of Charley and Phoebe’s graceful kindness. The school to which the three of us have devoted a combined total of nearly four decades is a place where Charley’s positivity and commitment to service are regularly invoked, and stories of Phoebe’s contributions to school life are as abundant as her beautiful watercolors, which decorate campus interiors. Prior to that day, Charley and I had met only once or twice. Our initial connection was forged, mostly in written correspondence, through both our Choate ties and a shared interest in contributing to public education. Before I could worry that the connection we had established in letters might not transfer to
this face-to-face December meeting, Charley was standing outside his front door, arms outstretched with a warm and welcoming grin on his face. Smiling back, I thought of the countless people at Choate who have told me that Charley always made you feel as if you were the only other person in the room. After offering me a cup of tea and helping me get settled, it was Charley’s turn to reveal a schoolboy-like anticipation of our meeting. His home office was filled with family photographs, Phoebe’s watercolors, and framed evidence of his commitment to service. I was there at his behest (and as part of an 89th birthday gift from his four adult children) to help him record his history, and he was excited to get started. During more than three hours together, we shared laughter, tears, and many stories, deepening our initial connection. I left that day with some notes, a hard drive full of video files from an oral history project begun with Charley’s son Tom, and a promise to return monthly, a pledge we kept up for two more visits until Charley fell ill in February.
