28 Years of Falcon Service

AROUND CAMPUS

By Shannon Allen

Bill Arnold ’86 has shown extraordinary dedication and service to Fort Worth Country Day for 28 years … as a student first, then teacher, coach and administrator. He is part of a Falcon legacy family, attending FWCD with many family members, including his brother, Charles Arnold ’84; sisterin-law, Laura Bonnell Alexander ’88; nephews, Will Arnold ’13 and Ben Alexander ’20; nieces, Mary-Madison Arnold ’14 and Kate Alexander ’22; and his own children, Taylor Arnold ’11 (and daughter-in-law Courtney Reimer Arnold ’11), Robert Arnold ’14 and Allie Arnold ’18. He has been married to his beloved, Debby Arnold, FWCD Middle School Spanish Teacher, since 1990.

A graduate of FWCD’s Class of 1986, Arnold attended the Virginia Military Institute on an ROTC scholarship, where he earned a BA in History. Later, he would earn an MA in History from the University of Texas at Arlington. Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marines, Arnold trained at Camp Pendleton and 29 Palms bases in California for four years following graduation. He was a United States Marine Corps Reserve from 1994 to 2006.

When Arnold rejoined the Country Day family as a faculty member and administrator in 1994, he wore multiple hats: teaching Upper School History courses and working as Assistant Director of Admission and Assistant Director of Development. Through his teaching and work, he showed the importance of commitment and exemplified all of FWCD’s core values. A combat veteran, Arnold felt a calling to take a leave of absence from FWCD in 2004 to command a Marine Scout platoon in Iraq. While there, he was cited for bravery in combat during the second Battle of Fallujah.

Upon his return to Country Day Lane, Arnold went back into the classroom, bringing history to life for students, often sharing his personal experiences in Iraq. From 2007 to 2013, he held the James S. Garvey Chair for Distinguished Teaching in History. Named the Head of Upper School in 2014, Arnold was involved in the conversations that led to a new Upper School schedule (75-minute classes) and was the driving force behind the Upper School leadership program, which invites city and national leaders to campus. In 2016, Bill accepted a new role to serve the School as Director of Strategic Projects. He spearheaded the development of FWCD’s Center for International Studies, which provides programs and experiences to build students’ capacity to thrive in an ever-changing global community and ensures that FWCD graduates understand and can engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions across cultures. He also was deeply involved in developing FWCD’s Strategic Plan, which the Board of Trustees approved in 2018.

At various points in his FWCD tenure, Bill coached four sports, taught eight different history courses, and led service and history trips to France and Ecuador. Always committed to veterans, Arnold created the Captain David R. “Chip” Herr, Jr. ’80 Memorial Lecture Series, honoring Captain Herr and his legacy. Herr’s helicopter malfunctioned and crashed in eastern Saudi Arabia during a non-combat mission in 1991. He is the only FWCD graduate who has died in service to his country.

The students are what made the FWCD teaching experience so fulfilling for Bill Arnold.

The students are what made the FWCD teaching experience so fulfilling for Arnold. He brought his personal experiences into the classroom to illuminate learning, channel leadership, foster civility, and inspire school spirit, which makes him beloved among students, parents and alumni.

In addition to his devotion to FWCD, Arnold is passionate about supporting veterans. In his retirement from teaching, Arnold plans to serve his fellow veterans.

“Bill is not the sort of community member that you ‘replace.’ Of his many gifts to our community, Bill’s commitment to the institution, his students, and his colleagues is exemplary,” said Head of School Eric Lombardi. “His academic curiosity and rigor are legendary. Most notable, though, is Bill’s integrity. His modeling has been a gift to all of us.”

“Country Day has been my academic village, my intellectual playground, and my sacred space for 28 years,” Arnold said. “When I close my eyes, I think of friends and books and campfires. Of Normandy and Avila and Quito and Hanoi and Taos and Big Bend. Of SPC Championships and near-misses. Of courses and fields and diamonds and stages. And yes, I also think of September 11 and pandemics and Fallujah and the funerals of colleagues and students. The composite pictures that hang in the Upper School are more than pictures to me. They are stories. They are memories. It is here that I became me.”