HEBRON'S PATH FORWARD
Embracing Differences: Hebron’s Path Forward OVER THE YEARS, ALBERT LEPAGE ’65 HAS GIVEN BACK TO HEBRON ACADEMY IN MANY WAYS, AS A TRUSTEE AND AS A PHILANTHROPIST. ACCORDING TO LEPAGE, HE ATTRIBUTES THE TEACHERS AND FELLOW STUDENTS HE MET HERE WITH MAKING HIM A BETTER PERSON. HIS GENEROUS GIFT OF $5 MILLION TO CREATE THE ALBERT LEPAGE CENTER FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IS ROOTED IN HIS DAYS ATTENDING HEBRON IN THE 1960S, WHERE HE ALSO FOUND ACCEPTANCE.
I
“
always have believed that a lot of my positive life experience started here at Hebron, when I met people from all over the country and the world, representing different ethnicities and backgrounds,” says Lepage. “I came from a small town in Maine, where being of French-Canadian-American ancestry was difficult. Although we were a majority, we were treated like a minority. So, after coming to Hebron, I soon realized that exposure to diversity was contributing to my becoming a better person.” “In the summer of 2020, after the George Floyd murder, there was a push here at Hebron Academy to take a stand and do something, “ says Lepage. An Advisory Council was formed with members who were former and current trustees, former faculty members, former parents and current administrators. “Thanks to Zoom and an aggressive schedule, our team was able to do about two year’s worth of work in about six months. We have created and rolled out an impressive plan to ensure our community is more diverse and represents the range of backgrounds and viewpoints that everyone brings to the Hebron Academy campus.”
One member of the Advisory Council is Samuel Stafford ’68, a judicial member of the 8th Circuit Court. When Stafford arrived on the Hebron campus in 1964, he was the only person of color in the student population. Raised in Gainesville, Florida during the height of segregation, he recalls the many levels of change he faced at once. “Everything was unfamiliar. People with far different backgrounds, new ways of learning, and, especially after Halloween, the kind of cold weather I’d never experienced,” he says. But one thing that made the transition easier was the kindness of his teachers and classmates, including a certain fellow student. “I remember Albert Lepage clearly,” says Stafford. “He was kind, he was outgoing. Even as a young man, I recognized that his heart was in the right place. It’s a big reason I was excited and honored to join the initiative he introduced to Hebron.” This initiative, known as the Albert Lepage Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, builds on the Academy’s existing efforts to welcome and teach students from a variety of cultures and expose them to the Hebron experience. HEBRON MAGAZINE
24
