A TRIBUTE TO MAIA BROGAN 1924-2018 By Lynn Crevling ’72 in collaboration with Meg Brogan Adley & Tom Donahue
Maia Brogan was the wind behind his sails, the rudder supporting his direction, a skip in his step, and strength that bolstered him. Francis “Frank” Brogan, the tenth Headmaster of The Storm King School, brought the undeniable presence, wisdom, and support of his wife, Maia, when he arrived on the Mountain in 1966. For eight years, their partnership impacted hundreds of young lives. A quintessential Headmaster’s wife, Maia loved and excelled in her role. Had she been born a generation later, she might have been recognized for her own career accomplishments, but that reflected neither the times nor her inclination. Maia Anderson was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, on March 31, 1924; the fifth child in a family of three brothers and two sisters. Her father had emigrated from Sweden and her mother was from New Hampshire of Swedish descent. Shortly after Maia’s birth, the Anderson family moved to Hyannis on Cape Cod where her father started a plumbing and heating business–a trade he had learned as an apprentice in Boston. Her father had little formal education, going only to the third grade. He was a self-educated man
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who proudly served for 24 years on the local Town of Barnstable School Board. Her mother, whose education went only to the eighth grade, was an avid reader, and, along with her husband, valued education. All six of the Anderson children graduated from college. Maia attended the University of New Hampshire, where she graduated cum laude with a degree in Languages just as World War II was breaking out. Because of the war effort, classes were accelerated and she completed her studies in three years and six weeks.