3 minute read
From the Board of Trustees
The pandemic disrupted many of the School’s annual events and daily routines, but the spectacular fall foliage remained constant.
at our core. Yet the forms excellence takes continue to change as knowledge grows, including knowledge about how students learn, the advent of new educational technology, and evolving best practices with respect to creating and sustaining a safe and inclusive environment for all members of the community.
The recent encouraging news about COVID19 vaccine development prompts me to reflect on some positive changes during the pandemic that may remain with us going forward. Among these are a deeper appreciation of community; a stronger attraction to nature and the solace it provides; fuller integration of technology into our lives; a reminder of our own resilience; and a deeper sense of our interconnectedness and gratitude for the personal networks to which we are linked.
I wish you and your families a peaceful and healthy holiday season.
All good wishes,
PHOTO: WENDY CARLSON
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
From Scarlet Fever to COVID-19
“From Scarlet Fever to COVID-19” in Hotchkiss Magazine, Summer 2020, brought back memories of my grandfather’s stories. Edward Raymond was in the class of 1904. He later included this story in a letter he wrote to grandchildren in 1972 just before he died. “There was an epidemic of scarlet fever at Hotchkiss one year. Because of a rash on my chest, legs and arms (which I later learned was only measles), I was sure I had it and didn’t want to be put in the “pest house,” an old farm house which the school called the infirmary. I ran away to the R.R. station and took the train to Bedford Hills, arriving there at 3 a.m. The train was late because of a heavy snow storm. I walked to Mr. Welphy’s livery stable and begged him to drive me home. We upset the buggy three times in the snow and arrived home about 5 a.m. I felt great, but was very hungry since I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast. I recall I ate half an apple pie as soon as I got home. When Hotchkiss found out about my leaving, I was suspended until after Easter Vacation. That was another cause of my failure to keep up with my studies. I didn’t do any serious work all the time I was home.” As a result, he did not graduate, but somehow went on to Yale. In 1959 he drove me to Hotchkiss and urged me to attend.
DOUGLAS RAYMOND ’63
The Hotchkiss Ski Jump
In the summer 2020 article about the Larsen Trail, a ski jump was mentioned — built in the 1920s and already in poor condition by I946. I never saw or heard of that one, but when I attended Hotchkiss (19551959), there was a 20-meter ski jump in the middle of the Beeslick woods in very good condition. I wonder if the trestle for the inrun was built on the same site as the old one. Sadly, it was already a derelict structure when I visited in 1980. Yes, Hotchkiss had ski jumpers — in fact a whole ski team, which participated in both nordic and alpine events. In 1968, the team was undefeated in four dual ski meets against local schools. Also that year, we placed 2nd out of 12 schools competing at the Berkshire Interscholastic Ski Meet in Pittsfield, MA. The practice on our home hill paid off there, as we won the jumping event by a wide margin, with skiers placing 2nd, 3rd and 5th out of about 30 participants. We must have done very well in the other events also, because these tournaments all included downhill, slalom, and cross-country ski races.
