In Memoriam Pingry Remembers Former Headmaster John Hanly Mr. Hanly, Pingry’s beloved 13th Headmaster who led the School from 1987-2000, championed ethics, the arts, and intellectual rigor, and cheered for Big Blue athletics. The Pingry community is remembering him with sentiments such as “he made me proud to be an educator” and “he made me feel important.” Many have praised his calm authority, presence, encouragement, acts of kindness, and respect for others. “From my first step on campus, I have been regaled with stories of John Hanly as a leader, as a person, and as the embodiment of the Honor Code at Pingry. He helped shape Pingry as it made its way toward the end of the 20th century, with a huge emphasis on character, community, and the common good. He touched
JOHN HANLY
August 23, 2020, age 78, Upper Manhattan, NY
58
T H E P I N G R Y R E V I E W | FA L L 2 0 2 0
hundreds of lives and left a part of himself in each and every person with whom he came in contact. Helping to found New Jersey SEEDS (Scholars, Educators, Excellence, Dedication, Success), after having worked at Prep for Prep in New York City, John cared deeply about educational access and equity, a legacy we are committed to carrying on today,” says current Head of School Matt Levinson. Born in Wales and educated mostly in England, Mr. Hanly attended Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, UK, and received B.A. and M.A. Degrees (with Honors) in English Language and Literature from Oxford University. He also received an M.A. in Educational Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. An English teacher, his early experiences included teaching English to foreign students ages 15-19 at St. Clare’s Hall in Oxford, UK; serving as Head of the English Department at Audley House School in Bicester, UK; and being an Examiner in “O” level English language for the Cambridge University Examination Board (now known as Cambridge International Examinations). Prior to his arrival at Pingry, he worked for 19 years at Trinity School in New York City in a number of different roles, including as an English teacher for Project Broadjump (weekend and summer program for urban students), an English teacher for Grades 5-12, Head of the Middle School, Assistant Headmaster/Head of the Upper School, and Interim Headmaster. At Pingry, Mr. Hanly’s earliest accomplishments included his focus on hiring dynamic young teachers, his creation of three divisions to promote community on the Basking Ridge Campus (Grades 7-8, 9-10, 11-12; Grades 9-12 since returned to being one division), and making sure that ethics permeated the entire Pingry community. Facing the challenge of student apathy toward the Honor Code, he raised and addressed ethical issues during all-school, faculty, and parent meetings; introduced and taught a junior/senior elective about ethical dilemmas; and initiated a School-wide review of the Honor Code by a committee of administrators and student government to determine how to integrate the Code into daily student life. A major result of the review was the formation of the student-run Honor Board. In addition, the requirement to report an offense was removed, the wording of the Honor Code was revised
to apply to both men and women (1988), and the Code of Conduct, a version of the Honor Code simplified for younger students, was introduced at the Lower School (1994). “John Hanly was the very embodiment of the Honor Code, and valued integrity and character over all other qualities,” says former French Teacher Kelly Jordan P ’04, ’06, who joined the faculty in 1988. “He made me want to become a better person, someone worthy of him. His talks were inspiring and humorous at the same time, and everyone, from the youngest to the oldest member of the community, could understand his message. He had much interest in and compassion for every single member of the community, and he knew everyone by name. Among his many qualities, one that needs mentioning is his outstanding generosity, for John Hanly was a man with a big heart. I feel fortunate to have known him and to have learned so much about teaching and life from him.” Senior faculty member Miller Bugliari ’52, P ’86, ’90, ’97, GP ’20, ’24 remembers Mr. Hanly’s just personality: “He was charismatic and had a great sense of humor. John also went out of his way to try to fix something he thought was not right, and was very fair in dealing with people.” Another hallmark of Mr. Hanly’s tenure was his emphasis on the arts. He added three drama courses and a tutorial program in playwriting, the Attic Theater became a home for drama classes and small productions, and the extracurricular drama program expanded. He bolstered the fine arts program to include drawing, painting, photography, pottery, and filmmaking; introduced dance in 1994; and led an effort to showcase more school music, both during the holiday festival and AFS concert. By 1997, all three departments—art, music, and drama—boasted larger arts faculty and more course offerings as part of the curriculum. Although he left Pingry three years before it opened, the Hostetter Arts Center can be seen as a realization of Mr. Hanly’s vision for the arts at Pingry. Many in the community describe Mr. Hanly as a gifted speaker whose speeches were an experience. “I remember a speech he gave at year’s end,” recalls Upper School English Teacher Tom Keating P ’27, ’29, faculty member since 1988, “and it was probably the last thing we had to do before leaving for the
