Our new exhibit on display in Rockefeller Hall is a photo-history of astronomy here at Phillips Exeter Academy, ranging from the days prior to observatory construction to the present day. The range of studies has taken students from snow covered fields in winter, to domed observatories here and at professional facilities in Arizona.
2009 marks the anniversary of two important events: the first use of the telescope as a scientific instrument to study the skies by Galileo Galilei, and the 20th anniversary of the Grainger Observatory’s construction. To mark the former, the International Astronomical Union has declared 2009 the International Year of Astronomy and is hosting celebrations around the world to promote astronomy and astronomy education.
In October of 1989, the Academy opened the Grainger Observatory, the culmination of a dream held by the first observatory director, Dr. Chris Harper, who envisioned students making astronomical observations in a setting permanently established for the purpose. It was a huge leap from the days of bringing small telescopes out onto a snow covered roof of the then science building (now the Academy Center).
Now twenty years after the construction of the Grainger Observatory, the facility houses three domed observatories, a solar telescope, library, and digital Harkness classroom. The observatory has been keeping up with the ever present technological changes over the years: from film to electronic CCD cameras, manually operated telescope mounts to completely robotic and remotely operable observatories.
Used by the Academy’s three astronomy courses and the summer school program, the observatory is also open to the public and surrounding community on a regular basis. Local elementary and high school visits are common, as well as requests from researchers at colleges and universities around the world.
We’d like to share a bit more footage from the digitized film we wrote about in June. Last time, we provided a quick video of pre-baseball game festivities. The clip in this post, which features a Phillips Exeter gymanstics demonstration, is even shorter (~20 seconds). There’s a strange scene in it in the last few seconds (blink and you’ll miss it) where students appear to vault themselves directly into a waiting coach, . . . who then proceeds to drop the first gymnast.
The library has recently received two gifts to the Academy Archives that have an amazing story. Back in May, Susan Wise of Fletcher, NC, the daughter and granddaughter of alumni Denton Belford Wise ‘1932 and Martin Fitzhugh Wise ‘1900, sent an email to the Deans Office, indicating that she had her grandfather’s double handled, award cup for the First Prize, 1 Mile Run, in the Exeter/Andover Dual Meet that took place on May 31, 1899 at Andover. The email was forwarded to Edouard L. Desrochers, Assistant Librarian & Academy Archivist, who encouraged the donor to send the trophy to him to be housed permanently in the archives. The trophy arrived in early June.
In early July, Kathleen Engel, ‘1977, of Cleveland, Ohio sent an email to Jacquelyn H. Thomas, asking if the school would be interested in an old trophy that she had received from her uncle, Phil Campbell (not an Exonian), who had received the trophy from his friend and fellow runner, Ha Ha Torrey, who was an Exeter graduate in the class of 1899. Harry Kimball Torrey had received the trophy for winning Second Place in the Mile Run during the very same Exeter/Andover Dual Meet competition at Andover.
One hundred and ten years after the event, the two trophies have come back to Exeter. Shown below are the trophies, the recipients, the original program for the event, and the story about the event, published in the June 3, 1899 issue of the Exonian. Please click the images to see larger versions.
The reunited track trophies.
Harry Torrey’s academy yearbook entry.
Martin Wise while at Exeter.
The 1899 academy Track Team (highlighted runners may be Torrey and Wise).
The 1899 meet program (the pencil was provided for entering scores/finishing times).
Academy Library users will be happy to see an influx of “new” DVDs over the next several weeks. This past spring, we identified a large number of films which had gone missing from the CinemExeter film collection. After careful evaluation, we decided to replace 120 of these missing films. Those which had previously been in VHS format were replaced with DVDs. These DVDs have arrived in the Library and will be making their way to the shelves as soon as they are processed.
In addition, we have begun a large-scale project to replace most of the Library’s 3200+ VHS-formatted films with DVD, if available. So far, we’ve replaced a number of VHS films in the CinemExeter collection. Our next move will be to start replacing the classic and educational films housed in the Lawrence room and the 1M video collection.
Students in Isaac Bingham’s Access Exeter cluster, Project Exeter: A Greener Earth, converged in the Library on July 17, 2009, to assemble a mosaic out of bottle caps. The project, a result of planning and cooperation between three class sections, highlights the relationship between unrecyclable materials and global warming, and offers a model for the creative use of unrecyclable objects. Students mounted bottle-cap collection jars throughout campus and spent time organizing the caps by color. Under Bingham’s direction, they presented proposals for the mosaic design; ultimately a footprint was chosen to reflect the concept of an “environmental footprint.”
Working in teams, Bingham’s students spent roughly six hours assembling the mosaic, which will be on display in Rockefeller Hall through Tuesday, July 28. The students have posted digital video relating to the project at
An interesting website devoted exclusively to world news was launched earlier this year. Founded by Charles Sennott and Philip Balboni, two veteran Boston journalists, the mission of the GlobalPost “is to provide Americans, and all English-language readers around the world, with a depth, breadth and quality of original international reporting that has been steadily diminished in too many American newspapers and television networks.”
News stories and feature articles are written by 65 correspondents in 45 countries who offer an in-depth, “on the ground” perspective on global issues. Recent posts on the site have included coverage of the coup in Honduras, an article on rising seas in the Netherlands, and a piece on the “ghost schools” of Pakistan.
The Library will host the second performance of its 2009 Summer Concert Series on Wednesday, July 9 with an appearance by the Jay Geils–Gerry Beaudoin Quintet. The group features two prominent names in the pantheon of jazz, blues and rock guitar, backed by an accomplished trio of Phillips Exeter Academy music faculty members.
The quintet will play standards and other favorites from the history of jazz, blues and swing guitar. Jay Geils, best known for playing rock and roll with the J. Geils Band from the late 1960s until the mid-1980s, is also an accomplished jazz and blues guitarist.
Jazz guitarist Gerry Beaudoin has carved out a career as a leader, arranger and guitarist. A disciple of 7-string jazz guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli, Beaudoin is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and is an adjunct professor of music at Quincy Community College in Quincy, MA. Beginning with a chance meeting at a guitar show in 1994, Geils and Beaudoin have performed together in a variety of settings including the New Guitar Summit, which features the two alongside blues legend Duke Robillard and jazz guitarist extraordinaire Howard Alden. Jay Geils and Gerry Beaudoin headlined the 2003 Ottawa International Jazz Festival, and in 2007 they were chosen to represent the Statesmen of Jazz in concerts in Virginia and New England.
Joining Geils and Beaudoin at the Library will be PEA music faculty members Charlie Jennison on woodwinds, Marty Ballou on double bass and drummer Les Harris, Jr. The concert will begin at 7:00 pm, and is free and open to the public.
L to R: Jay Geils, Les Harris, Jr. and Gerry Beaudoin (photo by Larry Fedorchak)
We thought you might like to hear another musical recording from Phillip Exeter’s past. Digitized at the request of an alum, it’s a 1957 recording of “Jazz Me Blues” performed by the Sau Seven off their split LP with the Peadquacs. It’s a really swinging track; truly a summer treat.
The Friends of the Academy Library kick off another summer of musical concerts, held in the Library’s Rockefeller Hall. This year’s series consists of five free concerts, beginning at 7 p.m. The first is “An Evening with Paul Sullivan” on June 24th. Sullivan, a 1973 alumnus of the academy, is an accomplished pianist, composer, director, conductor and performer in jazz clubs, on- and off-Broadway theater, and in concert halls throughout the world.
Pictured (left to right): Shannon, Alexandra, Alexander, Julia, Kelly, Punit, Jamie and Alexandrea
The library has 12 new proctors selected for next year. The proctors are assigned to the upper floors of the library and are responsible for keeping order and ensuring an atmosphere where students can read and work.
All library proctors are day student seniors. Each year the outgoing proctors nominate their successors. The 2009-2010 library proctors are:
Jamie J. Ashton
Alexandra K. Azzi
Arielle C. Bean
Kelly D. Comolli
Shannon M. Comolli
Jenna M. Cook
Alexander S. Hayes
Abigail M. Loucks
Punit N. Matta
Julia L. Millstein
Gabrielle M. Nute
Alexandrea M. Smyrnos
Our new exhibit on display in Rockefeller Hall is a photo-history of astronomy here at Phillips Exeter Academy, ranging from the days prior to observatory construction to the present day. The range of studies has taken students from snow covered fields in winter, to domed observatories here and at professional facilities in Arizona. 
