Morristown Beard School

Student body and faculty

As of the 2013–14 school year, Morristown-Beard School has an enrollment of 560 students (411 Upper School students and 149 Middle School students). The student body (55% male, 45% female) come from 90 towns in New Jersey.

Ninety-three faculty members teach at Morristown Beard School as of the 2013–14 school year. The school has a faculty–to-student ratio of 1:7 and an average class size of 12 students. Fifty-eight percent of the faculty hold advanced degrees, and fourteen percent hold PhD's.

Morristown School

The Episcopal Church founded Morristown School as St. Bartholomew's School in 1891. Rev. Frank E. Edwards, a graduate of Harvard University (1891), served as the school's first headmaster, and classes took place in Morristown's Normandy Park area. Achieving notoriety, St. Bartholomew's school hosted a speech by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes novels, in 1894.

Three years later, St. Bartholomew's School moved its classes to Whippany Road after building a new campus near the Morristown railroad station. Designed by noted architects Edward Lippincott Tilton and William A. Boring (co-designers of Ellis Island's Immigrant Station), the buildings for this campus required only 90 days to construct. The blended Colonial Revival and Classical Revival architecture styles reflect the colonial history of the Morristown area. Ford Mansion in Morristown (now part of Morristown National Historical Park) served as one of George Washington's headquarters during the American Revolutionary War.

When St. Bartholomew's School faced financial challenges in late 1897, three of its teachers from Harvard University Class of 1888 reorganized St. Bartholomew's School as the Morristown School. These three co-founders of Morristown School were Francis Call Woodman, Arthur Pierce Butler, and Thomas Quincy Browne. Aiding their work to start the new school, a large donation from wealthy businessman Henry Lee Higginson (known for founding the Boston Symphony Orchestra) provided critical seed funding. The school also benefited from large financial gifts of three other notable philanthropists: businessmen Charles Francis Adams III, Larz Anderson III, and Joseph Lee. Adams (a great-grandson of President John Quincy Adams) and Anderson (a son of General Nicholas Longworth Anderson) graduated from Harvard in the same class year as Morristown School's co-founders. (Lee graduated from Harvard five years earlier.)

Morristown School prepared its students for Harvard University, other Ivy League schools, and engineering schools. The school opened in September 1898 with 23 students and eight staff members. Just two years later, enrollment more than tripled to educate 75 students; the student body increased to 173 by 1923. In 1908, Morristown School achieved recognition as one of only two schools outside New England to send students to Harvard for ten consecutive years (1899–1908). Strengthening the connection with Harvard, Morristown School leaders hosted the Harvard Club of New Jersey. The club's April 1909 meeting brought visits from Harvard President Charles Eliot, New Jersey Governor John Fort, and New Jersey Chancellor Mahlon Pitney (later a U.S Supreme Court justice). Eleven years later, the Morristown School ran a $500,000 fundraising campaign to establish an endowment. Several Harvard graduates served on the campaign's executive committee, including graduates of Harvard and the Morristown School (writer Roger Burlingame, journalist Samuel T. Williamson, and businessman Felix Knauth).

During World War I, 65 of Morristown School's first 103 graduates (63%) served in the U.S. military. Their service reflected the value of community service emphasized by Morristown School to its student body. During the war, students at the school raised funds to purchase and equip the Morristown School Ambulance. They then presented this ambulance to the American Field Service for use in France. The American Field Service awarded Morristown School a certificate and a brass plaque to show its appreciation for the ambulance. In 1913, 40 of Morristown School's students helped the Morristown Fire Department extinguish a forest fire that had spread over three miles on Horse Hill; the students used portable chemical extinguishers to fight the flames. Nine years later, the full student body (173 students) helped fight a large fire that had destroyed two nearby houses. In 1957, the basketball team donated a trophy to Delbarton School (the school rival) to honor Paul Kreutz, a Delbarton player who drowned in 1956.

Beard School

In 1891, sisters Lucie Beard, Eliza Mills Beard, and Ettie Beard Foster started a school for kindergarten students on Claredon Place in Orange, New Jersey. The three sisters were cousins of historian James Truslow Adams, a Pulitzer Prize winning writer. Eliza Beard oversaw the school's financial management, and Lucie Beard ran the educational activities. Their mother, Hester Truslow Beard, also assisted with the establishment of the school. The Beard school had an initial enrollment of 13 students. The all-girls school moved to Berkley Avenue in 1900 and continued adding grades until it graduated its first class in 1903. Taking the role of a preparatory country day school, Beard School prepared its students for the Seven Sisters and other colleges and universities.

Earning notoriety for this purpose, the Beard School received financial support from capitalist Sidney Morse Colgate of Colgate-Palmolive. In 1928, the school hosted a speech by Rev. Harry Emerson Fosdick, a social justice activist, at its commencement ceremony. Fosdick's visit reflected Beard School's commitment to service for its student body. During World War I, the students made bandages and wound dressings and began a tradition of sewing and knitting items to donate to the American Red Cross. This tradition extended into and past the Great Depression of the 1930s. During World War II, Beard School's students worked for the Junior Red Cross and assisted the American war effort by contributing their time and money.

On November 30, 1953, a large fire swept through Beard School's campus in the middle of the night. Reaching a peak of fifty feet in the air, the fire engulfed two of the school's five buildings and left them unusable. The fire destroyed an auditorium, 16 classrooms, and Beard School's gymnasium. After calling the fire department, Headmistress Edith Sutherland awakened the 20 boarding students and led them to safety on the school's front lawn.

Salvaging wood from the school's ruined buildings, a machinist repairman who lived nearby built a two-story garage for his family's home. His daughter later penned an essay about her childhood that described her memories surrounding the fire. Submitting the essay to Unico National, an Italian-American service organization, she earned second place in their Ella T. Grasso literary contest. Rebuilding, Beard School launched the Beard Fund campaign in Fall 1954 to fund construction of a new building to replace the two buildings devastate by the fire. The campaign hosted a Hawaiian-themed benefit dance on October 22, 1954 to raise some of the funds. In the spring of that school year, the Beard School opened the new fireproof building for use by classes. Eleven years later, the Beard School had discussions with Short Hills Country Day School about a potential merger of the two schools. The two schools did not merge, however. Short Hills Country Day School later merged with the Pingry School in Bernards, New Jersey.

Morristown-Beard School

The all-boys Morristown School merged with the all-girls Beard School in 1971. The new co-ed school elected to use Morristown School's campus in Morristown and close the Beard School's campus in Orange. (The former campus of the Beard School now houses the White House Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center.) On Prize Day, June 5, 1971, the Morristown School officially transitioned into Morristown-Beard School, a name chosen to reflect the importance of the history of its predecessor schools.

Recognizing their collective legacy, Morristown-Beard School adopted the Beard School's Latin motto of ("Ad Astra per Aspera") and the Morristown School's school shield. (The Morristown School had two Latin mottos: "Civitas" and "Orbis Aratro Pendet". The former means citizenship, and the latter means: "The world hangs in the work of the plow.") Morristown-Beard School also renamed its Main Building as Beard Hall. The first class of the school graduated in June 1972. Twenty-two years later, the school expanded its Middle School's student body from two grades (7-8) to three (6-8).

In recent years, many notable figures have visited Morristown-Beard School to speak to students, faculty, and staff. Colonel Jack H. Jacobs, a Medal of Honor recipient, spoken on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend in 2015. Jacobs received the medal for bravery during the Vietnam War. Other notable speakers have included: businesswoman Bobbi Brown, authors Rachel Simmons and Bryan Burrough, and Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen.

Facilities

Supported by a $16.2 million capital campaign, Morristown-Beard School constructed the Middle School building and Founders Hall, a performing arts facility. The Middle School building opened during fall 2008, and Founders Hall, which houses a 630-seat surround-sound theatre, opened during winter 2009. In 2011, Morristown-Beard School transformed Wilkie Hall, which had previously contained the performing arts center, into a technology center with multiple computer labs.

Renovated in 2004, Grant Hall now houses the Center for Academic Writing, the English Department, and the World Languages Department. That year, Morristown-Beard also opened the renovated Beard Hall with space for Anderson Library and offices for the History Department, College Counseling, Admissions, and the Headmaster. In 2007, the school renovated South Wing, which now houses the MBS Center for Teaching and Learning (formerly the Center for Learning) and visual arts classrooms. Morristown-Beard School's students have access to a film production studio with a green screen, a studio for multi-track digital audio recording, and a post-production studio.

School-wide iPad program

2010–2011 iPad pilot

In the fall of 2010, Morristown-Beard School became one of the first schools in the U.S. to integrate the iPad tablet made by Apple Inc. into its curriculum. For their pilot program, six teachers and 60 students used iPads inside and outside the classroom. During the pilot program, executives from Apple, Inc. visited Morristown-Beard School to observe how their iPads enhanced instructional practices and stimulated students' learning.

Campus iPad integration

Beginning with the 2011–2012 academic year, Morristown-Beard School now requires all students to purchase an iPad and use the tablet device to assist schoolwork. The school's curriculum includes multiple electives that teach software development for iOS, the operating system that drives iPads, iPhones, and Apple TVs. Morristown-Beard School also runs a dedicated 1000 Mbit/s Wi-Fi network to enable students' and faculty iPads to access the Internet.

In 2013, Morristown-Beard School equipped all classrooms on its campus and many of the school's public spaces with ceiling mounted LCD projectors and wireless media streaming through Apple TV. That year, students Graham Dyer and Lena Rajan created the MBS Now app for iPads to help members of the school community quickly access information about school happenings. The MBS Now app provides information on class schedules, homework assignments, school calendars, lunch menus, extracurricular activities, athletic competitions, and school news. The app also provides school forms for various activities and information on senior projects. Members of the Morristown-Beard School community contribute content to MBS Now by posting updates at the app's home portal. Publication of the source code for each update to MBS Now on GitHub enables students at other K-12 schools to develop similar iOS apps.

Clubs and extracurricular activities

Community service

Upper School (grade 9-12) students must complete at least eight hours of community service during each semester and write reflections on their experiences. Fulfilling their service requirement, many Morristown-Beard students organize campus blood drives or assist local programs like Adopt-A-Trail. Other students volunteer for area nonprofit organizations, such as The Seeing Eye, Neighborhood House, Habitat for Humanity, and the Matheny Medical and Educational Center.

Campus clubs

The Crimson Sun, the student newspaper, has won three gold medalist awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Salmagundi, the school's yearbook, has published annually since 1904. The debate team has competed against area schools since a 1923 competition among Morristown School, Pingry School and Montclair Academy. Other clubs and extracurricular activities at MBS include: Art Club, Business Finance and Investment Club, Contemporary Music Workshop, Drama Club, Film Club, Foster Care Club, GLOW Club (Girls Leadership, Outreach and Worth), Mariah (art & literary magazine), Mu Alpha Theta, Model United Nations, Service Committee, Young Republicans Club, Progressive Caucus, and the Student Government Association.

Theatre and arts

In recent years, Morristown-Beard School's theatre program has received multiple nominations from Paper Mill Playhouse's Rising Star Awards program. In 2012, student Carina Steficek won a Student Achievement Award for her role as a master electrician and board operator in Bat Boy: The Musical. The following year, Morristown-Beard School captured two awards at Montclair State University's Theatre Night Awards Ceremony. The school received an award for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for its performance of William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. Student Alexa Rojek also received an award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Classical Work for her role in the play.

In 2013, student Jack Lindberg earned two awards for his singing accomplishments. He won first place for high school men singing classical voice at the Doris Lenz Festival for High School Students. Lindberg also captured a special commendation at the New Jersey All-State High School Opera Festival.

Athletics

The Morristown-Beard School Crimson compete against other public and private high schools in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, which operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Prior to the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had participated in the Colonial Hills Conference which included public and parochial high schools covering Essex County, Morris County and Somerset County in west Central Jersey.

Cheered on by the bear (the school mascot), Morristown-Beard School's teams compete as the Crimson, a reflection of historical ties with Harvard. The school's 20 varsity teams have captured championships in several sports. Five of Morristown-Beard School's teams (football, girls' ice hockey, boys' cross country, girls' tennis, girls' volleyball) have attained undefeated seasons in their athletic histories. During the 1990s, the athletic facilities at Morristown-Beard School played host to floor hockey competition of the New Jersey Special Olympics Winter Games.

In 2012, Lou Lamoriello, general manager of three Stanley Cup-winning New Jersey Devils teams, presented the keynote address at the induction ceremony for the school's Athletic Hall of Fame. The following year, Tony Siragusa, a former NFL player who played on a Super Bowl-winning Baltimore Ravens football team, spoke at Morristown-Beard School. Siragusa, father of Morristown-Beard School student Samantha Siragusa '15, works as a sideline reporter for NFL games on Fox Sports.

Ice hockey

Boys' Ice Hockey Team

As one of the oldest hockey programs in the U.S., the boys' ice hockey team traces its history to the late 19th Century. (The earliest media coverage about the program ran in the 1900–1901 academic year.) Since its founding, the boys' ice hockey team has captured 16 NJISAA Prep B Titles (1928, 1974–1975, 1980, 1982–1984, 1991, 1997, 2005, 2007–2010, 2012, and 2013 (co-champion)). The team won the Gordon Cup of the Gordon Conference in 1965 and 1966. Jon Vlachos, star center on those teams, received induction into the NJ High School Ice Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.

Since joining the Morris County Conference, the boys' ice hockey team has won 10 Mennen Cups (1980, 1982–1983, 1994 (co-champion), 2006, 2009–2011, 2014, and 2015). Head Coach John Puskar earned the NJ Boys Ice Hockey Coach of the Year Award twice during his tenure from 2003 to 2009. In 2009, Former NHL player Randy Velischek took over as Head Coach of the boys' ice hockey team. Under his leadership, the sixth-ranked 2013–14 boys' ice hockey team defeated Delbarton School to reach the non-public state championship for the first time in school history. After tying Christian Brothers Academy in overtime of the state championship game on March 9, 2014, Morristown-Beard School earned a share of the non-public state title. They finished the 2013–14 season with an overall record of 21-5-2. On April 7, 2014, the New Jersey Devils honored Morristown-Beard's hockey team during a game at Prudential Center played against the Calgary Flames.

During the late 1920s and early 1930s, the hockey team competed against Kent School in holiday rivalry games played at Madison Square Garden. They played for the Ranger trophy donated by Colonel John S. Hammond, first president of the New York Rangers. After receiving a personal message of good luck from President Franklin Roosevelt, the team went on an overseas tour in Europe during the 1933–1934 school year. They competed against several club and school teams from Switzerland, Germany, and France.

Girls' Ice Hockey Team

The girls' ice hockey team began competition in the Women's Interscholastic Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic (WIHLMA) in 2005. Since then, the team has won the league championship seven times (2007–2008, 2010–2014). The girls' hockey team notched their fifth straight WIHLMA title in a game played against Portledge School from Locust Valley, New York on February 16, 2014. The team finished as the runner-up to Shady Side Academy in 2015,

On April 13, 2014, the New Jersey Devils awarded player Kendall Cornine '15 their High School Ice Hockey Girls' Player of the Year Award during a game against the Boston Bruins. Cornine, who played the position of forward, notched 26 goals and 24 assists during the season and earned All-State selection from The Star-Ledger. In 2015, NJ.com selected Cornine as their Girls Ice Hockey Player of the Year for 2014–2015 after she became Morristown-Beard's all-time scoring leader. During her high school career, Cornine notched 104 goals and 94 assists to accumulate 198 total points in 75 games.

During the 2010–2011 school year, the girls' hockey achieved an undefeated 18-0 season during the 2010–2011 academic year. The girls' ice hockey team also notched 45 consecutive victories during the period from January 10, 2010 to February 15, 2012. Former NHL player Bruce Driver, who played on a Stanley Cup-winning NJ Devils team, has coached the girls' ice hockey team since the 2000–2001 season. He received the NJ Girls Ice Hockey Coach of the Year Award in 2007 and earned his 200th win in December 2013. Driver's daughter Whitney, Morristown-Beard Class of 2004, played on the girls' ice hockey team, as well as on the softball and girls' soccer teams. She also helped create the school's sportsmanship award.

Football

Morristown-Beard School's football team also has a lengthy history that dates back to 1898. Coached by Princeton graduate Irvin Dickey and then Dartmouth graduate D.B. Rich, Morristown School's football team won 22 of 25 games (88%) during the 1898–1900 seasons. Speedy Harold Hathaway Weekes, who graduated in 1899, played a pivotal role in the team's success during the 1898 season. After playing his college career for the Columbia Lions football team of Columbia University, Weekes received induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. His brother, Bradford Gage Weekes, followed in Harold's footsteps during his own notable football career at Morristown School.

Continuing this success through the 20th Century, the football team achieved 11 undefeated seasons (1901, 1911, 1914, 1916, 1919, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1941, 1948, 1987). They won the state championship in 1987 and finished as runner-up for the state championship at Giants Stadium in 2007. Theatre critic John Mason Brown, who received the superlatives of "Best All-Around", "Most Popular", Wittiest", at graduation, played guard on the football team during his years at the school (1917–1919).

Baseball and softball

Morristown-Beard School's baseball team won the 2005 and 2010 NJSIAA Non-Public North B State Championships. They also captured the 2007 Prep B State Championship. John Sheppard, Head Coach of the baseball team, notched his 400th win in 2016, defeating Randolph High School to win the Morris County Tournament, the first tournament title in school history. On March 30, 2014, he received induction into the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Hall of Fame. Pitching coach Mike Sturgeon trained Boston Red Sox pitcher Rick Porcello during his days at Seton Hall Preparatory School. (Sturgeon is also an alumnus of the high school.)

In 1984 and 1986, Morristown-Beard School's softball team won titles. Spike Billings, who served for many years as the school's athletic director, and visual arts teacher Laurie Hartman coached those teams. Morristown-Beard School elected Billings to its Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.

Boys' and girls' soccer

In 2014, the girls' and boys' soccer teams finished runner-up for the Non-Public North B state title at DePaul Catholic in Wayne, New Jersey. The girls' soccer team won the Prep B Title in 2004 (shared with Rutgers Prep) and 2013. The boys' soccer team won the state championship in both 1968 and 1974. George Tilghman, who served as headmaster of Morristown School (1926–1939), played on the soccer team during his years as a student at the school.

Boys' and girls' basketball

The boys' basketball team debuted in the 1910–1911 school year. In 2011 and 2012, the team won consecutive conference championships in under Head Coach Eddie Franz. Franz netted his 300th win as Head Coach in 2013. He also received induction into the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association (NJSCA) Hall of Fame that year.

In 2014, the girls' basketball team won their conference in 2014 for the first time in school history. The team reached the quarterfinal round of the Morris County Tournament for the first time after defeating Morris Knolls High School. On March 15, 2015, the girls' basketball team defeated the Pennington School to capture the Prep B title for the first time in school history.

Other sports

Cross Country and Track

The boys' cross country team achieved consecutive undefeated 17-0 seasons in 1960 and 1961. They won the Prep B title in both seasons.

Lacrosse

The boys' lacrosse team defeated Immaculata High School to win the Non-Public B state championship in 2008 and won the Prep B Title in 2008 and 2009. The girls' lacrosse team won the Prep B title in 2009, 2010, and 2014.

Tennis

The girls' tennis team won the Prep B title and the conference championship in an undefeated 12-0 season in 2011.

Volleyball

The girls' volleyball team went undefeated in the 1986 season and captured the state championship.

Golf

The golf team won the school's first Prep B Title in the sport in 2009.

Field hockey

The girls' field hockey team has won the Prep B title in both 2008 and 2011.

Discontinued sports

Wrestling

Before its merger with the Beard School, Morristown School had a highly successful wrestling team. The wrestling team won three consecutive NJSIS Class B Championships from 1964 to 1966. In 1999, Morristown-Beard School honored the 1965 wrestling team by electing it to the Athletics Hall of Fame.

Notable alumni

Morristown-Beard School alumni have collectively received election to selective national societies for achievements in the arts, literature, science, theatre, and athletics. They have also attained several nationally prestigious awards. Morristown-Beard School alumni have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Distinguished Service Cross, the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Honor Award, the Medal for Merit, and France's Legion of Honour and Croix de Guerre for achievements in governmental and military service. For achievements in literature and journalism, they have attained a Newbery Medal, two Caldecott Honor Awards, The Bollingen Prize, the Peabody Award, three Emmy Awards, and the Library of Congress' Children's Book of the Year Award. Morristown-Beard School alumni have attained the Vetlesen Prize (the highest award in geology/geophysics), the American Chemical Society's Industry Award, the Alexander Agassiz Medal, and a Rhodes Scholarship for achievements in science, innovation, and scholarship. Their humanitarian accomplishments have earned Lions Clubs International's Lions Humanitarian Award and the National Coalition of Hispanic Mental Health and Human Services' National Humanitarian Award. Morristown-Beard School alumni have also captured gold medals in the Olympics and the Pan American Games.

Architects, designers, and engineers

Julie Beckman (class of 1991), architect who co-designed the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial

Sandra Carpenter (1934-2003, class of 1952), Hilton Hotels' chief information officer

Reginald Davis Johnson (1882-1952, class of 1900), California architect and designer of 2 National Historic Landmarks: Hale Solar Laboratory and Baldwin Hills Village

Winthrop Jones (1917-1999), artist, architect, and designer of schools and public buildings

Clive Meredith (1892-1932, class of 1910), radio engineer and founding owner of WSYR-AM, Syracuse's 2nd oldest station; grandson of Congressman Anson Burlingame

Samuel Shackford Otis (1891-1974, class of 1910), Illinois architect and designer of hotels and housing complexes

Austie Rollinson (class of 1986), principal designer for Callaway Golf's research and development unit; designed custom putters for Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els

Athletes and coaches

Ingersoll Arnold (1915-2004, class of 1935), hockey player, coach, and referee

Arthur Ayrault Jr. (1935-1990, class of 1952), two-time Olympic gold medalist in rowing (1956 Olympics and 1960 Olympics) and 7th headmaster at Lakeside School

Trevor Baptiste (class of 2014), college lacrosse face-off specialist on the University of Denver Pioneers's 2015 Championship Team (NCAA DI).

Penelope Probert Boorman (class of 1951), Pan American Games gold medalist in swimming and champion equestrian

Nancy Tasman Brower (class of 1947), former coach and athletic director who launched 4 girls' lacrosse programs

Harry Fanok (born 1940), Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals

Charlotte Glutting (1910-1996, class of 1927), amateur golfer and member of the U.S. Women's Amateur Golf Team for three Curtis Cups

Anna Harrington (class of 2008), All-American archer on a Columbia Lions team that won the gold medal at the Intercollegiate Archery Championships

Suzanne Hoyt (1934-2010, class of 1952), champion equestrian, philanthropist, and rancher

Carl Kinscherf (1919-2006, class of 1938), National Football League defensive back and punter on the New York Giants (1943–1944)

Dwight Mayer (1927-2013, class of 1945), champion croquet player and first president of PGA National's Croquet Club; descendent of Declaration of Independence signer Samuel Huntington

Holly Ponichtera (class of 2003), figure skater on four national championship teams at Dartmouth College

Ann Probert (class of 1960), amateur golfer, 14-time winner of the Garden State Championship, and past co-chair of the Curtis Cup

Ernest Savignano (1919-1994, class of 1938), assistant athletic coach at Brown University and football player for the Brown Bears

Jackman Stewart (1930-2000, class of 1950), athletic director and coach at the Berkshire School

Jyles Tucker (born 1983, class of 2003), National Football League linebacker for the San Diego Chargers

Harold Weekes (1880-1950, class of 1899), three-time Walter Camp All-American, captain of the Columbia Lions football team, and College Football Hall of Fame inductee

Alice Francis Wolf (1907-1990, class of 1924), squash and tennis player who reached the ranking of 10th best U.S. woman's player

Authors, illustrators, and publishers

Lindsay Barrett George (born 1952, class of 1970), children's writer, illustrator, and recipient of the Library of Congress Children's Book of the Year Award

Esther Eberstadt Brooke (1894-1987, class of 1915), vocational counselor, author of seven books, and sister of policy adviser Ferdinand Eberstadt

John Mason Brown (1900-1969, class of 1919), theatre critic for The Saturday Review, author of 13 books, and great-great-grandson of U.S. Senator John Brown of Kentucky

Roger Burlingame (1889-1967, class of 1909), book editor at Charles Scribner's Sons, author of 26 non-fiction books, and grandson of Congressman Anson Burlingame

Frank Damrosch, Jr. (1888-1966, class of 1906), author, Episcopal priest, and son of Frank Damrosch, founder of the Institute of Musical Art (now the Juilliard School)

Elizabeth Hoffman Honness (1904-2003, class of 1922), novelist and author of 20 children's books

Hannah Lyons Bourne (1942-1999, class of 1959), author of eight children's books, including three cookbooks

Charles Morton (1899-1967, class of 1916), Associate Editor of The Atlantic Monthly and author of 6 books

William Pène du Bois (1916-1993, class of 1934), Newbery Award recipient and founding art editor of The Paris Review; son of painter Guy Pène du Bois

Frederick Roberts Rinehart (1902-1981, class of 1920), co-founder of Farrar & Rinehart and Rinehart & Co.; son of famed mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart

Stanley Rinehart Jr. (1897-1969, class of 1915), co-founder of Farrar & Rinehart and Rinehart & Co.; son of famed mystery writer Mary Roberts Rhinehart

Margaret Farrand Thorp (1891-1970, class of 1909), English professor at Smith College, author of 7 books, and niece of Cornell University President Livingston Farrand

Jim Weaver (class of 1981), author and Share Our Strength Chef of the Year for activities addressing childhood hunger

Business executives and financial professionals

John Vernou Bouvier III, father of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy

Edward G. Chace (class of 1900), vice president and treasurer of Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates, a predecessor of Berkshire Hathaway

William C. Dabney (class of 1912), president of Devoe & Raynolds Company (paints) and first soldier from Louisville, Kentucky injured in World War I

Edward M. Douglas (class of 1921), senior IBM executive and vice president of sales and special administrative matters

Gerald W. Fogelson (class of 1951), president of Fogelson Group (real estate) who developed properties in 8 states and Chicago's Central Station

George Delancey Harris (class of 1914), president of D.P. Harris Manufacturing Co., an early manufacturer of bicycles and roller skates

Alfred S. Harris (class of 1909), president of Harris-Seybold (now Harris Corporation) and offset printing innovator

Walter Elsaesser (class of 1942), senior Pan-American Airlines executive and divisional vice president for Atlantic operations

José Ferré (class of 1920), Puerto Rican businessman, government official, and brother of Puerto Rican Governor Luis Ferré

Connie Kemmerer (class of 1962), co-owner of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Harris L. Kempner (class of 1920), chairman of the Board of Imperial Sugar, president of H. L. Kempner Co., and Galveston, Texas philanthropist

Isaac Herbert Kempner Jr. (class of 1924), president of Imperial Sugar and Galveston, Texas philanthropist

Kenneth Komoski (class of 1946), founding executive director of the Educational Products Information Exchange Institute

Felix Knauth (class of 1914), executive director of the Latin American Economic Institute in Boston

Oswald Knauth (class of 1905), executive vice president of Macy's, president of Associated Dry Goods, and head of NYC Bureau of Economic Relief

Louis LaMotte Jr. (class of 1914), senior IBM executive and one of IBM's 50 Builders; father of Peter LaMotte, the NY Mets' first team physician

Naneen Neubohn (class of 1957), managing director of Morgan Stanley's London office and co-director of the Frankfurt, Germany office

George W. Merck (class of 1911), president of Merck & Co. and head of the U.S. War Research Service during World War II

Donald Stralem (class of 1920), president of the National Travelers Aid Association and partner at Hallgarten & Company

Walter Tuckerman (class of 1899), developer of Bethesda, Maryland's Edgemoor neighborhood and co-founder of Burning Tree Club; descendent of Declaration of Independence signer Oliver Wolcott

Thomas Watson Jr., former CEO of IBM, U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, and son of IBM founder Thomas J. Watson

Finn Wentworth (class of 1976), President and CEO of the New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets; co-founder of the YES TV Network; real estate investor

Harvey Ladew Williams Jr. (class of 1916), Founding Board Member of American Airlines and President of the United States Council for International Business; descendent of Roger Williams

Civil rights advocates, civic leaders, and humanitarians

Jane Barus (class of 1909), delegate to the New Jersey Constitutional Convention that drafted the current NJ State Constitution

Justin Brande (class of 1935), founding executive director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council; son of writer Dorothea Brande

Rosamond Carr (class of 1929), founder of Imbabazi, a Gisenyi, Rwanda organization providing educational, skills training, and income generating opportunities

Helen Day (class of 1904), social worker, child welfare advocate, and head of Sheltering Arms in New York City

Mary Dyckman (class of 1905), social worker and labor law activist for state laws regulating child labor and migrant labor

Randolph Guggenheimer (class of 1924), lawyer, philanthropist, co-founder of North General Hospital in Harlem, and nephew of civic leader Samuel Untermyer

Katherine C. Kelly (1942), Electoral College Delegate and advocate for women's rights and LGBT rights

Margaret C. McCulloch (class of 1919), civil rights activist who supported racial integration in Tennessee

Virginia Mathews (class of 1942), literacy advocate who helped develop Sesame Street and co-founded the American Indian Library Association; daughter of author John Joseph Mathews

Marjory Swope (class of 1958), executive director of the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Commissions

Scott Michael Robertson (class of 1999), disability rights activist, co-founder Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN, 2006)

Government officials

Eleanor Bontecou (class of 1909), World War II war crimes investigator at the U.S. Department of War and civil rights attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice

Luis A. Ferré (class of 1920), Governor of Puerto Rico and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Dorcas Hardy (class of 1964), first woman commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration (1986–1989)

Alfred Jaretzki Jr. (class of 1909), special consultant to Secretary of War Henry Stimson and a drafter of the Investment Company Act

Theodore Knauth (class of 1903) chief of religious affairs for the American Zone of Occupation in Germany after World War II

Joseph Nye (class of 1954), National Intelligence Council Chairman and political scientist who co-founded neoliberalism and soft power (international relations)

David W. K. Peacock Jr. (class of 1942), Deputy Undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce

Herbert Pell, Congressman from New York, UN War Crimes Commission's U.S. Representative, and father of U.S. Senator Claiborne Pell

Marcie Berman Ries (class of 1968), U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria; former U.S. Ambassador to Albania.

Ileana Saros (class of 1968), Deputy Attorney General for New Jersey and first woman president of the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units

Journalists and writers

Warren Bobrow (class of 1980), journalist, author, chef, and master mixologist for several liquor brands

Georgianna Brennan (class of 1954), society editor for The Newark Star-Ledger and daughter-in-law of U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan

Herbert Brucker, editor-in-chief of The Hartford Courant and president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors

Kendall Foss (class of 1923), journalist and contributing editor to Time magazine who helped found the Free University of Berlin

William A. Greene (class of 1932), public relations official who headed the Crusade for Freedom to fund Radio Free Europe

Victor Knauth (class of 1914), editor-in-chief of The Bridgeport Times-Star and owner of two radio stations

Betty Fible Martin (class of 1925), journalist and writer for The New York Times and other periodicals

Marion Clyde McCarroll (class of 1910), first woman journalist issued a press pass by the New York Stock Exchange

Churchill Newcomb (class of 1918), sports journalist and great-grandnephew of the donors of the land for Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Derby's home

John Reed (class of 1906) journalist who wrote Ten Days that Shook the World, the only American buried in the Kremlin, and subject of the Oscar-winning film Reds.

Alan Rinehart (class of 1919), writer, producer, and playwright; son of mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart

Jeffrey Schaub (class of 1977), broadcast journalist and recipient of 3 Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award

Samuel T. Williamson (class of 1912), founding editor-in-chief of Newsweek magazine and New York Times White House correspondent (Harding Administration)

Medical doctors and healthcare advocates

Aubrey Barr (class of 1985), marathon runner, cancer treatment advocate, and namesake of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Aubrey Fund.

Alfred Jaretzki III (class of 1937), Columbia University medical professor who helped develop vascular surgery and clinical research standards for myasthenia gravis; son of Alfred Jaretzki, Jr. and husband of filmmaker Alexandra Isles

Martha MacGuffie (class of 1942), surgeon and founder of SHARE Africa, which supports communities affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa

Eliot Porter (class of 1920), biomedical researcher and nature photographer who popularized color photography in landscape photography

Judith Tobin (class of 1944), physician and Assistant State Medical Examiner for Delaware

Military officers

David Guy (class of 1915), pilot in the elite Lafayette Flying Corps (269 pilots) during World War I

Carter Harman (class of 1936), helicopter pilot for the first U.S. military helicopter mission during World War II and executive with CRI Records

Samuel T. Hubbard Jr. (class of 1903), military intelligence officer who served on General John Pershing's staff during World War I

James Rogers McConnell, co-founder of the elite Lafayette Escadrille in the French Air Service in World War I

David S. Pallister (class of 1934), vice commander of Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire

Charles W. Plummer (class of 1910), World War I aviator and recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for defending a reconnaissance squadron

Performing artists and media personalities

Kathryn Allison (class of 2010), actor and winner of the New York Musical Theatre Festival's 2014 Next Big Broadway Sensation contest

Prince Lorenzo Borghese, Italian-American businessman who starred on the ABC-TV show The Bachelor

Joan Caulfield, actress in Broadway plays, films, and situational TV comedies

Eleanor Caulkins (class of 1954), namesake of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Performing Arts Complex

Jeff Grace (class of 1992), independent film director, producer, and writer

Herbert Dudley Hale Jr. (class of 1910), documentary film producer at RKO Pathé for the U.S. State Department, Air Force, and Army.

Basil Durant (class of 1909), ballroom dancer who performed in vaudeville and other shows.

Jennifer Heller Wold (class of 1980), former SiriusXM radio host and co-founder of dating service Rose & Heller

Hurd Hatfield, actor who starred in The Picture of Dorian Gray and other movies, as well as TV shows

Ted Jewett (class of 1922), character actor on NBC radio, including The March of Time and Cavalcade of America

Nancy Lessler (class of 1964), ballroom dancer and 2-time winner of the Fred Astaire national ballroom dancing competition

Rachel Moss (class of 2013), Off Broadway actor and TV guest star

Isabel Pearse (class of 1930), actress who starred in plays in New York City, Maryland, and Michigan

Christina Ricci, Emmy-nominated actor

Gus Schirmer Jr., actor, director/producer, and agent who discovered Lee Remick, Shirley Jones, and Sandy Duncan

Elizabeth Schultz Rigg (class of 1939), ballroom dancer, singer, and pianist; descent of Declaration of Independence signer Francis Lightfoot Lee

Sloan Simpson, First Lady of New York City during Mayor William O'Dwyer's administration; fashion commentator on TV/radio, fashion consultant, and model

Will Taggart (class of 2013), former School of Rock All Star

Teachers, scientists, and scholars

Mary Travis Arny (class of 1928), biology professor at Montclair State College (now Montclair State University), naturalist, historian, and author

John A. Carpenter (class of 1938), Fordham University history professor who studied the Reconstruction era

Maunsell Crosby (class of 1904), ornithologist and close friend of U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt; son of reformer Ernest Howard Crosby

Chapman Grant (class of 1906), herpetologist, historian, and grandson of U.S. President Ulysses Grant

Martha Leeb Hadzi (class of 1937), archeologist and art history professor at 4 of the Seven Sisters (Vassar, Smith, Wellesley, and Mount Holyoke)

James M. Howard Jr. (class of 1938), 13th headmaster of Blair Academy

Ridgely Hunt Jr. (class of 1905), supervisor of the Yale University libraries and grandson of U.S. Navy Secretary William H. Hunt

Barrington Moore Sr., forester and father of sociologist Barrington Moore, Jr.; great-grandson of Clement Clarke Moore, author of "The Night Before Christmas"

Walter C. Pitman III (class of 1949), Columbia University geophysicist whose research evidenced the Morley–Vine–Matthews hypothesis of seafloor spreading

Katharine Lambert Richards Rockwell (class of 1909), theology professor at Smith College and sister of physician Dickinson W. Richards

Carol Selman (class of 1964), governor's appointee to the New Jersey Historical Commission

George Hammond Tilghman (class of 1915), 3rd headmaster of the Morristown School and military officer

Brenda Pruden Winnewisser (class of 1957), physicist and oral historian who helped develop the study of terahertz spectroscopy

Visual artists and poets

Nathaniel Choate (class of 1918), sculptor, painter, and inductee of the National Academy of Design

Eleanor Maurice (class of 1921), abstract and realist painter; recipient of Audubon Artists' Emily Lowe Memorial Award

Craig Slaff (class of 1978), aviation artist and recipient of the National Museum of Naval Aviation's Director's Choice Award.

Gertrude Tiemer (class of 1915), painter, photographer, and poet

John Hall Wheelock (class of 1904), editor, poet, and 13th recipient of the Robert Frost Medal

Notable faculty, staff, and coaches

Katharine Fleming Branson, first headmistress of the Branson School

Thomas Bradley Buffum (1924–1930; 1932–1938), military aviator and member of the elite Lafayette Flying Corps in World War I

Thomas J. Campbell (1912–1913), athletic director at the Morristown School and head football coach at 3 colleges and universities (Bowdoin College, the University of North Carolina and the University of Virginia

Bruce Driver (2000-), former NHL player on a Stanley-Cup winning New Jersey Devils team

Stearns Morse (1921–1923), English professor at Dartmouth College and head of the English Department at Morristown School

Alice Rumph (1922–1942), painter, etcher, and co-founder of the Birmingham Art Club, which established the Birmingham Museum of Art

Katherine Binney Shippen (1917–1926), children's writer and 2-time recipient of the Newbery Honor Award

Maud Thompson (1918–1926), educator, suffragist, speaker, and writer

Randy Velischek (2009-), former NHL player for 3 teams (the New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Stars, and Quebec Nordiques)

Bruce Driver (2003-), former NHL player and captain (the New Jersey Devils)

Notable trustees and advisory board members

Jerome Davis Greene, banker and head of John D. Rockefeller's business and philanthropic interests

John Grier Hibben, president of Princeton University

Henry Smith Pritchett, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

Charles Scribner II, president of Charles Scribner's Sons publishing company; founding president of the Board of Trustees at the Morristown School and namesake of its Scribner Field for baseball games after him

Anson Phelps Stokes, philanthropist, civil rights activist, and clergyman

Grinnell Willis, second president of the Morristown School's Board of Trustees and funder of its gymnasium and Headmaster House (now the Alumni House); son of noted poet Nathaniel Parker Willis

School song

Morristown-Beard, Our Guiding Star!

Age to age, we cheer thee.

Though our lives may lead us far,

Still our hearts are near thee.

While the endless seasons run,

Our hearts and minds commanding.

Fair white against the Crimson sun,

Through the ages standing!

Heads of School

St. Bartholomew's School

Rev. Frank E. Edwards (1891–1898)

Morristown School

Francis Call Woodman (1898–1917)

Arthur Pierce Butler (1917–1926)

George Hammond Tilghman (1926–1939)

Rev. James Holiday Stone Fair (1939–1940)

Rev. Earl N. Evans (1940–1942)

Valleau Wilkie (1942–1956)

Thompson D. Grant (1956–1971)

Beard School

Lucie C. Beard (1891–1946)

Sara Clarke Turner (1946–1948)

Edith M. Sutherland (1948–1970)

George Burr (1970–1971)

Morristown-Beard School

Thompson D. Grant (1971–1974)

Philip L. Anderson (1974–1992)

William C. Mules (1992–1998)

L. Laird Davis (1998–2004)

Alex Curtis (2004–2011)

Peter J. Caldwell (2011–)