The reading room / 03

History.In theirown words.

"To kill the lion of misunderstanding."

Original archival issues of Pomfret Magazine preserving the school's diversity, equity, and inclusion history in the voices of the people who lived it.

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From the collection

Read a page. Follow a voice.

Every page in this room is a scan of the printed magazine, shown whole: no crop, no filter, no retouching. The view through the window above is the one thing here that is not a record.

Title page of Pomfret in the Civil Rights Era (Fall 2005) — Pomfret Magazine, Fall 2005Already published on site

Archival title page · Fall 2005 Full-size scan

Pomfret Magazine · 14 pages

Pomfret in theCivil Rights Era

More Than Four Decades of Diversity

The Fall 2005 Pomfret Bulletin/Magazine issue, featuring John Irick '65 on the front, is a wonderful tribute and record of diversity at Pomfret. The issue traces the arrival of the "first four" African Americans in 1964, the founding of the Afro-Latin Society in 1968, the story of Ugandan Frank Mwine '61, the SPHERE program, and the founding of VOICE in 1984.

By Elizabeth Lake

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"For me, Pomfret was a dream come true; it provided an opportunity for an excellent education but more importantly, a chance to demonstrate that students committed to exercising mutual respect for each other, regardless of their race, could live, study, and play together."

John Irick '65Read the story

Cover of Mission Accomplished (September 2003) — Pomfret Magazine, September 2003Already published on site

Original cover · September 2003 Full-size scan

Pomfret Magazine · 27 pages

MissionAccomplished

Pomfret School Celebrates 35 Years of Coeducation

A commemorative issue marking 35 years since Pomfret admitted its first female day students in 1968. The magazine profiles the trailblazers who as girls arrived at Pomfret with some curiosity, a few curlers, and a lot of courage — from first faculty daughter Joan Strong Buell '50 to first female graduate Naomi Vega '69, the Original Six of '68, and first female recipient of the Pomfret Bowl Jessica Birdsall '77.

Edited by Sharon Gaudreau · Research/Text by Linda J. Colangelo · Design by Good Design

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"Having my name on the bowl makes it that much easier for another female athlete to have hers there too. It opens possibilities. It's not just winning the award — you feel good about the work leading up to it. That you're part of a team, part of something larger than yourself."

Jessica Birdsall '77Read the story

About the archive

These issues of Pomfret Magazine were preserved and shared by the Pomfret School Fact Archive department. Every page is reproduced here in its original form for research and public access.

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