The people behind the history / 02
Real people from Pomfret's history — trailblazers, pioneers, and quiet agents of change drawn directly from the pages of Pomfret in the Civil Rights Era (Fall 2005) and Mission Accomplished: 35 Years of Coeducation (September 2003).
The light table
Prints are shown unretouched, square to the table and never larger than the scan. A slip marks a story with no portrait on file; nothing stands in for a face.
"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."Read the story of John Irick
"It was a time of major upheaval in the country as a whole, and it was a bad time at Pomfret as well. We had rabble-rousers: a kid stealing from a faculty member's apartment, another slashing tires — tough years."Read the story of Naomi Vega, PhD
"To kill the lion of misunderstanding."Read the story
"I look back on Pomfret as a 'happiest' place."Read the story
"Being at Pomfret taught me that if I could be heard, understood and accepted in such a tough, challenging, and male environment, I was really my whole life, and that second form created another dimension. Many people in the class of '60 are still professional and personal friends."Read the story
"Pomfret taught me what a community of adults — generous with their time, thoughts, and talents — can do for youth."Read the story
"Pomfret teachers brought out the best in me academically, teaching me to discover and have confidence in my own potential rather than compare myself to others."Read the story
"I didn't have the sense that there was hostility or unhappiness; just a very normal, understandable resistance to change."Read the story
"I never considered myself to be the first female Editor-in-Chief of The Pontefract, but no one was going to be up-set if you realized it wasn't your thing. I was a left-footed, slightly tone deaf farm girl when I arrived at Pomfret, but I had the lead in musicals and played soccer."Read the story
"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."Read the story
"I never thought my daughter would go to Pomfret, because she always wanted things 'separate, equal, and just.'"Read the story
"Pomfret School was an oasis...a place where I felt I could use all my smarts."Read the story
"Being a resident of Pomfret, I am well acquainted with the fine reputation of Pomfret School. Also, as a Service family, which necessitates frequent relocations, we are well aware of the importance of an environment that will academically challenge our children as well as provide an ambitious scholastic, socially and physically. My husband is expecting an unaccompanied tour of duty this summer."Read the story
"I have to say a special thank you to my English teacher, Don Hinman. I was so thoroughly prepared for college English, I was able to take sophomore English in my freshman year. During that class when my professor asked, 'Who has read such-and-such?' My hand went up... and went up. I remember feeling like I was so far ahead of the game."Read the story
"It's been great to watch Izzie flourish at Pomfret. I love knowing that the Pomfret girls of today feel that the school has always been coed. They don't realize that an entirely different atmosphere existed not that long ago. I think it's a testament to how far Pomfret School has come in establishing itself as an excellent boarding and day school for girls."Read the story
Graduated magna cum laude from Brown. Killed by a drunk driver at age 38 while pursuing her M.A. in Social Work at Smith.Read the story
"Be tougher than you look." (As remembered by his 1974 girls' soccer team)Read the story
15 of 17 profiles have no portrait on file.Corrections & changes