Lawrenceville Honors Veterans, Past and Present

Every year on Veterans Day, The Lawrenceville School community comes together to recognize the courage and sacrifice of those who serve and protect the nation. Today, Lawrentians honored both current Lawrenceville employees who have served in the U.S. armed forces as well as alumni who lost their lives in combat.

Acting Assistant Heads of School Emilie Kosoff and Marquis Scott led a gathering of students, faculty, and staff around the School flagpole. Kosoff shared facts about the long history of Lawrentians in service to the United States and Scott read the names of those current employees who have been members of the armed forces.

The Lawrenceville School gives thanks to:

Gary Fair, Public Safety, U.S. Navy

Frank Fernandez, Registrar, U.S. Navy

Lee Garwig, Athletics, U.S. Air Force

Regan Kerney, History, U.S. Air Force

Ann Martin, Health & Wellness, U.S. Army

Arthur Moore, Public Safety, U.S. Navy

John Ottinger, Athletics, U.S. Navy

Stephen H. Rozek, Performing Arts, U.S. Air Force

Bill Schroeder, Athletics, U.S. Army

Robert Shields, Public Safety, U.S. Navy

Jeff Thurston, Facilities, U.S. Army

John Newbon, Facilities, U.S. Navy

Ted Wyckoff, Facilities, U.S. Navy

The School’s Stephan Archives also unveiled a newly digitized version of the Pattie Heely World War II Collection. The Collection, with over 6,000 pieces, documents the experiences of Lawrenceville alumni servicemen during the Second World War. The bulk of the documents are letters written to Pattie Heely, wife of Lawrenceville’s seventh Head Master, Alan V. Heely, who served the School from 1934-59. Typical letters include thoughts on their combat experience, basic training, and the war in general; and updates on alumni families. Also included are newsletters, newspaper clippings, marriage announcements, and photographs of children of alums.  The Collection was donated by Pattie Heely to Lawrenceville before her passing in 1978.

The Stephan Archives team spent approximately six weeks creating digital versions of everything from holiday cards to condolence letters. “I feel the Collection gives great insight into the deep and close bonds that were formed between students and the adult members of the community during their time at Lawrenceville and how that continued as alumni,” said School Archivist Jacqueline Haun, who noted that 20 students returned to Lawrenceville after World War II to finish their educations. “I think that speaks to a special bond between alumni and the School at that time.”

Records Manager/Archivist Peter Steinberg enjoyed reviewing the Collection’s V-Mail letters. “These were letters written by alumni/soldiers that were microfilmed, sent to the U.S., printed, and then delivered to the addressee,” he explained. “We have examples of the final formats as well as some of the original, full-sized letters.”

Steinberg said he was “particularly enamored” by the various Christmas and Season’s Greetings cards. “My favorite card shows a war plane dropping bells,” he said. “Many of the cards have glitter, too, and 80-year old glitter is just as annoying as contemporary glitter,” he joked.

The Pattie Heely World War II Collection is available for viewing via this Preservica Portal link or in person (by appointment) at the Stephan Archives.

Pattie Heely was following in the footsteps of an earlier Lawrenceville Latin and mathematics teacher, Percival Chandler Norris, who had similarly collected letters from enlisted Lawrentians and shared highlights in newsletters during World War I. The Percival Chandler Norris World War I Collection is also in the Stephan Archives and in the process of being digitized and will eventually also be made available online. The bulk of the Norris collection consists of correspondence to and from Lawrenceville alumni serving in World War I, and includes photographs, newspaper clippings, and wedding announcements. Norris joined the Lawrenceville faculty in 1908 and, in addition to teaching, was an assistant Housemaster in Woodhull and advised several clubs, including The Lawrence.

For more information, contact Lisa M. Gillard H'17, director of public relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.