In early 2010 Ted sent us the following thoughts about his career at Penn
Charter and its aftermath. His book Understanding the Essay,
mentioned below, was published in 1966 and used copies are still available
through Amazon.
"I came to Penn Charter in 1958 from W. B. Saunders Co., medical and
science publisher, where I was a copy editor. Jack Gummere offered to
match that salary as a PC English teacher (JFG was secretive and grossly
unjust about faculty salaries). During my 13 years at PC I was head of
the English department from 1961-1966, directed dramatics from
1961-1971, headed the faculty curriculum committee, and with two
colleagues published Understanding the Essay, which went into
three editions.
"My mentors at PC were Lou Connick and Fritz Kempner, who honed my
teaching skills and introduced me to new and revolutionary
understandings of English grammar. The 13 years at PC were my most
productive, during which I strengthened the English department and
directed large-cast full-length serious dramas and, for assemblies, many
experimental one-acts. In 1970 my Overseer-appointed committee
recommended, to no avail at that time, that PC become coeducational. I
was known as a "prickly" critic of the establishment, and this
reputation deservedly followed me for the rest of my teaching years in
several other schools.
"Widowed and remarried, I now live at Cathedral Village, a retirement
community where I founded a thriving continuing-education program. I
look back fondly on the PC class of '60, which I think of as a superior
class."
Ted came to our 50th Reunion in 2010, and afterwards sent Sam Francis and
his wife Bobbie (aka "Roberta") the following letter:
Dear Sam,
A belated thank you for your hospitality, the hospitality of the
entire Class of 1960, and for all the work that went into making your
reunion such a triumph. It was a pleasure for me to see again the
students I once had in my classes and/or in some one-acts I directed.
And now seeing them, as having been productive members of the adult
world, close to retirement! Jock Deasey was a delightful host at our
dinner table, who made the conversation flow and whom my wife Skip found
especially entertaining. All your classmates, and you too, looked
remarkably fit and reminded me of how impressed by them and you I was
many years ago.
I'm glad I had a few moments to meet Roberta and later to talk with
her about theater. Maybe we can sometime get together with the New
Jersey Shakespeare. And wasn't the production of "Cox and Box" fun! I
had spent much of Thursday and Friday at Penn Charter, in that
magnificent new auditorium, watching Picardo and Barker and Ziegler
rehearsing to the accompaniment of a pianist who, it turns out, had been
hired from outside for the occasion (Jack Rogers and PC staff went to
endless trouble to facilitate the production, as they certainly did for
your class and other reunions).
Many thanks, and fond wishes to you and Roberta for good health and
happiness in this troubled world.
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