When Ransom School's legendary headmaster D. Pierre G Cameron (brother-in-law of Charles Townsend Ludington '15, after whom our Upper School academic building is named) retired in May 1969, there were slightly over 200 boys enrolled in the former migratory school that had come to be known for academic excellence along the open waters of Biscayne Bay. DPG Cameron optimistically and ambitiously – and against all odds – led the 1947 reopening of the school after World War II. That first year enrollment topped off at nine boys. Twenty-two years of unprecedented growth characterized Cameron's tenure, and "where once cramped, wooden buildings stood, there are now modern, air-conditioned classrooms, administrative offices, library and a 300 seat auditorium." Cameron hired Dan Bowden, Mike Stokes and other legendary teachers who provided "guidance, vitality and inspiration" to the oftentimes struggling school. He charted the course for the future of our school.

 

WWII had precipitated the closing of the school. Many of the masters were Navy men, drawn to the school because of its outdoor education and deep connection to the bay. They went off to serve their country, and remaining open was simply not feasible. After the war, several alums, spurred on by the trust passed to them by Alice Ransom when she died in 1935, came together at Townsend Ludington's insistence. These "Old Boys,” a term lovingly bestowed on them by Mrs. Ransom, moved the school forward. It was not easy. Ludington was aided by Henry Timken '26, "who used to fly a twin-engined jet from his home in Canton [Ohio] to the meetings in New York City" and who, with his family, “helped the school surmount numerous crises." 

 

Fifty years after Pierre Cameron's retirement, the school continues to flourish. The trust passed on by Mrs. Ransom is stronger than ever, exemplified by the generosity of many during the first stages of our REinventing Excellence campaign. And let us not forget to honor those who, during the 50 years between Cameron and the present, stepped up to help the school meet the challenges of maintaining academic excellence in an ever-evolving city and world.

 

The school has grown, but it has not, nor will it ever, lose its strong sense of community, its values and the family-like atmosphere that the Ransoms insisted upon and that have withstood the test of time. The very same values rooted in the founding of the Everglades School carried forward with the merger. And we will continue to serve others, just like the Adirondack-Florida School masters who put their country ahead of themselves during the dark days of war.

 

Look at our recent schedule: In the last two weeks, our students collaborated and collected mountains of bags and baskets of groceries. Hundreds of families across Miami had a better Thanksgiving and many did not know where the food came from, which was never the point. We help out of desire and empathy, not for recognition. Donations of toys are filling the Middle School Atrium for the annual drive; preparations are underway for St. Alban's Day, an event that always brings a healthy dose of nostalgia to our alums. This week, a group of a dozen students and faculty, five trustees and I will attend the annual National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference in Nashville. There we will continue the work of our diversity, equity and inclusion initiative, making certain that RE continues to attract and educate students from all walks of life. The organizers of the exchange with Booker T. Washington Senior High met this week over lunch in the Pagoda to plan for this year's program, something we look forward to with excitement. And then there are the numerous service activities that our students perform outside of school that don't always come up on our radar – which never seems to stop our kids. Our outreach to the greater community – our public purpose – has been part of the Ransom and Everglades Schools since their founding, and continues today.

 

Buildings will age and new pedagogies and changes in curricula will cause us to rethink teaching spaces. That is to be expected. Attracting the best talent – both teachers and students – must be a top priority if we are to maintain the academic excellence for which we are known. Equally important is attunement to the expectations of a 21st-century world and workplace, whereby we provide our students the skills, reinforcement of values, and exposure to a wide range of experiences that will place them in good stead once they have left our coral walls. These are priorities that are addressed in the REinventing Excellence campaign. Perhaps most importantly, we hold on to the founding principles passed down by those who have been memorialized on our buildings. That we do because it is the absolute right thing to do, and it is what provides us, in 2018, the inspiration and vitality to keep moving our great school forward.

 

Quotes from Ransom-Everglades: Reflections of a School 1893-1978

 
Penny Townsend
Head of School