The takeaways that last forever

The luncheon at Joe's was animated by countless stories of enduring friendships, inspiring teachers, first dates and unrequited crushes, challenging examinations, coming of age in a safe environment where it was okay to make mistakes, and the solitude and intoxicating beauty of two campuses by the bay. The evening prior I had the privilege of listening to much of the same at the Ransom Everglades Athletic Hall of Fame induction dinner, although the stories were decidedly more sports- and competition-oriented and the language a bit more lively. The memories at both events had common threads of shared experiences with individuals who cared for one another and who cared for the school. This all happened again at the deeply moving Alumni Weekend service of remembrance during which we honored the memory of those alums, members of the faculty and staff, and former trustees who had left us since the last in-person alumni weekend in 2019.

 

In his piece, Brooks explained what he perceives to be the differences between "thick" and "thin" institutions. A thick institution, he said, “becomes part of a person’s identity and engages the whole person: head, hands, heart and soul.” People come together in a thick institution around rituals and they have a sacred story to tell about themselves. What is more ritualistic then painting the cannon and more sacred than Paul Ransom’s letter to accepted students?  In thick institutions, “selfishness and selfless marry.  It fulfills your purpose to help others have a good day.” People in a thick institution serve the same higher good.” Thin institutions are more of a means towards an end: “Is this working for me? Am I getting more out than I am putting in?”

 

In this edition of the Dell + Cannon you will learn about the 2022 Founders’ Alumni Award recipient Meg Daly ’78, who is the driving force behind Miami’s Underline project. Her incredible work has been helped along by RE graduates who joined her board, and together they are making a real difference in Miami. To this day, Meg credits her teachers Eleanor Crawford and Kitty Proenza for teaching her how to communicate and write effectively. That’s what happens in thick institutions; the takeaways last forever. You will also read other stories that should inspire you to think about the power of our community and all that can happen when people come together “and take advantage of people’s desire to do good.”

 

As we enter what my colleagues often term the “hundred days of May” because of all that is packed into what I always have believed to be the most beautiful month of the year, the thickness of this institution will further reveal itself, just as it did during Alumni Weekend. Seniors will paint the cannon a final few times, lounge on the senior deck, lay their bricks on the Miller Quad, say their goodbyes to their teachers and coaches who have pushed and cajoled and challenged and laughed with them, and they will cross the stage in the Lewis Family Auditorium with a heart full of memories and a mind full of literature, poetry, mathematical equations, scientific formulas, historical dates and events and so much more that cannot be articulated. Fifty years from now they, too, will assemble at Joe’s Stone Crab – I know that because Joe’s, too, is a thick institution – and a fortunate head of school will listen to how their school empowered them, gave them the time and space to develop their talents and passions, and introduced them to the responsibility of lifelong learning and committed citizenship.

 
Penny Townsend
Head of School
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