Farewell to the Oddens Farewell to the Oddens - The Taft School

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○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Bradford Joblin ’73 S P O T L I G H T 1961— The new arrivals, fall 1961: Lance Odden, Barclay Johnson ’53, Edward Schriver, Dave Mitchell, Walter Foley, Thomas Fox, and Thomas Weld 1972— The new headmaster and his family Odden The Years 1961— A cholera epidemic cancels Lance Odden’s plans to participate in the Yalein-China program after his graduation from Princeton. A last-minute interview with Headmaster Paul Cruikshank secures Lance a position coaching hockey with Len Sargent and running the school store. By the next semester, Lance is teaching history. 1963— Marries Patricia Kerney, who also grew up in Princeton. Under Lance’s leadership, lacrosse becomes a varsity sport. 1964— Introduces a course in Far Eastern History and is appointed director of the newly created Independent Studies Program. 1965— Awarded Mailliard Fellowship for “excellence in teaching.” 1966— Sabbatical year at the University of Wisconsin, where he earns his master’s in history. His thesis deals with American Foreign Policy with China from 1929–31. Odden Lacrosse Award created by the varsity lacrosse team of 1966. 1967— Named chairman of the History Department. 1968— Son Jake (Class of ’86) born. 1969— Appointed assistant headmaster by John Esty. 1970— Awarded the Robert Congdon Memorial Chair in History. 1971— Coeducation begins, also the year daughter Laurie (Class of ’89) is born. 1972— Lance Rue Odden is named the school’s fourth headmaster, and—at age 32—is the youngest to lead a major independent school. School endowment stands at $2 million. 24 Spring 2001
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ INFLUENCE AND IDEALS 1979— Daniel Lam ’74, Lee Klingenstein ’44, Lance Odden, Louis Lam ’80, and Francis Lam ’74 in Hong Kong, on Lance’s first trip to China Lance has been a wonderful leader, and both he and Patsy have been great friends to the community of Watertown. —M. Heminway Merriman II ’67, P’93,’97 Lance and Patsy’s greatest legacy is the expansion and deepening of the Taft family, representing the best of the traditions, clear values, and care that characterize a strong family. —Bill Morris ’69, P’97,’99,’02 dean of studies 1973— Patsy begins the girls’ ice hockey program. 1978— Long Range Planning Committee Report provides the master plan to make Taft “the best middle-sized coeducational independent school in the country.” 1979— Fulfills a long-postponed personal and professional dream with a two-month visit to China, accompanied by Patsy and by Daney and Lee Klingenstein ’44. Founds the Taft Education Center under Ed North, a summer program for teachers Lance sees as an important bridge between the worlds of private and public education. 1980— Groundbreaking for the new Cruikshank Athletic Center, Lance’s first major construction project in what would become the school’s greatest period of physical growth. 1980— Challenge grant of $2 million by the William Rand Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust helps the school to double its endowment in less than three years and inspires the board to embark on a campaign to raise the endowment to $30 million. Paul and Edith Cruikshank Athletic Center joins the Mays Rink and Logan Field House to complete the move of the athletic facilities up the hill. Patsy Odden Hockey Award given by the 1980 girls’ varsity hockey team to that member of the team who in the minds of the coaches best exemplifies the spirit of leadership, determination, and ability. I am grateful to Lance for the way in which he built on Taft’s great traditions to shape an institution that is vital and relevant to a troubled society in a complex world. —Bob Bremner P’87,91,94 What has touched us so deeply about Taft is the school’s powerful interest in doing the right thing, whether alerting parents of potential problems in a child’s behavior or trying to direct young people to make the right choices, or at least be aware of the consequences if they do not. Both our children are far better equipped to face the world having had the Lance Odden/Taft experience. —Nancy Novogrod P’98,’01 Lance’s teaching helped me as a teacher and a historian. Only one lecturer ever approached his excellence during the course of my education (Stephen Ambrose at Johns Hopkins), and no other teacher conveyed the passion for learning about other cultures and the past with the conviction he brought to the job. Some years ago a student of mine went to Princeton and took a course from Arthur Waldron ’66. After a while the student began to recognize a similarity in the way material was presented and in other aspects of the course. Finally he asked Arthur if he knew me. Lance not only inspired us, but also helped shape the way his students look at problems and conduct intellectual discourse—an influence so powerful that the young Princetonian could recognize it. In a sense, he had become Lance’s student too. —Ellis Wasson ’66 Taft Bulletin 25
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