BrewsterConnections(PDF) - Brewster Academy

A World at War
Within 12 years the world was at war and the operation of a boarding
school campus became an extremely difficult task for administration,
faculty, and the board of trustees. The town and school joined together
and published information about the efforts of the Red Cross, YMCA and
YWCA, food drives, liberty bond sales as well as announcements about
important speakers and the letters that arrived from graduates serving
overseas. Slogans of “Save Food,” “Do Your Bit,” and “Save Water”
were seen and heard across campus. The girls gathered to sew and knit
gloves, mittens, socks, and sweaters, and they rolled linen bandages for
the wounded. Young people had to face the reality of death with anguish
and bravery. Young male students left the classroom to enlist in the army,
and full enrollment became a challenge. Influenza, measles, and mumps
epidemics were on the rise. Of four students who had gathered to play
games on a Friday night, two had died from influenza by Monday morning.
unsupervised automobile usage, and promoted a courteous regard for the
wishes of the school.
As the Depression set in, fewer boarding students applied for admission,
vacancies went unfilled, and funds from tuition decreased. Estabrook Hall
and Kimball House were the only two dorms, as Brown Hall had been
closed due to lack of students.
This rapidly declining boarding population was troubling. Another
concern was the high attrition rate of incoming freshmen who left school
before graduating. Thus, in 1939, with declining enrollment, school
facilities in disrepair, little funds for athletics, the realities of another world
war looming, and the worry about fiscal responsibilities, for the first time,
tuition was charged for day students. A change in financial management
of the school was imminent.
As the war ended, the trustees commissioned a bronze plaque in
remembrance of the 116 male and four female students from Brewster
who had served their country. That plaque continues to hang in a
prominent place in the Academic Building. School spirit was high after
the war with sports competitions and annual plays and dances.
The happy opening of the 1919 school year turned to sadness, however,
with the deaths of two prominent, original members of the board of
trustees who had long served Brewster so well: William Brewster (John’s
son) and Arthur Estabrook.
The next turning point came during the 1930s when the country faced a
downturn in the economy, which impacted Brewster as well. Maintenance
delays left academic and dormitory areas in disrepair, and unbecoming
behavior was reflected in some students. A new document, “The Code
for Brewster Students,” stipulated home study hours, approved school
and town organization memberships, required attendance at churches,
restricted unsupervised night travel outside the home, curtailed
A Second War
Another critical period in the school’s history arrived with World War II.
After the seventh of December 1941, life in Wolfeboro and Brewster would
never be the same. The Brewster yearbook records that 231 local boys had
enlisted or were drafted into the armed services. On campus Brown Hall
became the control center for the Civilian Defense Committee, the Civil
Air Patrol, and the headquarters for obtaining ration stamps for food
and gasoline. Students were involved in Savings Stamps, Savings Bonds,
planting Victory Gardens, and participating in wartime clubs.
As the war ended the presence of GIs as students became significant. In
1946 the school enrollment was 279 students, 86 of whom were veterans.
Classrooms were overcrowded, and combat-hardened GIs became
restless and bored with school routine, creating problems for students
and teachers alike. A tension developed between the members of the
senior class and the GIs who were unfamiliar with school traditions. On a
positive note, however, all athletic teams prospered with the contributions
of the GIs. Soon the GIs would move on and the ever-growing need for a
Commencement 1939 Bobcat Nation’s first tennis courts, 1896
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