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A Note from Mr. PutnamIn the opening pages of the 1956 yearbook, Eliot T. Putnam wrote directly toClass I. His “Headmaster’s Message” follows:“It is unlikely that we shall again see a class quite like this one. Throughouttheir years at Nobles, these boys have deservedly earned our affectionand respect, but never to such a degree as in their final year. I donot recall a time when misfortune has struck a group of boys in morevaried ways or with greater impact. Their response to these blows hasbeen spontaneous and magnificent.“The standard of leadership which the Class of 1956 passes on to theiryounger brothers was born of a fundamental bigness of character, theingredients of which are spiritual depth, complete sincerity, and unflinchingcourage. Their lives will be richer for the service they have performedfor the school. “United we stand” seems to have been theirmotto, and our farewell to them can only be said with a heavy andgrateful heart.”Ascending theClass of ’56 pathunanimously. There was no debate.We all experienced a need to actuallyphysically do something together. Thefeeling was, ‘Don’t buy something, dosomething.’ That was part of the spiritof the class. We wanted our legacyto be something that would be reallyused by students and faculty, foreverand ever.”“Freddy was a great moral andphysical leader of our class,” says RockyWhitman ’56, Class Correspondent.“He was the rallying point who reallygot us going. He was the embodimentof leadership in our class, exhibiting allthe good things. Without Freddy, thepath would not have happened.”The class voluntarily devoted everySunday of their senior spring—aboutthree months—to building the path.They manually placed the wooden railroadties that served as its steps, andthat have lasted more than 50 years.Out of adversity came a monumentthat decades of Nobles graduateshave put to good and constant use.The Class of 1956 remains one ofthe most close-knit classes at Nobles.For 55 years they have stayed in touch,with excellent attendance at reunions.Each year Dev Barker, NewellFlather, Tim Leland and RockyWhitman call each of their classmatesfor the Annual Nobles Fund. Theyare one of only a handful of classes toreach 100 percent participation in theFund on a regular basis. On May 13and 14 the Class of ’56 will return tocampus to celebrate its 55th Reunionand to rededicate the path in anticipationof the Castle renovation project.Through the path, the legacy and historyof the great Class of 1956 willlive on in perpetuity.20 l the NobLES Bulletin l Spring 2011