Eleanor Hamilton Payne ’48
 Ms. Payne is a native of Atlanta
and the only child of Georgia’s
frst black elected state legislator,
Grace Towns Hamilton. Her
parents chose Putney carefully. “I arrived at Putney in the fall
of 1945 as the school’s first black
student.” Of her three years at
Putney, Ms. Payne said, “The times at Putney were the best times of my life.” Ms.
Payne returned to Atlanta to attend Spelman College before transferring to Smith College, where she
earned her undergraduate degree. After marrying
and living abroad with her physician husband and
four children, Ms. Payne went on to earn her masters
degree in child psychology, and practiced as a clinical psychologist both in private practice and at Case
Western Reserve Mental Development Center.
“Putney infuenced every aspect of my life. It gave
me lifelong friends, and most importantly helped me
to know I could do anything. Putney is the place that mattered to me most in my life. Everything good about
me, I got from Putney. Putney made me who I am.” Isaiah Jackson ’62
 “Arriving on campus in ’59
from the segregated South,
I immediately felt welcomed
by faculty, staff, and students
alike.” Dr. Jackson contrasts
with classmates from Richmond who had profoundly
negative experiences at other boarding schools.
“In many ways, I owe it
all to Putney. Putney’s holistic approach (studies, arts,
sports, and work in equal measure) gave me a paradigm that I have applied throughout my life. The music there, both its academic and performing components, provided an especially solid base, as did the English and history courses. Thanks to Putney’s fine preparation and counseling, I attended Harvard with several
classmates, graduating cum laude before continuing on
to graduate studies at Stanford University and The
Juilliard School.” Isaiah Jackson has since held titled positions as a conductor on four continents,
and has been music director of major orchestras in
Boston and London. He now teaches at Berklee
College and Longy School, both in Boston.
“Putney’s tradition of welcoming openness goes
back decades: the school was progressive 30 years
before the rest of American society even tried to be.
Such thinking was and continues to be importantly
ingrained in Putney’s culture; adding academic excellence makes possible a superbly rounded education.”
Peggy King Jorde ’76
 “I attended Putney with
two brothers from Albany, Georgia and in the
wake of the Civil Rights
Movement. My dad, a
Civil Rights Attorney
and mom, an educator
and Head Start director
afforded us an opportunity to attend prep school in the northeast. However, it
was soon clear Putney was not going to be an average
college prep education, when while reading aloud the
poem Birches, by Robert Frost…my English teacher
exited through the classroom window, crossed the campus lawn to climb the nearest birch tree…then invited
us to join him.”
“Learning had never been so exciting and my expectations would never be the same. My time at Putney provided me with a rich foundation for setting
my sights upward and outward, looking for the road
less traveled, and reaching my personal best. It was an
experience that has buoyed my work in the fields of
architecture, philanthropy, and community.”
Ms. King Jorde studied architecture at Columbia and advanced environmental studies at Harvard, and worked as a planner in
Mayor David Dinkins’ office when excavations for
a federal office building in the heart of Manhattan
turned up human remains from a forgotten African burial ground. Ms. King Jorde served as the Project Executive for the African Burial Ground Design Competition and Memorial. Her work on this project embraces “the cultural resources, the tangible reminders that tie our black community to the important values of our history and culture.” Wilfredo Benitez ’81
 “I came to Putney with very little
experience outside of Harlem—a
kid with insecurities and a chip
on my shoulder—and far from
rich. It was truly a challenge for
me to understand Putney ways.
Once I did it was a life changing experience that I was able to
build upon at college, law school
and in my profession. Putney taught me to be independent. Putney had a tremendous impact on me.”
Mr. Benitez attended Columbia University
and Rutgers University School of Law, and has
been an attorney since 1993. He worked for major firms for eight years before opening his own
thriving law practice outside of New York City. Mr. Benitez is active in community and philanthropic projects, and has returned to Putney as an
active member of the Board of Trustees. His continued interest in Putney is inspired by his belief
that “The Putney School will challenge kids in positive ways and will prepare kids practically for the real
world. Sounds corny but having to get up at 5am to
do barn certainly teaches you about responsibility and
about having to do things you may not always want
to. I am honored now to be a board member serving
the school and the entire student population and to be
available to the minority students as a role model.” Victor Lewis ’73
 “Putney’s own daily cultural emphasis on community, social justice and
equality, and hard work
supported important values I learned from my
family and friends at
home. This formative understanding of the cycle
of life led me to want to know more. Putney fostered independent thinking
with a premium on asking ‘why?’.
“Putney courses gave me practical, hands on, introduction to the relationship between man and our
environment. Unique to Putney, much of this teach
ing occurred outside utilizing the campus as our lab.
This “experiential” teaching has always worked best
for me—I thrive in it much more so than in the traditional classroom.
“At Putney learning occurs through teamwork
and individual achievement. Students are able to do
so many things they would never be able to do at
home. The independence and self-confidence gained
smoothes the transition to college and, more importantly, to the real world. The student body comes from
many backgrounds. Life is not always easy, for any
student, and there are challenges unique to students of
color. The campus is rural and relatively isolated, and
the weather often cold. There is defnitely room to be
yourself, but one has to be willing to be adventurous,
to try new things, and be open-minded to new people
and their lifestyles. The full reward of a Putney education may not be realized right away but later on in
life the pay off is tremendous.
“Putney did play a role in my decision to be
come a physician by helping to set my priorities in
life” recalls Dr. Victor D. Lewis III, Chief of Radiology, at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, Chesapeake, Virginia. Dr. Lewis received his
undergraduate degree from Brown University
and his medical degree from the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed his internship in internal medicine at Graduate
Hospital in Philadelphia and a residency in radiology and fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He has held several academic posts. Lewis
is an active lecturer, researcher, author, facilitator
of health programming, and a member of many
professional societies. “My experience at Putney
nurtured a long-term interest in helping people as a
way of life.” Katherine Lee ’75
 “My experience at Putney, especially my interactions with classmates and staff expanded my intellectual and social horizons and
influenced my understanding of
how school curricula connected to
life. Staff members planted seeds
of tolerance and nurtured my sense
of fairness, while classmates provided opportunities for debate and instilled a desire to mediate and defuse conflict. Many
of my peers from that period of time recognized me
as a warrior, but today that energy has translated into
an understanding of the importance of listening and
negotiation. I left Vermont knowing that my relation
ship with the world and my destiny rested within
the choices I made; through my words, my thoughts,
and my behavior. Upon graduation from Putney, I
began my journey of lifelong learning. This awareness
has followed me throughout my professional life as
an educator and has facilitated a consistent desire to
strive for continued progress.”
Ms. Lee has been a public school educator
for nearly thirty years. An active force in school
reform, she is critical of federal policies that tell
teachers what, when and how to teach. “The negative (of federal policies) is that everyone is running
after test scores, which is just a blink of what kids
know and what kids don’t know,” said Lee referring to the Bush administration’s No Child Left
Behind education policy. “Consequently, the test is the focus, instead of kids’ learning being the focus.”
By contrast, Ms. Lee states, “Putney provided me
with a rare and important opportunity—the chance to meet, work with, and learn from people from many
locations, both national and international. I developed an awareness of regional idiosyncrasies from around
the U.S. and sensitivity to cultures, languages, and religions from around the world. I explored and refned
many athletic, musical, and theatrical abilities that
have translated into both a healthier adult lifestyle
and a sense of comfort and confdence when speaking to an audience. Putney developed my sense of
commitment to community because we all had jobs,
ranging from caring for cows to baking in the school
kitchen. Putney was instrumental in allowing me to
create, revise, and defne my perception of my world
while expanding my dreams.” |
