There isn't much Lillian Wentworth doesn't know—especially about Thayer Academy. When you talk to her, you're guaranteed to get a little bit smarter without even trying, because she shares delightful tidbits of unexpected information. For example, did you know that the library used to be located on the third floor of Main building? It was in room 314 — the one with three or four steps leading up to it. "Before that," says Mrs. Wentworth, "it was the stage. The entire third floor was an open space, and that was the meeting room." Can you imagine having to climb all those stairs to attend Monday Morning Meeting? "At least the CFA is down hill all the way," quips Larry Carlson who shares archival responsibilities with Mrs. Wentworth and Dan Forrest.
If you visually compare third floor Main with Hale Theater, you will get an idea of the progress Thayer Academy has made since 1877. Mrs. Wentworth, Thayer's head archivist, has documented that progress every step of the way.
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| (above) Archivist and teacher Larry Carlson, speaks two or three times each to students in the Upper School, about various historical Thayer Moments. Mr. Carlson is shown here talking about Lillian Wentworth's book "The Thayer Academy: One Hundred Years 1877-1977." |
Mrs. Wentworth celebrated her 98th birthday this week, and while that fact is remarkable in itself, it is also noteworthy that this spring, she will be recognized for 50 years of service to the Academy. She didn't plan to stick around for 50 years. It just happened that way. She's tried to retire at various times, but apparently, the school doesn't want to let her go.
In 1961, Lillian came to Thayer after graduating from Brown University with a degree in political science and English. She joined the faculty to teach English and U.S. history, and while she was at it, she earned a degree in library science. When Southworth Library first opened its doors in 1965, Ms. Wentworth inaugurated the new building as head librarian.
As part of Thayer's Centennial celebration, Lillian researched and wrote the first official history of the school: The Thayer Academy: 100 Years, 1877-1977. She was a very hands-on kind of researcher — rummaging through old clippings and pictures found in the dark, damp basement of Main building (before it was pleasantly renovated as the Brickyard/Student Lounge) and chasing down newspaper editors in the Braintree and Boston area (without the benefit of e-mail).
In 1978, just as she began planning her retirement, Ms. Wentworth found herself agreeing instead, to stay on as director of publications and public relations. So, she wrote and designed Thayer's magazines and many other publications until 1987, when she confidently asserted, "This time, I really will retire."
Foiled again! It turned out that the Academy needed a historian, and who was better qualified to become Thayer's first archivist? To this day, Ms. Wentworth, considered by many to be the very personification of Thayer's institutional memory, is still Thayer's head archivist, complemented by enormously significant contributions from colleagues Larry Carlson and Dan Forrest (history and math teachers respectively... when not moonlighting as archivists).
Finally, in 1991, Lillian Wentworth did manage to formally retire, but she lives in the neighborhood, just a few blocks from campus, and remains Thayer's most enthusiastic volunteer. One might be inclined to believe that perhaps she takes the word retire in its loosest sense. She's never really stopped working. She's only temporarily withdrawn for brief periods of time.
To read more about Lillian Wentworth and the history of Thayer Academy, select the following links:
Lillian Wentworth: A Thayer Academy Institution (Patriot Ledger , Jan 2009)
Thayer Academy to Honor Archivist Lillian Wentworth on her 50th Anniversary (Patriot Ledger , April 2011)