"Taft and Mr. Taft" (1928 Fundraising Campaign pitch book)

This forty-eight page polite solicitation was published in 1928 and mailed out to old boys and friends commencing the $2,000,000 capital fund drive.  "At least $700,000 -- every dollar of profit that has been made-- has been put back into the school."

The chair of the fund drive was attorney Samuel H. Fisher, who had been at Yale with Mr. Taft.  Since 1916 Fisher had served as  personal counsel to Mrs. Anna Harkness, whose estate was figured (in 1928) at $107,000,000.  Nice work if you can get it!

Samuel Fisher wrote the preface to the book which was printed without Mr. Taft's prior approval, because "the King" was too modest to allow any Love Song to be written about him, and it is a love song.

So beloved was Mr. Taft,  the book actually contains several favorable testimonials from boys who had "been fired, for various reasons."  These bad boys donated was well and were asked to class reunions.  "Right or wrong," wrote an old boy, "Mr. Taft understood you.  

This little book contains the two master drawings of  the proposed CPT building, as well as such details as the proposed (but rejected) main entry.

Probably in deference to Mr. Taft's wishes, the proposed chapel is mentioned neither in the text,  nor are detail drawings included.  But the auditorium, which looked like a chapel, was:

That proposed auditorium is almost hidden in the master plan.

The insides resembled a silent movie house, except for the large, uncurtained windows, better suited for a chapel.  

This photograph is titled, "Taft and its boys."   One old boy wrote:  "Taft produces Gentlemen with trained minds."

"The School's growth had reached it limit" of 282 boys and 26 Masters, "and there is no intention of expanding the school."    A boy and history Master McIntosh, who became second to Mr. Taft following the death of Harley Roberts.

Science was a relative newcomer to the disciplines, and Taft offered a Senior Scientific Special diploma, as opposed to Senior Academic.

For a master index of all of Bob Foreman's photo-essays, click here.

1920 Taft School Yearbook in Pictures

The 1920 book features a beautifully-embossed cover...

...and there is a complimentary book plate, in my copy unfilled after 98 years "when he could have."

The first pages are deluxe ad pages, and the entire book is printed on heavy coated stock.

Tantalizing ads include Princeton's "no cramming" quote and the ad for Zark Myron Bickford.  A wandering minstrel (of Manhattan and Taft)  Zark was an astrologist who taught madolin, which helps to explain his first name which is elsewhere spelled "Zahr."  

In the second advertising section at the back of the book, there is an ad for this prep school, which a 1993 Times article refers to as "a football training school."  It appears to have since folded.

Unlike other editions, the 1920 does not include a Headmaster page, and the only mention of Mr. Taft is here, at the top of the faculty section.  Second is Harley Roberts, and third is another classics Master, with the strange name, Olin Coit Joline. 

Olin Joline, whose name may or may not rhyme, wrote for this annual a three-page, informal, first person account of the school's history to date, which can be read by clicking here.

The class of 1920 chose to be photographed at the perfect Hemlock in front of the old Hotel, or perhaps they just liked hanging out at the fence.  

The Hotel was quite close to the 1911 gym.  At the highest window can be seen a fire escape ladder with no upper landing.

The Gun Club decided to be photographed at the new building, and no one dared argue. 

A shot of HDT from the front substantiates the theory that ivy was attracted to Mr. Taft's House.

A desk in a typical boy's room was equipped with a luxurious electric desk lamp and lockable drawers.

Instead of desks, this recitation room was equipped with pews "all the better to worship your Master, just as it should be," a past Master patiently explained to me.  The overhead ducts and asbestos-clad steam runs indicate that this is a basement room, probably the one right next to the gym basement, to make it even more clammy. Note the thermostat, ready to slam in those radiators! And to the right of the bookcase is a return air grille.

The 1911 gym served many purposes including rehearsal hall, and that it was sound-proofed was in its favor.

Before Bingham was built eleven years later, the boys, some in knickers, attended silent pictures at the 500-seat Community House Theatre, which became the Cameo when talkies came in. There is no mention of an organ, so I assume the accompaniment was a piano. It had a stage, and at least once, a Taft show was such a hit that it was moved from the Old Gym to Main Street for all the Townies to see! How thrilled they must have been!

Note that the 1920 future Masque and Dagger Society production (bottom) was "never staged."

The question is begged, "why never staged?"  Diphtheria is the one word answer, as is explained on page 229.  Blandy, who breaks all speed limits packing, is also the stage manager, and his full name  was Dallam Eddy Blandy.

For unknown reasons, the school enrollment of two hundred and fifty-six was lopsided among the the classes, with more than twice as many lower mids than seniors.  The senior class numbered only thirty-seven, plus the eleven below who didn't make it to graduation.  On the list is Horace Taft Mallon, which proves that even changing your name to that of the Head's counted for about zilch.

Horace Dutton Mallon and Dallam Eddy Blandy schooled with the wonderfully-named Stiles Burpee, and the head monitor was Robert Doughty Weeks, although the boy below was clearly more qualified.  

Junior, Bronxville, "Johnny," Yale.  It makes sense.

This boy spent a lot of time smoking , but he started too late and then got caught, apparently by Mr. Taft himself, what an honor!   

One Master whose name is mentioned in a dozen bios is Garfield "GM" Weld, whose brother Beanie also taught at Taft.   G.M. was a funny guy, as the below attests.

And that is the two hundred and sixty-two page 1920 Annual reduced to twenty-five pages or less.

For an index of other Taft School articles, click here.

November, 2018

TAFT SCHOOL BINGHAM AUDITORIUM IN PICTURES

The Taft School Bingham Auditorium is a miniature movie palace designed by noted New York City architect James Gamble Rogers.  

The first three shots are architectural studies dating from the time of the theatre's completion in early 1931.  Within a year, to light the stage during Vespers, a valance borderlight was added, which broke the clean line of the house valance border.  House Tormentors (legs)  are shown here, and the drape which eventually covered the brass orchestra pit railing has not yet been installed.

The glow of the four-color Kleigl Brothers footlights can be seen here.  The Hammond organ loudspeakers which sat behind the Taft crests above the exit doors left and right would not be installed until 1936.

Self-rising theatre chairs were not standard equipment in 1931, at least at the Taft School Bingham Auditorium.  At the top left of the rear balcony can be seen the portal for the non-synchronous room, which was sealed in 1968.  Because footlights were originally considered sufficient, the balcony had not yet been cluttered with stage lighting apparatus; except for the carbon arc follow spot in the booth, Bingham was not equipped with front lighting.

Perhaps the best description of Bingham appears in the 1938 catalog:

From the beginning, Bingham was equipped with a 35MM talking picture booth, and for over forty-five years the house projectionist was "Pops" La Flamme (below in 1967), out of the Waterbury IATSE projectionist's local.  To read more about the booth click here.

The 1938 catalog includes a backstage shot...

...as well as a production shot, the setting masked down utilizing  the gold curtain for a teaser and the main drape for torms, ablaze from the footlights.

This shot dates from about 1956 and represents Masque and Dagger advisor Peter Candler's "backstage glamour shot," with my annotations.  Candler had bought for a song all the lights and scenery from a Broadway flop after it closed on opening night, and with Skouras' donation of a CinemaScope picture sheet, thus was Bingham re-equipped.

Another Peter Candler shot, he smoking his pipe, whilst the boys grasp the overhauled Main Curtain, with Vallen track,

Here are Candler's boys on the overhaul team at the wire-guide fly rail.  The Westinghouse switchboard can be seen in its cage.

In case anyone had any doubt, Peter Candler called the shots.  Switchboard is partially visible, and atop its cage is a boy working the thunder sheet directly in front of the audience call chimes.

This photograph dates from the early 1950s when Bob Olsmtead (with script in hand) was faculty director.  The magnificent Kliegl Brothers connector strip was removed in 1954, but re-installed in 1969.

Detail of connector strip:

The Westinghouse lighting switchboard shown here in 1932, with Peter Clark fly rail to the left.   The switchboard was uncaged in 1970.

My sketch of the Switchboard:

From the 1972 catalog, backstage spring 1970, J.G. Taft gets a workout on the Westinghouse switchboard, (l to r) yours truly Bob Foreman '70, Peter Byerly, and Taft both '72.   Control for the auditorium ventilation fan and the keys for the chimes can be seen on the wall beyond him.

J. G. Taft hanging a fresnel on the first electric:

The stage crew in 1970:

Stage plan, 1969:

Bingham Auditorium in 2013.

From the stage:

Below, the electrical specification for Bingham Auditorium prepared by Clyde R. Place who also served as consulting engineer for Radio City Music Hall.

For an index of other Taft School articles, click here.

For a master index of all of Bob Foreman's photo-essays, click here.

Many thanks for the old photos to Alison Gilchrist, Taft School archivist and to Richard Cobb, Taft Master Emeritus.  The color photos were taken by and reproduced with the permission of Blake Joblin, '2013.  

January, 2014