Class Documents
"We were the umbilical swordsmen... We were the studs of Spring" – Class Poem by Kirby LaMotte
"We were the umbilical swordsmen... We were the studs of Spring" – Class Poem by Kirby LaMotte
A treasured photograph capturing a moment in time with our beloved classmates during our 30th reunion at the Academy, one of our collective memories that have helped us preserve the bonds that have carried us through the last six decades since graduation.
Powerful verses that capture the rebellious spirit and enduring bonds of our generation—words that have echoed through the decades like whispers in a sacred hall.
Each generation has its blades — And we were the umbilical swordsmen:
We cleaved the clinging mothers from our rib
And ribbed our rinds with scandalous fruit,
We rode our mangers down the years
And swamped the deathbed ebbing of the old
With stallion-studded blood; We were the studs of Spring.
Our hair turned in the locks of Youth,
Our mustard-tongued mouths burned History's witch,
Our lips were windy with desecration.
We felt the sermoned fishes tugging at our tide
And summoned young-yeared wishes
Against the Cross-hooked lives
But the lines of our blood were taught
And could never be broke by boys.
So we pay no heed to our hauling veins,
We built our bones with beer and song
While the age-old rhythm of our blood
Rocked like a Hofbrau sea
In the holy houses of our grandfathers' drunken dreams.
Mute Heritage mouthed her plasmic strength around our spine,
Marrowed a stillness in our bone,
Moulded a laboring curve into our backs,
Shaped our thumbs with triumph,
Soothed Youth's negative nerve,
And loosed a trumpet in the loin
To sing the majesty of Man . . .
We pay no heed, like children with blocks
We wild and tempered blades must topple the crown of Time.
Now a new hand — holding kindergarten
Files in two by two;
From the womb-wasting weather of their veins
Hear the romper-room raging of our blood!
For the son is singing with his father's sins
And he cleaves from his mother with a song.
Frog The Blue
In 1782, Paul Revere "cut" a seal for the Trustees of Phillips Academy, Andover. The Phillips Exeter Academy seal, presented to the Trustees in 1784 and used by the Academy until 1952, is an adaptation of the Andover seal.
In 1952, Charles R. Capon, famous designer of bookplates, was commissioned to design a new seal for the Academy, simplifying the older seal, yet conveying the same good advice.
The Academy motto is a quotation taken out of context from the Astronomica of Manuilius. As a school motto, it is freely translated as "The end depends upon the beginning."
The Greek letters at the top of the seal mean "by the grace of God." It is believed the phrase indicates John Phillips' desire that religion be a deep concern of the school.
Across the sun, symbolizing the rising sun over the sea of knowledge, is "Non Sibi," or "Not for Oneself," testifying to the philosophy at Exeter that the wisdom gained here should be used for others as well as for oneself.
The beehive, with adjacent flowering plants and bees flitting between the two, symbolizes a group of industrious scholars.
The pine trees symbolize New England and the oak tree symbolizes strength. The trees call to mind the adage, "Great oaks from little acorns grow."
Latin inscriptions have welcomed many generations of students and faculty members. They reflect the evolution of the philosophy of education at the Academy.
This inscription reflected the Academy's mission during our time as students, emphasizing the transformation from boyhood to manhood through education and character development.
The more recent inscription reflects the Academy's institution of coeducation in 1971 and emphasizes the pursuit of both moral virtue (virtutem) and academic knowledge (scientiam) for all students.
Almost all of the following dedicated classmates served 5 years as one of our Class Officers
| Name | Position | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Sayre | President | 7/1/21 | Present |
| Eric Vogt | Vice President | 7/1/21 | Present |
| Arthur Cilley | President | 7/1/16 | 6/30/21 |
| Carl Walter | President | 10/4/12 | 6/30/16 |
| Meir Ribalow | President | 7/1/11 | 8/22/12 |
| Willard Reynolds | President | 7/1/06 | 6/30/11 |
| Donald Tenney | President | 7/1/01 | 6/30/06 |
| Dan Clement | President | 5/19/96 | 6/30/01 |
| Robert Noonoo | President | 5/3/91 | 5/19/96 |
| J. Riley | President | 10/1/86 | 5/3/91 |
| Richard Roeder | Vice President | 10/1/86 | 6/30/91 |
| Chester Fisher | President | 10/1/81 | 10/1/86 |
| Richard Strickler | President | 1/15/77 | 10/1/81 |
| Daniel Hendrie | President | 1/1/66 | 1/15/77 |
We are honored to recognize these distinguished individuals selected by the Class of '66 over time to join take their place in our ranks as our honorary classmates
The program from our Senior Class Day Exercises held on June 11, 1966, a treasured document capturing the culmination of our Academy journey.
The official graduation program from our commencement ceremony in 1966, marking our transition from students to alumni of Phillips Exeter Academy.
"It is nearly time for you to be off. You have a lot to do. This is no time to concern ourselves with nostalgia. As a matter of fact, I don't believe anybody has ever claimed that Exeter is a warm nest.
But I hope, and I expect, that when you find yourselves involved in skirmishes on the frontiers of barbarism, which are not very far away, you'll strike some shrewd blows in favor of civilization.
Some day you'll come back to show us your trophies and your scars, and we'll be glad to see you.
"
— Vice Principal Ernest Gillespie
1967 Commencement Address
