Worcester Academy
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Worcester Academy is a private preparatory school located in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Founded in 1834 as the Worcester County Manual Labor High School, it did not change its name until 1847. The school moved to its current location on Union Hill in Worcester in 1869. Worcester Academy was all-male from its founding until 1856, and again from 1890 to 1974. It has been coeducational since.
The school's motto is "Achieve the Honorable," and over the years, the academy has had many prominent alumni. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious schools in the United States, and its main rivals are other notable private schools including Phillips Exeter, Phillips Andover, Deerfield Academy, Cushing Academy, Governor Dummer Academy, and Milton Academy. Several beautiful brick buildings are listed on the national historic register including the Kingsley Laboratories, Walker Hall, and Adams Hall. One of the most famous and remarkable architectural gems on the unique campus at Worcester Academy is the Lewis J. Warner Memorial Theater, which was a gift from the Warner Brothers Studio President Harry Warner. He generously donated this building, which is named for Warner's son Lewis '28, who died shortly after graduating from the academy.The academy has perhaps the most spectacular high school theater in the entire United States.
The academy used to be a "feeder" school for the entire Ivy League, primarily Harvard and Yale, and other prestigious universities and colleges including Boston College, Tufts University, Georgetown University, Duke University, Williams, and Amherst. The academy has had more Harvard Football captains than any other high school in the United States.
It is a member of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council.
Notable alumni
Notable alumni of Worcester Academy include:
- Eli Thayer 1840, founder of the Oread Institute
- Edward Davis Jones 1873, co-founder of Dow Jones
- Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor 1893, founder and first editor of National Geographic magazine
- Clarence Dillon 1904, co-founder of investment bank Dillon, Read and Company
- Charles E. Merrill 1904, co-founder of Merrill Lynch
- Cole Porter 1909
- General Norman D. Cota 1915
- William Toomey 1957, gold-medal winning decathlete in the 1968 Olympics
- Rep. Jim McGovern 1977
- Abbie Hoffman
- Willis Goldbeck
In addition, many student-athletes attend Worcester Academy solely for their senior year, or for a single postgraduate year, to increase their exposure to college coaches or to improve their academic standing. Notable student-athletes include
- Mark Fidrych 1974
- Rick Carlisle 1979
- Jarrett Jack 2002
External links
- Worcester Academy official site (http://www.worcesteracademy.org/)
- Worcester Academy's official history page (http://www.worcesteracademy.org/about/history/)
- Worcester Academy history (http://www.assumption.edu/ahc/Education/WorcesterAcad_copy.html)