George H. Blackwell - Headmaster from 1953-1968
Moving the school campus to more spacious quarters was high on George H. Blackwell’s agenda when he became Rivers’ headmaster in 1953. Two camps, pro and con, had been sparring over the benefits of staying on Heath Street in Chestnut Hill or moving, but no consensus had been reached when Mr. Blackwell arrived on campus. With trustee support, Mr. Blackwell won over opponents, using what became known at Rivers as his “undeflatable optimism and confidence.”
In 1958, the school learned that the Loker Farm in Weston was on the market, and soon, funding became available, and the new campus opened in 1960-61. The property, bordering on Nonesuch Pond, was considered “picturesque and spacious,” with enough room for both academic buildings and athletic fields. The campus design reflected a more contemporary appearance than the traditional red brick and ivy, but according to Rivers records, the architect ensured some taste of old Boston with the modern.
Mr. Blackwell, a graduate of Browne & Nichols School, Milton Academy, and Harvard College, was also known at Rivers for helping boost enrollment, strengthen curriculum, develop an endowment fund, and establish the Rivers Summer Day Camp.
In 1968, as he prepared to leave Rivers, Mr. Blackwell recalled his first visit to the Heath Street campus when the “gorgeous rhododendrons blossomed along the driveway,” and he received a warm welcome from Rivers staff. He also cited some of the changes at the school during his tenure, including, of course, the move to Weston, the introduction of the alumni newsletter, publication of the ‘Rivers Review,’ and the school’s “tremendous progress.” Mr. Blackwell added, “Rivers has certainly developed rapidly in recent years, but its growth has been very sound … We must never cease adapting ourselves to the times and improving our program, our faculty, and our boys.”
Mr. Blackwell was considered a dedicated science teacher of boys, and began his career at the Lenox School in the Berkshires. He was also affiliated with the Landon School in Washington D.C., the Groton School, and Lake Forest Academy in Illinois where he headed the science department for nine years. Once, when asked what he taught, he said, ‘I teach boys.’
During the first several years of retirement, he served as interim headmaster at four East Coast secondary schools, including Falmouth Academy on Cape Cod. Mr. Blackwell fully retired to Martha’s Vineyard, and died there at age 97 in 2006.
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