One Last Thank You

A very busy fall day in 1987 found the front door and stairway of the McClellan House bustling with the arrival of the Fifth Form girls. These twenty-nine girls were joining the Class of 1988, bringing coeducation to The Lawrenceville School for the first time.

We were a melting pot that included academics, thespians, athletes, and a few legacies. Even our house counselor was noteworthy; beloved English master Leita Voss Hamill H’65 ’88 ’97 ’99 P’96 ’99 and her husband, Bill Hamill ’65 P’96 ’99, moved from their beautiful Princeton home with their three small children to shepherd us through that year, with Shannon Duffy H’88 in the other House counselor spot.

While this whole crew are often the spotlighted characters in the tale of coeducation, it is the people who actually built the stage that ensured the transition who should be remembered as the stars. And Bert A. Getz ’55 H’56 P’85 GP’18 ’20 is at the top of that list.

Lawrenceville’s Board of Trustees had voted on coeducation three other times, in 1969, 1973, and 1978, with the opponents of the move winning each ballot. When the vote came up again, in the spring of 1985, with Mr. Getz sitting as the president of the Board of Trustees, the decision finally passed. We can read the history of our School going “coed,” including the fundraising to build the Crescent Houses and the transition from Bruce McClellan H’57 ’58 ’60 GP’10 to Josiah Bunting H’37 ’59 ’88 ’91 ’93 ’94 ’95 P’88 ’97 in the leadership of the School. Those are big moments and big movements. Yet, it is the quiet leadership of Mr. Getz that I believe is his legacy. And his legacy gave me the gift of my time at Lawrenceville.

By design, the first house on the Crescent is the McClellan House, named for Bruce and Mary Elizabeth McClellan H’50 ’52 ’57 ’58 ’59 ’65 ’79 GP’10 and their impact on bringing coeducation forward. That House, with its prestigious name and location, was a gift from Bert and Sandy Getz P’85 GP’18 ’20. It was weeks into the school year, at the House dedication, that I realized that Mr. and Mrs. Getz were the benefactors. With their warm and friendly smiles, they made me feel totally comfortable in conversation; this in spite of his stature at the School and the broken nose and black eyes I had received that afternoon in my game.

They would return to campus often that year, and those visits often included a stop at McClellan, delivering giant pillows and other items to warm up our new spaces. The McClellan girls had a lot of people looking out for us, including our beloved classmates. Mr. and Mrs. Getz were not just the benefactors of the house itself, but to the young women living inside it as well.

I have been lucky to be in touch with Mr. and Mrs. Getz since I graduated many years ago. I found myself feeling compelled to say “thank you” to them, given the chance. Mr. Getz’s leadership gave me an experience that changed my life. What he did and how he did it is a model for impactful leadership. He was a humble leader who wasn’t afraid of change. His belief in that kind of leadership gave me the privilege of knowing this extraordinary man.

Thank you, Mr. Getz.