Guys and Dolls Reprise

BFS Commencement 2014
Our "Nathan Detroit" of 1980, Fisher Stevens '81
[Head of School Larry Weiss and Fisher Stevens '81]

This week's Middle and Upper School musical production of Guys and Dolls reminds your friendly historian that this great classic musical has been mounted at BFS on at least two other occasions (the school is interested in memories of other Guys and Dolls at BFS, come forward please!)

The first known BFS production of Guys and Dolls was in May, 1980. Its performances were dedicated to a great moment in BFS history that same month: celebrating the burning of the Pearl Street mortgage. Read more about the 1980 performance of Guys and Dolls in The Life, May 1980, page 3. Of note, Fisher Stevens '81 played Nathan Detroit; the recipient of the BFS George Fox Distinguished Alumnus Award last year at Commencement, Fisher Stevens' shared memories and words of wisdom for the Class of 2014.

The second known production of Guys and Dolls was in November, 2006. Both casts were terrific - saw it twice! No reviews of the 2006 production seem to survive, but a great article previewing the show and wonderful photos do!

2006: Luck, Be a Lady

2006: Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat

2006: Marry the Man Today

2006: Guys and Dolls - Finale/Reprise

Logo Nostalgia

Introducing Brooklyn Friends School's new visual identity is exciting, yet it also makes us fondly recall logos from our past. Let's take a look back at what can be considered our main logos through the years, beginning with today's and ending with our earliest-known visual identity.

"The Inner Light," 2014

In our new visual identity, the banner represents academic excellence, a core value of Brooklyn Friends School, while the eight-pointed star signifies the inner light of every BFS student. The star also reflects our Quaker heritage: an eight-pointed star was first used by British Quaker relief workers in the Franco-Prussian War and later adopted by the American Friends Service Committee in its own logo.

"Windows into BFS" 2006 to 2014. Over 20 different images provide glimpses into the BFS community, ranging from student artwork to BFS scenes; a few are below. "Windows" also saw BFS begin using the phrase "Inspiring minds and hearts since 1867."

 "Schoolhouse" ca. 1995 to 2005. Designed by long-time BFS employee Anne Garland, this logo referenced early 1990s artwork by BFS students which had previously been adopted for occasional school print materials.

"Friendship" ca. 1975 to 1994. Designed by BFS alum parents Leo and Diane Dillon, noted artists and illustrators. This image was, at times, modified by students to reflect both our school's and our student body's commitment to equity and social justice.

"School Seal" earlier than 1926 to 1975. Our school seal's earliest known print usage is on a 1926 literary magazine, though it was likely around long before. The school seal was incorporated into the Class of 1927's graduation gift to BFS, an artistic rendering of the Brooklyn Meeting House, still found on bookplates in some of our library's oldest books.

"Gift of the Class of 1927"

Printed materials at BFS did not always incorporate our school's visual identities. BFS letterhead apparently did not include images of any kind until 1975. Additionally, images were not used consistently in school letterhead during the 1990s. During this school year, BFS looks forward to fully incorporating its new visual identity into daily life of the school. 

The BFS Panther, a mascot history

Last month, on the BFS Facebook page, an alumna asked about the BFS Panther, the mascot of the BFS Athletics program. The Panther is relatively new to our athletic program as both our nickname and costumed mascot. BFS Athletic Director David Gardella shared his understanding of the history of the BFS Panther and further information was found among school records in the BFS Archives.

In the 1998-1999 school year, Henry Spinella was our Athletic Director: he noted that one of our Upper School student-athletes felt that BFS athletics could benefit from a costumed mascot to help promote our athletics program and that this student was working to make it a reality. A "Fighting Quaker" was suggested, yet that idea was set aside as there have always been those who feel that such a mascot is inappropriate, even thought it is an oxymoron. A fox, likely in reference to Quakerism's founder George Fox was also suggested. Henry Spinella agreed that BFS should have such a mascot, as did the school's administration. 

The beginning of the 1999-2000 school year saw a school-wide vote. Five mascots were suggested for the consideration of the entire school: a superhero, a panther, a penguin, a bear and a dog. David Gardella recalled that "the penguin came in second... but the Panther came in first." Records reveal that the vote was not even close: ballot came in with 143 votes for the penguin and 175 for the panther. It seems a BFS Panther mural was created by an artist in the Pearl Street gym for the following school year. The actual panther mascot costume seems to have finally arrived in the 2006-2007 school year. 

It should be noted that our former student newspaper, The Panther Press, obviously chose a title that reflected our panther nickname and mascot. The first publication of The Panther Press in 2003 was an important moment for our school as BFS had then been without a regularly published student newspaper for many years. Our current student newspaper is The Willoughby Street Journal, a title which will likely be retired when the Upper School moves to One MetroTech in September, 2015. 

During the 20th Century, particularly in the media, we were often known as "The Quakers." Photos from the 1970s and 1980s show that some of our athletics t-shirts - and perhaps even uniforms - included a depiction of a man wearing a traditional Quaker hat. In 1955, BFS Upper School students selected a "Quakerman" as the BFS mascot, as mentioned in The Life. According to 1942's Seventy Five Years of Brooklyn Friends School, we had been known for several years as "the Fighting Quakers." Of course, the Fighting Quakers is the athletics nickname of Sidwell Friends in Washington, DC and, your historian's 2010 visit to Sidwell noted a near-caricature of a"Fighting Quaker." Guilford College's athletics teams are also known as the Fighting Quakers. All schools that use "The Fighting Quakers" for nicknames fully understand and acknowledge that the term is an oxymoron. 

50 years ago, we wore what at BFS Commencement?

BFS and the Class of 2014 may be gearing up for Commencement right now, but at this time 50 years ago, it was the Class of '64's big moment to graduate BFS. Fun to look back since many of our '64 alumni are planning to celebrate their 50th reunion on June 7 at BFS Alumni Day. And BFS is very fortunate to have both '64's commencement photo and the last edition of The Life for the 1963-64 year to shed a little light on how BFS celebrated the Class of '64 in 1964. BFS has neither complete collections of class and commencement photos nor of the student newspapers, so please share from your personal collections with BFS.

Commencement photo of the Class of 1964
wearing our school's former graduation attire of
black tuxedo pants and white suit jackets for the boys
and white semi-formal dresses for the girls
Photo donated to BFS by William Forgang, Ph.D. '64 (thanks again)

Commencement 1964 articles from The Life:
the guest speaker for the June 5, 1964 ceremony was
noted Quaker author and theologian D. Elton Trueblood, Ph.D.

Times change at BFS and everywhere else. The long-standing tradition of white dresses and jackets probably departed BFS Commencement around 1969 (this and other changes at graduation were intimated in the March, 1969 Life article "New Exercises"). Today's Class of 2014 will graduate with blue caps and gowns, a student-led decision and new tradition that began at BFS with the Class of 2007. 

Remembering Benjamin R. Burdsall, 1903-1968

Got to thinking about Benjamin R. Burdsall this week as our Upper School faculty has been doing its own thinking about recipients of our annual awards for the Upper School closing ceremony on June 9. Today seems a good day to remember who Mr. Burdsall was for so many at BFS and why BFS gives a scholarship in his memory. BFS encourages the entire BFS community to be deeply involved in and concerned with the life of the school. Among the myriad opportunities for involvement are celebrating reunions at Alumni Day and attending special events like the Spring Gala, giving annually to the Brooklyn Friends Fund, volunteering as a PAT class parent, a Brooklyn Friends Fund class agent or as a guest speaker at BFS - contact the Development and Alumni Office at 718-852-1029, ext. 211 or ext. 208 to learn about such opportunities and much more. BFS also encourages giving to the school to honor and celebrate special people and milestones in our lives. 

One special gift celebrated a 50th reunion and was sufficient to create a separate endowment fund which has enabled BFS to annually remember our 1934-1968 English teacher and Upper School Head Benjamin R. Burdsall, 1903-1968. Thanks to the generosity of the BFS Class of '49 in celebration of its 50th reunion, BFS has given an Upper School junior the Benjamin R. Burdsall Scholarship of $500 towards his/her senior year's tuition for the last decade. The recipient demonstrates the commitment to public service that Mr. Burdsall encouraged in his students and the scholarship helps BFS honor its excellent students of today who emulate the enduring values of a Brooklyn Friends education, the same values Mr. Burdsall helped his students develop in themselves. Through his actions and words and his deep sense of responsibility and commitment to international law and peace, Mr. Burdsall guided his students at BFS to a deeper and more internalized understanding of Quakerism, of what the values of integrity and excellence, compassion and community can help achieve for our own selves and for our world.

After his death, the Class of '69 included this line in their yearbook: "Benjamin R. Burdsall was a man of that peace and gentleness which inspired love in all who met him." One '69 graduate included the following on his personal page of that yearbook: "Mr. Benjamin Burdsall - The only person I had ever met who always had time to guide and advise no matter how complicated or trivial the question or problem." In the words of his student, the late L. Ronald Scheman '49, founder of the Pan American Development Foundation, "I am sure today Mr. Burdsall would be deeply involved in getting students to address the issues of climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, and education. In all, he was a man who, with his gentle, caring manner, opened the world to us and wanted to help his students to be positive, constructive global citizens. If he had the opportunity to talk to BFS students today I am sure he would ask them about their primary concerns for our country and for ensuring the health and safety of our planet. And he would give them a lot to think about to help them define the vision for their lives. "

For generations at BFS, Mr. Burdsall inspired many of his students and the Class of '49 was further inspired to give that inspiration back to BFS. How are we inspired today, individually and collectively, and by whom and by what? 

Tribute to Mr. Benjamin R. Burdsall from the October 30, 1968 edition of The Life

Mr. Burdsall must have had a fine sense of humor as shown
on the right in this photo from a 1940s BFS Variety Show

In Meeting
by Benjamin R. Burdsall
published in Friends Journal, June 15, 1968

My ship is now in harbor;

Its sails are furled,

And gentle waves

Make peaceful murmurings

Along the shore

My friends are here to greet me

And to tell

Of what is closest to their hearts

Now that the journey of the week is o'er.

Tomorrow I shall once more set the sails

And head again for an uncertain sea,

But I shall have a compass and a star

And vision that this hour has given me.

BFS "head" count. Heads of school, that is...

Stuart Smith, 1968 to 1978

Since 1867, BFS has had 19 heads of school, not including interim heads. Over the years, the title of our school's highest administrative role has evolved from principal to headmaster to today's head of school. The history of each administration is unique, fascinating and lengthy, so today I'll only give the list of BFS heads of school and a few facts I find interesting, including the fact that only nine of the nineteen BFS heads of school were Quakers. 

BFS 9 Years Ago: A Video Interview with Gil Zalman

Thoughts this week turn to the many wonderful people we know and have known at BFS, particularly those no longer with us. Such thoughts make me feel fortunate to have worked with the late Gilbert Zalman. I so enjoyed my occasional conversations with Gil over the years that I envied his students their near-daily opportunity to learn with and from him. We're only human and we often take things and people for granted, so I know I may not have been able to appreciate Gil as much at a young age as I continue to appreciate him as an adult and as his colleague.

Video killed the archivist's mind...

Interesting issues emerge with video in the BFS Archives, particularly that VHS quality sure does not stand the test of time. I've now learned that 25 years is a pretty accurate VHS lifespan. Transferring Dance Concert VHS has been the major focus in the archives recently. There are often multiple copies of each Dance Concert, so listening to the same songs over and over can drive one to the brink.

Hitting 1000 Points

Last week, BFS senior Janna Joissainte became the first woman in known BFS memory to score 1,000 points in her basketball career at Brooklyn Friends School. Janna scored her 1,000th point on February 20, 2013, and she ended with 1,016 career points.

Blue Pride: State Champs! The BFS Varsity Basketball Team of 2003

BFS celebrates its remarkable athletic program and its athletes past, present and future this Saturday, February 23 with a 5 pm screening of the documentary Blue Pride State Champs, followed by a special reception. It's the 10th anniversary of the 2003 Boys Varsity Basketball Team's against-all-odds season that led to victory at Glen Falls for BFS and which is chronicled in the film. Read a little more about this exciting moment in BFS history at Blue Pride State Champs.

Lights! Camera! Action!

In 2001, Brooklyn Friends School and its students were featured with Alanis Morissette and other celebrities in a public service announcement for Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The video runs five minutes, and it consists of six PSAs which range in length from 60 to 10 seconds. To learn more about Teaching Tolerance, A Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, please visit tolerance.org.