Ann Catterton '42: Thoughts, Memories, and Reflections
This fall, Collegiate will celebrate its 96th birthday.
Ann Bowers Catterton has had a ringside seat for almost 81 of those years.
She enrolled as a first grader in 1930 and has been a loyal alumna since she graduated in 1942 and headed off to Hollins College.
Her two children, Fraser Finney (class of ‘78) and John Catterton (’76) are lifers.
So are her grandchildren James (‘08) and Stewart (‘10) Finney and Will (’11) and Ginny (’14) Catterton.
Recently, she shared recollections of her alma mater in its early days.
She talked of the school when it was located at 1619 Monument Avenue.
She talked of her mentors and role models.
She talked of two Collegiate icons: Catharine Stauffer Flippen (whose tenure as headmistress of the Town School and Girls School head extended from 1940 until 1972) and Malcolm U. Pitt Jr. (who served as Boys School Head, then president of The Collegiate Schools, from 1960 until 1987).
She talked of change.
And she talked of values that are woven permanently into the fabric of the school.
Ann Bowers Catterton has had a ringside seat for almost 81 of those years.
She enrolled as a first grader in 1930 and has been a loyal alumna since she graduated in 1942 and headed off to Hollins College.
Her two children, Fraser Finney (class of ‘78) and John Catterton (’76) are lifers.
So are her grandchildren James (‘08) and Stewart (‘10) Finney and Will (’11) and Ginny (’14) Catterton.
Recently, she shared recollections of her alma mater in its early days.
She talked of the school when it was located at 1619 Monument Avenue.
She talked of her mentors and role models.
She talked of two Collegiate icons: Catharine Stauffer Flippen (whose tenure as headmistress of the Town School and Girls School head extended from 1940 until 1972) and Malcolm U. Pitt Jr. (who served as Boys School Head, then president of The Collegiate Schools, from 1960 until 1987).
She talked of change.
And she talked of values that are woven permanently into the fabric of the school.
Here are her thoughts, memories, and reflections, delivered with insight and typical good humor.
What would be interesting for people to know about Collegiate in the early days?
We got to know our teachers so well. There were people like Adeline Cox. She was music. Juliet Woodson was French. Mary Coleman was history. We just adored them. They were our really good friends.
What made them such good teachers?
They not only knew the subject well, but many of them had been to places that as children, we had never been to. They gave us a personal point of view as well as book learning. They made it exciting.
What do you remember about Mrs. Flippen?
When she came, she was Miss Stauffer. She was married while she was my teacher. We were all so excited. She was a wonderful English teacher. You liked her. She was very frank and open and straightforward.
You also remember, I understand, a visit to Collegiate by Constance Applebee, who was credited with bringing field hockey to the United States.
We were so excited. We wore little tunics at the time on the days we had hockey. We would get in private cars, and people would drive us over to the (Union Theological) Seminary where we’d play on the field in front of the buildings.
This lady from England came, and she put us through our paces. She was there for at least a week.
She would have us scoop the ball. She would say (Mrs. Catterton uses a British accent), “Scoop it,” to get the ball over the opponent’s stick so we could keep going.
What do you remember about competitive athletics?
We really didn’t compete like they do today. We did play St. Catherine’s, and that was blood and guts. I can remember being at Hollins, and we had some girls from St. Catherine’s. I remember coming back to my room, and one of them said, “Guess what, Ann?”
I said, “What?”
She said (imitating her friend’s voice), “St. Catherine’s played Collegiate, and guess who won?”
It just burned me up.
We had that feeling, yet some of the St. Catherine’s girls were our best friends.
So you played the game, but when it was over, you were friends again?
I know this sounds crazy, but I can remember one game I played my senior year when I actually went up to the girl that I was playing against most of the time and said, “You really played a beautiful game,” and I thought, coming home, “Now, why did I do that?”
But, you know, it was friendship.
When Fraser and John started school, the North Mooreland Road campus was a fairly new entity. There were other alternatives in Richmond. What made you choose Collegiate?
Part of it had to do with Mac Pitt.
You know, I’ve heard that many times before. What was it about Mr. Pitt that made people entrust their children to Collegiate?
It was his being. He was a faithful servant of God, but he never made you feel uncomfortable about it. You just knew it. It was like he had an aura about him. He was gentle. He was kind. He was considerate. He was special.
There’ve been many changes over the years. What’s remained the same?
Collegiate still has a wonderful rapport, faculty to children. I see that in so many things. The teachers are willing. The learning process is pretty much the same as far as the help you get. Everyone seems to be such a part of the school. That hasn’t changed.
What can this generation of students, parents, and faculty learn from the past?
You can learn that if you have the stick-to-it-tiveness, you can make something of yourself.
We had very little when I was a student. We were a poor school. We had one microscope in the science building, yet I know people who majored in science and did very well and even went into medicine.
There’s a spirit at Collegiate that’s intangible. So many alumni send their children here. I can understand why.
Even though the school is big now, there’s a closeness. There’s pride taken in what you accomplish.
And the new buildings and athletic complex. The children are just thrilled to death about them, and so are we, the older ones.
I just hail Collegiate.
-- Weldon Bradshaw
Back
What would be interesting for people to know about Collegiate in the early days?
We got to know our teachers so well. There were people like Adeline Cox. She was music. Juliet Woodson was French. Mary Coleman was history. We just adored them. They were our really good friends.
What made them such good teachers?
They not only knew the subject well, but many of them had been to places that as children, we had never been to. They gave us a personal point of view as well as book learning. They made it exciting.
What do you remember about Mrs. Flippen?
When she came, she was Miss Stauffer. She was married while she was my teacher. We were all so excited. She was a wonderful English teacher. You liked her. She was very frank and open and straightforward.
You also remember, I understand, a visit to Collegiate by Constance Applebee, who was credited with bringing field hockey to the United States.
We were so excited. We wore little tunics at the time on the days we had hockey. We would get in private cars, and people would drive us over to the (Union Theological) Seminary where we’d play on the field in front of the buildings.
This lady from England came, and she put us through our paces. She was there for at least a week.
She would have us scoop the ball. She would say (Mrs. Catterton uses a British accent), “Scoop it,” to get the ball over the opponent’s stick so we could keep going.
What do you remember about competitive athletics?
We really didn’t compete like they do today. We did play St. Catherine’s, and that was blood and guts. I can remember being at Hollins, and we had some girls from St. Catherine’s. I remember coming back to my room, and one of them said, “Guess what, Ann?”
I said, “What?”
She said (imitating her friend’s voice), “St. Catherine’s played Collegiate, and guess who won?”
It just burned me up.
We had that feeling, yet some of the St. Catherine’s girls were our best friends.
So you played the game, but when it was over, you were friends again?
I know this sounds crazy, but I can remember one game I played my senior year when I actually went up to the girl that I was playing against most of the time and said, “You really played a beautiful game,” and I thought, coming home, “Now, why did I do that?”
But, you know, it was friendship.
When Fraser and John started school, the North Mooreland Road campus was a fairly new entity. There were other alternatives in Richmond. What made you choose Collegiate?
Part of it had to do with Mac Pitt.
You know, I’ve heard that many times before. What was it about Mr. Pitt that made people entrust their children to Collegiate?
It was his being. He was a faithful servant of God, but he never made you feel uncomfortable about it. You just knew it. It was like he had an aura about him. He was gentle. He was kind. He was considerate. He was special.
There’ve been many changes over the years. What’s remained the same?
Collegiate still has a wonderful rapport, faculty to children. I see that in so many things. The teachers are willing. The learning process is pretty much the same as far as the help you get. Everyone seems to be such a part of the school. That hasn’t changed.
What can this generation of students, parents, and faculty learn from the past?
You can learn that if you have the stick-to-it-tiveness, you can make something of yourself.
We had very little when I was a student. We were a poor school. We had one microscope in the science building, yet I know people who majored in science and did very well and even went into medicine.
There’s a spirit at Collegiate that’s intangible. So many alumni send their children here. I can understand why.
Even though the school is big now, there’s a closeness. There’s pride taken in what you accomplish.
And the new buildings and athletic complex. The children are just thrilled to death about them, and so are we, the older ones.
I just hail Collegiate.
-- Weldon Bradshaw
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