Prep Schools in the News: Durham Academy

As a native New Englander, I haven't always paid tribute to the South on this blog, but I have to give them credit for this.

Durham, South Carolina is home to the elite Durham Academy, a coed day school with roughly 1,100 students.  I'd never heard of them until recently, but now I'm glad I have.  During the recent blizzard, the south found themselves dealing with a crisis that we in the north like to refer to as "snow."  They likely don't get too many snow days typically, but when they did, the head of this school knew just what to do.  Check out the link to the video below.


http://gawker.com/watch-two-teachers-rap-their-schools-snow-closing-anno-1522038680?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Prepdom Hall of Fame: The Preppiest People Throughout History

As we stated in previous posts, thoughough history, many of this countries best men and women attended private preparatory schools.  Not all of them stayed preppy afterewards, however.  Some, like Pete Seeger, chose to write folk songs while others aspired to greater things.  Those who never lost sight of what it truly means to be a prep were carefully selected to be a part of out Predom Hall of Fame.

As far as preppy dynasties go, there can be no greater example than the Kennedy family.
Patriarch Joseph Kennedy Sr. saw to it that his sons had the best of everything, including education.  Despite having to live in the shadow of his older brother Joe Jr. upon first arriving at Connecticut's Choate Rosemary Hall, John F. Kennedy (above, right), or Jack as he was known, quickly excelled at both academics and athletics.  Like his father and brother before him he attended Harvard University, and somehow found time to become a war hero before becoming president.  As a side note, it is a known fact that he shopped at Brooks Brothers.  A true prep if ever there was one.  His younger brother Robert (above, left) a graduate of Massachusetts's Milton Academy and Harvard University also earned his place in the hall of fame.
Had their older brother Joseph, also a Choate and Harvard alum not died too young in World War II, he doubtless would have had a future in politics as well.



Back when he was still known as Barry, Barack Obama attended the Punahou School in Honolulu Hawaii.  I'm sure how many elite prep schools there are in Hawaii, but it seems safe to say that Punahou is the most prestigious.  Having President Obama as a graduate certainly doesn't hurt their reputation.  He began his collegiate career at California's Occidental College, but transferred to Columbia University as a junior, from which he graduated.  After that, he enrolled in Harvard Law School and was made an editor of the Harvard Law Review.  By the end of his second year, he was president of the journal.  Not the last thing he'd become president of.  His wife, Michelle Obama is known for sporting cardigans from J. Crew, which means bonus prep points.




Here is a more detailed list of the Hall of Fame Members.  More will be added.

Edward Albee -
Prep School: Lawrenceville School (expelled), Choate Rosemary Hall
University: Trinity College
Went on to Become: Playwright; winner of the Tony Award for Best Play and Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  His plays include "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and "The Zoo Story."

Stephen Birmingham -
Prep School: The Hotchkiss School
University: Williams College
Went on to Become: Author of "Our Crowd," "The Grandees," and "Real Lace" and professor of writing at the University of Cincinnati.

Benjamin C. Bradlee -
Prep School: St. Mark's School
University: Harvard University
Went on to Become: Editor and Vice-President of the Washington Post.

George H.W. Bush -
Prep School: Phillips Academy Andover
University:  Yale University
Went on to Become: 41st President of the United States.

George W. Bush -
Prep School: Phillips Academy Andover
University: Yale University, Harvard Business School
Went on to Become: 43rd President of the United States.

Tucker Carlson -
Prep School: St. George's School
University: Trinity College
Went on to Become: Political News Correspondent and Conservative Commentator.

Stephen Colbert -
Prep School: Porter-Gaud School
University: Hampden-Sydney College (transferred), Northwestern University
Went on to Become: Emmy and Grammy award winning political satirist, writer, comedian, actor, and television host.

Buck Henry -
Pep School: Choate Rosemary Hall
University: Dartmouth College
Went on to Become: Academy Award nominated actor, writer, and film/television director.

John F. Kennedy -

Prep School: Choate Rosemary Hall
University: Harvard University
Went on to Become: 35th President of the United States

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy -
Prep School: Ms. Porter's School
University: Vasar College (transfered), George Washington University
Went on to Become: First lady of the United States.

Robert F. Kennedy -
Prep School: Milton Academy
University: Harvard University
Went on to Become: United States Attorney General and Democratic Party Presidential Nominee.

John Kerry -
Prep School: St. Paul's School
University: Yale University, Boston College Law School
Went on to Become: 68th United States Secretary of State and Democratic Party Presidential Nominee.

John Knowles - 
Prep School: Phillips Exeter Academy
University: Yale University
Went on to Become: Author of quintessential prep school novel "A Separate Peace."

Tucker Max
Prep School: Blaire Academy
University: University of Chicago, Duke University Law School
Went on to Become: Author of numerous bestselling memoirs, including "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell."

Ogden Nash -
Prep School: St. George's School
University: Harvard University (dropped out)
Went on to Become: Nationally renowned writer and poet.

Barack Obama -
Prep School: Punahau School
University: Columbia University, Harvard Law School
Went on to Become: 44th President of the United States.

Frederick Law Olmsted -
Prep School: Phillips Academy Andover
University: Yale University
Went on to Become: Landscape architect who designed for Phillips Academy, Berwick Academy, Groton School, Lawrenceville School, Pomfret School, St. Albans School, and  Nobel and Greenough School.  He also did design work for many colleges and universities such as University of California at Berkeley, Brawn Mawr College, Colgate University, Cornell University, Denison University, Miami University (Ohio), Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Stanford University, Trinity College, University of Rochester, Washington University, Wellesley College, and Yale University.


Curtis Sittenfeld -
Prep School: Groton School
University: Stanford University
Went on to Become: Author of quintessential prep school novel "Prep" as well as others.

Colson Whitehead -
Prep School: Trinity School
University: Harvard University
Went on to Become: Author of such renowned novels as "The Intuitionist" and "Sag Harbor."