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Board of Trustees Records

 Record Group
Identifier: DC001

Scope and Contents

The Board of Trustees Records document the history the Board of Trustees, it's members, and The Lawrenceville School. The bulk of the records consist of files of individual trustees, which include correspondence, memoranda, and newspaper clippings, and documents generated during the course the Board's day-to-day management of the School such as annual reports, meeting minutes, and resolutions. Also included are the founding documents of the Board, it's bylaws, and documents created by it's various committees. Other items of note include a series devoted to the Board's role in bringing coeducation to The Lawrenceville School. The bulk of the material in this collection dates from the early half of the 20th century through the present, though some 18th century material is included.

Dates

  • 1882 - 2021

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Board and committee meeting minutes and the entirety of Series 11 and 12 are closed for 50 years from the date of creation. The remainder of the records are open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single photocopies and digital photographs may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Archivist. Researchers are responsible for determining any other copyright questions.

Biographical / Historical

The Board of Trustees of The Lawrenceville School incorporated in November of 1882. The Board was created by owners of the Lawrenceville property and charged with overseeing the management of the institution. Among the first trustees were three of the four owners of the school - Caleb Smith Green, Charles Ewing Green, and Judge John T. Nixon. Known as the "Founders," these men inherited the property along with Sarah Griswold Green after the death of her husband John C. Green. The newly created Board of Trustees, along with Head Master Reverend James Cameron Mackenzie, were responsible for what became known as "reorganization." Unhappy with the current state of the school, they shaped the school to model English boarding schools. This resulted in the establishment of the house system and adoption of more rigorous admissions and academic standards. The trustees are also responsible for changing the name of the institution. The first changed occurred in 1882 when it was changed from the "Lawrenceville Classical and Commercial High School" to "The Lawrenceville Academy." The name was changed again on March 18, 1885 to "The Lawrenceville School."

An important moment in the Board's history came shortly after the Centennial in 1910. Feeling a need to bridge the gap between alumni and embrace the School's history, the Board amended their bylaws to allow for the election of trustees who were not residents of the State of New Jersey, which paved the way for increased alumni representation. In June of 1911, Samuel S. Stryker, class of 1860, became the first out-of-state alumnus trustee. This helped smooth the relationship between pre- and post-reorganization alumni.

Historically, the Board has had a strong influence over the layout and infrastructure of the campus. It's building, property, and planning committees have determined the function of existing structures and decided which new buildings would be erected. The Board of Trustees also played a pivotal role in what was perhaps the biggest transformation in the history of the School - the implementation of coeducation. After considering the feasibility and impact of becoming coeducational for 16 years, the Board voted to approve coeducation in June of 1985. This resulted in drastic revisions of the master plan. As a result of coeducation, many existing buildings on campus needed renovation and many new buildings need to be built.

The Board continues to be the manager of the affairs and property of the Lawrenceville School. It consists of no less than 18 and no more than 32 members, plus the Head Master. The Board includes alumni, parents of students, and the Head Master. Each trustee except the Head Master is elected by the Board at the regular spring meeting of the Board for a term of four years. Notable former trustees included George W. Bunn, Reverend John Dixon, Robert F. Goheen, Samuel McClintock Hamill, Artemis A. W. Joukowsky, Allan P. Kirby, Patricia H. Labalme, Judge William Mershon Lanning, Edwin M. Lavino, and Francis Bowes Sayre.

Extent

28.16 Linear Feet (75 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

The Board of Trustees Records are organized into twelve series: Series 1: Acts of Incorporation and By-Laws, 1885-2001; Series 2: Annual Reports, 1973-1998; Series 3: Coeducation, 1969-1987; Series 4: Committees, 1900-2008; Series 5: Files of Board Members, 1912-2006; Series 6: "Little Red Books", 2004-2014; Series 7: Meetings, 1882-1999; Series 8: Middle States Association, 1936-1989; Series 9: Resolutions, 1928-1988; Series 10: Subject Files, 1883-2003; Series 11: 2012 July Accession, 1940-2008; Series 12: 2014 September Accession, 2008-2009.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The papers were transferred directly from the Board of Trustees to The Lawrenceville School Stephan Archives. Series 11: 2012 September Accession (acc. #2012.1104.1) was transferred from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer to the Archives by Laura McMillan. Finance Committee meeting minutes, 1979-1988 (acc. #2013.1004.1), were gifted to the Archives by Jim Dawson on October 30, 2013. Series 12: 2014 September Accession (acc. #2014.1104.1) was transferred from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer to the Archives by Laura McMillan in August of 2014.

Appraisal

Excessive duplicates of printed material and blank forms have been removed. Appraisal has been conducted in accordance with The Lawrenceville School Stephan Archives guidelines.

Related Materials

A detailed index of the meeting minutes through the mid-1960s can be found in the Albert R. Evans Papers (DC057), Series 1: Board of Trustees.

Bibliography

Information in the historical note was gathered from material within the Trustees' records, as well as Five Miles Away: The Story of The Lawrenceville School by Samuel R. Slaymaker, II.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Casey Babcock in February-March of 2011. New accessions were processed by Casey Babcock in April and September of 2014.

Title
Board of Trustees Records: Finding Aid
Status
Completed
Author
Casey Babcock
Date
October 5, 2011
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the The Lawrenceville School Stephan Archives Repository

Contact:
Box 6128
2500 Main St.
Lawrenceville 08648 U.S.A. US