One of the most enjoyable things about our relationship with Woodstock School is the myriad of connections with people of all kinds all over the world. We have met people from many different countries and backgrounds.
I thought I'd tell you about a few of the one-step removed experiences I've had. This was sparked by a casual conversation with a visiting author at dinner the other night. Somehow Elvis came up while we were talking and it turned out that he had met Elvis in person when he was a teenager. Even though I'm not a rabid Elvis fan (I do enjoy his early songs which take me back to my own teen years), the discussion of his experience was interesting.
One of our current staff members is closely related to Dame Judith Anderson, the famous actress. I know her best through her portrayal of Mrs. Danvers in the movie Rebecca. A glimpse into a life shared with Hollywood notables of the 1950s!
An older friend, from the class of 1940, has written a book about his father who was a Methodist missionary in the 1920s. He and his wife worked in education and hygiene in a small town. He developed a simple septic system for the school houses and introduced it to Gandhi, who used it in his ashrams. I have a photo my friend gave me of his mother with Gandhi and his wife Kasturba. (His father took the photo.) The book is Gandhi's American Ally: How an Educational Missionary Joined The Mahatma's Struggle against Untouchability, available on Amazon.
I have run into Woodstock-related people at airports in the US and overseas. I know some alumni who like to wear a Woodstock School T-shirt when traveling in case they connect with someone else who is related to the school.
These are just a few instances of the world-wide reach of this place.
I thought I'd tell you about a few of the one-step removed experiences I've had. This was sparked by a casual conversation with a visiting author at dinner the other night. Somehow Elvis came up while we were talking and it turned out that he had met Elvis in person when he was a teenager. Even though I'm not a rabid Elvis fan (I do enjoy his early songs which take me back to my own teen years), the discussion of his experience was interesting.
One of our current staff members is closely related to Dame Judith Anderson, the famous actress. I know her best through her portrayal of Mrs. Danvers in the movie Rebecca. A glimpse into a life shared with Hollywood notables of the 1950s!
An older friend, from the class of 1940, has written a book about his father who was a Methodist missionary in the 1920s. He and his wife worked in education and hygiene in a small town. He developed a simple septic system for the school houses and introduced it to Gandhi, who used it in his ashrams. I have a photo my friend gave me of his mother with Gandhi and his wife Kasturba. (His father took the photo.) The book is Gandhi's American Ally: How an Educational Missionary Joined The Mahatma's Struggle against Untouchability, available on Amazon.
I have run into Woodstock-related people at airports in the US and overseas. I know some alumni who like to wear a Woodstock School T-shirt when traveling in case they connect with someone else who is related to the school.
These are just a few instances of the world-wide reach of this place.
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