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10. Regaining Balance: Finding the Courage to Continue
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10 Regaining Balance: Finding the Courage to Continue a f t e r t h e d e p a r t u r e o f j o h n a l e x a n d e r d u r i n g t h e s u m mer of 1971, the board of trustees asked assistant headmaster Joseph Molder to be acting headmaster, while the selection committee looked for a permanent headmaster or headmistress. Westover was “torn and anguished,” in the view of Nancy May Rennell, head of the committee. Recalling that trustees had turned down two women educators in favor of Iglehart and Alexander, she asked: “Why not concentrate on finding a woman now?? There must be something to women’s lib!” Rebecca Love Drew also recommended that they find a female, since it might be difficult to find a good man. “Westover has had its fingers burned twice now,” she warned Dorrance Sexton, and it had one last chance. Probably the strongest words came from Adele Ervin. “For some sixty years Westover was ably served by two women Heads—strong, courageous, first-class individuals—who established a school of purpose and merit. In six years, two male Heads—weak, ego-centered, second-class—have brought that same institution to the brink of total collapse. And in this same period, the performance of the Board of Trustees, the leadership of which also seems to be entirely male, leaves a good deal to be desired,” she wrote angrily to Sexton. Elysabeth Barbour Higgins, a trustee with a daughter, Hilary, in the class of 1971, worried about the “Women’s Lib overtones” of her friend’s letter. And Sexton, referring earnestly but ineptly to a feminist leader, responded that parts of the letter “leave me with a feeling that Gertrude [sic] Steinem 174 ✦ w e s t o v e r would be proud of them.” He also acknowledged that the next president of the board should be a woman. In her reply, Adele admitted that she was not much “in the velvet glove department,” but said that “time is running out for Westover.” Meanwhile, Joseph Molder appeared eager to hear from alumnae, who were more and more pleased with him. Adele was glad to discover his sense of humor. Maria Randall Allen, who intended to show him Mary Hillard’s essay in The Education of a Modern Girl, felt he had “an excellent grasp of things,” and she was “ready to have another go at operation Have-Faith.” After a long talk with the acting headmaster, Elysabeth Higgins felt sorry for him because he was inheriting a tight budget as well as teachers and students chosen by his predecessor along with the first group of day students while, she assumed, he had “next to no experience on any score,” she wrote to Adele. She was glad he was against sensitivity sessions during classes and so many lectures about race relations and the Vietnam War and for more of them about the arts. He “is a good listener,” she continued, and “he does not blow hard and pretend to know everything and to have all the answers.” In October, the faculty urged the selection committee to back him as headmaster. What Westover needs most, they stated, was stability. Joe Molder, they said, knows the school well and “the pitfalls of the past”; he also makes everyone feel “cooperative and optimistic.” Pupils were polled, and every one of the ninety-eight teenagers who responded wanted Mr. Molder to be their headmaster. He was understanding, open, direct, and enthusiastic, they felt, and one young girl even noticed that he was well organized. “It’s amazing how in just six short weeks, one man can lift the spirits and hopes of an entire school as much as Mr. Molder has,” another told a reporter for The Wick. Years later a senior remembered that he “was like a shining white knight [who] came galloping into Sodom and Gomorra. In his kind and quiet way, he commanded everyone’s attention. Thoughtfully, brilliantly, and persistently he won over the hearts of the students and faculty.” The selection committee’s interview with the youthful acting head went very well. “What was impressive was how good Joe was,” recalled Betsy Michel. “I think it surprised all of us, because he is a quiet, unassuming kind of guy, who chooses his words carefully .” Committee members were also impressed by his strong support among pupils and...