The Kiski School in Saltsburg and John Pidgeon have been synonymous for 45 years.
Kiski, the oldest boys' boarding school in the United States, announced Thursday that Pidgeon, its longtime headmaster, will retire at the end of the current school year.
Christopher Brueningsen, a former Kiski teacher, has been appointed the new headmaster and will assume those duties in June.
Pidgeon, who has been the school's top administrator since 1957, has the longest current tenure among American prep school headmasters and the longest tenure in Kiski's history. But don't expect him to disappear from campus, even in retirement.
"I'll still be around. I'm still one hell of an English teacher and a hell of a coach," Pidgeon said yesterday.
He will remain at the school as an English teacher and coach of the swimming team. He also will continue to counsel students and help with recruitment.
"I love it here. My wife (state Treasurer Barbara Hafer) and I own a place by Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, and we were talking the other night and she reminded me that I've only spent nine or 10 nights there in the last 15 years," Pidgeon said.
"I've spent all my time here. I've always enjoyed it here," he said.
Pidgeon, 76, said he felt it was time to turn over the headmaster's duties to someone else.
"I've loved so many things at Kiski, but nothing compares to the satisfaction of seeing so many boys grow into outstanding young men during their time here," he said.
When Pidgeon was hired, the school was in dire financial straits, but it now has a reputation as one of the nation's leading boarding schools.
"We have grown from a place where we were only six weeks away from bankruptcy to one of the most highly respected boarding schools in the world," he said.
Pidgeon proudly pointed out that among its current enrollment of 220 are students from 15 different countries.
In addition to the change in the school's finances, Pidgeon also witnessed a change in students.
"I think the students are brighter now, but maybe less self-sufficient. The boys were tough when I first started here, but that was the nature of a boarding school then," he said.
Pidgeon has received praise for his concern for every student. Each year, every Kiski graduate receives a personally addressed birthday card with an enclosed note from Pidgeon.
Pidgeon said he spends about one hour a day on the personal notes, communicating with several thousand graduates over four decades.
"The entire Kiski School community is tremendously proud of Jack Pidgeon and what he's done for all of us," said Russell Swank III, chairman of the school's board of trustees.
"Having a distinguished educator devote four-and-a-half decades of his life to leading one school is unheard of these days. Jack's contribution to The Kiski School has been a great gift to generations of students and their families, and we all thank him deeply."
Pidgeon said he was pleased with the appointment of Brueningsen as headmaster.
"I'm confident that Mr. Brueningsen, as a former Kiski School teacher, will do a great job of carrying on the Kiski tradition. I look forward to working with him to pursue excellence in every area at The Kiski School."
The Kiski board of trustees selected Brueningsen after a six-month search process that evaluated a number of candidates from across the country. Brueningsen, who will assume his new office after Kiski's 2002 commencement, will be the fifth headmaster in the school's history.
Pidgeon graduated from Bowdoin College and obtained a doctorate in education from Bethany College and a doctorate in literature from Washington & Jefferson College. After serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II, receiving the Silver Star and Purple Heart, Pidgeon began his teaching career at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts in 1949.
Pidgeon saw his two sons graduate from Kiski during his time as headmaster. John Jr. is now a Navy SEAL and Kelly is dean of students at Kiski. Pidgeon's daughter, Regan P. Houser, is director of Web communications at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Brueningsen comes to The Kiski School from Nichols School in Buffalo, N.Y., where he currently serves as Head of Upper School. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Muhlenberg College and a master's in education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Brueningsen taught at The Kiski School from 1990 to 1996.
The Kiski School is an independent, residential school with a 120-year tradition of preparing boys for college. The Kiski philosophy is to nurture well-rounded young men, preparing them to take leading roles in the community and in whatever careers they pursue. The school provides rigorous academic instruction based on a liberal arts curriculum including the humanities, sciences and fine arts, with extensive training in computer technology.
The 7,000 graduates of the school include two-time Olympic decathlon gold medalist Bob Mathias, U.S. Rep. John Murtha and Harvard football star and Hollywood screenwriter Marshall Goldberg.
