Frank Learoyd Boyden (September 16, 1879 – April 25, 1972) was headmaster of

Deerfield Academy Deerfield Academy is an elite coeducational preparatory school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association, the Ten Schools Admissi ...

from 1902 to 1968.

Early life

Boyden was born at his family's homestead in

Foxborough, Massachusetts Foxborough is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, about southwest of Boston, northeast of Providence, Rhode Island and about northwest of Cape Cod. Foxborough is part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 18,618 at ...

. His maternal grandfather was a missionary in Japan and his great grandfather Otis Carey was the president of the Foxborough Bank and the Foxboro Branch Railroad.

Headmaster of Deerfield Academy

Frank Boyden attended

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

, and graduated with the class of 1902. Soon after graduation Boyden secured a position as headmaster of

, at that time a public school, largely financed by the town of Deerfield, with an enrollment of fourteen boys and girls. Boyden's style of leadership was characterized by strong personal relations with the boys, largely built through competitive sports teams. His mentorship of students became the characteristic elan of the school. Boyden kept his desk in the hallway of the Main Building so as to keep the pulse of the school. As headmaster, he became known for taking in students who had been expelled from other schools. Boyden, who had seen his work at the school as a steppingstone to law school, remained the school's headmaster for sixty-six years. Through the years Deerfield joined the ranks of elite private schools such as Exeter and Andover. Boyden's efforts as headmaster resulted in a revival of the town of Deerfield. Henry and Helen Flynt were parents of a boy student at the academy. Boyden invited them to serve on the school's board and later to participate in town improvement efforts. The Flynts purchased and renewed numerous properties in the town of Deerfield. His leadership was not without controversy. It is said that he converted the public school to a private school because he was alarmed by the changing demographics of the town of Deerfield which was seeing an influx of Polish immigration. Boyden was replaced after his retirement in 1968 by David M. Pynchon.

Personal life

Boyden married Helen Sears Childs on June 29, 1907. She was a 1904 graduate of

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

, which awarded her a

Doctorate of Humane Letters The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...

in 1934. Boyden enjoyed driving through the Deerfield Valley in one of his several horse-drawn buggies. He was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

from Massachusetts in 1960.

Legacy

endowed chair A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are of ...

, the Frank L. Boyden Professor of Psychology, exists at the

University of Massachusetts Boston The University of Massachusetts Boston (stylized as UMass Boston) is a Public university, public research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the only public research university in Boston and the third-largest campus in the five-campus Un ...

and is currently held by Jean Rhodes. Boyden Hall and Boyden Gym, on the campus of the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...

, are named in his honor. Boyden was profiled by

John McPhee John Angus McPhee (born March 8, 1931) is an American writer. He is considered one of the pioneers of creative nonfiction. He is a four-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in the category General Nonfiction, and he won that award on the fourth ...

(Deerfield, Class of 1949) in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' in an article later expanded into a book, '' The Headmaster: Frank L. Boyden, of Deerfield''. The Archives and Special Collections at

holds some of his papers.

References

External links

Frank Learoyd Boyden Papers, Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

''. May 30, 1949 (about Boyden).
Photograph of Frank Boyden
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyden, Frank 1879 births 1972 deaths Heads of Deerfield Academy Amherst College alumni People from Deerfield, Massachusetts