McBurney School was a boys
college-preparatory school
A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education ...
in Manhattan run by the
YMCA of Greater New York
YMCA of Greater New York is a community service organization, the largest YMCA in North America and also New York City's largest private youth-serving organization serving more than five hundred thousand each year.
The New York chapter formed in ...
. Its name commemorates Robert Ross McBurney, a prominent New York YMCA leader during the late 19th century.
Among its
alumni
Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...
are actors
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE (born October 30, 1945), is an American actor, comedian, author, executive producer, and director. After rising to fame as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series ''Happy Days'', Winkler has ...
,
Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
,
Richard Thomas, physician
Lewis Thomas
Lewis Thomas (November 25, 1913 – December 3, 1993) was an American physician, poet, etymologist, essayist, administrator, educator, policy advisor, and researcher.
Thomas was born in Flushing, New York and attended Princeton University ...
, journalists
Ted Koppel
Edward James Martin Koppel (born February 8, 1940) is a British-born American broadcast journalist, best known as the anchor for '' Nightline'', from the program's inception in 1980 until 2005.
Before ''Nightline'', he spent 20 years as a broad ...
,
Haynes Johnson
Haynes Bonner Johnson (July 9, 1931May 24, 2013) was an American journalist, author, and television analyst. He reported on most of the major news stories of the latter half of the 20th century and was widely regarded as one of the top American po ...
, and
Gordon Joseloff
Gordon F. Joseloff (May 13, 1945 – November 9, 2020) was an American Emmy Award-winning journalist and First Selectman of Westport, Connecticut. A former foreign correspondent for CBS News and United Press International
United Press Inte ...
,
["Bruce Wasserstein’s Westport Connection"](_blank)
''Westport Now'', Thursday, October 15, 2009 designer/inventor
Bran Ferren
Bran Ferren (born January 16, 1953), is an American technologist, artist, architectural designer, vehicle designer, engineer, lighting and sound designer, visual effects artist, scientist, lecturer, photographer, entrepreneur, and inventor. Ferr ...
, musicians
Adam Horovitz,
Richie Birkenhead
Richie Birkenhead (born Richard James Birkenhead; August 23, 1965) is an American rock musician and creative director. He was a singer, songwriter and guitarist of late '80s New York hardcore bands Underdog and Youth of Today, and went on in th ...
and
Richard Goode
Richard Goode (born June 1, 1943) is an American classical pianist who is especially known for his interpretations of Mozart and Beethoven.
Early life
Goode was born in the East Bronx, New York. He studied piano with Elvira Szigeti, Claude Fra ...
, historian
David Brion Davis
David Brion Davis (February 16, 1927 – April 14, 2019) was an American intellectual and cultural historian, and a leading authority on slavery and abolition in the Western world. He was a Sterling Professor of History at Yale University, ...
,
J.D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger (; January 1, 1919 January 27, 2010) was an American author best known for his 1951 novel ''The Catcher in the Rye''. Salinger got his start in 1940, before serving in World War II, by publishing several short stories in ''S ...
, and financiers
Bruce Wasserstein
Bruce Jay Wasserstein (December 25, 1947 – October 14, 2009) was an American investment banker, businessman, and writer. He was a graduate of the McBurney School, University of Michigan, Harvard Business School, and Harvard Law School, and spe ...
and
Felix Rohatyn
Felix George Rohatyn ( ; May 29, 1928 – December 14, 2019) was an American investment banker and diplomat. He spent most of his career with Lazard, where he brokered numerous large corporate mergers and acquisitions from the 1960s through ...
.
History
![Westside Y bikers jeh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Westside_Y_bikers_jeh.jpg)
"Established in 1916 as a part of the educational program of the YMCA of Greater New York, McBurney School commemorated in its name one of the pioneers in work with boys and young men during the latter years of the nineteenth century, the first paid secretary of the YMCA of New York.
For many years the School was a part of the education department of the West Side Branch, first on West 57th Street and then, in 1929, at 5 West 63rd Street where a separate portion of the larger building was prepared for the School. By 1935 the educational work of the City Association had increased to a point where a Schools Branch was justified. The direction of this Branch centered in McBurneys' 15 West 63rd Street building and provided for the operation of four, sometimes five, schools. This arrangement continued until, by 1957, increases in enrollment called for the accommodation of 450 boys. It was decided, therefore, to discontinue all of the departments except McBurney and the Evening High School and to prepare in 15 West 63rd street a proper setting for a college preparatory school. In September, 1958, the first part of the renovation was finished, and the building at 15 West 63rd Street was ready for McBurney use."
[The McBurney School Catalog 1962]
With the construction of
Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...
only a block to the west, the value of the school property increased dramatically after 1965. In the mid-1980s the YMCA sold the property for residential development. In spite of mergers and a move to 20 West End Avenue, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reported that McBurney shut its doors and auctioned off its contents on August 3, 1988.
Legacy
In popular culture
McBurney was Holden Caulfield's destination when he left all the equipment of the Pencey Prep fencing team on the subway in Salinger's novel ''
The Catcher in the Rye
''The Catcher in the Rye'' is an American novel by J. D. Salinger that was partially published in serial form from 1945–46 before being novelized in 1951. Originally intended for adults, it is often read by adolescents for its themes of angst ...
''.
Administration & Faculty
Headmasters
* 1916–1918: Newel W. Edson
* 1918–1952: Thomas Hemenway – also oratory teacher
*1920: Adolf Augustus Berle: Head of “Junior School”
* 1952–1962: Benjamin D. Chamberlin (retired Feb. 1, 1962)
* 1962-1972: James J. Quinn Jr., Ph.D.
* Aug 1972– May 1974: E. Duane Meyer, Ed.D
* June 1974 – 1983 Anthony F. Capraro III, Ph.D.
* Late 1983 Mar 1984: Andrew Thomas Carr Stifler
* Mar 1984–Mar 1988: Lawrence N. Tallamy
* 1982–1982 Andrew Thomas Carr Stifler
Notable staff
*
Earl Newsom: English and mathematics teacher 1923,4
Notable alumni
*
Richie Birkenhead
Richie Birkenhead (born Richard James Birkenhead; August 23, 1965) is an American rock musician and creative director. He was a singer, songwriter and guitarist of late '80s New York hardcore bands Underdog and Youth of Today, and went on in th ...
musician; graduated in 1983
*
Bran Ferren
Bran Ferren (born January 16, 1953), is an American technologist, artist, architectural designer, vehicle designer, engineer, lighting and sound designer, visual effects artist, scientist, lecturer, photographer, entrepreneur, and inventor. Ferr ...
: Designer and Inventor
*
James R. Gaines
James R. Gaines (born August 11, 1947) is a journalist and historian, the author of several books and the former managing editor of Time, Life, and People magazines. Between 2011 and 2015 he was at Reuters in various capacities: as global editor-a ...
: Author, chief editor of Time, Life and People magazines
*
Richard Goode
Richard Goode (born June 1, 1943) is an American classical pianist who is especially known for his interpretations of Mozart and Beethoven.
Early life
Goode was born in the East Bronx, New York. He studied piano with Elvira Szigeti, Claude Fra ...
musician; graduated c. 1960
*
Ad-Rock
Adam Keefe Horovitz (born October 31, 1966), popularly known as Ad-Rock, is an American rapper, guitarist and actor. He was a member of the hip-hop group Beastie Boys. While Beastie Boys were active, Horovitz performed with a side project, BS ...
(Adam Keefe Horovitz) musician
*
Haynes Bonner Johnson:
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
winning columnist (Washington Post) (July 9, 1931 – May 24, 2013); Journalism Professor, Univ Maryland
*
Gordon Joseloff
Gordon F. Joseloff (May 13, 1945 – November 9, 2020) was an American Emmy Award-winning journalist and First Selectman of Westport, Connecticut. A former foreign correspondent for CBS News and United Press International
United Press Inte ...
: Journalist) (graduated 1963)
*
Ted Koppel
Edward James Martin Koppel (born February 8, 1940) is a British-born American broadcast journalist, best known as the anchor for '' Nightline'', from the program's inception in 1980 until 2005.
Before ''Nightline'', he spent 20 years as a broad ...
(Entered McBurney ’53, graduated 1956 at age 16) (ABC News Anchor) (aka: Edward James Koppel)
*
Paul F. Levy: Attended grades 11 and 12, graduated in 1968; Former CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
*
Johnny Marks
John David Marks (November 10, 1909 – September 3, 1985) was an American songwriter. He specialized in Christmas songs (although he himself was Jewish and did not celebrate Christmas) and wrote many holiday standards, including "Rudolph the Red- ...
(1927): wrote the music to “
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on ...
”
*
Martin Mayer
Martin Prager Mayer (January 14, 1928 – August 1, 2019) was the writer of 35 non-fiction books, including ''Madison Avenue, U.S.A.'' (1958), ''The Schools'' (1961), ''The Lawyers'' (1967), ''About Television'' (1972), ''The Bankers'' (1975), ''Th ...
(1943): Best selling author
*
Alan Merrill
Alan Merrill (born Allan Preston Sachs; February 19, 1951 – March 29, 2020) was an American vocalist, guitarist and songwriter. In the early 1970s, he was one of the few resident foreigners to achieve pop star status in Japan. He was the write ...
(name Allan P. Sachs): Rock Musician; attended in ninth and part of 10th grade; classmates with 1967 grads
[http://www.the-aleecat.com/Arrows_MM_Bandfile2.jpg ]
*
J.D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger (; January 1, 1919 January 27, 2010) was an American author best known for his 1951 novel ''The Catcher in the Rye''. Salinger got his start in 1940, before serving in World War II, by publishing several short stories in ''S ...
(attended from 1932 to 1934)
*
Felix George Rohatyn: Financier who engineered the bailout of NYC in the 70s
*
Richard Thomas: actor in “
The Waltons
''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book ''Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 film ...
;” attended grades 10 thru 12, graduated about 1969
*
Bruce Wasserstein
Bruce Jay Wasserstein (December 25, 1947 – October 14, 2009) was an American investment banker, businessman, and writer. He was a graduate of the McBurney School, University of Michigan, Harvard Business School, and Harvard Law School, and spe ...
: Investment Banker (grad 1964)
*
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE (born October 30, 1945), is an American actor, comedian, author, executive producer, and director. After rising to fame as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series ''Happy Days'', Winkler has ...
Emmy Award Winning Actor. Graduated in 1963.
*
Bill Knapp Veteran political strategist serving global and domestic clients - heads of state and Forbes 100 companies
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macburney School
Preparatory schools in New York (state)
Educational institutions established in 1916
Defunct high schools in Manhattan
Educational institutions disestablished in 1988
Universities and colleges founded by the YMCA
1916 establishments in New York City