The Webb School is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

coeducational

college preparatory A college-preparatory school (often shortened to prep school, preparatory school, college prep school or college prep academy) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily design ...

boarding Boarding may refer to: *Boarding, used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals as in a: **Boarding house **Boarding school *Boarding (horses) (also known as a livery yard, livery stable, or boarding stable), is a stable where hor ...

and

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children are given instruction during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compared to a regular s ...

Bell Buckle, Tennessee Bell Buckle is a town in Bedford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 410 at the 2020 census. The downtown area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Bell Buckle Historic District. History The origin of th ...

, founded in 1870. It has been called the oldest continuously operating boarding school in the South. Under founder Sawney Webb's leadership, the school produced more

Rhodes Scholars The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Established in 1902, it is ...

than any other secondary school in the United States.

Mission

As expressed by William R. Webb, the school's mission is "To turn out young people who are tireless workers and who know how to work effectively; who are accurate scholars, who know the finer points of morals and practice them in their daily living; who are always courteous ithout the slightest trace of snobbery" (Bracketed text was removed from the official mission of the school in the late 20th century but is commonly added to oral recitations by faculty and students.)

History

William R. "Sawney" Webb started the Webb School as a school for boys in

Culleoka, Tennessee Culleoka is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in the southeastern corner of Maury County, Tennessee, United States. located southeast of Columbia, Tennessee, Columbia. The population was 4,964 in 2010 and in 2016, the ...

, in 1870. He was joined by his brother, John M. Webb, in 1873. After

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

was founded in 1873, Webb School's "oldest and best boys" were able to enroll. Webb moved the school from Culleoka to its present-day location, a 145-acre campus in the small town of Bell Buckle, in 1886 after Culleoka incorporated and legalized the sale of alcohol in the new city.William R. "Sawney" Webb
in the ''

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture ''Tennessee Encyclopedia'' is a reference book on the U.S. state of Tennessee that was published in book form in 1998 and has also been available online since 2002. Contents include history, geography, culture, and biography. History The origina ...

''Maury County (TN) Public Schools
The History of Education in the Culleoka Area
/ref> Sawney Webb's son W. R. Webb Jr., known as "Son Will", joined the school as a teacher in 1897 and became co-principal of the school with his father and uncle in 1908, unable to establish his own career. After their deaths (John Webb died in 1916 of a stroke and Sawney Webb in 1926 of old age), he became headmaster and remained in that position until his retirement in 1952.Webb School
in the ''

'' Webb began admitting girls as boarding students in 1973, but earlier in its history Webb had allowed local girls to attend as day students.

Notable alumni

* L. Desaix Anderson: career

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officer specializing in

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affairs, and former American Chargé d'Affaires ad interim to Vietnam *

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, Ku Klux Klansman convicted of the assassination of civil rights leader

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* William West Bond: attorney and Speaker of the Tennessee State Senate (1921-1923) *

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: professor ''emeritus'' at

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* Hayne D. Boyden: Naval aviator and Brigadier general, USMC * Edward Ward Carmack: attorney, newspaper editor, and U.S. Senator (Tennessee) * Jac Chambliss: lawyer, poet and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts of London * Robert Collins: American

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and

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: governor of Tennessee, 1939-1945 * Frank Constantine: chief of ophthalmic surgery at the

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: American

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singer-songwriter * Scott Crichton (class of 1972): judge of the 1st Judicial District Court in

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, since 1991 * Ewin L. Davis: chairman of the

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* Norman H. Davis: chairman of the

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; U.S. diplomat at 1918

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and 1933 Geneva Conference * Harold Earthman: member of the U.S. House of Representatives *

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: photographer *

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: Rhodes Scholar, Vanderbilt ''Fugitive'', Harvard government professor, mentor of Henry Kissinger *

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: American

, clinical pharmaceutical scientist, academic, author and researcher * Robert J. Gilliland: pioneer of American aviation, chief test pilot and first to fly

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. *

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: award winning American poet and writer. *

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: Attorney General of the United States, 1914-1919 * Doug Holder: representative, Florida House of Representatives 2006-2014 * Keon Johnson: professional basketball player * Jeffrey Lorberbaum: chairman and chief executive officer of

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* Walter W. Manley: attorney, distinguished professor of business. * William F. McCombs: chairman of the

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(1912-1914) * Raymond Ross Paty: president of the

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, 1942-1946; chancellor of the

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system, 1946-1948 * John Andrew Rice: co-founder and first rector,

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: screen actor, portrayed Trapper John on ''

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''; investment analyst for

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network * Vermont C. Royster: editor of the ''

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'', winner of two

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and the

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* Paul Sanger: pioneer in cardiology and thoracic surgery, founder of the Sanger Clinic * Manny Sethi: physician at

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. * Ingram M. Stainback: Governor of

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, 1942-1951 *

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from Tennessee,

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(1921–1928), third president of the

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(1928–1947), member of the

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* Elton Watkins:

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from

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1923-1925 * Michael Tate Westbrook: commanding officer of the USS ''Spruance'' (DDG-111) 2010-2012 *

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: governor of

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, 1946-1952

Related schools

Sawney Webb's son and grandson later established

The Webb Schools The Webb Schools (now often simply "Webb") are private schools for grades 9–12 located in Claremont, California. Up until 2022, it was separated into The Webb School of California for boys (established in 1922) and the Vivian Webb School for g ...

Claremont, California Claremont () is a suburban city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of Los Angeles. It lies in the Pomona Valley at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had ...

, and the

Webb School of Knoxville Webb School of Knoxville is a private coeducational day school in Knoxville, Tennessee, enrolling students from pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. It was founded in 1955 by Robert Webb (1919–2005), grandson of Webb School of Bell Buckle f ...

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

, respectively.

References

External links

The Webb School
*

' * '' ttps://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467103411 The Webb School of Bell Buckle' {{DEFAULTSORT:Webb School Boarding schools in Tennessee Educational institutions established in 1870 Preparatory schools in Tennessee Private high schools in Tennessee Schools in Bedford County, Tennessee 1870 establishments in Tennessee