A former trustee looks back

On April 18 of this year, Former Trustee Judy Hill Kittredge ’49 sat down with Board of Trustees President Nancy Gustafson Ault ’73, to talk about Judy’s experience as a student at Miss Hall’s and her role as a Trustee. They were joined by Judy's daughter, Judy Kittredge Anderson ’88, who helped facilitate the Zoom logistics.

The conversation ranged from serving as a Trustee during challenging times, to the welcoming MHS community, to Judy’s longevity as a volunteer. Judy is one of the few to have known every Head of School except Mira Hall, herself.

In 1945, I entered Miss Hall’s as a day student from the Pittsfield Public Schools. My academic preparation wasn’t that great, so to read the Odyssey in Latin as a freshman was a challenge.  I ended up really liking Latin and won a prize my sophomore year.  My father nearly fell off the chair!

Coming to Miss Hall’s was a big change for me — but a good one.  I met girls from all over the place, many of them more sophisticated than I was.  And they remained lifelong friends.

Late in my junior year, my parents moved to Providence, Rhode Island, and I became a boarding student.  I loved getting to know the girls in all four classes so well.  I liked sports, especially field hockey, tennis, and skiing.  I didn’t run very fast on the field, so they made me the goalie.  I was proud to be a member of the Cum Laude Society and the Student Council.  I loved Miss Margaret Hall, even though she was strict.

I think it’s important in high school for girls to be themselves and hold leadership positions without competing with boys.  I went on to Smith College and our children all attended single-sex high schools, including Caroline ’77 and Judy ’88.

It was a busy time!  I spent a lot of time at the School, working with many people who, like me, were very devoted to Miss Hall’s:  Don Oakes, Dan Lee, Jim Ervin, Ben Groves, and Carter White.  I think all of us were very happy when we became Miss Hall’s School again.  And then, we got Bob Bussey, who the Board decided to hire, even though he was in his early thirties.  And it worked out very well.

Two accomplishments I remember: Ben Groves asked me to help facilitate the sale of the Weston home to Miss Hall’s, and that worked out well.  A more complicated challenge was negotiating the change in Heads of School from Dan Lee to Trudy Hall.

I have lived to almost 90, and I have been close to the School since the 1950’s.  When I was working at Harvard, I didn’t have a car and took the bus to Pittsfield to come to Alumnae Council meetings.  When John and I were married, I came back to Dalton and became much more involved with the School.  My employment and major volunteer efforts have all been in the education world. I have come to every reunion.  In 2019, four of us were together to celebrate our 70th reunion.

Many members of the Crane and Kittredge families have been students at Miss Hall’s, starting with Ethel Eaton in 1902 through Lily in 2011.  John’s first wife, Martha Jane Furey Kittredge ’47 was President of the School, and her father, Rankin Furey, was President of the Board.  John felt very close to the School.  It’s quite a legacy.

I entered the School 76 years ago, I have known and worked with many Heads of School, and I have known every Head except for Mira Hall.  In the 1940’s, it was a traditional school with mostly upper middle class girls.  The changes have been very good — it’s great to see the diversity there today.  I have been very impressed with Julia Heaton.  Some traditions, like Reunion, have lasted the test of time.  And, I have always felt the School is a welcoming community. There was a time during the 70’s when we worried that the School would close, and the finances were not strong.  And, it’s really good to see the school doing better.