In Memoriam: Macdonald Halsey

Macdonald Halsey—long-time teacher, coach, and dorm head at Thacher—died March 23, 2010 following a brief illness; he was 91.

A graduate of Princeton where he majored in German and the Classics, Macdonald arrived at Thacher in 1940 to teach German and Latin; his long tenure here was interrupted by World War II, when he served in the Navy on a destroyer escort in the North Atlantic. He continued working at Thacher until 1962, when he honed his administrative skills by serving as Principal of the Upper School at the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. for three years. He then became the Head of School at Kent Place, where he established himself as a dignified leader who valued academic rigor and a high level of trust among students, faculty, and administration. Mac balanced his high standards for academic achievement and faculty performance with good humor, belief in the goodness of others and an informal managerial style that earned him the respect and affection of all. Upon his retirement, the President of the Kent Place Board of Trustees, Nicholas Conover English, said of him, “Mac Halsey relied on the trust he developed among all constituents of the school as the cement to hold the institution together.”

 

During the turbulent 1970's, Mr. Halsey led Kent Place with an open mind and a resolve to keep communication open among all constituents of his institution.  Resisting pressure to merge with an all boys' school, he maintained his commitment to the mission of a school founded for the education of young women. Other highlights of his tenure included working tirelessly to enrich the curriculum, to enlarge the financial aid program, to create a formal Parents' Association and to establish a summer program to benefit under-served middle school students from Elizabeth, NJ.

 

Throughout his career, Mr. Halsey was clear in his conviction that the heart of an outstanding school is a superb faculty. When he retired in 1980, the Kent Place Board of Trustees honored him by establishing an endowed fund in his name to support professional development for Kent Place teachers.

 

Well-respected in the broader independent school community, Mr. Halsey served a term as President of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools, was for many years on the Executive Council of the National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls, and was an active board member at Montclair Academy in Montclair, NJ.   He remained an interested member of the Country Day School Headmasters' Association and the Headmistresses Association of the East for many years following his retirement. In addition, he lent his time and talent to the Advisory Board of the Summit Area YWCA.

 

A native of Elizabeth, NJ, Mr. Halsey graduated from the Pingry School in 1936 and Princeton University in 1940. He spent his retirement in Point Pleasant, NJ, and Peaks Island, ME, close to the sea and the sailboats he loved.  He continued to play tennis into his 80’s, though towards the end he and his friends stopped keeping score and admitted the exercise was more social than competitive.

 

A loyal Princetonian, Mr. Halsey followed his father, two uncles, and a great uncle to Princeton University.  There he majored in German and Classics and ran sprints for the varsity track team, earning the nickname “Rabbit.”. 

 

Mr. Halsey's long tenure at Thacher, 1940-1962, was interrupted by World War II.  Before returning to teaching, he served as a lieutenant in the Navy on a destroyer escort in the North Atlantic. While in the service he met his wife, Anne Ingram, of Lewes, Delaware. At Thacher, they raised their three children and developed a close circle of friends who sustained them throughout their lives.

 

From 1962-1965, Mr. Halsey honed his administrative skills as Principal of the Upper School at the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, before taking the helm at Kent Place.

 

Mr. Halsey will be remembered by his family and friends for his kind and gracious manner, his understated sense of humor, his love of language, and his unfailing ability to see the best in any person or in any situation. 

 

He will be missed by his son, Woodruff, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, his daughter, Comfort, of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, his six granddaughters, one grandson, two great-grandsons, and a great -granddaughter. He is pre-deceased by his wife of 65 years, his son, Macdonald Brooke Halsey, and his grandson, Macdonald Brooke Halsey II.  A memorial service was held in Lewes, Delaware.  In lieu of flowers, donations to The Thacher School will be gratefully received.