One hundred years ago Nathaniel Horton Batchelder took the helm as Loomis’ first headmaster. With a tenure that lasted nearly four decades and his monumental influence on the school’s development, it’s hard to imagine the anticipation present in the search for this initial leader. Letters written between 1910 and 1912 provide a glimpse of that moment.

The passing of John Mason Loomis’ widow, Mary, in 1910 allowed Trustees to gather the last of the Founders’ estates and plan for selecting a headmaster. Emerson Taylor, son of Trustee John M. Taylor, acted as secretary of the search process, corresponding in 1911 with headmasters, professors, employment agencies, and even a U.S. senator. Many cautioned as did Myron T. Scudder, a progressive urban educator: “… you certainly have a very interesting, yet a very serious problem on your hands.” Horace Taft, headmaster of the Taft School, wrote, “It is evident that the position which you have to offer is a rare one and demands a rare man….The difficulty… is that it requires so many-sided a man.”

The problem? The 1874 charter and, more directly, writings by Founder Osbert Loomis called for a school that provided “useful knowledge” in both classical studies and “commercial” programs.  Another writer worried that the “complex ‘co-ed’ & free gift clause in the Loomis provision” would get in the way of the school’s early success. The position required an optimistic, vibrant and innovative thinker.

By January of 1912, Taylor had received names of 26 candidates. Three stood out from the pack, but only one intrigued Taylor enough to be invited to Hartford for a meeting. Emerson Taylor described Mr. B in his notes as, “Vice principal…at the Hotchkiss School. Is very anxious to broaden his school experience and work in the popular side of education.” In early March, Taylor and Mr. B began a flurry of correspondence in which Mr. B expressed his interest in working at a school where pupils “touch the actualization of life…[where] vocational and cultural training [are] side by side.” After the initial interview that month, Mr. B met with the entire board at the end of April. John McLaren, a close friend of John Mason Loomis, attended this event, coming from Chicago at the Board’s request — a sure sign of the board members’ enthusiasm for the candidate. After discussions in Hartford, the group brought Mr. B “to the Island in Windsor to show him the town and the lay of the land.” Two weeks later, Mr. B accepted an informal offer, and by mid-June the board appointed him headmaster.

One interested party was resigned to hear of these events from afar. Jennie Loomis, recording secretary to the Trustees, Homestead resident, and the Founders’ cousin, was on a six-month European journey. She longed for news, writing to John M. Taylor from Edinburgh, Scotland, “with regard to the appointment of a President. I have seen nothing in the home papers and take it for granted that no action has been taken.” Taylor happily replied on July 10 that “we finally chose Batchelder.” The rare man had been found and now the work of creating the Founders’ school could begin.