No Smoking
George Brownell ’15
In the spring of our last year, our entire form was expelled. The unfortunate action was taken in anger by the Headmaster [Mr. Olmsted] himself when we had the courage or the effrontery — whichever way you want to look at it — to disagree with him at a stormy meeting. in a matter of school discipline. It involved smoking by some upperclassmen, which was then a cardinal vice.
Five or six hardy spirits gleefully packed their bags and took the next train to New York. A few broke down in tears. Some of us went across the street to the old Ben Grosvenor [Inn] to telephone the sad news to our fathers. You can imagine the explosions.
Our parents took the afternoon train and arrived at the school that evening. They listened to our story, sent us to bed, and then descended on the Headmaster’s house. Of course the whole incident was patched up, but the whole school suffered and enrollment fell off sharply the following fall.
