Worcester Academy is a private school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is one of the country's oldest day-boarding schools, with alumni including H. Jon Benjamin, Edward Davis Jones (Dow Jones), Cole Porter, and Olympian Bill Toomey. A coeducational preparatory school, it belongs to the National Association of Independent Schools. Situated on 73 acres (300,000 m2), the academy is divided into a middle school, serving approximately 150 students in grades six to eight, and an upper school, serving approximately 500 students in grades nine to twelve, including some postgraduates. Approximately one-third of students in the upper school participate in the school's five- and seven-day boarding programs. Currently, there are approximately 80 international students enrolled from 28 different nations.
Worcester Academy is a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Association of Independent Schools in New England, and the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council.
The Academy's motto is the Greek phrase "??????? ??? ?????," which translates to "Achieve the Honorable."
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
History
Founded in 1834 as the Worcester County Manual Labor High School, the name was changed to Worcester Academy in 1847. The school moved to its current location on Worcester's Union Hill in 1869. The academy moved into a building that had previously served as a Civil War hospital: "The Dale General Hospital". It was later renamed Davis Hall, in honor of longtime board president, Isaac Davis (lawyer). Worcester Academy was all-male from its founding until 1856, and again from 1890 to 1974. It has been coeducational ever since.
Campus
Worcester Academy's campus is currently spread over four main parcels: the main campus, which contains approximately 12 acres (49,000 m2); Francis A. Gaskill Field, a 15-acre (61,000 m2) parcel two blocks south of the main campus; the South Campus, a 15-acre parcel one block south which includes Morse Field; and the New Balance Fields, approximately four miles away on Stafford Street, comprising 28 acres (110,000 m2). In 2004, Worcester Academy relocated its alumni offices to a renovated Victorian home one block north of the main campus, at 51 Providence Street. It is now called Alumni House.
The main campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places with six buildings listed as contributing properties: 81 Providence Street, Kingsley Laboratories, Walker Hall, Adams Hall, the Megaron, and Dexter Hall. 81 Providence Street is the home of the Head of School and is named "Abercrombie House" in honor of Daniel Webster Abercrombie, principal from 1882 to 1918. In 2001, the back end of the historic campus was developed with the addition of Rader Hall, named for long-time faculty members Harold G. "Dutch" and Dorothy Rader. Rader Hall houses the school's library and is used for middle school classes and activities. In the past fifteen years restoration work on the historic campus buildings has been completed including in 2008 with the complete renovation of the Kingsley Laboratories, Walker Hall in 2013-14, and Daniels Gymnasium in 2013.
The South Campus currently features the Morse Field, named for former Head of School Dexter P. Morse and his wife, Barbara. This campus, located between the main campus and Gaskill Field, is a focus of the school expansion plans. The first parcel of a former hospital campus was acquired in 2007 with the completion of the purchase and sale agreement on a 6 acres (24,000 m2)parcel. In January 2010, the Academy purchased an additional 4 acres (16,000 m2) of the former hospital. A lighted, artificial turf field was opened in the fall of 2011. A walking path along its perimeter connects to the entrance via a pathway. The field serves as both a practice facility and playing field for multiple sports. The acquisition of the remaining 5 acres of the hospital campus was completed in the summer of 2015. A visual and performing arts center located on the South Campus opened there in the fall of 2015. The performance center is located in the former hospital power plant and has seating capacity of 120 and lobby area for a comparable number of guests. Walkways connect the South Campus to both the main campus and Gaskill Field.
In the summer of 2014, Worcester Academy completed the restoration/renovation of the historic Walker Hall including improvements to the connection to the adjacent building called the Megaron. The project included: installation of handicap access ramp on the campus entrance; replacement of windows, installation of an elevator servicing both Walker Hall and the Megaron; installation of bathrooms on all floors for both students and faculty; and HVAC installation. The majority of the work was completed over the summers of 2013 and 2014. There was a net gain of six classrooms for the history and world languages departments located respectively on the second and third floors. Admissions, College Counseling, and the Head of School suite remain on the first floor while the Business Office was moved to the upper basement level. In addition, the Arts Department has classrooms in the lower levels of Walker and Megaron. In addition, the exterior of the Daniels Gymnasium was restored in the summer of 2013.
As of fall of 2017, Worcester Academy is a primary tenant at the Worcester Ice Center, a double rink located at the corner of Harding and Winter streets in Worcester's Canal District. This facility is at the foot of Union Hill and a half a mile from the campus entrance on Providence Street. Both the Boys and Girls teams will have their own locker rooms and the teams will have prime skating time for games and practice. The Worcester Ice Center has two restaurants, a physical therapist, and a skate shop.
The most notable building on the campus is the Lewis J. Warner '28 Memorial Theater. Built in 1932, it was a gift from Warner Brothers Studio President Harry Warner, who donated the building to honor the memory of his only son. Lewis died within three years of graduating from the academy. Worcester Academy's middle school student assemblies are held in the 350-seat Hervey S. Ross Auditorium in Warner Theater.
Visual and Performing Arts
Over the 183-year history of the school, fine arts has grown from an extra-curricular student activity to being integrated into the curriculum. Beginning in the 1890s, glee clubs and orchestras, organized by students, performed at term dinners and in the following decade, faculty advisers oversaw these groups. In 1901, the first play was performed by students under the direction of a faculty adviser. These groups evolved into clubs, known as Etta Kappa Alpha (theater) and the Offbeats (singing) which were important contributors to extracurricular life at Worcester Academy. In the early 1980s, courses in performing and visual art were offered. By the end of the decade a Visual and Performing Arts Department was formed. Soon thereafter, theater was offered as a course and this curriculum has expanded greatly since then.
Visual Arts
Upper school studio art course offerings include ceramics, jewelry design, fibers craft, and architecture. In addition to drawing and painting courses, digital art is an offering. Web design and animation are also part of the art curriculum.
The Middle School visual arts program includes introductory courses in music and theater. A highlight of the program is the Arts Café, which studies the art, and cuisine, of a global culture each year.
Theater Program
Worcester Academy has been offering an extensive curriculum in theater arts since 1988. Teachers emphasize ensemble and artistic excellence. The curricular and co-curricular programs provide both serious training for those who might want to major in theater arts in college as well as opportunities for students who may be studying theater arts for the first time and wish to explore their interests.
Theater arts courses are taught by four degreed professionals in theater arts. Three theater faculty have advanced degrees in theater. One was awarded the Olmsted Prize, a national award for teaching excellence.
Students perform in two distinct theaters:
Students perform in three fully mounted Upper School productions and a fully mounted Middle School production. One of these productions is an annual musical. Middle School students present class projects to enthusiastic friends and family.
Theater students attend professional productions at some of the great regional theaters in Boston, Cambridge, Providence, and Hartford.
Each summer, Moonstruck Theater Company, founded by Worcester Academy Alumna Caroline Fonseca '05, presents a fully mounted production in the Andes Pit Theater. Many company members are graduates of the Academy's theater program, and many WA theater students gain valuable practical experience as Moonstruck Theater interns.
Upper School Music Academic Program
- Chorus offers introductory to intermediate training in ensemble performance with a focus on developing singers' musicianship, vocal technique and interpretive skills.
- Advanced Chorus is a performance ensemble open to students by audition. The repertoire includes American, European and World music.
- Wind Ensemble
- Orchestra includes string players, as well as auditioned woodwind, brass and percussion players.
- Music Study is individual and small group lessons that are offered to members of the performance ensembles in voice, piano, woodwinds, brass, bass, and percussion.
- Music Theory meets two times weekly and is scheduled as an independent study for greater availability for students. The program is based around compositional technique of seventeenth to twentieth century tonal music and focuses on four-part writing. Courses run from Music Theory I through AP.
Extra-curricular program:
- The Academy Singers are selected from members of the choral classes. The Academy Singers perform an eclectic mix of vocal music from Renaissance to modern.
- Jazz Combo is a small performance based jazz group (6-10 members/ rhythm section and up to 5 horns) by audition. All arrangements are original and many times created by the group during rehearsals.
- Jazz Lab is a performance based training program for beginning to intermediate players who are interested and wish to explore jazz.
- The Hillpoppas are a student directed "collegiate" a cappella ensemble. Most of their arrangements are created by the members.
- A full musical theater production is mounted by the Visual and Performing Arts Department each year.
Middle School Music
Music 6 and 7 offer general music classes. Music 8 is an ensemble class for instrumentalists and singers.
Bells, Band and Chorus: All middle school students are encouraged to take part in one of these groups meeting once a week. This program includes Beginning and Advanced Band, Chorus, and Select Chorus.
A middle school production is offered every second year. On alternate years the Upper School Musical is open to middle school students as an all-school production.
Athletics
Worcester Academy is a member of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC). Worcester Academy plays most of the larger New England prep schools, and rivalries date back much more than a century. In certain sports, NEPSAC classifies the competition for post-season play and Worcester Academy competes with teams in Class A and Class B.
The formation of the Worcester Academy Athletic Association in 1885 was the official beginning of interscholastic sport at the Academy and like many Eastern boarding schools, Worcester Academy helped pioneer the growth of athletic competition in the United States. This tradition in sports has motivated many graduates to continue their involvement by playing sports at the college or professional level, or through coaching, officiating, management, medicine, apparel, reporting, charitable giving, and the arts.
The nickname of the school teams is the Hilltoppers due to the school's location at the top of Worcester's Union Hill and the ram is the mascot because of the hilltop location and is named Oskee, after the school fight song. Approximately 60% of the students participate in an interscholastic sport on one of the 54 athletic teams. There are twenty-four different sports offered including in the fall: football, soccer, cross country, field hockey; in the winter: basketball, wrestling, alpine skiing, volleyball, hockey, swimming; and in the spring: track and field, baseball, lacrosse, crew, golf, softball, and tennis.
Facilities
- Daniels Gymnasium (1915 with a 1983 addition) has two basketball courts, a wrestling room, a weight room, and a four lane swimming pool. Volleyball is played in this building in the fall. A running track is above the original basketball court.
- Gaskill Field (1910) is a located a few blocks south of the main campus and was completely renovated in 1995. This complex includes a football field with stands, a six lane quarter mile composition track, four tennis courts, and a baseball field.
- New Balance Field (2001) is located four miles (6 km) from the main campus and it includes fields on three planes of different elevations. These are used for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and baseball based upon the season. There is also a field dedicated to softball.
- Morse Field (2011) is located a block south of the main campus on the site of the former St. Vincent Hospital. In May 2012, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name it the Dexter P. Morse Field in honor of Dexter and Barbara Morse. Morse served as the Head of School for 15 years and was instrumental in the construction of the turf field. Morse Field consists of a multi-purpose synthetic turf field that hosts varsity football, lacrosse, field hockey, soccer and softball. As part of the $3.2 million project, lights were installed for Friday night football games. There is also a small walking track surrounding the field. On September 22, 2012 the field was officially dedicated in honor of Dexter Morse.
- Off-campus facilities: The crew teams row on Lake Quinsigamond and store their shells at the Donahue Rowing Center in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. The hockey teams play their homes games at the Worcester Ice Center one half a mile down the hill from the main campus. The golf teams play at the Cyprian Keyes Golf Course in Boylston, Massachusetts. The ski team practices and competes at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area in Princeton, Massachusetts.
Recent highlights
In November, 2013, the Boys Varsity Soccer Team appeared in the final game of the NEPSAC Class A soccer tournament for the second time in the 105-year history of the soccer program at Worcester Academy. WA lost to the Berkshire School which won the championship in several of the past few years a row. In the past decade, the Worcester Academy Varsity Boys Soccer team has appeared regularly in the NEPSAC tournament.
In 2011, the Girls Varsity Soccer Team won NEPSAC Class A tournament in the first year that the team had moved up to the division. ESPN named the team the best private school girls soccer team in the U.S. In previous years, the girls team won the NEPSAC Class B crown two times and appeared in the finals.
In 2017, the varsity baseball team won the Central Division NEPSAC crown by winning the Blackburn Tournament at the Brown University Baseball Complex in Providence, Rhode Island. It was the first championship for the team since 2015 and the first under Head Coach Jim McNamara '07. In 2012, 2013, and 2016 the team had reached the final game of the Blackburn tournament.
In 2017, the Girls Varsity Ice Hockey team won the New England Girls Prep Division 2 championship.
Notable coaches
Worcester Academy has a long history of coaches who have had gone on to become great coaches at all levels of sports: Some of them are: Frank Cavanaugh, Mike Sherman, Ken O'Keefe, Dave Gavitt, William F. Donovan, Al Hall, and Bill Livesey. In addition, Gordon Lockbaum is a coach at Worcester Academy. Basketball legend Donald Rowe brought WA to several championships.
Clubs
Student organizations or clubs date back to the very beginning of Worcester Academy in 1834, when the Legomathenian Society was formed. Initially, the Legomathenian Society was a literary society which published articles written by students. The Legomathenian Society is now the debate club at Worcester Academy. There are 55 organizations and just a few of them are: Model UN, Habitat for Humanity, Math Team, and Newman Society. The Worcester Academy Clubs Program is designed to create a rich tapestry of opportunities for students to foster leadership, while learning, growing, exploring and identifying common interests and passions beyond the classroom experience. The clubs serve as a platform for community engagement and an active reflection of the WA Core Values: Respect, Community, Challenge, Honor and Personal Growth. Each club has a student leader along with a faculty adviser.
Recent Highlights
In January 2010, the Worcester Academy team won the Brain Bee competition for the state of Massachusetts and Raji Pyda '12, won the overall competition. She represented the state in the national Brain Bee, which was held in Baltimore, Maryland in April 2010.
In May 2010, Worcester Academy's Walk and Rock for the Jimmy Fund raised $21,862 for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer research and support at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In 2005, two juniors, Jeffrey Rothschild '07 and Elizabeth Tripp '07 with the support of their faculty adviser, Dr. Francine Smith, founded Walk and Rock for the Jimmy Fund. The event--a walkathon and music festival--raised $221,862 over a five-year period. This total includes an anonymous $100,000 donation from a Jimmy Fund supporter and parent of Worcester Academy alumni. In its first years, the event headlined the bands State Radio and ZOX. Other notable leaders of the event include Aaron Faucher '08, Stonleigh Caswell '09, and Jake Arthur '10. Although the Jimmy Fund Club still remains, the last Walk and Rock ended in 2010 due to the amount of time and effort it took to plan and organize.
In the springs of 2010 and 2011, the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution club won the Massachusetts championship and traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the national championship. The Worcester Academy team competed with teams from every state.
In 2011, Worcester Academy's math team won its seventh (and fourth straight) Worcester County Mathematics League championship, its seventh (and sixth straight) state championship, and its fourth New England championship (the third in six years).
On December 6, 2008 Worcester Academy Hosted its first Model United Nations Simulation. The conference was chaired by Andrew Fan '09, and the keynote speaker was congressman Jim McGovern '77. Worcester Academy again sponsored and hosted WAMUN in October 2013. The 2013 Secretary General was Claire Leibmann '14 and the keynote speaker was Tanja Bernstein '90, Political Affairs Officer at the United Nations. More than 60 student delegates attended the conference representing schools that included Worcester Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy, the Dana Hall School, Foxboro High School, and the Francis Parker Charter Essential School.
Community Service
The Bernon Community Service Program is considered an important part of the students' experience. Several of the clubs have a mission of community service such as the Newman Society which provides after school tutoring at the nearby Ascension Church. Another organization, Afternoon Tunes, provides free music lessons each Friday afternoons at the All Saints Church in downtown Worcester. 81-19 Connect is a group of student volunteers at a nearby nursing home. They provide a variety of programs such as painting, drawing, and music. A large picture window oversees the Morse Athletic Field, so game schedules are provided for the entertainment of the residents. Habitat for Humanity has a very active chapter and has built a home within a mile of the campus. Each spring vacation, the students travel to a project.
Besides the clubs, there is a wide variety of activities. Each athletic team does one afternoon of volunteer work within the community. The postgraduates organize a spree day at Union Hill School. The Middle School does community service at the class level. For instance, the sixth grade organizes a can drive at the Friendly House. The eight grade does a book drive, along with various other things.
Other Highlights
- In September 2006, Boston Magazine rated Worcester Academy the sixteenth best private school in the Boston Area, and the best in Worcester County. In an article entitled "The Right Private School for Your Kid," Boston Magazine rated Worcester Academy the best private school in the Boston area for students to exercise their mathematical talents.
- Worcester Academy celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2008-2009.
- The Open Gates program began in 2008. Open Gates is Worcester Academy's coordinated approach to experiential learning. It provides a program that integrates real-world experiences with the school's curriculum. The program brings our students out beyond the campus and the classroom, and brings guests and real-word dimensions in, reinforcing the relevance of the academic experience as well as our connections with the various communities in which we learn and live. Programs and opportunities range from the local to New York City, Washington D.C., Costa Rica, Denmark, Italy, England and China. In short, Open Gates is a major initiative aimed at fulfilling the school's mission statement: "Worcester Academy exists to instill in its students the desire to learn throughout life, to engage passionately with the world around them, and to be honorable persons of strong and resourceful character."
- On November 20, 2011, Elizabeth Butterworth, Class of 2007, was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. A graduate of Princeton University, she is in her second year of studies at Oxford. Elizabeth is the second Worcester Academy graduate to receive a Rhodes Scholarship. The first was Troyer Steele Anderson, Class of 1918, who was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in 1923.
Alumni Awards
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Established in 2002, this award recognizes the accomplishment of an alumnus/a who has demonstrated the Academy's mission through excellence in his or her chosen field. The award is presented annually during reunion weekend.
- 2002 Recipient: Lt. Gen. Alcide M. LaNoue, M.D. '52
- 2003 Recipient: Dr. Richard Talamo '53 (posthumously)
- 2004 Recipient: Robert E. Weissman '58
- 2005 Recipient: N. Scott Knight '65
- 2006 Recipient: Sen. Louis C. D'Allesandro '56
- 2006 Recipient: Dr. Thomas V. Healey '36 (posthumously)
- 2007 Recipient: Alan J. Bernon '72
- 2008 Recipient: Michael Puk Sun Tien '68
- 2009 Recipient: Dr. Craig R. Dufresne '69
- 2010 Recipient: Dr. Chulsu Kim '60
- 2011 Recipient: Dr. Everett F. Lang, Jr. '61
- 2012 Recipient: Congressman James P. McGovern '77
- 2013 Recipient: Carol Goldsberry Tucker '83
- 2015 Recipient: Stephan A. Knapp '65
- 2016 Recipient: Cmdr. David G. Muller, Jr. USN '66
- 2017 Recipient: Alan Duncan, Esq. '72
Young Alumnus Recognition Award
Established in 2003, this award is given to an alumnus/a who graduated from the Academy in the past twenty years and has demonstrated success in his or her chosen field or has contributed significantly to his or her community. The award is presented annually during reunion weekend.
- 2003 Recipient: Ira Stoll '90
- 2004 Recipient: Naomi A. Schaefer '94
- 2005 Recipient: Tanja Bernstein '90
- 2006 Recipient: Alta M. Boover '96
- 2007 Recipient: Neil S. Patel '87
- 2008 Recipient: Niels Tangherlini '88
- 2009 Recipient: Zoey L. Breslar '89
- 2010 Recipient: Jonathan Starr '94
- 2011 Recipient: Rodolfo Perecin Mareno '01
- 2012 Recipient: Philip A. Kalmanovitch '02
- 2013 Recipient: Andrew Chalupka '03
- 2015 Recipient: Wesley D. Piermarini '00
- 2016 Recipient: Dr. Shana Starobin '96
- 2017 Recipient: Charles Nicas '02
Worcester Academy Hall of Fame
The Worcester Academy Hall of Fame, established in 1976, recognizes individuals who through their many years of service and devotion to the Academy have had an important impact on the school and society. The Hall of Fame members include alumni, former faculty members, heads of school, coaches, faculty wives, trustees, benefactors and friends of the Academy. The Hall of Fame also includes alumni whose work has influenced the lives of people everywhere.
- Charter - Clarence H. Barthelman
- Charter - Warren G. Davis 1906
- Charter - Andrew J. O'Connell
- Charter - Harold G. Rader
- Charter - Chapin Riley 1926
- Charter - Cloyd E. Small
- Charter - Walter H. Wheeler 1914
- Charter - George Whitney 1928
- 1977 - Daniel W. Abercrombie
- 1977 - Harold N. Bockoven
- 1977 - F. Harold Daniels 1905
- 1977 - Isaac Davis
- 1977 - John J. Pietro, Jr. 1948
- 1977 - Donald E. "Dee" Rowe 1947
- 1978 - Joseph P. Hannon 1952
- 1978 - Thomas W. Higgins 1927
- 1978 - Charles L. Stevens
- 1978 - William S. Piper, Jr.
- 1978 - Lewis J. Warner 1928
- 1979 - Fred D. Aldrich 1891
- 1979 - Francis "Chet" Chaisson
- 1979 - Samuel Foss Holmes
- 1979 - Clifford H. Littlefield
- 1979 - J.F. "Jake" Russo 1922
- 1980 - Dorothy Simpson Rader
- 1981 - Cole A. Porter 1909
- 1981 - Harold Hamilton Wade
- 1982 - Gilbert H. Grosvenor 1893
- 1982 - Charles R. Starrett 1922
- 1982 - Robert W. Stoddard 1924
- 1983 - Walter L. Davol 1915
- 1983 - Robert J. Macko
- 1983 - Warren Russell Sargent
- 1984 - John K. Blossom 1945
- 1984 - Karl L. Briel 1940
- 1984 - Harold W. "Had" Presson
- 1985 - Benjamin H. Bristol 1915
- 1985 - Ralph P. Robinson 1907
- 1985 - Harvey P. Sargisson 1924
- 1986 - Ernest M. Hopkins 1896
- 1986 - Ralph A. Hughes
- 1986 - Earle W. Peckham
- 1987 - Robert N. Scola 1942
- 1987 - Laurence J. Smith
- 1987 - Ivan M. Spear 1940
- 1988 - Robert U. Clemence 1926
- 1988 - Edward D. Jones 1873
- 1988 - Robert A. LaBranche 1946
- 1989 - Maynard M. Bliss 1932
- 1989 - Porter W. Dawley 1927
- 1989 - John Hope 1890
- 1990 - Charles E. Merrill 1904
- 1990 - Francis C. Rooney, Jr. 1940
- 1990 - Richard M. Sargeant 1940
- 1991 - John A. Bloom
- 1991 - George A. Kellner 1960
- 1991 - William C. "Doc" Samko
- 1992 - George M. Andes
- 1992 - LeRoy A. Campbell
- 1992 - Hervey S. Ross 1946
- 1993 - M Howard Jacobson 1950
- 1993 - Mary Starrett H 1922
- 1994 - Llewellyn S. "Tod" Owen 1912
- 1994 - Benjamin D. Williams
- 1995 - Thomas E. Blackburn
- 1996 - William Carmen 1937
- 1996 - Mary Piper Johnson
- 1997 - Irving B. Freeman
- 1997 - Russell E. Manoog 1952
- 1998 - Bruce G. Daniels 1943
- 1998 - Janet O. Macko
- 1999 - Harold J. Keohane 1956
- 1999 - Duane T. Sargisson 1951
- 2000 - James S. Davis 1962
- 2000 - Robert F. Hall 1962
- 2000 - Michael E. Mone 1960
- 2001 - Earle Leeder 1951
- 2002 - David P. Forsberg 1965
- 2002 - Jacques C. LeBermuth 1924
- 2005 - Ronald A. Siff 1955
- 2009 - Donald A. Bloom 1959
- 2009 - Elaine (Willey) Bloom
- 2016 - Dr. Zofia (Sonia) T. Glazer
- 2016 - John M. Mackenzie
- 2016 - Howard L. Shainheit
- 2016 - Janet A. Shainheit
- 2017 - Marcia Bernstein
- 2017 - Elisabeth Cotton
- 2017 - Pamela Lefferts
Notable alumni
Notable faculty and alumni of Worcester Academy include:
- William H. Bates 1936, U.S. Congressman
- John Barrett 1883, American Diplomat
- H. Jon Benjamin 1984, actor, comedian
- George Boardman the Younger, 1846, missionary
- George B. Boomer 1847, Civil War General
- Albert H. Bumstead 1894, Chief Cartographer National Geographic and inventor of sun compasses
- Kimberly Burwick 1993, poet
- Ralph A. "Doc" Carroll, 1909, Major League Baseball player, Philadelphia Athletics, 1916.
- Edwin W. Clark, 1841, Missionary to Nagaland, India
- Bill Cooke 1970, National Football League player
- General Norman Cota 1915, portrayed by actor Robert Mitchum in the 1962 movie classic "The Longest Day"
- Jim Davis 1962, Chairman, New Balance Athletic Shoe
- William Stearns Davis 1896, historian and educator
- Clarence Dillon 1904, co-founder of investment bank Dillon, Read & Co., father of C. Douglas Dillon
- John F. Dryden 1857, Founder Prudential Insurance, U.S. Senator
- Arthur Duffey 1899, Olympic Sprinter, 1900 Paris
- Mark Fidrych 1974, former Detroit Tigers pitcher
- Bernie Friberg 1919, Major League Baseball player
- Jim Forbes 1978, multiple Emmy, ALMA, AP and Golden Mic award-winning writer, producer, correspondent and narrator of VH-''s "Behind the Music"
- General Hugh J. Gaffey 1916, Patton's Chief of Staff
- Robert Gilchrist, 2010, professional basketball player
- Willis Goldbeck, 1910, movie producer and writer
- Robert Goldwyn, 1948, surgeon and health care advocate
- Kaz Grala, 2017, stock car racing driver
- Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor 1893, founder and first editor of National Geographic magazine
- Herman Gundlach 1931, Harvard football captain, Boston Brave lineman, NFL
- Bruno Haas 1915, Philadelphia Athletics pitcher and NFL player
- Alan Haberman 1947, supermarket executive credited with popularizing the barcode
- Ned Harkness 1939, college and professional hockey coach
- Brian Herosian, 1969, former N. F. L. player with the Baltimore Colts and C.F.L. player
- Louis Jean Heydt, 1921, stage and movie actor
- Abbie Hoffman 1955, social and political activist in the 1960s
- Tom Holland 1962, film director
- John Hope 1890, educator and founder of Atlanta University
- Ernest Martin Hopkins 1896, President of Dartmouth College
- Frank Reed Horton 1914, founder Alpha Phi Omega fraternity
- Tony Hulman 1920, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner
- Lyman Jewett 1840, Baptist missionary who translated the Bible into Telugu
- Edward Davis Jones 1873, co-founder of Dow Jones
- Arthur Kennedy 1930, stage and screen actor
- Stephen Knapp 1965, artist
- Stefan Lano 1970, conductor
- Dick Lasse 1954, N. F. L. football player and college coach
- Armand LaMontagne 1958, sculptor of prominent athletes
- Andy Lee, 1998, Actor, Singer and Rapper of South Korean band Shinhwa
- Doug Leeds 1965, advertising/media executive and Broadway benefactor
- Lou Little 1912, college football coach
- Andrew Mamedoff, Battle of Britain pilot
- John W. Mayhew 1904, All-American football player and coach
- Roy McGillicuddy 1915, a.k.a. Roy Mack son of Connie Mack; co-owner of the Philadelphia A's
- Rep. Jim McGovern 1977, U.S. Congressman
- Charles E. Merrill 1904, co-founder of Merrill Lynch
- Alfred Henry Miller, 1923, N. F. L. football player Boston Bulldogs, 1929
- Paul Mitchell, 1968, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Robert Munford, 1944, artist
- Neil Patel (political advisor), 1987, publisher of the Daily Caller
- Arthur Pope 1899, Persian Art Scholar and Administrator
- Cole Porter 1909, Broadway composer
- Sidney Hollis Radner, 1937 magician and expert on Houdini
- Joseph Raycroft 1892, college basketball and football coach; considered the "father of intramural athletics" at Princeton University
- Frank Rooney 1940, business executive
- Donald "Dee" Rowe 1947, basketball coach
- Thomas M. Salmon 1982, Vermont State Auditor
- John Edward Sawyer 1937, President of Williams College
- Canaan Severin 2012, American Football Player
- Dennis Shulman 1968, clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst, author, rabbi, and Democratic Party nominee for the United States Congress in New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District
- Mark Slade 1957, TV actor
- Jonathan Starr 1994, educator
- Charles Starrett 1922, the "Durango Kid"
- Robert Waring Stoddard 1924, businessman and benefactor
- Ira Stoll 1990 Author and Former Managing Editor of the New York Sun
- Jacob Stroyer 1872, Ex-slave, minister, and author
- Prince Nandiyavat Svasti 1927, member of the Thai Royal Family and grandson to King Rama IV (1851-1868), a.k.a. Mongkut, the king of Siam depicted in the musical, The King and I
- Royal C. Taft 1872, Governor of Rhode Island
- Stanley F. Teele 1924, Fourth Dean of Harvard Business School
- Eli Thayer 1840, founder of the Oread Institute and the New England Emigrant Aid Company
- Webster Thayer 1876, Massachusetts judge, presided over the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti in 1920.
- Michael Tien 1968, Deputy, National Peoples Congress, Hong Kong and International clothing retailer
- Willard Tibbetts 1922, bronze medalist in the 3000 meter race in the 1924 Paris Olympics
- William Toomey 1957, gold-medal winning decathlete in the 1968 Summer Olympics
- Cyril G. Wates 1902, mountaineer, amateur astronomer, and author
- Walt Whittaker 1913, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Alingon Mitra 2004, Comedian, Writer for The Daily Show and Adam Ruins Everything, Finalist on Last Comic Standing, Former Editor of the Harvard Lampoon
- Lewis Wilson 1939, first Batman in the movies
In certain instances, student-athletes attend Worcester Academy solely for their senior year, or for a single postgraduate year, to increase their exposure to college coaches or to improve their academic standing. Notable student-athletes include:
- David Ball 2003, New York Jets
- Colt Brennan 2003, quarterback for the University of Hawaii, voted third in 2007 Heisman Voting
- Dick Capp 1961, wide receiver for Green Bay Packers who appeared in Super Bowl II
- Rick Carlisle 1979, former NBA player, current coach of the 2011 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks
- Mo Cassara 1993, basketball coach and television analyst
- Jeff Cross, 1980, former NBA player
- Steven Daniels, 2012, former American football player
- Patrick Downey 1993, former American football player
- Obinna Ekezie 1995, former NBA player
- Chet Gladchuk, Jr. 1969, Director of Athletics U.S. Naval Academy
- Jarrett Jack 2002, Brooklyn Nets of the NBA
- Jordan Lucas 2012, Miami Dolphins of the NFL
- Mark Johnson 1986, former Major League Baseball player for the LA Angels, NY Mets, and Pittsburgh Pirates
- Mike Malone 1989, Head coach Denver Nuggets
- Donn Nelson 1982, former NBA and international basketball coach, current Dallas Mavericks president of basketball operations; son of former Boston Celtics star Don Nelson
- Joe Philbin 1980, former head coach of the Miami Dolphins
- Sean Ryan 1998, former National Football League player
- Craig Smith, former NBA player, now with Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. Israel
- Tim Welsh 1980, former Providence College coach and sportscaster
- Mike Wilhelm 1986, Assistant Coach, Chicago Bulls
Headmasters of Worcester Academy
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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