Photo courtesy of the Archives
After the conclusion of this school year — and more than forty years at Choate, —Mr. Bob Mellon will retire from teaching. Mr. Mellon has held countless roles on campus, from being the Theater Section Head to teaching a plethora of courses involving theater, design, art, photography, and film.
Mr. Mellon first heard about Choate through a friend and began working at the School in January, 1979. After studying theater in college, Mr. Mellon worked professionally in technical theater for several years. His career began at summer stock company in Maine which used the theater at Bowdoin College, where he eventually became the technical director. “A friend of mine was the technical director at Choate, so I visited him a few times and got to know the people here. When my friend decided to leave, the director of the theater at Choate asked if I was interested in applying for the job, which I did,” said Mr. Mellon.
Students and faculty will remember Mr. Mellon as a versatile teacher with a wide range of interests and classes. After forty years of teaching at Choate, Mr. Mellon’s catalog of courses is impressive. He started in the theater department, teaching more than a dozen courses, before switching to the visual arts department 18 years ago, spearheading a variety of photography, film, and design classes. “You don’t have enough newspaper space to list everything I’ve taught,” said Mr. Mellon with a laugh.
Liam Podos ’20, who is currently in the midst of directed study project with Mr. Mellon in filmmaking, said, “I had Mr. Mellon as both my general adviser and video teacher. He’s always been really good at letting me make my own way but still being available of guidance.”
Outside of the classroom, Mr. Mellon has coached intramural skiing, rock-climbing, and kayaking. However, his favorite role at Choate has always been mentoring student theater productions. He said, “The thing that I got the most satisfaction from was the coming together of adults and students alike to make really good theater happen.”
Over his time at Choate, Mr. Mellon has seen the school become much more diverse as well as witnessed the construction of at least six new buildings. While the academic rigor has gotten stronger since he joined the Choate community, Mr. Mellon firmly believes that the spirit of Choate has remained unchanged. “All the changes that have happened are small. It’s an evolution that comes over time. The core of the school is still very much the same as it always was, with strong academics and preparing young people for life.”
One of Mr. Mellon’s favorite memories at Choate was meeting Katharine Hepburn and giving the Hollywood actress a tour around the Paul Mellon Arts Center. “Katharine Hepburn’s nephew is a sculptor who had an exhibition of his work at Choate’s gallery. I was sitting in my office when I heard this voice that sounded like Katharine Hepburn. I was surprised by this, so I went out into the hall, turned around the corner, and there was Katharine Hepburn with another teacher. I got to tour her around the arts center, show her the theaters, and talk to her for a little while.”
Students and faculty of the Choate community will miss Mr. Mellon in and outside the classroom. “I have some very dear friends that I will miss, but the whole thing that I will miss about teaching is seeing students make a discovery about the stuff that I teach.”
