Mr. Dey was committed to diversifying Choate’s student body Photo courtesy of the Choate Archives
Former head of school Mr. Charles Dey died on April 16 in his home in Walpole, New Hampshire. He was 89.
Mr. Dey, as President and Principal of the School from 1973 to 1991, played a crucial role in merging The Choate School and Rosemary Hall, as well as introducing new programs to the School and promoting greater diversity on campus and in the broader world of education.
Mr. Dey’s death was first reported by the School’s Department of Communications, which published a remembrance detailing his legacy on the School’s website.
Mr. Dey came to Choate from Dartmouth College, where he had served as a dean. Soon after he arrived in Wallingford, he began working to establish a single co-educational institution through a formal merger of The Choate School and Rosemary Hall. He consolidated the two schools’ boards, which then developed a school handbook, diploma requirements, a grading system, and an admissions office. Mr. Dey liked to joke that his greatest accomplishment was removing the hyphen from “Choate-Rosemary Hall.”
“To lose someone who has played such an important part in the School’s history and also in my own personal life feels like a double blow,” said current Head of School Dr. Alex Curtis, who frequently sought advice from Mr. Dey, his predecessor. His death leaves “a huge void in my life both professionally and personally.”
Under Mr. Dey, Choate worked to provide greater financial assistance to its students, working with a program that Mr. Dey had created at Dartmouth known as A Better Chance, or ABC, to assist economically disadvantaged students in attending independent secondary schools.
Choate also began to collaborate with Prep for Prep, which offers underprivileged New York City teenagers the opportunity to study at an independent school. Under Mr. Dey’s leadership, Choate saw the creation of a financial aid program, Diversity Day, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and term-abroad and foreign-exchange programs.
“When he came to Choate, he always told me that it was a commitment to change the nature of the institution, diversifying and opening Choate up to people who had not traditionally been at the School,” Dr. Curtis said. “The Choate that we look at today has obviously happened over a period of time, but he was very much the foundation of that.”
Mr. Dey inspired many faculty during his tenure. English teacher Mr. David Loeb said, “At convocation, Mr. Dey always gave a talk, and his talk was always so stirring that I wanted to run straight from the Arts Center into a classroom and start teaching people things.”
HPRSS teacher Mr. Jim Davidson said that Mr. Dey is the reason that he has taught at Choate for more than four decades, praising “his insight into what students needed, his commitment to a style of education that the independent schools can offer — small classes, student-focused.”
Mr. Dey developed a counseling team in 1977, and later, a peer counseling team for students to support their classmates who are struggling with issues such as substance abuse and eating disorders.
Mr. Dey led the dedication of the Larry Hart Pool in 1979, and in 1990, he dedicated the Carl C. Icahn Center for Science. He led the conversion of the former Science Hall into the Paul Mellon Humanities Building, and under his leadership, the former gymnasium became the Student Activities Center, and the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra took up residency in the Paul Mellon Arts Center.
“I hope that I can be worthy of sitting in the seat he sat in,” Dr. Curtis added. “I see him very much as a mentor, as a beacon of how to handle the position, especially during difficult times.”
As Dr. Curtis leads the School during an unprecedented pandemic that has closed campus and thrust a system of remote learning upon students and faculty, he acknowledged, “I do fall back on ‘What did Mr. Dey do?’ What he did was remain calm, keep the core values of the School at heart, and chart a clear course. That’s been important to me.”
Dr. Curtis and his family now live in Phoebe House, named in honor of Mr. Dey’s wife, Phoebe. In addition to Ms. Dey, Mr. Dey is survived by his four children and four grandchildren, who will be organizing a celebration of Mr. Dey’s life at Choate in late summer or early fall.
