Frederick Herbert Sill

Frederick Herbert Sill (1874 – July 17, 1952) was an American Episcopalian priest and educator. He was the founder of Kent School, a private boarding school in Kent, Connecticut.[1]

Frederick Herbert Sill
Born
Frederick Herbert Sill

1874 (1874)
New York City, New York, US
DiedJuly 17, 1952(1952-07-17) (aged 77–78)
Kent, Connecticut, US
EducationColumbia University
General Theological Seminary
Occupation(s)Priest
Headmaster
Known forFounder and headmaster of Kent School
Term1906–1941

Biography

Sill was born in New York City to Jane and Thomas Henry Sill,[2] who was the vicar of St. Chrysostom's Chapel on West 39th Street in Manhattan. He graduated from Columbia University in 1894 and from General Theological Seminary in 1898, the same year he was ordained.[3]

From 1898 to 1900, Sill served as a curate at Mount Calvary Church in Baltimore. In 1900, he became a monk of the Order of the Holy Cross and founded the Kent School on the Housatonic River in 1906.[4] He promoted the philosophy of self-help and stewardship by asking students, many of whom scions of prominent families, to participating in housework or help with farming to raise produce for the school. It was also the first secondary school in the country to charge tuition on a sliding scale.[4] Under his leadership, Kent was transformed into one of America's foremost boy's schools.

Sill was the coxswain of the Columbia varsity crew of 1895 that won the first Intercollegiate Rowing Association regatta at Poughkeepsie, New York, and he coached the crew team of Kent School, leading it to victory in regattas across New England.[5][6]

On June 5, 1941, Sill retired from his post as headmaster after a paralytic stroke.[1][7] He was affectionally called "Pater" by students of the school.

Sill died on July 17, 1952, at his home in Kent, Connecticut.[6]

References
  1. "Obituary for Frederick Herbert Sill (Aged 78)". The Boston Globe. 1952-07-18. p. 14. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  2. "REV. THOMAS H. SILL DEAD.; Vicar of St. Chrysostom's Chapel in West 39th Street for 45 Years". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  3. University, Columbia (1916). Officers and Graduates of Columbia University, Originally the College of the Province of New York Known as King's College: General Catalogue ...
  4. "Our History & Traditions". Kent School. 2016-07-12. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  5. ""Father Sill"". The New Yorker. 1933-06-24. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  6. Rinehart, Rick (2010-09-14). Men of Kent: Ten Boys, A Fast Boat, and the Coach Who Made Them Champions. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7627-6667-3.
  7. "FATHER SILL QUITS KENT SCHOOL POST; Founder Retires After 35 Years, Yielding Place to Father Chalmers at Prize Day PRAISES QUALITY OF BOYS Volume of 1,500 Letters Given to Him -- One From 'Neighbor' Roosevelt Is First". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
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