About Us
Since 1839: A Brief History of EHS
“Our improvement fund prospers and encourages us all …”
For more than a century the EHS community has stepped up to support the School in its ambitious plans to deliver a first-rate education within facilities that inspire the pursuit of excellence.
“Our improvement fund prospers and encourages us all …” - Launcelot Blackford
January 4, 1913
January 4, 1913
For more than a century the EHS community has stepped up to support the School in its ambitious plans to deliver a first-rate education within facilities that inspire the pursuit of excellence. As Assistant Head for Advancement Christina Holt has said, the market essentially sets tuition, which doesn’t even cover the operating budget. “The extent to which Episcopal continuously strives to innovate and grow, and to support the faculty who deliver our mission in increasingly powerful ways in spaces that are just right for the innovative programming they create, is a direct reflection of the generosity of our community,” Holt explains. “A key difference between a good Episcopal and a great Episcopal is philanthropy.”
Launcelot Minor Blackford, Head of School from 1870-1913, announced the commencement of Episcopal’s first campaign “the EHS Building Fund” in his December 2, 1912, diary entry, “Later this afternoon the skies cleared and our valued friend and colleague, Mr. A.R. Hoxton left us for the absence arranged for him some time since, to go off on a soliciting expedition on behalf of the fund to be raised for the improvement of the School.…” Archibald Robinson Hoxton, Sr., EHS class of 1895 and Head of School 1913-47, exceeded the School’s $30,000 fundraising goal—$823,000 in today’s dollars— by traveling as far south as Charleston, South Carolina, and as far north as New York to connect with friends of the School and secure their support. While Hoxton did not travel abroad for the campaign, the word got out with gifts coming from as far away as Paris and Chihuahua, Mexico.
Not to rest on the laurels of its successful, first campaign, in 1924 the School launched its first endowment campaign “Protecting the Way: That a Great School may Become Greater and Perpetuate Her Usefulness” with a goal of $500,000 — $7,727,881 today — to secure an endowment fund while providing for modest capital projects. A critical feature of this campaign and its promotional materials was explaining to friends of the School what an endowment fund is and its importance to securing the institution’s future. “An endowment fund should be created that will protect any depreciation and allow the School to keep abreast with the progress of other institutions of learning without adding the burden on the student by increasing rates, which in some cases would prohibit his securing an education.”
Approaching retirement and keen to enhance the strength of Episcopal High School, Head of School, Archibald Robinson Hoxton, Sr., added a last minute postscript to his annual report to the Board of Trustees. While Hoxton reported “all is well” and the School is in a “healthy condition,” he entreated the Board of the Trustees that a minimum of $1,000,000 needed to be raised for building improvements, faculty compensation, and financial aid. These were uncertain times, six days after D-Day in Normandy, but the Board heeded Hoxton’s call, committing to raise $1,360,000 to meet the needs Hoxton identified for the School. Thus, Flick Hoxton, Sr., concluded his tenure at Episcopal in much the way he started, leading the School in an ambitious plan “The Episcopal High School Fund” to secure the funds necessary to excel as the School turned the corner to the second half of the twentieth century.
Archibald Robinson Hoxton, Jr., EHS class of 1935 and Head of School 1967-81 continued the tradition established by his father by leading the School through its bold “P.D.Q. Fund” campaign. The fruits of this $8,176,500 campaign were transformational in highly visible, Hummel Bowl and Hummel Learning Center, as well as more discreet ways, such as endowment funding and the updating of existing buildings. Some of these construction and remodeling projects reflect the School’s evolving educational approach. Episcopal’s traditional study hall spaces, familiar to generations of EHS students, would be gone as most students going forward would be afforded the opportunity to study independently and collaboratively in the library and on dorm.
Approaching its 1989 sesquicentennial inspired Episcopal not just to celebrate the School’s long history, but also to look forward assessing the School’s needs. To meet these needs, Episcopal High School launched the $20,000,000 Sesquicentennial Fund. This aspirational campaign touched almost all facets of School life with the construction of Callaway Chapel and the Goodman Squash Courts, the renovation of March Library and the dining hall, as well as strengthening the endowment in support of financial aid and faculty compensation. With the successful completion of this campaign, Episcopal High School was prepared to enter the era of coeducation.
In preparation to deliver a twenty-first century education, Episcopal closed out the twentieth with its “Pillars of Strength” endowment campaign. Like its predecessor endowment campaigns, Pillars of Strength earmarked funds for financial aid and faculty compensation, but with an eye toward the future this campaign secured funds to expand Episcopal’s technology program, including connecting the campus to the internet thanks to the School’s first Senior Parent Gift.
Thanking an 1884 alumnus for his support of Episcopal’s first campaign, Archibald Robinson Hoxton, Sr. wrote “I feel that this old School is about to enter upon even more prosperous times and that the influence for good it has exerted in the past is to be widened and strengthened.” His timeless words recognize the power of a strong tradition and history combined with an optimistic, forward thinking vision for Episcopal High School. (We could pull this out as a quote, instead of using the one I identified below).
