A year ago, when he sat down with Steve Wilkins to discuss making a gift to Proctor, Jim Dunbar '49 handed Steve a letter he had written to convey his emotions for this school. "I would like to tell you my story," the letter began, "It is the story of a young boy, misunderstood for many years, who came to find personal confidence and belief in himself through the help of caring adults during a very difficult time in his life." After recounting Jim's successes at Proctor, Babson College and in business, the letter continued, "Today, I would like to pay back some of the many gifts I have received from Proctor with a gift in the amount of $1,000,000." Jim's success at Proctor was enabled in part by the existence of a remedial reading program founded--according to local legend--in the late 1930s.
Proctor's Lyle Farrell was a friend and admirer of Dr. Samuel T. Orton, the nation's pioneer in defining the nature of learning disabilities in bright youngsters. Over the decades, as the complexity of human brain function was revealed, the Learning Skills program evolved away from Orton's emphasis on remediation, and--under the leadership of Alice Fowler and John Schoeller in the 1970's--emerged as the prototype for mainstream, college preparatory support.
As the demand for admission to Proctor with tutorial support soared, so did the ratio of students experiencing "ownership" of their education: self-advocacy, time management skills and academic self-understanding. Increasingly, the notion of "learning disability" became relatively irrelevant, as families simply sought the best balance of academic structure, accountability and freedom. Today, out of 330 students, approximately 100 meet with a learning specialist as part of their day.
Over the past thirty years, two significant developments diversified Proctor's reputation beyond academic support: the school's leadership in experiential modes of teaching and learning, and the informal, egalitarian ethos that distinguishes this student-centered community. These qualities attract students for whom the existence of the Learning Skills program is simply a comforting detail...that here, the adults are all dedicated to your academic success.
Imagine how many Jim Dunbars are enrolled today!
