RE Log Spring 2018

“We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for seven remarkable decades of service and devotion.” – Head of School Penny Townsend and pure persistence. He purchased boats for the school. He helped bring the inter- scholastic championships to the campus. He mentored RE’s coaches and top sailors. “I pushed very hard for it,” Anderson said. “It’s very important. It’s a good experience for the youngsters. We’d be throwing away the opportunity to use the bay as a campus if we didn’t do that.” Anderson’s generosity extended beyond the school’s sailing program. Former trustee Peter Bermont, who co-led the late 1980s capital campaign that funded the school’s first gymnasium/student activi- ties center, said his first plea for support went to Harry Anderson. “We went to Harry, and Harry never said no,” Bermont said. “He was as generous as he could be.” The school honored Anderson, whose financial gifts to the school exceeded $500,000, by unveiling the Henry H. Anderson ’38 Gymnasium and the Harry Anderson’38 Watersports Center. SPRING 2018 Ransom Everglades LOG 13 “He has a very sincere interest in the school – not just sailing,” Otto said. “He has the wherewithal and the brains to do things, and he follows his curiosity and his passions. He makes valuable contribu- tions. He brings energy, insight and a spir- it of adventure – with a lot of IQ behind it. “He was – and is – highly respected.” Even as Anderson’s trips to Coconut Grove have become less frequent in recent years, he has stayed connected. He frequently emails Penny Townsend with notes and pieces of advice. Last summer, the head of school traveled to Mystic to have lunch with Anderson; they were joined by C.T. Ludington’s grandson Nick Bell ‘82 , and son Towny, a former profes- sor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Anderson dressed up in his finest commodore attire for the engagement, then regaled his guests with stories about Ransom Everglades. “I feel honored to have known and spent time with Harry Anderson,” Penny Townsend said. “He has been an invalu- able custodian of our values and ethos. He represents the very best of Ransom Everglades School, and has shaped our history more than anyone besides [found- ers] Paul Ransom and Marie Swenson. “We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for seven remarkable decades of service and devotion.”