Reno’s Faculty Hall of Fame
Inductees: Anne Edwards and Don Mellor '71
The first woman inducted into my Northwood Teacher’s Hall of Fame is Anne Edwards (née Connellan). Annie arrived in 1983 after her collegiate education at Saint Lawrence and the University of Rouen. After thirty-four years at the School, (she stayed long enough to teach the children of former students), she moved to China, accompanying her husband and fellow Northwood faculty member, Jeff. There she taught and did college guidance at an English-speaking school. Anne and Jeff’s three children – Elizabeth ‘08, Nick ’11, and Matt ’14 all graduated from Northwood.
Annie began her career as a French instructor and later became Chair of the Language Department before adding psychology to her repertoire and eventually teaching English in her last few years here. In both subject areas, her success arose from both a solid mastery of the craft of teaching and an obvious and unflagging concern for her students. I was English Department Chair in those days and occasionally asked students how their English class with her was going. A summary of the unanimous response would be “She’s great; a really good teacher, so nice.” For decades, the department had been mostly male (with the exception of Bev Stellges). Annie created a diverse syllabus for her course and gave her students the viewpoints of a strong, confident, cheerful woman.
Her contribution went well beyond the classroom. She was the School’s Academic Director for 25 years. We worked together in college guidance; she wrote terrific recommendations and had great instincts about which colleges would suit her advisees best. She founded our CARE group and Reading Club, helped run the girls’ dorm. Her not so copious free time was spent being a great mother and doing all the fun Adirondacky outdoor stuff. What I personally most admired her for was her generous spirit and positive mind set. Every student she dealt with benefitted from her empathy and genuine interest in their well-being. She was also a model for our female students.
Hence, it is most appropriate that the school established a graduation award in her name. Its wording captures well her spirit and contribution: There’s an essence to Northwood School that cannot be put into words. Instead, it shows itself in the actions and character of its community. For thirty-four years, no one displayed that essence better than Anne Edwards, inspiring community service, offering a maternal shoulder to students in need, even teaching hockey players to knit. Annie wasn’t just an instructor. She was a living personification of the school itself.
If I had chosen to do the list in order of magnitude of contribution to Northwood, Don Mellor ‘71 would have been the first inductee. Don embodies the slogan of this year’s Annual Fund drive – Climb Higher Together. In whichever of his many roles students or colleagues encountered him, his help took them more than forward; it raised them. In the classroom, he was witty and thought-provoking. Now that he is retired, the English department has no stalwart advocate for the inclusion of the systematic study of grammar, crucial to the clarity of prose and useful in its reminder that order and discipline matter, even in a weekend theme. He believed that the students should share their essays with their classmates, crucial to making them understand that writing is about communicating, not just getting a grade. He led discussions of novels like A Lesson Before Dying that sensitized our sophomores to important issues like racism and allowed his students to see opposing views without discomfort or disparagement.
His reach went well beyond the classroom; he served as Head of Discipline for years and as Assistant Head to Ed Good and school counselor. Those were roles though. His most lasting impact came from the time he spent with students in the living room and at the top of a mountain or rock face. Having been a student here, he incorporated what he learned from the best of his mentors and avoided the pedagogy of the pompous, careless and impersonal. The ability to transfer one’s passions to students is perhaps the salient characteristic of great teachers. Don spent a substantial of his years here on a living room couch, discussing with them the particular events of the day or the eternal verities of what is good and what is right. In these conversations, he was more peer than teacher, listening carefully and respectfully, spicing the conversations with humor, and challenging with questions that helped broaden students’ perspectives. He spent even more time on expeditions getting communal people comfortable with the Adirondacks' version of nature. His jests helped relax even the most nervous rookie ice climbers. He taught trust and respect and attention to detail that carried into their daily lives. Ultimately, they learned that life was an adventure, deserving the courage of the intrepid and the prudent caution of the experienced.
Beyond what he has given to his Northwood students and colleagues, he has been a nationally renowned climber. The “Dean of Adirondack Climbing” has written numerous books including American Rock, Climbing in the Adirondacks, and Alpine Americas. He has put his master’s in psychology to use as Board Chair of The Samaritan Family Counseling Center.
His inclusion in the Hall of Fame that I have begun is as obvious a selection as I could make. To quote Northwood’s Mission Statement, He has truly lived a “life of consequence.” Hundreds of Northwood students would attest to the impact his guidance has made on their lives and to his modelling of our core values: respect, responsibility, courage, compassion, and integrity.