A Charge for the Class of 2001

Principal Tingley (above) and his wife, Marcia (page 3, middle), who arrived at Exeter along with the class of 2001, were made honorary members of the class.

Members of the class of 2001, you have worked hard, learned much and contributed greatly to the life of the school and the education of your peers. The hard work you have performed has opened the doors of opportunity for you. Your friends, families and faculty wish you good fortune and Godspeed on your exciting journey.

High opportunity carries great responsibility, and thus, as you step forth from this Academy to make your way through life, I give you three charges that reflect the spirit of this school and the meaning of the lessons that you have learned here.

First, I charge you to use your generous hearts and talents to preserve the freedom and enhance the well-being of those less educated and less fortunate than you. Share the good fortune of your lessons at Phillips Exeter so that all of us on this small, fragile planet can live in peace.

Second, value truth. Your parents and your faculty have taught you to respect it. Pursue it in scholarship and in your work in the years to come. Demand it of yourself and others. In our country and in our world the truth needs your protection.

Finally, I charge you to remember that this group of individuals will never be assembled again on this earth. The memories of what you have learned together as a class are your unique trust and your unique debt to each other. Preserve those memories and revisit them often. They represent wisdom for today and many tomorrows. Rejoice in the love and support of your families, friends and faculty. Protect each other and keep each other safe, so that for many years to come you may rejoin this class and recall this important chapter in your lives now ending.