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Darlington School Board of Trustees names interim president
Mar 25, 2004 8:00 AM
By Stefan Eady - Faculty
The Board of Trustees for Darlington School is pleased to announce the appointment of James P. Hendrix Jr., from Atlanta, to serve as the School’s interim president beginning July 1, 2004. A nine-member Search Committee led by Board Vice Chair John H. Irby has worked with former Darlington president James P. McCallie and a team of his associates from Educators Collaborative to identify candidates for the position. Concluding a two and a half month endeavor, the committee has recommended and received approval from the Board to offer the position to veteran educator Dr. Hendrix, who has accepted the position.
Hendrix brings 25 years of experience as a headmaster of three independent schools, in addition to serving as the head of a history/social studies department and academic dean for two independent schools and as history associate professor and dean of admissions and financial aid for two universities. He most recently served from 1991 to 2003 as headmaster of The Lovett School, Atlanta, an independent school serving 1,500 students, K-12, with 275 faculty and staff. He has also served as headmaster of Ravenscroft School, Raleigh, N.C., and Greensboro Day School, Greensboro, N.C.
A native North Carolinian and 1963 graduate of Davidson College, Hendrix received an MA and Ph.D. in History from Louisiana State University. He has chaired three Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation committees and has served as a member on five others. He has also served as co-leader of the Southern Association of Independent Schools Annual Summer Seminar in Independent School Administration from 1981 to the present.
Hendrix is a noted author and speaker on Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their exploration of the American West and Pacific Northwest for Thomas Jefferson. He is a 34-year veteran instructor of history, including courses in U.S. History, Ancient and Medieval History, American Studies, Advanced Placement U.S. History, and various electives, such as History of Trans-Mississippi West, Fiction as History of the Recent American Experience, and South and Southwest – Literature and History.
Hendrix is also an accomplished fly fisherman and outdoorsman, having trout and salmon fished in 18 states, New Zealand, Canada, Ecuador, and Scotland, and is an avid backpacker, a hobby that included a 100 mile, week long trek retracing part of the Lewis and Clark route in the Bitterroot Mountains of Northern Idaho.
Darlington Board of Trustees Chair Roby Robinson said, “To have a person of Jim Hendrix’ accomplishments and stature in the field of independent school education accept the interim president position speaks emphatically to his own respect for Darlington’s long heritage, the quality and dedication of its faculty and support team, and its reputation for providing a superior secondary education in the Southeast. Jim will be of great assistance to the School and the Board during his tenure and to our search for David Hicks’ successor.”
In addition to John Irby, a Darlington Class of 1981 alumnus and trustee, other members of the Search Committee included the following: Joan W. Brock, Class of 1974, current parent and Alumni Council member, Rome, Ga.; Jere A. Drummond, Class of 1957, trustee, Atlanta; Suzy B. Gilbert, trustee, grandparent, and past parent, Armuchee, Ga.; William A. Mitchell Jr., Class of 1958, trustee and past chair of the Board of Trustees, Atlanta; David L. Powell, Thatcher Chair of English, faculty member and parent, Rome, Ga.; Roby Robinson Jr., Class of 1958, chair of the Board of Trustees, Alpharetta, Ga.; William G. Smith Jr., Class of 1972, trustee, Tallahassee, Fla.; and Delos H. Yancey III, Class of 1977, current parent and member of the Board of Visitors, Rome, Ga.
Educators Collaborative has already begun background work needed to identify Darlington School’s next permanent president by interviewing and seeking input from much of the Darlington constituency. From these interviews, Educators Collaborative will produce an Information for Candidates Report that will prioritize Darlington’s strengths and challenges and the qualities/qualifications sought in a new president, with the goal of identifying candidates and having a president in place for the 2005-06 school year.
Hendrix brings 25 years of experience as a headmaster of three independent schools, in addition to serving as the head of a history/social studies department and academic dean for two independent schools and as history associate professor and dean of admissions and financial aid for two universities. He most recently served from 1991 to 2003 as headmaster of The Lovett School, Atlanta, an independent school serving 1,500 students, K-12, with 275 faculty and staff. He has also served as headmaster of Ravenscroft School, Raleigh, N.C., and Greensboro Day School, Greensboro, N.C.
A native North Carolinian and 1963 graduate of Davidson College, Hendrix received an MA and Ph.D. in History from Louisiana State University. He has chaired three Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation committees and has served as a member on five others. He has also served as co-leader of the Southern Association of Independent Schools Annual Summer Seminar in Independent School Administration from 1981 to the present.
Hendrix is a noted author and speaker on Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and their exploration of the American West and Pacific Northwest for Thomas Jefferson. He is a 34-year veteran instructor of history, including courses in U.S. History, Ancient and Medieval History, American Studies, Advanced Placement U.S. History, and various electives, such as History of Trans-Mississippi West, Fiction as History of the Recent American Experience, and South and Southwest – Literature and History.
Hendrix is also an accomplished fly fisherman and outdoorsman, having trout and salmon fished in 18 states, New Zealand, Canada, Ecuador, and Scotland, and is an avid backpacker, a hobby that included a 100 mile, week long trek retracing part of the Lewis and Clark route in the Bitterroot Mountains of Northern Idaho.
Darlington Board of Trustees Chair Roby Robinson said, “To have a person of Jim Hendrix’ accomplishments and stature in the field of independent school education accept the interim president position speaks emphatically to his own respect for Darlington’s long heritage, the quality and dedication of its faculty and support team, and its reputation for providing a superior secondary education in the Southeast. Jim will be of great assistance to the School and the Board during his tenure and to our search for David Hicks’ successor.”
In addition to John Irby, a Darlington Class of 1981 alumnus and trustee, other members of the Search Committee included the following: Joan W. Brock, Class of 1974, current parent and Alumni Council member, Rome, Ga.; Jere A. Drummond, Class of 1957, trustee, Atlanta; Suzy B. Gilbert, trustee, grandparent, and past parent, Armuchee, Ga.; William A. Mitchell Jr., Class of 1958, trustee and past chair of the Board of Trustees, Atlanta; David L. Powell, Thatcher Chair of English, faculty member and parent, Rome, Ga.; Roby Robinson Jr., Class of 1958, chair of the Board of Trustees, Alpharetta, Ga.; William G. Smith Jr., Class of 1972, trustee, Tallahassee, Fla.; and Delos H. Yancey III, Class of 1977, current parent and member of the Board of Visitors, Rome, Ga.
Educators Collaborative has already begun background work needed to identify Darlington School’s next permanent president by interviewing and seeking input from much of the Darlington constituency. From these interviews, Educators Collaborative will produce an Information for Candidates Report that will prioritize Darlington’s strengths and challenges and the qualities/qualifications sought in a new president, with the goal of identifying candidates and having a president in place for the 2005-06 school year.
