Poughkeepsie Day School marked Founders' Day on Saturday, September 30. Founders' Day was established by PDS director Tony Buccelli to celebrate the history and mission of Poughkeepsie Day School. The first Founders' Day in 1994 honored founding director Elizabeth Gilkeson (pictured in an early photo, top left, and at right with former director Dick Hanson) in recognition of the school's 60th anniversary.

Read Josie Holford's speech delivered on Founders' Day 2006.

New head of school Josie Holford was innaugerated at this year's Founders' Day (schedule above). The evening event included a welcome reception, sponsored by the board of trustees, introductory remarks by Tom Tinker, former acting head of Trevor Day School in New York, and a special presentation by Julie Stevenson, president of the board. Sidereal, the school's a cappella singing group, performed and a short PowerPoint/video program helped us remember all of the inspiring teachers and school leaders who have made the Day School so special over the years.

Founders' Days of yore...

Previous Founders' Day celebrations have featured speakers in the Elizabeth C. Gilkeson lecture series (Ellen Gallinsky, co-founder and co-director of the Families and Work Institute in New York; Christina Hoff-Sommers, professor of philosophy at Clark University; Peter Relic, president of the National Association of Independent Schools; Sheila Sadler, founding director of Village Community School in New York; John Agresto, former present of St. John's College in Santa Fe, NM; and Leon Botstein, president of Bard College. It has also served as the occasion for honoring veteran faculty members (1997) and dedicating new buildings (Kenyon House in 1995 and Gilkeson Center in 1999). A special memorial service for Tony Buccelli was held at Founders' Day in 2001. And in 2004, PDS celebrated its 70th anniversary on Founders' Day. For more information, contact the development and communciations office.