Tribute to the 100th Anniversary of the Bellows Free Academy of Fairfax VT

TRIBUTE TO THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BELLOWS FREE ACADEMY OF FAIRFAX VT

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary of the founding of Bellows Free Academy in Fairfax, VT.

Bellows Free Academy is one of the last schools in Vermont that serves student from kindergarten through 12th grade. As such, many families in Fairfax enjoy the advantage of having their children attend the facility from their first day of school through high school graduation.

And it is a very nice facility. The original 1903 building, which burned down in January 1941, was replaced and dedicated in 1942. Additions in 1960, 1973, 1990, and 1999 have kept the school up to date with modern space, equipment and facilities. Located in the heart of one of Vermont's fastest growing towns, BFA is a venerable school whose playgrounds and athletic fields are framed by woods and meadows, with a new land acquisition providing access to the nearby Lamoille River. Several vantage points reveal majestic views of Mount Mansfield, Vermont's tallest mountain.

In discussing BFA, a point of clarity is in order, as there are two schools in Vermont named Bellows Free Academy, and both are in Franklin County. Each school owes its founding to the same benefactor, but people in Fairfax are quick to point out that theirs is the original BFA, even if it is smaller, in terms of student enrollment, to its namesake in St. Albans.

BFA, Fairfax, was established through the generous provisions of the 1876 will of Hiram Bellows, who was born in Fairfax in 1798.

As a young person, Hiram Bellows lived at the farm of his birth and attended grammar school at a nearby schoolhouse. He advanced to the small graded school in town when good fortune brought a college graduate to Fairfax to teach for a short period of time. Hiram was unable to progress further in formal education, however, because his parents could not afford the academy fees to attend the high school equivalent of his day.

Hiram Bellows was an industrious man and an able judge of character. For some time, he made his living operating a general store and 'tinkering' in real estate. It is said that he liked to bargain, and invariably whittled on a piece of wood while studying the face of the man with whom a deal was being contemplated.

He served as State senator from Franklin County; was a charter member of the Vermont and Canada Railroad Company; founding associate of the Parish of Christ Church, Episcopal; and first president of the First National Bank of St. Albans.

In regard to his nature and character, a niece once recalled that he was "a kind, delightful gentleman, whose house was always open."

Upon his death, Hiram Bellows' will included provisions for the establishment of a free academy in Fairfax. Here follows several terms of his will:

I give, and bequeath in trust to my native town of Fairfax, two hundred and fifty shares in the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company, the par value, one hundred dollars each.

The dividends thereon as far as practical, to be invested in said stock, until the same shall amount to two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, for the purpose of establishing a free school in said town of Fairfax. Said school to be located upon the premises hereinafter mentioned and described.

Said school to be known and called 'the Bellows Free Academy of Fairfax, Vermont'. In which Academy the primary and higher branches of learning shall be taught. Said Academy shall be conducted in all respects in such a manner as to further the education of children and young men, so as to fit them for usefulness, and so as is practical, it is my wish that children of indigent parents receive and advantage of said school in preference to those who have ample means of support of their children . . .

And so, in the same year that Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved human flight from a sand dune in Kitty Hawk, NC, Hiram Bellows' estate of railroad stock founded a free academy on a village lot in Fairfax, VT.

Generations of Hiram Bellows family have attended and graduated from the school he so generously established. I am old his descendants attend BFA to this day. And with the generations of Bellows', so have been graduated generation after generation of other familiar Fairfax families.

A school of course, does not exist and cannot thrive in and of itself. In this regard, Fairfax has a strong tradition of community support for its school, and that tradition is reflected in the quality of students, teachers, administrators, directors, and staff at BFA over the century of its existence.

The list of those responsible for the continued growth and success of the academy goes on and on. There are specific individuals who, I am sure, are worthy of specific praise. But perhaps even more importantly, there are the countless people who contribute immeasurable hours in innumerable ways to endless projects. They are the backbone of the community; they comprise the sustaining force of the school.

So the Bellows Free Academy of Fairfax owes its beginnings to a remarkable man named Hiram Bellows. It does its proud history to its administration, teachers, students, and above all, its community.

Its future depends on sustaining all of the above. And while there are indeed numerous families who count generations of graduates from Bellows Free Academy, judging by its rate of growth, Fairfax also benefits greatly from contributions of newer residents, many drawn to this community, I suspect, precisely because of the strong reputation of its school system.

So, it is with great pleasure that I offer my congratulations to all those, past and present, involved with the Bellows Free Academy of Fairfax, VT.

Moreover, I am pleased to recognize the generosity and foresight of its founder, Hiram Bellows.

Happy 100th birthday, BFA.