James S. Still
OPC ’75, Alumni Board President

The first time that I heard that Penn Charter was going co-ed my reaction was two-fold: good and it’s about time! This reaction stemmed from both my experience as a student at Penn Charter but, more important, my experience as a student at Amherst College during its period of transition into a co-educational school. As with most things in life, it was not one major factor or another that influenced my decision but a group of inter-related experiences.

While I loved P.C. when I was a student there in the early 1970s, I found that the environment of a co-educational institution felt more natural then an all-male atmosphere. I also believed that the quality of the student body would improve due to the school’s ability to draw from a larger talent pool in the Delaware Valley. As a current father of two boys at Penn Charter, I believe that the school is an extraordinarily healthy place from a cultural and social standpoint to say nothing of its stature as an excellent place to study as well.

My experience at Amherst was in some respects more interesting and instructive in shading my views on what was best for Penn Charter. My father, a graduate of Amherst from the Class of 1944, vehemently objected to his alma mater’s decision to allow women in the fall of 1974. Ironically, it was the early winter of 1974 when I was admitted to Amherst, thus joining what would be the last all-male class to enter Amherst College. My college experience was a positive one as well and convinced me that the co-educational environment was a healthier environment for most – not all – students. The fact that I married one of the first graduates of Amherst College might have had an impact on my thinking as well.

In closing, I have witnessed from both afar and up close the transition that Penn Charter has gone through. The administration, faculty, and Overseers deserve praise for the remarkable manner in which they executed what from the outside appeared to be a relatively seamless transition. Penn Charter was a great school when I was there – a great school well before I was there – and an equally fine institution now. Offering this opportunity to both boys and girls is, in the end, a very good thing.