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This 1963 statement by Monk Terry to the Middlesex School alumni is clear evidence of the School's intention to hold all its land east of Bateman's Pond as a wildlife preserve in connection with the Harvard-MCZ purchases nearby. As far as I know, this was never denied, modified or rescinded.
Lawrence "Monk" Terry was not only the long-time headmaster of the School (1938-1964), but also was at about this time the co-chair (with the town) of the major fund raising drive to acquire Harvard's part of the Woods; and he was the vice-chair of the Museum of Comparative Zoology visiting committee. (Middlesex School's board of trustees was at the time very much involved in the conservation project: they were active in loaning money and obtaining options on neighboring properties for eventual MCZ acquisition, for example. And the chair of Middlesex's trustees was at about this time also chair of the MCZ's visiting committee. A real interlocking directorate. So Mr. Terry knew whereof he spoke.) The important paragraph in Mr. Terry's statement reads as follows:
"Of
tremendous interest to biologists and laymen alike is the exciting
proposal to establish the woodland on the other side of the pond as a
wildlife sanctuary. Retired hut-builders and those of you who, in
the sturdy early days of skiing, wandered through the winter woods to
Punkatasset, will not be surprised to hear that the School land abuts
the largest piece of uninhabited property within seventy-five miles of
Cambridge. In it out of sight of highways and split level ranch
houses, living as they always have, are deer and fox, coon, otter, and
muskrat, porcupine, weasel and woodchuck. The Harvard Museum of
Comparative Zoology and the Town Conservation Commission of Concord
are working with the School to try to make this dream come true,
and in the studio at the top of Eliot we are preparing a contour map covering
the whole 1,400 acres under consideration. In time we hope to
see our older students helping college graduates with research
projects centered on these woods. Surely the grandsons of boys now
in School will rejoice to live beside this quiet, protected area."
Just look at that, my friends: "to
establish the woodland on the other side of the pond as a wildlife
sanctuary," he says. And, of course, the 1,400 acres he referred to includes the Middlesex School tract; there are contemporaneous maps (one from the MCZ and another used by fund raisers) that confirm that. This verifies the memories of many graduates, donors, and citizens! See also the dozen
other documents that support this!
I also attach a GIF
file (60K) of the page in the Alumni Bulletin, suitable for printing.
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