At the core of this project is an ongoing effort to identify and interview people who have had a close association with Curtis and who can help reconstruct and elaborate both the momentous and mundane events and practices that have shaped the school through the years. For the past year and a half, David Pappin, special advisor for alumni outreach, has spent many hours speaking with former administrators, board members, parents, alumni and others who were able to contribute firsthand knowledge to a growing archive of information. Their stories include people, events and facts connected with the school as well as personal memories and impressions. As these interviews are transcribed and reviewed, excerpts in the form of audio clips will be shared with the Curtis community on the school website. Each month, David Pappin will introduce a new subject or story from one of the interviews and will provide information about the speaker and context for the audio clip. We hope you will enjoy these stories, and we invite you to respond with your own memories and additional relevant information. Our goal is to build an archive of knowledge about our school and its history, and we need your help to accomplish it.
David Pappin is uniquely qualified to serve as master interviewer for the Curtis Oral History Project. He has been a teacher and administrator at Curtis for almost 30 years, beginning his career as a substitute teacher at the St. Victor’s campus in 1979. Only two people currently on the faculty have been at Curtis longer than he. Most people know him as “Coach” Pappin from his long tenure as director of athletics from 1980 to 2006. He was appointed head of the Upper School in 1989 and directed that division for eight years while he was also director of athletics. Serving the school for so long in key leadership positions, David Pappin has known or met many of the people who have witnessed or influenced the development of the school. This familiarity and his vast foundational knowledge about Curtis enable him to make the most of each interview. Many hours of recorded conversations are providing a wealth of information about Curtis’ history.
Fittingly, the first audio clip comes from David Pappin’s interviews with Willard E. (“Bill”) Badham, headmaster at Curtis from 1964 to 1992. Bill Badham was the first headmaster who was not a Curtis family member; he also held that office longer than any other headmaster to date. By the time he retired, he had devoted 44 years to Curtis as a teacher and administrator—more than anyone else associated with the school before or since. Bill Badham established many practices and traditions we observe at Curtis today. The audio clip tells the story of the beginning of a cherished Curtis tradition that continues to touch every student daily. Mr. Badham is now 85 years old and lives in Encino, California. He delighted many former students by attending the Alumni Cocktail Reunion last year.
