Harriet W. Thompson

Preceptress 1876-1898

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Harriet W. Thompson was born in the city of New York, October 21st, 1837. When she was but seven years old her mother died, and upon the death of her father in 1850 she, with a younger sister, was placed in Miss Graves's seminary in Bergen, New Jersey, where she remained until July, 1856. At the age of 16 she began in her Alma Mater her life work as teacher. For three years, 1857-59, she taught in West Havorford, Pa. In August, 1859, she was engaged to teach rhetoric, history, and physiology in the Ithaca Academy. Professor S. G. Williams was then its principal. She continued to teach in the academy until 1866. The catalogues for those years contain, among other well known names, those of George R. WILLIAMS, C. D. STOWELL, C. R. SHERWOOD , Col. W. S. SCHUYLER, A. B. BROOKS, Roger B. WILLIAMS, H. V. BOSTWICK, Ward GREGORY, Albert H. ESTY, Henry A. ST. JOHN, C. J. RUMSEY, Professor H. S. WWILLIAMS, E. J. BURRITT, George S. RANKIN, E. M. TREMAN, C. A. BUSH and S. D. HALLIDAY.

In 1866 she resigned her position in the Ithaca Academy to accept a position in Miss Havens's school for young ladies in New York City. Here she remained three years. In 1870 she returned to Ithaca to take care of her sister, who was very ill. Soon after her return she was again engaged to teach in the academy, but this time it was to teach French and German and for but one-half day . During this period she began to have serious trouble with her eyes and she expected to become blind. Accepting what seemed to be the inevitable, she set about fitting herself to continue her teaching after she was unable to study, and she systematically prepared lessons by having them read to her. To perfect herself as a teacher of French and German, she spent the year 1875-76 in France and Germany in study. She afterwards spent two summers abroad in study and travel. In August, 1876, she was elected preceptress of the Ithaca High School, a position which she continued to hold until her death, October 10th, 1898. During the twenty-five years since the organization of the Ithaca High School, the school has had four principals:


		Name					Elected		Resigned

	Fox HOLDEN, Olean, N. Y.........................1875..............1880

	D. O. BARTO, Princeton, Ill.....................1880..............1888

	L. H. TUTHILL, Homer, N. Y......................1888..............1890

	D. O. BARTON, re-elected........................1890..............1893

	F. D. BOYNTON...................................1893..............----

To all of these Miss THOMPSON proved herself an invaluable assistant. The firm grasp of detail, the excellent judgment and good sense of the preceptress, whose painstaking devotion to her work was the wonder and admiration of all whose good fortune it was to be associated with her, have kept the school, through all these changes, from materially suffering.

In 1888 she was called to the principalship of Sage College, and at different times the question of inviting her to a position in the instructing body of Cornell University has been considered by those in authority.

As a teacher she was far removed from conventionalism and drew to herself confidences innumerable. To equal her skill as an instructor has for many years been the ambition of her associates. The thoroughness and excellence of her work were widely recognized, and students who could secure her recommendation in French and German found the doors of the University open to them. Great as was her ability in the classroom, it was excelled in her firm, kind, tactful manner of dealing with students. There was nothing in her methods that aroused antagonism in the pupil; she appealed directly to the better nature while her tact as a disciplinarian amounted to genius. She was so prolific in resource that if one plan failed another would be substituted with such rapidity as to obliterate the memory of the first.

The excellent spirit which characterizes the relation between teacher and pupil in the Ithaca High School, the high ideals toward which the school aims, its wide reputation in this and other states, are largely due to the life and labor of its late preceptress. To be eminent in one line of work is an achievement that requires the concentrated energy of a lifetime. It is only the specially endowed who are able successfully to cultivate different fields. Miss THOMPSON was eminently successful as a teacher; she was equally successful in other lines. Hope sprang eternal in her breast. She possessed the power of magnifying the objects in which she was interested, until others became permeated with her enthusiasm. Combining charm with strength, imbued with pure motives, aiming at high ideals, she was ever working out plans for the accomplishment of the good of others.

To perpetuate her memory, a fund of $1,000 has been raised, the earnings of which are annually distributed to earnest and deserving students.

Thank you Mary Kreps for transcribing these records into digital format.

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