893. The Putney School

The school was founded in 1935. A large number of important people are listed as alumnis.

They were mentioned in a lawsuit where an old man froze to death after he donated his money to the school.

Recently former students have criticized the school for not protecting the younger student from older students who have felt their sexuality violated.

One incident is the described in an article in “The Commons”

APOPULAR SENIOR BOY cornered me alone in the basement of the dining hall, where I had gone to use one of the school’s few payphones. This boy, 18 or 19 years old to my 14, began pressuring me to have sex with him.

I refused, but he persisted, complimenting my looks, professing his desires, and masterfully laying on the charm. Eventually, feeling worn down and not knowing what else to do, I gave up and schlepped with him across campus to his dorm room.

We had sex. I don’t recall hating it, or feeling much of anything—just numbness. In any case, I must have subconsciously reasoned, he was friendly enough, and good-looking, and it was better than being bullied.

Alison Dean

On Reddit a former student claim that the school withheld food, possibility to sleep and forced students to work hard outside as punishment and avoided using medical care.

It could not have been fun to be there as a student.

Sources:

• Son claims his wealthy, reclusive and ill elderly father was pressured into leaving millions to a boarding school prior to freezing to death in his $10M New York City townhouse (The Daily Mail online)
• I Attended Felicity Huffman’s Boarding School And I Learned More Than I Bargained For (The Huffington Post)
• ‘Get over it’ is exactly what readers told me to do (The Commons)
• The Putney School (Reddit Troubled Teen Group)