The CSW Time Machine Takes us to the 40's & 50's!

By Sherrill Bounnell P’19, Executive Assistant to the Head of School
This week's special edition takes us back to the 1940's & 1950's. I’d like to introduce you to Conrad White, Class of 1954. Connie, as he was known, left his home in Virginia and arrived at CSW in 1948 as a 7th grader back when the school had junior high school grades. Connie was the first Black student to enroll at CSW after learning of the school from a friend of his mother.

Connie was a boarding student who enthusiastically dived into campus life. He played basketball, baseball, and football, when the school had a football team! He was part of the theatre lighting stage crew. He served on several committees and was senior class president. His favorite hobbies were building radio transmitters and collecting jazz records -- he was thrilled to be able to combine his love of the two when he founded the school’s first radio station (one might say a precursor to today’s CSW Consolidated Media!).

Connie was a friend and mentor to many students across his years at CSW. He is remembered for his warmth, love of learning and positive inner strength, and he was known as “the anchor” of the Class of 1954. Connie recalled his time at CSW as “motivating and inspirational,” and stated that he received “an education that gave me a lot of confidence.”

“The greatest thing that CSW did for me was to convince me that I was able to achieve anything I set my mind to doing. It said to me ‘yes, you can,’” said Connie.

In his adult life Connie had a very successful career in multimedia development and television production, most notably working for 15 years at Boston’s public station WGBH and 30 years at Harvard University.

Throughout his life, Connie sustained his strong friendships with his fellow alum and remained devoted to his alma mater -- he served as a trustee and he was a regular attendee at reunion events -- every time he returned to campus he could be seen sporting his CSW school tie and baseball cap. Connie died in 2015, but even though his presence is missed, there’s no doubt that his extraordinary spirit and legacy will long live on. 

The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.