Massanutten Military Academy is located in Woodstock VA, in the scenic Shenandoah Valley. When Philip attended school there it was remote, rural and fairly isolated. The downtown consisted of a movie theater, a drug store, a diner, a few churches and the sheriff's office/court house. While it is still a distance from any sizable city (about 80 miles from Washington), Woodstock now contains the usual sad array of suburban sprawl: Wal-Mart, lots of fast food restaurants, a number of housing developments, etc. The historic downtown, however, looks pretty much the same and is quite attractive. Philip had not been back since he graduated 40 years ago, so everything looked very different to him.
The campus is beautiful and, except for a couple of new buildings, has not changed much. When we arrived on Friday we walked around the campus and Philip pointed out all the important landmarks: where he lived, where he had classes, and the route he and his roommate took to sneak off campus and go downtown to buy liquor. The building which housed the mess hall when he was there is now a student center with pool tables, TVs, etc. The mess hall is now located in a beautiful new building. We ran into the President of the Academy on our walk (we had met him a couple of years ago at an alumni dinner in Providence) and he sent us up to his office where his secretary gave us visitor passes so that we could go anywhere on campus. We waited until lunch time so that we had a chance to watch the cadets line up and march to lunch--the cadets must get into formation and march to every meal.
Across the street from the campus is the Alumni Association building, and they were hosting a cookout for the alumni there. We met several men (the school was all-male until the late 70s) who graduated in the 30s and 40s, and a number who were from classes in the 50s and 60s. Later that evening was a wonderful party at the President's home, where we had a chance to talk to quite a number of people who remembered Philip.
Saturday was the football game, with a tailgate barbeque before the game. During the game we talked to several other alumni, and Philip took part in a halftime drill contest. Alumni and current cadets were invited to come down to the field and see who could be the "last man standing" during a rapid-fire drill instruction (with rifles). I was very impressed at how well Philip remembered his drills! He didn't make it to the end, but he lasted a lot longer than most of the other alumni. We won the football game, and we even sat next to the newly named Homecoming Queen (whose father was visiting that weekend).
That night was a banquet, where we sat with John Smuck and his wife, and a wonderful couple from Florida--Toby and Tula. Toby graduated in 1943 and is still selling swimming pools in Florida. Tula is a newly retired grade school teacher.
I was very impressed with the school. The cadets are polite, smart and obviously happy to be there. The discipline and structure offered by the school shows even in the way they interact with each other. We saw students studying in groups in the library; at the football game; walking to and from class. They are normal teenagers, having fun, but I didn't see any of the meanspirited behavior that so often takes place in public high schools. The school has a 100% college acceptance rate (which they've had for the past five years) and it shows.
Philip even went upstairs to his old dorm room--he could barely breathe when he got to the top of the stairs, but he saw his old room!
It was a fun weekend, and we're hoping to go back next year. Philip's old roommate has gone to Homecoming nearly every year, but couldn't make it this year. We're hoping he'll come next year, too. Click on the Massanutten 2006 album to see some pictures. Click on an individual picture to enlarge it. The brass sign posted on the court house is clearly readable and quite interesting.
