Francis Wass Legacy and Holiday Origin

Poly marked Francis Wass Day this year on September 30. Read on for a 2008 Paw Print article by Justin Worland ’10, currently a climate reporter for Time magazine, about the history and legacy of Francis. Photos and article shared by Barbara Bishop in the Poly Archives.

By Justin Worland ’10

 

During the school year, Poly students and faculty sporadically receive a day off on otherwise ordinary Mondays. While the Poly Community recognizes this free day as Francis Wass Day, few know the origin of the holiday or anything about Francis Wass himself. 

 

Wass began his time at Poly as a Latin and history teacher in 1962 and continued to teach at Poly for 32 years. According to History Department Chair Roger Ipswitch, he was a “beloved figure” throughout his entire career at Poly. Wass is credited with proposing and fostering the German program, which was incredibly popular throughout his tenure. At one point, he taught all of the school’s German classes by himself while also teaching Latin. 

 

Wass' commitment to teaching was evident to both his students and his colleagues. In an Oak Tree Times article from the summer of 1994, student Lindsay Feldmeth commented that: “few students have had as great an influence on my school life [as Mr. Wass]."

 

Former Head of School Mike Babcock commented on Wass in a spring 1996 article of the same publication. Babcock applauded Wass’ “commitment to sound scholarship and the life of the mind, along with a genuine delight in young people, which has inspired not only students but other faculty members."

 

Wass’ popularity and reputation did not derive solely from his strengths as a teacher. Ipswitch fondly recalls Wass’ annual tradition of wearing an Austrian mushroom picker’s hat while cheerfully ringing a cowbell to signify the end of the school year. Ipswitch also recollects a popular student exchange program Wass initiated with a school in Marburg, Germany. 

 

Today, faculty members who had the opportunity to work with Wass recall his contribution to the Poly community on every school holiday that bears his name. To those who were in attendance, the 1980 faculty meeting where Wass proposed the holiday remains memorable. Middle School teacher Jeff Yuré remembers the German teacher speaking up and explaining that too many months lacked school holidays and that sporadically adding a free day would help relieve students’ stress. Wass went on to say that the community would benefit from having free days when no other institution had them. 

 

The administration accepted his proposal and the idea gradually evolved into what it is today. Originally there was only one Francis Wass Day in the spring that was celebrated without being formally given Wass’ name. Today, there are two free Mondays each year that bear his name. 

 

Two years after his retirement in 1994, Wass passed away of cancer, much to the dismay of the students and teachers in the Poly community who knew him. Today's students, though, remain grateful for the free days that are his legacy.