FAR HILLS COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF ALFRED “RIK” DUGAN, III AS DIRECTOR OF UPPER SCHOOL

Far Hills, NJ — Far Hills Country Day School (FHCDS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Alfred “Rik” Dugan, III as Director of Upper School.  Mr. Dugan replaces Day Rosenberg, who is moving to a position as Assistant Head of School at New Canaan Country School.

Mr. Dugan is currently the Director of Secondary School Counseling at FHCDS, where he has upheld the school’s high acceptance rates to the finest day and boarding schools in the country.  He has held this position for the past five years.  Mr. Dugan also teaches Upper School English, coaches boys lacrosse, oversees the school debate team, helps coordinate global initiatives, and has chaired the diversity outreach task force.  He is a recipient of the National Association of Independent School’s Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads.  

Prior to working at FHCDS, Mr. Dugan worked at Delbarton School for nine years where he taught English, coached football and lacrosse, was junior class moderator, and served on the admissions committee.  

About his appointment, Mr. Dugan states, “I look forward to stewarding the vision of our school founders, to building upon the success of our current program, and in the spirit of our motto, In Virtute Multi Ascensus, to establishing the FHCDS Upper School as the preeminent ‘middle school program’ in the nation.” Additionally he states, “Our FHCDS faculty is a talented, invested, and professional group of lifelong learners who model excellence and character in all moments.  I am humbled and honored to assume the role of Director of Upper School and I look forward to the opportunity to lead a team of such dynamic leaders.”

Mr. Dugan earned his B.A. in English from Williams College and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Columbia University’s Teachers College, where he was a Klingenstein Summer Institute fellow.  Outside of school, he is a director for the Global Youth Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization that empowers young people to create positive change in their schools and communities.  He lives with his wife and two children in Mendham, NJ.

Head of School, Jayne Geiger, states, “Rik’s educational background, natural connection to young people, and strong leadership abilities will all contribute to the success we know he will have in this new role.  He will be working with an exceptionally strong faculty and middle school program, ensuring that we will continue to provide the very best education for each of our students.”

Far Hills Country Day School is a PreK-grade eight independent school that is guided by a dual mission to provide each child brilliant beginnings for success in the modern world through academic excellence and character development.  The school is situated on 54 acres in Far Hills, New Jersey.  The campus includes learning gardens, age specific computer labs and media centers, a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center, a large Athletics Center including a climbing wall, outdoor fields and tennis courts, a ropes course, meadows, ponds, and woodlands.  

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For additional information about the school, please visit our website at www.fhcds.org or contact Susan Carpenter, Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications at scarpenter@fhcds.org or 908.766.0622 x427.

“The 1940 Census – What?  How? And Why?” to be topic of May 22 Family History Interest Group meeting at Bernards Township Library     

       Images of the 1940 United States Federal Census were recently released to the public for the first time, much to the delight of family historians.  Tens of millions of people living in the United States in 1940 are still living today, making this a record set that connects people with recent family records.            

 At the May 22 Family History Interest Group meeting Peggy Norris, M.S., M.L.S., will discuss what is in the 1940 census, how to access it before it is indexed, and, perhaps most importantly, why you’d want to use it!  In addition, she’ll provide useful hints on using any censuses to gain insight into the lives of our ancestors and their communities.             

Local History and Genealogy librarian for the Ridgewood Public Library since 1997, and the Ridgewood Village Historian, Norris reports that her research has spanned the pre-Internet age to the present and she’s learned “on the job.”  She’s hoping to use the 1940 census to solve a few personal puzzles and see what her families looked like in 1940. 
 
           Federal Census records, originally collected for apportionment of members of the US House of Representatives, are highly regarded by genealogy researchers because they describe individuals and relationships at a specific point in time and place.  While general data from a census is available almost immediately, individual survey responses are embargoed for 72 years to preserve the privacy of respondents.  The 1940 census covered the traditional, standard questions and also collected some new and most interesting information, showing us what issues were most relevant to Americans after a decade of economic depression.            

 Thanks to contemporary Internet technologies, 1940 census images are freely available through several websites, both governmental and commercial. Even before the release, efforts began to create a name index for more accurate searching, and this work continues apace.  In the meantime a variety of tools and helps for searching without an index are available, several of which will be described and demonstrated at the meeting.   Meetings of FHIG are FREE and are held from 7:00 – 8:30 pm in Program Room B on the lower level at Bernards Township Library.  Coffee is served at 6:30 pm.  All are welcome, whether they have been previously involved with family history or not, to learn how to be more successful in their genealogy searches. F.H.I.G. meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month except December.  Visit the Bernards Township Library website at www.BernardsLibrary.org to subscribe to the FHIG (Genealogy) e-newsletter and learn more about the activities of this group.  For additional information please call the Library at 908.204.3031, ext. 7 or email RLufkin@Bernards.org

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Family History Interest Group at Bernards Township Library May 22, 2012  — Coffee at 6:30pm, Meeting 7:00 to 8:45pm FREE“The 1940 Census – What?  How? & Why? ” Presenter: Peggy Norris Peggy Norris, Local History Librarian at the Ridgewood Library, and the Ridgewood Village Historian, will discuss what is in the 1940 United States Federal Census, images of which were recently released to the public for the first time.  That census covered the traditional, standard questions and also collected some new and most interesting information.  Norris will demonstrate how to access it before it is indexed, and talk about why you’d want to use it!  In addition, she’ll provide useful hints on using any censuses to gain insight into the lives of our ancestors and their communities.  Please plan to attend!