Long before Rudy Boschwitz ’47 distinguished himself as a U.S. Senator representing Minnesota (1978 -1991), special emissary to Ethiopia (1991), or Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva (2005), he began his journey at Pennington when he was just fourteen years old, spending three formative years at the School.

At the time, tuition and boarding totaled $900 annually (a considerable sum in the 1940s)! To help offset the cost, Boschwitz worked in the dining hall setting tables, earning $300 a year. “All big dollars in those days,” he recalled

Boschwitz recently reflected on his time at The Pennington School, offering heartfelt encouragement to today’s students—many of whom, like him at that age, may be yearning for a sense of direction.

He fondly recalls the calming presence of Dr. Francis Harvey Green, who dined at his own table by the entrance of the dining room. After dinner, Boschwitz and others would often sit with him. “I was young. I missed my family,” he says. “Being around Dr. Green helped. He was very inspiring. He had seen much in his life and had been successful. I was just a kid with low confidence and most uncertain about what life would bring.” 

Boschwitz takes some of the lessons he learned from Dr. Green and offers them to today’s students as they copy modern day student pressures: “Love yourself and be patient with yourself. Work hard at school and work hard in what you do in life. If you do the basics—study hard, work hard, love yourself, believe that you are as good as the next guy, and don’t look back too much—you can be assured that good things will happen.”

We are touched and appreciative for alumni sharing their life-lessons and words of wisdom with the next generation of Pennington graduates.