Mourning the Passing of Head of School Emeritus Peter W. Bragdon

Head of School Peter H. Quimby, PhD ‘85, P’14 shared the following letter with The Governor's Academy community on April 17.

Dear Governor’s Community,

It is with deep sadness that I write to share the news that Peter W. Bragdon, Head of School Emeritus, passed away at home last Saturday morning, surrounded by his family. He was 90 years old. I had the good fortune to be a junior at Govs when Peter and Dottie arrived on campus in the summer of 1983, and their impact on the community was immediate and long-lasting. It was clear from the start that Peter and Dottie wanted to be connected with students, so much so that they began opening the Mansion House to students on Saturday nights. This simple act changed the culture of our school. It positioned the Mansion House as a home away from home for boarders and day students alike. 

For Peter, the work of leading a school was always about doing what was in the best interests of students. After graduating from Harvard, he began his work in the classroom and the rink, where he shared his love of history and hockey with his students and players. He later moved into administrative roles, including department chair, and eventually found himself running the admissions department at the Kent School in Kent, Connecticut, a position he held before coming to Govs. Of course, he never gave up his love for the game of hockey, and well after he had ceased to work at Govs, he could be found at the rink that bears his name, cheering on our hockey teams. Through his years as a teacher, coach, and administrator, he touched hundreds of lives and formed relationships that endured for a lifetime. 

His tenure at the Academy was marked by raising standards–for students and for faculty–and raising money–to add facilities and build the school’s endowment. Mounting the school’s first major capital campaign early in his tenure, Peter believed in the ability of the Academy to compete with the finest schools in the nation, and he set about building the foundation that would allow the Academy to set its sights higher. In his 16 years as head of school, the Academy renovated and expanded the Schumann Math-Science Center, and built the Pescosolido Field House, the Pescosolido Library, and the Wilkie Center for the Performing Arts–all of which transformed the experience of students at the Academy. When he retired from his position as head of school in 1999, Peter left a school that was, by any measure, stronger than the one he had inherited. The construction boom that he had overseen was only possible because of Peter’s tireless efforts at improving the Academy’s financial position, and even after he had stepped away from the headship, he continued to work in the Academy’s Advancement Office until 2016. 

But Peter never really left the Academy, and he continued to correspond with hundreds of alumni and parents right up until his passing. Those who had the good fortune to receive one of his notes, or to listen to his voicemail greeting, will never forget his signature tag line–Stay Young. It was as much a command as it was an encouragement–a directive that defined his attitude and approach to life through the decades of health challenges that plagued him, but never dampened his will to connect with the people whose lives he had touched on his journey as an educator.

We will celebrate Peter’s life and his contributions to the Academy at a service on campus on Saturday, June 6, 2026, during Reunion Weekend. 

Please join me in keeping Dottie and the entire Bragdon family in your thoughts and prayers.

Peter W. Bragdon obituary