TJ Through
the Years
Our History, in the Context of the World Around Us.
80 Years of TJ
A school built to grow with the times.Since 1946, generations of students have come of age at TJ during extraordinary periods of change. Across those 80 years, the school has continued to evolve: welcoming students from more places, opening new opportunities, rethinking traditions, and preparing young people for futures its founders could not have imagined. Look closely at TJ’s history and those larger changes are never far away. Old photographs, memories from alumni, and moments from school life tell one story; the events happening beyond campus tell another. Together, they show how TJ became the school it is today.
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TJ
Thomas Jefferson School is founded.
TJ & THE WORLD
TJ welcomes a Jewish-Hungarian refugee following World War II.
An early example of the international community that would become part of the school’s identity.
THE WORLD
The first United Nations General Assembly convenes as nations begin building a new postwar international order.
THE WORLD
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is adopted, and the State of Israel is established.
TJ & THE WORLD
TJ enrolls a student from Japan following World War II.
The student arrives as relations between the United States and Japan are being reshaped after the war.
TJ & THE WORLD
TJ admits its first African American student.
This happens two years before the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
THE WORLD
Sputnik launches, beginning the Space Race and transforming American attention to science and mathematics.
THE WORLD
A wave of African independence movements reshapes the political map of the world.
THE WORLD
The U.S. Civil Rights Act becomes law.
THE WORLD
Apollo 11 lands on the Moon.
TJ
TJ becomes coeducational.
Girls are welcomed to the school for the first time.
THE WORLD
The first email is sent.
THE WORLD
The global oil crisis reshapes economies around the world.
TJ
TJ adds Grade 8.
The school expands beyond its original high school program.
THE WORLD
The Iranian Revolution and Soviet invasion of Afghanistan mark a period of profound geopolitical change.
TJ
Lawrence Morgan ’53 becomes TJ’s second headmaster.
He is the first alumnus to lead the school.
TJ
Grade 7 is added.
TJ establishes the Grades 7–12 structure it has today.
TJ
TJ adds non-faculty trustees to its Board.
School governance begins to broaden beyond the faculty.
THE WORLD
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster draws worldwide attention to the consequences of nuclear technology.
THE WORLD
The Berlin Wall falls, signaling the approaching end of the Cold War.
TJ
TJ adopts its first formal strategic plan and launches a capital campaign.
THE WORLD
The Soviet Union dissolves and the Cold War comes to an end.
THE WORLD
Apartheid ends in South Africa.
TJ
TJ earns ISACS accreditation.
TJ & THE WORLD
The Eastern European Scholarship is established.
TJ welcomes students during a period of expanding educational exchange after the Cold War.
TJ
The OPUS Scholarship launches.
THE WORLD
The euro is introduced.
TJ
William Rowe ’63 becomes Head of School.
THE WORLD
The September 11 attacks reshape American life and international affairs.
THE WORLD
The Human Genome Project is completed.
TJ
TJ launches a new strategic plan and capital campaign.
TJ
The Founders Scholarship is established.
The scholarship supports students from the United States and Mexico.
THE WORLD
The iPhone is released, accelerating a transformation in how people communicate, learn, and access information.
THE WORLD
The global financial crisis affects economies and communities around the world.
TJ
TJ earns its third ISACS accreditation.
TJ
Elizabeth L. Holekamp, Ph.D., becomes Head of School.
THE WORLD
The Arab Spring uprisings spread across the Middle East and North Africa.
TJ
TJ moves to a fully independent Board of Trustees.
TJ
A new strategic plan for 2014–2019 launches.
THE WORLD
Nearly every nation in the world adopts the Paris Climate Agreement.
TJ
TJ and SPLOT in Poland exchange student and faculty delegations.
The exchange deepens TJ’s international connections.
TJ
TJ approves a new campus master plan.
THE WORLD
Scientists release the first image of a black hole.
TJ
Matthew Troutman, Ph.D., becomes Head of School.
TJ & THE WORLD
TJ launches the TJ Resilience campaign as COVID-19 disrupts education around the world.
TJ
TJ launches its 2021–2026 strategic plan.
TJ
Jane Ballard Roth ’91 becomes Head of School.
Another TJ graduate returns to lead the school.
TJ & THE WORLD
TJ supports a Ukrainian student displaced by war.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine displaces millions of people and interrupts the education of young people around the world.
THE WORLD
Generative artificial intelligence enters widespread public use, raising new questions about how people learn, create, and work.
TJ
