Celebrating 80 Years of TJ
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.
1946 TJ Thomas Jefferson School is founded. |
1946 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. |
1946 THE WORLD The first United Nations General Assembly convenes as nations begin building a new postwar international order. |
1948 THE WORLD The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is adopted, and the State of Israel is established. |
1950 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. |
1952 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. |
1957 THE WORLD Sputnik launches, beginning the Space Race and transforming American attention to science and mathematics. |
1960 THE WORLD A wave of African independence movements reshapes the political map of the world. |
1964 THE WORLD The U.S. Civil Rights Act becomes law. |
1969 THE WORLD Apollo 11 lands on the Moon. |
1971 TJ TJ becomes coeducational.Girls are welcomed to the school for the first time. |
1971 THE WORLD The first email is sent. |
1973 THE WORLD The global oil crisis reshapes economies around the world. |
1976 TJ TJ adds Grade 8.The school expands beyond its original high school program. |
1979 THE WORLD The Iranian Revolution and Soviet invasion of Afghanistan mark a period of profound geopolitical change. |
1980 TJ Lawrence Morgan ’53 becomes TJ’s second headmaster.He is the first alumnus to lead the school. |
1981 TJ Grade 7 is added.TJ establishes the Grades 7–12 structure it has today. |
1983 TJ TJ adds non-faculty trustees to its Board.School governance begins to broaden beyond the faculty. |
1986 THE WORLD The Chernobyl nuclear disaster draws worldwide attention to the consequences of nuclear technology. |
1989 THE WORLD The Berlin Wall falls, signaling the approaching end of the Cold War. |
1990 TJ TJ adopts its first formal strategic plan and launches a capital campaign. |
1991 THE WORLD The Soviet Union dissolves and the Cold War comes to an end. |
1994 THE WORLD Apartheid ends in South Africa. |
1996 TJ TJ earns ISACS accreditation. |
1997 TJ & THE WORLD The Eastern European Scholarship is established.TJ welcomes students during a period of expanding educational exchange after the Cold War. |
1997 TJ The OPUS Scholarship launches. |
1999 THE WORLD The euro is introduced. |
2000 TJ William Rowe ’63 becomes Head of School. |
2001 THE WORLD The September 11 attacks reshape American life and international affairs. |
2003 THE WORLD The Human Genome Project is completed. |
2004 TJ TJ launches a new strategic plan and capital campaign. |
2004 TJ The Founders Scholarship is established.The scholarship supports students from the United States and Mexico. |
2007 THE WORLD The iPhone is released, accelerating a transformation in how people communicate, learn, and access information. |
2008 THE WORLD The global financial crisis affects economies and communities around the world. |
2011 TJ TJ earns its third ISACS accreditation. |
2011 TJ Elizabeth L. Holekamp, Ph.D., becomes Head of School. |
2011 THE WORLD The Arab Spring uprisings spread across the Middle East and North Africa. |
2013 TJ TJ moves to a fully independent Board of Trustees. |
2014 TJ A new strategic plan for 2014–2019 launches. |
2015 THE WORLD Nearly every nation in the world adopts the Paris Climate Agreement. |
2016 TJ TJ and SPLOT in Poland exchange student and faculty delegations.The exchange deepens TJ’s international connections. |
2018 TJ TJ approves a new campus master plan. |
2019 THE WORLD Scientists release the first image of a black hole. |
2020 TJ Matthew Troutman, Ph.D., becomes Head of School. |
2020 TJ & THE WORLD TJ launches the TJ Resilience campaign as COVID-19 disrupts education around the world. |
2021 TJ TJ launches its 2021–2026 strategic plan. |
2022 TJ Jane Ballard Roth ’91 becomes Head of School.Another TJ graduate returns to lead the school. |
2022 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. |
2023 THE WORLD Generative artificial intelligence enters widespread public use, raising new questions about how people learn, create, and work. |
2026 TJ TJ concludes its 2021–2026 strategic plan as the school enters its 80th year. |
