Last Thursday evening my wife and I had the distinct pleasure of attending the Friends of Choice in Urban Schools annual gala which this year honored its founder and board chair Malcolm Peabody. Mr. Peabody is retiring from his post.
The elegant event was held at the Washington Club, built in 1902 by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Peterson, he an editor of the Chicago Tribune and she the daughter of the newspaper’s owner. President Calvin Coolidge lived there for a period while the White House was undergoing a renovation.
The setting was therefore perfect for honoring a man who brought school choice to the nation’s capital. There were so many people in attendance whose lives were changed due to his work, such as prior Public Charter School Board chairs Josephine Baker, Tom Nida, and Brian Jones. Scott Pearson, the current PCSB executive director, joined the celebration as well as Nelson Smith, who also held this position but who I became close to in his role as executive director of the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools. Also present were charter school leaders such as Washington Latin PCS’s Martha Cutts, D.C. Prep’s Emily Larson, and Two River’s Jessica Wodatch. I spent some time talking with Building Hope’s Joe Bruno, who has played a major role in Washington Latin obtaining the shuttered Rudolph Elementary, and who is also assisting me in having a biography written about the life of philanthropist Joseph E. Robert, Jr.
It was emotionally exhilarating to have so many of the individuals who have played instrumental roles in D.C.’s charter school movement gathered under one roof. Between the conversations with friends, enjoying the outstanding refreshments, and dancing to the music of the Glen Pearson Orchestra, I caught up with Mr. Peabody. I asked him for his reflection regarding his organization’s work over 16 years. “I just cannot believe that the system has become so large,” he said with a gleam in his eyes that to me revealed the personal pride he has in being able to make a difference in the lives of so many kids.
There was an awards ceremony whose master of ceremonies was FOCUS board member and co-founder of Thurgood Mashall Academy PCS Josh Kern. Four Malcolm E. Peabody Awards were presented. The winner of each was to no one’s surprise Mr. Peabody. It was then time for the FOCUS founder to address the crowd.
The remarks were from a man who it was apparent is walking away from the alternative school system he has built but who will never really leave. He showed sobering statistics regarding the percentages of free and reduced lunch kids who demonstrated proficiency on the 2012 DC CAS. For DCPS the rate for reading and math is in the middle 30’s. Charters score better with a reading proficiency percentage of 45 and a math proficiency rate of 52 percent. The clear message to a crowd of activists who have spent almost their entire adult lives working tirelessly to improve the public education of D.C.’s children is that there is so much more to do.
A fictitious Charter School Times was prepared for the Gala which contained tributes to Mr. Peabody from many of the guests. I especially like this one by Dan Magder, board member of FOCUS and Scholar Academies PCS:
“Mike Peabody has many talent and boundless energy, but one of the things that strikes me most is how often he shows up all his fellow board members in terms of his vibrancy. At 84, he rides his bicycle to meetings – I’ve seen him on a bike in the sweltering heat of DC summers wearing a sports coat and I’ve also seen him brave the biting cold of February with a warmer coat and gloves – in all cases he shows up with his bike helmet in hand, looking debonair and ready to go.
Mike has a true passion for making the world a better place, whether it is public education and choice, civil rights, or campaign finance reform – he has clearly demonstrated that he puts himself and his efforts into the mission. But his impact goes beyond the seemingly boundless energy he himself brings to these causes: Mike has his own special type of gravitational pull through which he identifies like-minded people (and sometimes people who become like-minded once he’s through with them!), and brings them into an orbit around the causes and activities that he so passionately pursues. Mike takes groups to walk through schools, matches individuals to boards of the various organizations he supports, brings people to elegantly planned events like this gala tonight. And as I myself have experienced, and so many others have too, once you’re in Mikes orbit, you’ve become part of the universe of his causes for good.”
I remember years ago when I was chair of the William E. Doar, Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts Mr. Peabody brought the board chair of Children’s National Medical Center Diana Goldberg for a tour of the school. She asked how she could help and was told that we were in need of equipment to outfit our new darkroom so the students could learn photography. The next week staff was at her home picking up the supplies.
It was a prividege to be part of the celebration of the life of such a fine individual.
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