In my recently published book “Jottings of a Geriatric Judge” I acknowledged Jack Huyler:
“The late John S. (Jack) Huyler, M.A., teacher, writer, diarist, horse whisperer and friend, at the Thacher School, Ojai, California, for recommending me to jot.”
He did just that. And my treasured copy of his “The Stamp of the School” was exactly that – a compendium of thousands of jottings reminiscing his long and memorable decades teaching, mentoring and befriending many hundreds of Thacher students.
Jack (with Newt Chase, Fred Lamb, Marvin Shagam, Gui Ignon, Bill McCaskey and others) indelibly stamped me (a Kiwi exchange student (’58-’59) with guidance and perceptions that helped contour my life as a lawyer and judge in New Zealand. How fortunate I was to learn from talented and memorable teachers, but also to understand the USA of humane and reasonable concepts, of social justice and independent thoughts and actions, and to disdain socio-political concepts that are aberrant, narrow-minded, and avaricious.
I applaud Head of School Blossom Pidducks’s concluding thoughts in the Fall 2019 Thacher Magazine:
“A Thacher education is a collective endeavor meant to last a lifetime, and that’s a beautiful thing.”
Bravo, Thacher!

Russell Callander CdeP 1959