Beginning his career in teaching Latin at Exeter in September 1939,[3] he was only absent from the school for three years when he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
As acting principal, Gillespie introduced numerous long-lasting changes to Academy regulations and policy, most notably regarding smoking and drug abuse.
[1] In 1964, Gillespie permitted the secretary of the Communist Party to speak in the Academy assembly hall, but then denied the same privilege to Richard Alpert and Timothy Leary, who both had been suspended from the Harvard University faculty.
Some day you'll come back to show us your trophies and your scars, and we'll be glad to see you.Coming at a time of societal discontent and upheaval in America, Gillespie's words were widely misinterpreted and misquoted.
"Exeter is not a warm nest" became a rallying cry among advocates for reform, specifically with regard to what was then perceived as a harsh advising and disciplinary system.