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 News
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MFS News June 18, 2009 200-YEAR-OLD HOLLINSHEAD CLOCK REPLICATED BY MFS STUDENTS AND HEAD OF SCHOOL LARRY VAN METER
When Head of School Larry Van Meter decided to take on a clockmaking project with several Moorestown Friends School (MFS) students as part of an Advanced Woodworking elective course in 2004, he never envisioned the five-year woodworking odyssey through which he and the students would travel to produce the breathtaking final product. Originally slated as a one-year project, Van Meter and the group of seven MFS alumni unveiled the finished reproduction of a Hollinshead Clock at a recent ceremony held in Stokes Hall Lobby, where the clock will reside. The students who contributed to the effort were: Lauren Nigro ’05 (Princeton University ’09), Luke Van Meter ’05 (Haverford College ’09), Aaron Price ’07 (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), Emily Jones ’08 (Brown University), Kevin Schlagle ’08 (Boston University), Chris Lojek ’09 (U.S. Coast Guard Academy) and Doug Boyer ’09 (Penn State University). Morgan Hollinshead (1775-1832), the famous clock maker, was a Moorestown resident. A historical marker notes the site of his clock shop next to the Moorestown Friends Meeting House, adjacent to MFS. The new clock, made of black walnut, is a faithful reproduction of an original, 200-year-old Hollinshead clock owned by the Moorestown Historical Society and on display at the Smith-Cadbury Mansion. The clock includes a dial painted by local artist Midge Ingersoll which includes the Moorestown Friends Meeting House. The students gained valuable experience in a wide variety of woodworking areas including: selecting appropriate wood, marking out joints, turning “columns” on a lathe, cutting mortise and tenon and half-blind dovetail joints, and shaping cove moldings. Both modern and traditional tools were used by the students, including spokeshaves, hand planes, and bench chisels. The project was a shining example of some of the cognitive strategies contained in the school’s Examined Life program: explaining relationships between past and present, problem solving, demonstrating craftsmanship and persistence. “What really was apparent through this process was our resilience, a key element to a Friends education,” said Van Meter. He continued, “We encountered many bumps in the road and setbacks over the past five years; however, we always bounced back and focused on the task at hand.” Van Meter, who has a college degree in woodworking and furniture design, also credited the assistance of Moorestown resident John Coles ’59, along with MFS woodworking teacher Konrad “Marty” Richter of Marlton.
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110 E. Main Street Moorestown, NJ 08057-2949 Phone: (856) 235-2900 |
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