A legendary teacher

Finis origine pendet is an apt motto for the Classics instructor whose love of the ancient languages began as a student at Phillips Academy.

Kip took his first Latin class as a PA junior, and it was love from the first diem. “I took off like a shot! That class really got me going,” says Kip, whose passion for learning was infectious and made a positive difference in the lives of countless students and colleagues.

Kip’s final class in his beloved Pearson Hall was yesterday. As he left the building with his wife, Aggie, a nutritionist at the Sykes Wellness Center, students and colleagues lined the walkway outside, clapping in celebration of the retiring teacher.

“I love the storied history of this building, which was once the chapel and was moved to its current location from across campus,” Kip says. “It is a remarkable and historic place.”

As Kip prepares to leave PA at the end of the academic year, he too will become a part of the Academy’s history: he now holds the record (previously held by faculty emeritus Tom Cone) for the longest-serving teacher at PA.

Kip has simple plans for retirement, which he describes as his “endless weekend.” He and Aggie will relocate to their small coastal cottage in Ipswich, Mass., and visit friends and family across the country.