By Macy Boyer

A bright, faraway smile took over Tabb Farinholt’s (née Thornton) (‘55) face when I asked about her memories at Collegiate. She paused for a moment and continued with a story I could have never expected. The year was 1946; World War II had just ended. Great Britain’s wartime prime minister, Winston Churchill, and the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the war, and the future 34th US President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, were in Richmond triumphantly driving down Monument Avenue. Farinholt, only eight or nine years old, witnessed the entire occasion: “Mrs. Flippin, who was the Head [of Collegiate], let us all out to see it. And I can remember sitting out on the curb, watching as Churchill flashed us the ‘V’ sign. I have that vivid memory.” 

Farinholt’s Kindergarten class.

This past summer, I volunteered at a local nursing home. I had only been there a few days when I first met Farinholt, whose kind eyes and soft smile prompted me to walk up to her. Naturally, she asked me where I went to school. When I responded that I was a junior at Collegiate, she beamed. I was fascinated to learn that Farinholt had attended Collegiate too. In our conversations, it was apparent to me that Collegiate has a special place in Farinholt’s heart.

Farinholt attended Collegiate School on Monument Avenue, also known as the Town School, from Kindergarten to her Senior year in 1955. After graduating from Collegiate, Farinholt attended Sweet Briar College, where she majored in religion and philosophy. Afterwards, she ventured to Johns Hopkins University to receive her Masters of Art in Teaching in English. In 1960, Farinholt rejoined the Collegiate community, this time at the new Mooreland Road campus, as an English teacher. She returned with her husband, Blair Farinholt, who taught in the Boys School. 

Collegiate’s 1955 Field Hockey A Team. Farinholt is in the front row, second from right.

When asked about how it felt to teach in a familiar school on an unfamiliar campus, Farinholt replied that it felt “very different.” The Mooreland Road campus, sprawled out between multiple buildings housing Boys and Girls Schools, was quite a change from the two-building school Farinholt had attended as a young girl. Instead of one single Lower School building and one building for Middle and Upper School students, there were now gym, science, and music buildings, along with the two classroom buildings. “That little Town School,” she offered, “had such intimacy and closeness.” According to Farinholt, long-time Head of School Catharine Flippen felt similarly: “She knew us all very well. She said one thing she missed,… when she got to the new school,… was that at Monument Avenue she had a window by her desk, and she could watch us out on the playground. She said she knew everything about us from watching us.”  

Throughout my interview with Farinholt, Flippen’s name resurfaced multiple times. Farinholt spoke of Flippen admiringly, a wistful smile often accompanying each story. Serving as Headmistress from 1940-1972, Flippen was present during Farinholt’s time as a student and faculty member. “[Flippen],” she recalled, “imbued this very loving feeling in that school. When I was on the faculty, I was always so amazed at how she knew every student.” Catherine Flippin is a name I had grown up hearing since I was six years old. I walked past her portrait during my formative Middle School years and opened the doors to the brick building that displays her name on a silver plaque. To Farinholt, however, Flippen was not a historical figure, but a friend; a friend who was invested in the success of each individual student, whose nurturing and caring demeanor set a tone for the atmosphere of the school. 

Farinholt witnessed much of Collegiate’s history, including the traditions that make up an integral part of Collegiate’s foundation, such as Brunch and Pageant. When asked about Brunch, a faint smile swept across Farinholt’s face as she replied, “Oh, yeah. We did Brunch. It was just celebrating Christmas, and we wrote toasts to the Seniors.” In 1954 and 1955, the timeless tradition of Brunch was not a play or musical performance. Instead, it was an actual meal hosted by the Junior girls in dedication to the Senior girls. Until I informed her of the switch, Farinholt was unaware that Brunch had progressed from a celebratory breakfast to a spirited production. However, though the festivities may differ, the underlying meaning behind the tradition has remained unchanged. It upholds Collegiate’s core value of community—connecting girls across grades. Farinholt brought up Pageant, commenting that it was “just so important” and “quite the production.” According to Farinholt, Flippin would have “angels up in the windows of the church!” 

Collegiate’s 1955 Basketball A Team. Farinholt is in the back row, third from the left.

Whether it’s racing in a track meet or watching the Homecoming football game, participation in sports and sports culture are fundamental to a Collegiate’s student everyday life. However, when Farinholt was a student, involvement in sports was not a requirement. Even though Farinholt only had around 20 girls in her graduating class, almost every girl participated in some form of physical activity. Farinholt played field hockey and basketball throughout her Upper School years, but there were no fields or courts on campus. Instead, the girls would take a “bus to go out to the fields” by the Presbyterian Seminary during the field hockey season, and they played basketball at the local YMCA. As Farinholt explained athletics at the Town School, she remembered a story I found particularly amusing: “My sister,” Mimi Oppenhimer (née Thornton) (‘52), “was three years ahead of me, and her class,… they beat St. Catherine’s in basketball, and Mrs. Flippin gave us the day off to celebrate.” 

After teaching at Collegiate for four years, Farinholt, along with her husband and newborn son Bart, moved to Gloucester, Virginia in 1964. While living in Gloucester, Farinholt gave birth to her daughter, Mary Blair. In the midst of raising a family, Farinholt worked in Colonial Williamsburg, giving tours around the historic district. In 1981, Farinholt returned to the world of education, making the hour-plus commute every day from Gloucester to Norfolk Academy as a Director of Admissions and College Counseling. Farinholt ended her career in Richmond, working as a part-time English teacher at St. Catherine’s from 1990 through 2002. She would spend two nights a week in Richmond, for it wasn’t worth it to go back and forth between Richmond and Gloucester every night. The long and tiring drives to work were dramatically different from Farinholt’s childhood, who had grown up walking to school, when “We all lived in The Fan.”  

Farinholt’s 9th Grade photo.

The Farinholt legacy did not end with Farinholt’s departure from Collegiate in 1964. Farinholt’s grandson, Bart Farinholt, coached and worked at Collegiate as an Assistant Athletic Director from 2022 to 2024.

Collegiate has undergone significant changes since Farinholt’s time as a student, yet the value of community continues to sit at the heart of the school. It is a place where friendships bud and bloom, and where teachers are never hesitant to express their care for their students. “You know,” Farinholt remarked, “in big schools, the halls are almost kind of scary. There’s nothing like that at Collegiate, especially at the Town School.” I began my Collegiate journey nearly 70 years after Farinholt began hers, and her sentiment still rings true to this day.

Photos courtesy of Julia Williams Study and Archives Center.