This profile is the eighth installment in an ongoing series about the retiring faculty members in the Voluntary Retirement Incentives Program (VRIP). “It’s been a great life here,” said Jonathan Stableford ’63, Instructor in English, of his 34 years of teaching and coaching at Phillips Academy as he plans to retire after the current school year. Stableford is one of the thirteen faculty members this year who have accepted the VRIP. For Stableford, however, the incentive program was not the main factor in his retirement decision. “I am currently 65 and I had been planning to retire for the past few years. The school happened to offer me the retirement incentive program this year, making my decision to retire much easier,” said Stableford. During his tenure at Phillips Academy, Stableford has held numerous roles on campus. He has served as the Dean of Students and Residential Life, Cluster Dean of West Quad South, Head of the English Department, the coach for the boys cross country team, and the house counselor at Newman House. “Out of all the positions that I have had at Andover, I like simply being a classroom teacher and being a coach the best,” said Stableford. Before coming to Andover in the fall of 1976, Stableford taught English at a public school for 9 years. “As a graduate of the academy myself, I really missed the boarding school experience and thus wanted to continue my teaching career at a residential school” he said. Following his retirement, Stableford hopes to take things slowly and pursue a lifestyle very different from his current one at Andover. “I look forward to not being so rushed everyday and I want to change the pace and rhythm of my lifestyle,” Stableford said. Stableford plans to move into a small town in Vermont and spend his time reading, writing, and taking care of land that needs work. With more time and freedom, he also hopes to travel and spend more time with his children and grandchildren. “It’s been really nice being around young people. I will definitely miss the liveliness and freshness of the students and the school,” said Stableford. He also said that he will miss his colleagues, students, and friends at Andover and will actively keep in touch with them. Stableford also noted how much Phillips Academy has changed since his first arrival willas a student. “The students and faculty at Andover have become much more friendly, diverse, and dynamic. I also think that the school has perfected co-education,” he said. Many students, who have had Stableford as their teacher, coach, or house counselor, have expressed that they will miss Stableford’s charismatic leadership in and out of the classroom. Matthew Appleby ’11, a member of the cross country team, said, “Mr. Stableford has definitely been the most notable adult in my Andover career.” “I will miss his pre-race hand shake, his pre-practice stories, his inspirational marathon tales, and his unbelievable ability to motivate every single runner in his program, especially me. My words cannot describe how much I respect Mr. Stableford,” Appleby continued.
