By Maggie Downs
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Edward Tyrrell stands in front of the main entrance to Summit Country Day School, where he was headmaster for 32 years. (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

In recent months, Edward Tyrrell would enter the chapel at Summit Country Day School and savor his time inside.

He memorized the subtle curves of the wooden pews. The ornate filigree of the tall ceiling. The elaborate designs of the stained glass windows.

He knew he wouldn't see those images much longer. After 32 years as headmaster of the prestigious college prep school in Hyde Park, Tyrrell retired Monday. He plans to move later this year to Naples, Fla., where he and his wife, Kathleen, have relatives.

Joseph T. Devlin, 58, former president of Girard College, a 150-year-old boarding school in Philadelphia, is the new leader of the respected Catholic school of 1,185 students.

At the 114-year-old Hyde Park school, Tyrrell, 60, has been at the forefront of numerous and significant changes.

During his tenure, Summit has evolved from a boys' school run by nuns to a coeducational facility owned and operated by lay people. Millions of dollars have been raised to implement new programs, build new facilities and improve old ones.

In June, the school launched a $20 million campaign that will create a new "lower school" for preschool through fourth-grade pupils. The money will also go toward other improvements to the campus, including new parking areas and a Grandin Road entrance to the school.

Many credit Tyrrell for the success of these efforts.

"He's an expert strategic planner, an expert fund-raiser," said Mary Brinkmeyer, assistant head master. "He's the quintessential headmaster."

SUMMIT COUNTRY DAY

Address: 2161 Grandin Road, Hyde Park. Founded: 1890. Order: The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Type: Independent, Roman Catholic day school. Grades: Montessori preschool through 12. Enrollment: 1,185. Tuition: Preschool-grade 3: $4,260-$9,550. Grades 4-6: $10,220. Grades 7-8: $10,860. Grades 9-12: $11,520.

EDWARD TYRRELL

Age: 60. Residence: Withamsville Family: Married to Kathleen for 39 years; four children: Susan, 37, Sean, 36, Stephen, 35, and Michelle, 31. Favorite junk food: Cheetos. Favorite movie: Dr. Strangelove. Last book read: A Mind at a Time by Mel Levine. Favorite colors: Blue and silver (Summit's school colors).

Tyrrell, who puts people at ease with his sincerity and his down-to-earth nature, sees himself in less grandiose terms.

"A headmaster is a guy who smokes a pipe in a big chair with a dog at his feet," he said. "That's not me."

He still hesitates to use the term.

"The moment you're a 'headmaster,' everything changes," he said. "I just tell people I'm in education."

Tyrrell's departure leaves a great void. Not only has he been a fixture at Summit for nearly a third of the school's existence - he has been the school's everyman.

He attended 30 proms. He directed traffic each morning and afternoon in front of the school. He attended countless fund-raisers, recitals and First Communions.

"In 12 years, I can't think of a school activity I went to as a parent, a volunteer or as a board member in which he was not there," said Mark Bodnar, a Summit parent and chairman of the school's board of trustees.

His past

Born and raised in downtown Akron, Tyrrell attended a public, inner-city school. After graduation, he walked up the street two blocks to attend the University of Akron, where he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in education.

"I never thought about private schools," he said. "What I really wanted to do was be a big-city school superintendent. That was my dream."

Tyrrell spent four years teaching - three in a public system, one in a Catholic school - in northern Ohio.

In 1968, he became the supervisor of education for the Summit County Board of Education. A friend took note of his accomplishments with Summit County and recommended him for the job of headmaster at Summit Boys' School.

"Summit's in my blood, I think," he said.

During his first visit, Tyrrell felt as though he had set foot in a movie. The buildings, which date to 1890, were imposing and ornate. The chapel was stunning. About 100 nuns, who ran the school, roamed the campus in their habits.

The sisters discussed the headmaster job with Tyrrell in a room with striking stained glass windows, Persian rugs and candelabras.

"They sat me down, and I said, 'Lord, what am I doing here?' "

Two things won him over.

One, he could be responsible for a child's formal schooling from preschool to grade 12, an exciting prospect for a burgeoning educator.

Two, his children could attend school at Summit for free, an exciting prospect for a father of four.

In 1971, at the age of 27, Tyrrell signed a three-year contract to be the school's headmaster.

"I looked upon it like a stint in the military," said Kathleen, his wife. "But after three years, I knew we weren't going to leave. It becomes so much a part of you - the Summit family truly is a Summit family.

"Looking back, it was the best thing that ever happened."

The changes

The facility itself has undergone an enormous face-lift since Tyrrell's arrival.

In September 1972, students from the Summit School for Boys were brought into the "upper school" of Summit Country Day. This changed the format of Summit into what the school is today, a comprehensive program for young men and women, preschool through grade 12.

In 1983, Tyrrell established the Tri-Unity campaign, which raised $1.3 million for the gymnasium, the theater and major repairs. A few years later, he raised $2.5 million during an endowment campaign.

Previously, the facility had been running on small funds.

"I would collect money from the parents to pay the heating bill and pay the teachers and hope that when June 30 came along, we weren't totally out of cash," he said.

Throughout his career, Tyrrell's goal was to create a good learning environment. Sometimes that was accomplished by combining classes to make them co-educational, as he did with the middle schools in 1994.

"I always tried to make the school based on how children learn best," he said.

Tyrrell pushed the students to grow in other ways, like through the no-cut policy he enacted for the school's 50 athletic teams.

"The worst thing ever is to disappoint a child,'' he said, "and we as adults do that when we say they aren't good enough for something."

He is most proud of the character education program he started, which aims to help children develop spiritually and morally.

"In a school like ours, these kids are going to become leaders whether you want them to or not. They have means. They're privileged," he said. "So it's key to make sure these kids have good character when they are leaders."

Each year, 100 percent of the upper school's seniors graduate and go on to four-year colleges. To graduate, students are required to complete an in-depth senior project and 48 hours of volunteer service.

"When these children are in high positions someday, you want them to think about the greater good," he said.

The retirement

Though his time is done, those close to Tyrrell say he won't be able to retire. Even he has doubts.

"I haven't been away from the school for more than two weeks at a time in 32 years," he said. "My car will probably automatically just come here."

E-mail mdowns@enquirer.com