Chatham Hall Celebrates Lee-Yardley Day

This award is presented each year to a member of the Chatham community who has done the most for the school, contributing in such a way to promote and help Chatham Hall’s mission.

Lee-Yardley Day is so named to recognize two former Rectors of the School, Dr. Edmund J. Lee and Dr. William Yardley, whose combined years of leadership lasted 43 years and transformed Chatham Hall. The back-to-back tenures of these two distinguished Rectors built the school to a position of national prominence in independent education that continues today under the leadership of Rector Suzanne Walker Buck. Dr. Edmund J. Lee served as chaplain and headmaster from 1928 to 1949.  The Lee Library at Chatham Hall is named for Dr. Lee and his wife, Lucy. Dr. William Yardley, for whom the school building containing the dining hall and dormitory is named, was chaplain and headmaster from 1949 to 1971.

Lee-Yardley Day is an enduring opportunity to recognize stewardship and celebrate those who have contributed to the continued success of Chatham Hall. The Alice Overbey Award is named in honor of Chatham resident Mrs. Alice Overbey who served Chatham Hall as the Assistant Bursar, Business Manager, and Assistant to the Director of Development.  For twenty-six years, Alice Overbey was a good steward of the school’s finances and a steadfast champion of its employees. This annual award recognizes those whose contributions to the Chatham Hall community echo her legacy.

This year’s award was presented to Mr. Charles Williams, who owns and operates M&W Flower Shop on Main Street in Chatham. During the service in St. Mary’s Chapel, Suzanne Walker Buck, Chatham Hall’s Rector, praised Williams’ work, saying, “while I appreciate Mr. Williams’ skills as an artist and businessman, what I value most is his gift for connecting people to one another. You see, M+W Flower Shop is not just a store; it is the center for community and the hub for connection in our special town. ”