Montgomery Bell Academy alumni interviews, 1980.
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

Arranged alphabetically by last name of alumnus (interviewee)

Materials housed in Special Collections Division of the Main Library, Nashville Public Library.

In library use only. Available by appointment.

Scope and content: The collection includes written notes, transcripts, or reports based upon interviews done in 1980 by students with alumni who attended the school between 1913 and 1979. The questions are divided into seven sections. Questions range from factual (What years did you attend? How did you get to school? Did you have to take an entrance exam?) to opinion (Favorite subjects? Most difficult subjects? Teachers who stand out in your memory?). Specific questions are included about the Honor System and Demerit System. One set of questions deals exclusively with the athletic program. The interviewees are also asked about friendships and school social activities. One final question asks for an opinion about the school today. Some notable interviewees include: James O. Bass; George Blackburn, Jr.; Robert Lynn Bomar, Jr.; Gen. Howard Butler, Frank I. Cherry Jr. and III; Lipscomb Davis Jr.; Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Jr., Herschel Gower; Bronson Ingram; Walter M. Robinson, Jr.; Anderson Spickard; Nelson and William Trabue; Bill Wade; Skip Woolwine; and many others. Nearly 200 alumni were interviewed, some of them more than once by different students.

The collection was originally divided into three volumes alphabetically according to the last names of the alumni. While the alphabetical order has been maintained, the distinction between volumes was not maintained. Each interview is handwritten, including the name of the student interviewer and the alumnus being interviewed. In some cases, the student interviewer is a relative of the interviewee. Interviews are alphabetically grouped in folders in one storage box.

Cite as: Montgomery Bell Academy Alumni Interviews, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library

Nashville Public Library does not have intellectual property rights to these materials.

Source of acquisition unknown, although donor may have been Herschel Gower, since box was labeled "Gower Oral History" prior to processing by library staff;,Acc. RT-100.

Additional materials relating to Montgomery Bell Academy can be found in their archives, located at the school.

Montgomery Bell Academy Grammar School examination book, 1883 Mar. 30 is housed in the Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library.

Montgomery Bell Academy (MBA) began in 1867 with a two-year college program, a grammar school and a high school. The school traces its origins to Davidson Academy, established by Nashville pioneer and founder, James Robertson. He obtained permission through a legislative act from North Carolina in 1785 to establish educational facilities in the area that would eventually become Nashville, Tenn. The school was located in the vicinity of present-day Spring Hill Cemetery off of Gallatin Road in Madison, Tenn. In 1806, by an act of the Tennessee legislature, Cumberland College became the formal successor to Davidson Academy, and a building was constructed on "College Hill" in South Nashville. Among the trustees were Andrew Jackson and James Robertson. Later, James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson would also serve as trustees. Rev. Thomas Craighead served as the first principal and was succeeded by Dr. James Priestly in 1810. In 1816 the school closed due to financial troubles. The college was resurrected in 1824 by Rev. Phillip Lindsley, when it became the University of Nashville. In 1855, Dr. John Berrien Lindsley, son of Phillip, merged the Western Military Institute with the University of Nashville. Confederate hero Sam Davis was among its students. Also in 1855, Tennessee iron magnate Montgomery Bell died, bequeathing $20,000 to the University of Nashville for the tuition of 25 boys who would otherwise not receive an education. In 1867, John Berrien Lindsley used the funds to establish and open Montgomery Bell Academy.

Montgomery Bell Academy opened with just 26 students and two rooms, but quickly grew. In 1875, with the establishment of Peabody Normal School, the trustees of the old University of Nashville maintained control over Montgomery Bell Academy. After several moves and administrative changes around the turn of the century, in 1915 MBA opened at a new, spacious location off of Harding Road in west Nashville on the estate of Garland Tinsley. A fire destroyed the main building in 1925. Major building efforts and expansion took place in the latter half of the twentieth century, when MBA gained nationwide recognition as one of the leading preparatory schools in the country. In the early twenty-first century, it remains recognized for the academic success of its scholars and the leadership of its alumni.

In English

Finding aid available in repository;,item level control,https://assets.library.nashville.org/documents/finding-aids/Special_Collections_Division_Finding_Aid_MBA_Alumni_Intervie.pdf.

Unknown provenance.

Process;,2007;,Rose Mary Reed and Linda Barnickel.

No further accruals are expected.