Our History

In 1962, 23 headmasters of schools in the New England area met to discuss the correlation between poverty and the lack of quality education. This group, under the leadership of Robert Plaut, Director of the National Scholarship and Service Fund for Negro Students (NSSFNS), Howard Jones, President of Northfield Mount Herman School, and John Kemper, Headmaster of Phillips Academy, concluded that the best way to provide better opportunities for minorities was to increase graduation rates from their institutions. With funding from a grant, the Independent Schools Talent Search (ISTS) was formed to recruit “talented Negro boys” who wanted to go to college. Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH, became the site of what was then considered a radical experiment known as Project ABC: A Better Chance. Because of demand, in 1966, the program expanded from boarding schools to “community school programs,” which are top-ranked public schools where scholars live in community group homes.

 

ABC New Canaan, a community school program of A Better Chance, originated as a local mission project of the Congregational Church of New Canaan. The church Mission Committee, led by then-Associate Minister Bruce Schundler, found early support for ABC House from the superintendent of the New Canaan Public Schools, New Canaan High School Principal Alan Haas, NCHS guidance counselor Robert Jeffries, many members of the school board, and many local IBM executives. However, red tape from local building officials and a lack of community-wide support almost halted plans. With vocal advocacy from church members and a determination to do the right thing, Mr. Schundler found a large and centrally-located home at 64 Locust Avenue and purchased it for just under $65,000. 

 

Early funding and positive public relations for ABC New Canaan came with the help of Selectwoman Nancy Walworth. She invited the entire membership of the Country Club of New Canaan to a series of three cocktail parties wherein Mr. Schundler was invited to speak. Following the success of the cocktail parties, all of the local churches voted to support and contribute to the ABC program, and the local building officials became much more agreeable to the plans underway at the house.

 

The first eight scholars arrived at the ABC house in New Canaan in the fall of 1974 “with paint barely dry on the walls, with sheetrock and wall compound still setting,” as Mr. Schundler recalls. The so-called “Great Eight” – Michael Bivens, Jesse Rucker, Morris Supersad, Luis Taveras, Terry Trusty, Darrell Washington, Brian Watson, and Gerald Wills – began their sophomore and junior years at New Canaan High School under the guidance of Resident Directors Bruce and Christine Kowalski and Resident Tutor Robert Ingraham. The Gerwicks served as one of the first host families. Terry Trusty and Michael Bivens became the first alumni of ABC New Canaan when they graduated from NCHS in 1976.

 

In the fifty years since the Great Eight arrived in New Canaan, 92 scholars have graduated from ABC New Canaan and gone on to college. Our program remains completely free to our scholars, and all of our funding comes from the ongoing generosity of the New Canaan community. While the house on Locust Avenue has undergone several renovations, it has remained a home filled with love and promise for our ever-growing ABC New Canaan Family.

  

The dedication and generosity of our board of directors continue to propel us forward and strengthen our program with each graduating class. Our host families continue to open their hearts and homes to our scholars, and our staff has stayed unwavering in its commitment to the success and well-being of our scholars. This ongoing commitment ensures the future success of our program. 

 

For all those who have been a part of ABC New Canaan’s rich history, each of us has been deeply impacted by this extraordinary organization and community, and we are forever connected as members of the ABC New Canaan Family.