Linton Hall School in Bristow received a gift of $250,000 from the Bayliss family of Gettysburg, Pa., to establish the Everett H. Bayliss Sr. Memorial Endowment. The gift was made in memory of Everett H. Bayliss Sr., who attended Linton Hall School as a student from 1944 to 1950.
The gift follows decades of support from the Bayliss family and is the largest single gift the school has received in its 101-year history.
“This endowment in Mr. Bayliss’s memory will allow our school to provide tuition assistance for students, and to make improvements to our facilities and programs so we can continue to provide a positive, Catholic learning environment for many children in the years to come,” said Adrianne Jewett, head of school. “The generosity of the Bayliss family is incredible, and we are humbled by this amazing opportunity. We hope our students enjoy their experience at Linton Hall School as much as Mr. Bayliss did when he attended school here.”
Benedictine Sister Andrea Verchuck taught Everett when he was a student.
“During his years at Linton Hall School, Everett continued to grow in courage, wisdom and leadership skills so that by the time he graduated from eighth grade, he had advanced to becoming an officer,” she said. “In his visits to us over the years, he never failed to say that he attributed his success in life to the skills he developed at Linton Hall. We sisters are grateful to his wife, Dora Bayliss, and to the Bayliss family for such an outstanding gift.”
The Benedictine Sisters of Virginia founded Linton Hall School on the grounds of the St. Benedict Monastery in 1922. The school was an all-boys’ residential military academy through the 1980s when it transitioned to a co-ed day school. Today, Linton Hall School serves 328 students, preschool through eighth grade.
“Getting to know Mr. Everett Bayliss and his family throughout the years was truly a pleasure for me,” said Liz Poole, former head of school and current director of alumni. “His love and respect for the sisters who taught him, and for Linton Hall School, was evident and will never be forgotten.”
“Over the decades my husband, Everett Bayliss, reminisced about his years as a student at Linton Hall Military School in the 1940s, attributing his success in life to the solid foundation and core values instilled in him by the sisters, the Linton Hall Military training, and quality education he received,” Dora Bayliss said. “With this in mind, we want to continue supporting the school’s quality education program and legacy.”
To honor Everett’s many years of friendship and support, the school recently installed a brass leaf engraved with his name and placed it on the Giving Tree wall in the school’s entrance hall. Alumni, current and former families, and donors will be given opportunities to contribute to grow the endowment.
