Born in 1769, Montgomery Bell moved to Tennessee in 1800 and became one of the South's greatest ironmasters. In 1852 he directed the University of Nashville's trustees to establish a boys' academy that would bear his name. Finding the $20,000 inadequate to achieve this, the trustees instead invested the money.
After Chancellor Lindsley's resignation, University of Nashville's literary department reopened in the fall as a military college known as Western Military Institute. Enrollment in the literary department and MBA totaled 271 students in the first year - 239 in the academy and 32 in the collegiate department.
Chancellor John Berrien Lindsley of the University of Nashville asks the board to use the Montgomery Bell Trust Fund to create MBA. Tuition was set at $60 for the grammar school and $80 for the high school.
This ad was placed in the Nashville City Directory. Yearly tuition for the grammar school was $60 and for the high school $80. Three teachers were on staff: J.W. Yeatman, S.M.D. Clark, and W.R. Garrett.
MBA's new spacious building at the corner of Lindsley and Asylum Streets cost a little over $10,000. In the cornerstone were deposited an extract from the will of Montgomery Bell, a list of alumni from the University of Nashville, and a copy of the Nashville City Guide Book.
During principal J. W. Yeatman's eleven years, MBA enjoyed a solid academic reputation. Still located on the Peabody campus, baseball was the first official team sport.
Upon Yeatman's death, Samuel M. D. Clark, who the students called Smack Me Down, became principal and the school continued to flourish.
Handwritten inscription on this photo: A group picture of a part of the boys of Montgomery Bell Academy, taken 1893."
Exams on all subjects were written monthly on foolscap paper with pen and ink. All of these papers were bound into a "class prize book" and awarded to the student with the highest average at the end of the school year. Several of these books still exist; this one is dated 1895.
Before there was MBA's current online grading program, Scholar, there were handwritten ledgers with the names of students and their numerical grades in various subjects including English, Math, Spelling, Civics, Geography, etc
In the fall of 1900, MBA's football team posted a 4-2-0 record and won the city championship.
MBA has a long tradition of publishing student work. This Bulletin from 1905 includes short stories, editorials, athletic news and various ads featuring laundry services, banks, a shoe shop, and a barber shop with "hot and cold baths."
The Headmaster search committee of the University of Nashville chose the 40-year-old Isaac Ball to be MBA's first headmaster (replacing the title principal). Mr. Ball was a professor of Greek and Latin at Sewanee Military Academy
Handwritten ledgers were used to record each student's numerical grades in various subjects including English, Math, Spelling, Civics, Geography, etc. as well as attendance and "deportment."
In the fall of 1915 MBA purchased 31.66 acres at a site conspicuous from Harding Road, being on a hill. The homeplace of T. Garland Tinsley, the Garland home was called Totomoi, the abbreviated name of a Native American tribe that had lived on land where Tinsley grew up near Richmond, Virginia.
The school cook, Mamie Fykes, was hired in 1914 and served for 43 years. She ordered the food and storing perishables, including milk, in a springhouse on the side of the hill. One of the most popular dishes she served in the lunchroom was meat loaf. Her husband Will was the school's custodian.
In the fall of 1921, MBA had 141 students registered, including 25 on scholarships. Tuition collected from the 104 paying students totaled $10,788.48.
Although the undersized football team went 3-5-1, Chile Hardin's dropkick and extra point provided the margin of victory over Peabody Demonstration School. Hardin, whose nickname was "Starbuck," would go on to coach baseball, basketball, and football at the Big Red as well as serving as athletic director.
In November of 1925, the Main Building burned to the ground. MBA's new school building opened for the fall term in 1927. The two-story building housed the Honor Room, the library, classroom, a laundry room, kitchen, storeroom, and lunchroom.
The William Martin Athletic Award was established in 1923 and presented at commencement to a student who displayed exemplary character and a reasonable balance in classroom and athletic achievements. This 1930 medal was presented to Howard Allen.
Already struggling from the 1925 fire, hard times during the Depression left middle-class parents unable to pay tuition. Despite the low enrollment of only 71 students, MBA fielded another successful football team.
Hired in the summer of 1934, Howard Allen, a 1930 graduate of MBA, began his coaching career. For the first 10 years, without an assistant, he coached three football teams and three basketball teams, until his resignation in 1950.
Benny Gentry, MBA's football captain in 1937, led the team to a 9-1 season. In the final game of the year, against Central for the city championship, MBA won 33-0. Gentry was named by the Nashville Banner as the city's most valuable player and went to Georgia where he played fullback. Gentry served during World War II but was killed in a training exercise early in the war.
Joe Davis. MBA '37, won Mid-South singles title three times while at MBA and the SEC singles title three times at Vanderbilt. Davis reigns as MBA's all-time tennis great.
In school year 1939-40, MBA educated 103 students in three buildings. Encompassing grades seven through twelve, tuition was $135 for grades seven and eight and $165 for the high school.
Wallace University School, founded by Professor Clarence Baine Wallace, was a long-standing rival. Prof. Wallace retired at age 82, and the school closed. A number of former Wallace classmen enrolled in MBA, and their presence boosted enrollment to approximately 170.
Andrews (MBA '02) was named commanding general of U.S. forces in the European theater in 1943. Less than two months after receiving his command, he died in an airplane crash. The football field was renamed for Andrews in 1945.
The first issue of The Bell Ringer, given its name by teacher James Rule, was first published in 1944. The newspaper is still published today, and copies are housed in the archival collection of the Patrick Wilson Library.
In the fall of 1946, the Women's Auxiliary established a long-standing tradition by sponsoring MBA's first spaghetti supper. Today's spaghetti supper packs the gym before the homecoming game, and even includes take-out orders!
The official program of the Thanksgiving Day battle between Isaac Litton High School and MBA. Held to benefit a proposed child guidance clinic, MBA, despite being down 12 points at halftime, won 20-19. Bobby Worrall turned the tide when returned an early third quarter Litton punt for a touchdown.
In one of MBA's most athletic years, the football team rolled though a second straight undefeated season to win the Class AA and Mid-State championships. Basketball advanced to the regional semifinals, and both the golf and tennis teams won championships. Baseball finished with a 5-4 record.
Tommy Owen is a legend at MBA. Hired as head football coach in 1953, Owen coached generations of boys until his death in 1993. MBA's home football field is now Tommy Owen Stadium.
In February of 1954, Inman Fox and Bob McNeilly Jr., both 1950 graduates, organized a society named Totomoi to honor MBA students who made outstanding contributions in scholarship, student government, publications, athletics, and organizations. Today this society is still the highest honor a boy can achieve.
Francis Carter, who served as headmaster until 1978, was charged by the board to run MBA as a school of high scholarship, but with a southern twist. His wife, Cary Carter, loved sports and was in charge of the cheerleaders during her first five years at MBA. Headmaster Carter coined the phrase "gentleman, scholar, athlete," words that remain as the ideals for all MBA boys.
This picture shows the gym under construction. The completed building was dedicated on January 17, 1958 at halftime of the MBA-Hillsboro basketball game. The gym was named for former Board of Trustee chairman Brownlee O. Currey, nicknamed "B-Lee" by his classmates, who graduated in 1920, attended Vanderbilt, and founded Equitable Securities in 1930. Before his death in 1952, he was the most influential member of the University of Nashville Board of Trust.
Several members of the Alumni Association persuaded songwriters Beasley Smith and Ralph Freed to write an alma mater for MBA. The trustees voted to accept it as the official school song, a decision that was later ratified by a vote of the student body.
Jim Poston directed MBA's first play, She Stoops to Conquer, which was performed at Vine Street Christian Church since there was no theater on campus. In addition to directing numerous plays, Poston would also serve as principal of the junior school, tennis coach, and MBA's first full-time counselor.
In 1963 the Key Club changed its name to the Service Club. The purpose changed as well, from sponsoring school activities to focusing on community service projects. From tutoring at Preston Taylor to the Best Buddies program and to international trips, the Service Club thrives today and involves a significant number of boys.
The first art exhibit was held in April of 1966 in Wallace Hall, featuring oil paintings, drawings, watercolors, and sculpture. MBA today fields strong programs in music, theater, and art, of which this picture is a representative work.
The new Patrick Wilson Library opened in May 1968. A handsome addition to the campus, the library would be renovated several times in the ensuing years. Today it functions as a gracious as well as functional setting for MBA's students and faculty to study, read for pleasure, engage in research, and explore electronic information sources.
A 1970 graduate of MBA, Frist was editor of the yearbook; president of the senior class, Totomoi honor society, and the Honor Council; and winner of math and debate medals. He graduated from Princeton, attended Harvard Medical School and trained in surgery at Stanford, and continued as a heart surgeon at Vanderbilt. Frist represented Tennessee in the senate from 1994 to 2006, serving as majority leader, and now is chairman of a private health equity firm and public speaker.
In his second year as head coach, Jamie Tillman's team won the state championship as the Big Red coasted to an 8-0 victory over Christian Brothers. A Nashville newspaper sportwriter would write "The solid triumph at Memphis established MBA as one of the South's outstanding prep baseball teams of the decade."
John Lanier and Mike Drake coached MBA's first soccer team, finishing the season with a record of 5-3-2. The outstanding defense was led by senior all-state fullback Dick Klausner and goalie John Brooks while Peter Van Eyes and halfback Al Marsh led the offense. Klausner would play soccer at Vanderbilt and has taught English and coached soccer for 20 years alongside John Lanier at MBA.
Art teacher Louise LeQuire made her mark on MBA. She took her students to every art exhibit in town in the 1970s and accompanied students to Paris. Her stint as an AP reader led MBA to offer AP art classes. She also began MBA's first literary magazine, The Blue Guitar.
Along with the school motto of "gentleman, scholar, athlete," the waffle is one of the most recognizable symbols of the school. First appearing on a 1924 class ring designed by Edwin A. Price, Class of 1920, an updated waffle still adorns all class rings. These rings are cherished by their owners as a beloved symbol of school tradition.
Headmaster Gordon Bondurant successfully sought membership for MBA in the Cum Laude Society, which honors superior scholastic achievement. The annual assembly for induction of new members continues this tradition of excellence.
According to the 1981 SACS accreditation review committee, the junior school had "no identity." In February of 1982, ground was broken for the Jack C. Massey junior school. In addition to the Massey building, a recent capital campaign funded a new science lab, expanded the athletic facilities, and increased the endowment.
Billy Tate was hired in 1982 as MBA's speech and debate coach. The following January MBA played host to 64 debate teams from 24 states that participated in the Southern Bell Forum, Tennessee's only national-caliber debate tournament. Although the MBA team was not eligible to compete, all four members of the top two MBA teams went to the National Speech and Debate Tournament in 1984. Today this prestigious tournament has been renamed the Billy Tate Southern Bell Forum in memory of this dynamic teacher.
Since high school Mock Trial competitions began in 1984, MBA has been actively involved, winning three state championships and placing at the national finals. For the past twenty years MBA alumnus Mr. Wade Cowan, a local attorney, has directed our program with assistance from faculty member Michael Stewart.
This publication was produced in the 1970's and 80's by MBA to communicate with parents and alumni. In addition to an opening note by the current headmaster, issues included such topics as National Merit finalists, new faculty hires, the snow policy, debate accomplishments, student awards, and the athletic calendar.
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