Trinity Valley School

Trinity Valley School ("TVS") is a private, coeduacational, college preparatory school serving grades K-12 in southwest Fort Worth, Texas.

History

George Bragg was the true inspiration, founder and first headmaster of the educational institution that has come to be known as Trinity Valley School. [http://www.library.unt.edu/music/special-collections/bragg]

As early as 1953, in the sixth year after founding the Texas Boys Choir - then called the Denton Boys Choir- Mr. Bragg expressed his vision for a boy choir school in an interview with a Texas newspaper. [http://www.library.unt.edu/music/assets/bragg/combination-scrapbook-1/Page%2017.pdf]

In 1955 Mr. Bragg prepared to open his boys school in the fall utilizing the "Calvert Method" of instruction and accreditation. [http://www.library.unt.edu/music/assets/bragg/combination-scrapbook-1/Page%2020.pdf]

Here is an "entrance examination" ad from a local paper. Note "George Bragg - Headmaster" reference at bottom of ad. [http://www.library.unt.edu/music/assets/bragg/tbc-scrapbook-1/Page%2094.5.pdf]

It was the fall of 1955 and Mr. George Bragg became the Founder and Headmaster of the boy choir school that would grow and become Trinity Valley School. On this web page is a copy of the brochure for the early boy's school. One can see the planning, thought and diversity of curriculum envisioned by the founder George Bragg. [http://www.boychoirs.org/texas/denton000.html]

Meanwhile, half a world away, one Istvan Szelenyi, a struggling young Hungarian musician and political insurgent, was fighting a losing battle with the Soviets. In the fall of 1956 Hungary fell to the Red Army as it crushed the resistance and destroyed much of Budapest. Along with tens of thousands of his countrymen, Szelenyi escaped across the Austrian border with his wife and infant daughter while being hunted down by Russian tanks.

In Austria, Szelenyi and his family sought asylum at the Convent of the Sacred Heart with 200 other escapees.

But as a former "freedom fighter" Szelenyi was a "dead man running," barely beyond the vengeful grasp of “Communism's Iron Fist” scant kilometers to the east.

Europe was not safe.

A New Friend Reaches Out

Meanwhile, George Bragg was busy with his choir and school in America. It so happened that for some time Mr. Bragg had been in negotiations to hire a particular former director of the Vienna Boys Choir. Bragg’s goal was to bring him to Texas to assist in expansion and growth of the choir/school enterprise. Unfortunately, the man fell seriously ill and died.

This tragedy was about to change Szelenyi's life forever.

Hearing of Szelenyi's escape from Hungary, one of Szelenyi's former teachers who'd relocated to Texas years earlier, also learned of Bragg's sudden opening for a qualified choir director.

Szelenyi's qualifications, a pianist and director of the Children's Choir of Radio Hungary, might be an ideal fit, and the opportunity of true rescue became a real possibility as Szelenyi's old teacher informed Mr. Bragg of the situation.

It was December 1956 now, and after hasty consultation with his board of directors, Bragg contacted Sen. Lyndon Johnson and through his office was able to expedite permission for the Szelenyi family to fly to the United States. [http://www.library.unt.edu/music/assets/bragg/combination-scrapbook-1/Page%2032.pdf]

So on Christmas Day 1956 the Szelenyis’ prayers were answered as they set foot on American soil for the first time at camp Kilmer, NJ.

A short time later, the Szelenyi family, the entirety of their worldly possessions in two small bags, traveled to Texas.

Finally, they found a new home at the door of the Denton Civic Boy Choir School welcomed by their new friend and benefactor, George Bragg. [http://www.library.unt.edu/music/assets/bragg/combination-scrapbook-1/Page%2031.pdf]

Barely speaking English, Szelenyi focused on learning the language, customs, and establishing himself in his new job as an assistant director of the choir. Meanwhile, wooed by Ft Worth cultural and civic leaders, Bragg too had a life changing decision to make: keep his choir and school in Denton or move to Ft. Worth. Leaving Denton meant he’d lose some students, choir members and the core community support, he’d worked so hard to build.

But Ft. Worth was growing, and the prospects for long term benefits were too great for Bragg to pass up. Ft Worth fit perfectly with his early desires to establish a school along with his choir in a progressive growth environment centrally located.

So in 1959 Bragg moved the choir and school to the third floor of the St Ignatius Catholic School in downtown Ft. Worth. Here is an article from the Ft Worth Press. Note that Mr. Bragg and his school/choir accomplishments are the focus of the article. Istvan Szelenyi is mentioned in passing as the boys' "Latin teacher". [http://www.library.unt.edu/music/assets/bragg/combination-scrapbook-1/Page%2056.pdf]

The 1960s would prove to be tremendous for the choir’s growth and popularity.George Bragg and his choir were internationally known now, had two touring groups, would perform on the Ed Sullivan Show, Perry Como Show, Today Show and others, produce numerous LP records, tour the US, Europe and Mexico under professional management, appear at numerous benefits and venues alone and with well known celebrities and political figures of the day. In short, the "choir" portion of Mr. Bragg's dream had become too much for one man to handle.

Szelenyi, being young and wanting to make his own mark, had the education and ambition to solve the “school side” of the "boy choir equation".

So having outgrown the St Ignatius location, Bragg, his board and employees decided to move the choir and school to the "old Laneri High School" building on Hemphill St. in the summer of 1962. Here the formidable tasks of running both a school and choir would be divided. [http://www.library.unt.edu/music/assets/bragg/tbc-scrapbook-2-1/Page%2042.pdf]

It was decided that the school would be renamed Trinity Valley School, and Szelenyi would be installed as Headmaster. This was a natural and healthy solution. The Boy Choir would nourish the school and the school would advance the choir.

Here is the "formal" announcement in the local paper focusing the spotlight on Szelenyi as the new Headmaster dated August 1962, a full seven years after George Bragg had originally founded and begun the boys school. [http://www.library.unt.edu/music/assets/bragg/tbc-scrapbook-2-1/Page%2043.pdf]

Shortly after taking the role of Headmaster -- having fulfilled all requirements since his immigration -- Istvan Szelenyi became an American Citizen, and permanently changed his name to Stephen Seleny.

None of Seleny’s “new life” would have been possible without the support and encouragement of his friend, sponsor, employer and mentor, Mr. George Bragg.

As is frequently the case with successful enterprises, the two branches of the original Boy Choir -- the choir and school -- each became more successful and more specialized.With this independence their paths diverged over the years.

So in 1969 the Choir and what had once been the boy choir school parted company forever, as Trinity Valley moved from the relatively small Hemphill Street site to the 35 acre McCart. From there TVS moved to its present location on Dutch Branch Road where it resides today.

CONCLUSION

George Bragg was the true visionary, founder and first headmaster of TVS.Anyone examining the documentation presented will conclude this is undeniably true.There are hundreds if not thousands of articles, letters, photos, etc., in the George Bragg Library for those wishing to do further research regarding the Texas Boys Choir/School and its history. [http://www.library.unt.edu/music/special-collections/bragg]

The “founding story” of Trinity Valley School as passed down is a travesty.

Trinity Valley School should correct the record and bestow upon George Bragg memorial honors befitting the True Founder and First Headmaster of a school that prides itself on its honor code and high moral development.

For the simple truth is this:

"Were it not for George Bragg, Trinity Valley School would not exist and Istvan Szelenyi may well have remained in Europe."

Thanks to Mr. Bragg and his successors, today Trinity Valley School is firmly established as a kindergarten-through-grade 12 independent college preparatory school with a total student enrollment of approximately 940 boys and girls. TVS is located on a 75-acre campus in southwest Fort Worth south of Interstate 20 off Bryant Irvin Road at 7500 Dutch Branch Road.

Mission Statement

One of the notable attributes of Trinity Valley is its mission statement. Written by TVS father and noted Texas essayist John Graves, he in the 1970s wrote the school's purpose with Eunice Rutledge, a trustee and mother; Earle Haley, a former Board president and TVS father; and Stephen Seleny, a headmaster. Graves interpretated their conclusions from the day's meeting as the following:

Trinity Valley School has four main objectives for its students:
*fine scholarship with its fulfillment at college;
*the development of wide constructive interests;
*intelligent citizenship; and
*spiritual and moral development which promotes lasting values.

Philosophy

Toward the attainment of the first of the above goals, the school maintains high academic standards. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for any college or university that fits the ability of the individual.

College entrance, however, is not its sole objective. Trinity Valley School encourages intellectual curiosity because the school believes that the recognition of quality is more important than the accumulation of facts. The school seeks to develop mastery of ideas as well as of skills, respect for intelligence as well as for cleverness, and a capacity for understanding as well as for learning. In the belief that a breadth of general interests and abilities is vital for leaders of the future, the school encourages every extracurricular activity for which there is a demand.

Trinity Valley School recognizes that intelligent and purposeful discipline is a prerequisite of not only a sound academic atmosphere but a necessary part of the training for responsible citizenship as well, so the school tries to have as few discipline rules as possible. Administrators rely on the good judgment of the students and give them responsibility as judges and as members of a student government. The individual rights of a student are respected and protected while, at the same time, he learns that he must be responsible for his own actions.

Finally, Trinity Valley School believes that neither fine scholarship nor wide interests nor intelligent citizenship will bear good fruit unless they are sustained by a belief in spiritual and moral values.

Although the school is non-denominational, through personal example, and the study of philosophy, it tries to foster respect for and belief in the moral and ethical laws on which our society was built. Students must realize that the ultimate goal of mental discipline cannot be accomplished without self-discipline. Therefore, the school employs an honor code which serves to act as a reminder to the students of this philosophy.

Trinity Valley School is not affiliated with any religious denomination. Nevertheless, its leaders believe in God. Thus, they conduct their teaching on the premise that Man is not merely an ephemeral animal with a transitory existence. They believe that Man's purpose on earth involves his coming to terms not only with his physical and social environment and his own body, but more importantly, with his eternal soul. They are of the opinion that if the sort of all-encompassing humanism currently in vogue, with its emphasis on hedonistic, self-centered thinking, is accepted as a substitute for religion, it must inevitably lead to an intellectual and spiritual dead end.

Therefore, the school encourages students' participation in any established form of religion that they and their parents may choose, whether Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, or Muslim, and seeks to create respect for all of them. Furthermore, the school believes it is the responsibility of a school like it to instill awareness of the moral and ethical obligations inherent in knowledge. In this specific sense, the school leaders consider education to be a religious occupation, with consciousness of a set of values that animates every field of knowledge, whether it be the humanities, mathematics, the physical sciences, or the social sciences. Such an occupation carries with it the duty to define and teach these values.

The school accepts that it exists in a pluralistic society, but holds that cultural pluralism cannot be allowed to become an excuse for moral indifference or confused thinking, and that any school devoted to quality education which shirks its responsibility in this ethical realm is committing a grave error. Students who go out into the world with superior preparation stand a better chance than most of becoming the leaders of tomorrow, and it is thus crucial that they not use their minds and abilities amorally. For, as it has been said, goodness without knowledge is weak, but knowledge without goodness is dangerous.

It follows, therefore, that the rules of conduct laid down by the school are neither mere laws of convenience nor merely rules. They reflect an ethical concept that is integral to the school's philosophy.

Notable Trojans

* George Bragg, Founder of Trinity Valley School and The Texas Boys Choir
* Barrett Benge, White House staff member
* Sharon Benge, founder of Shakespeare in the Park, theater department head at Texas Woman's University
* Ed Caballero, appeared on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", won $25,000, 5th grade history teacher
* John Dyer, folk singer residing in New York City.
* Judith Gans, Lower School choir teacher, opera singer
* John Graves, TVS father, essayist, author of mission statement and, most notably, "Goodbye to a River", nominated for the National Book Award
* Allison Gustafson, director of Gustafson Dance and a founder of [http://www.statestreetballet.com/default.htm State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara, California] , wife of State Street Ballet Artistic Director Rodney Gustafson
* Kent Henning, former head of All Saints Episcopal School
* Sally Graves Jackson, daughter of John Graves, and author of "A History of Skiing in Utah"
* Susan Paulose, retired Biology and Anatomy teacher, winner of Southwestern Biology Teacher's Award
* Thomas Robertson, professor of history and philosophy at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis
* Annamaria Seleny, professor of economics at Princeton University
* Stephen Seleny, a Headmaster emeritus, concert pianist
* Tom Williams, Jacksonville Jaguars Assistant Special Teams Coach
* Paul Price, chemistry and physics teacher, member of the AP Chemistry test writing committee
* Dr. Bill Shelton, History teacher, member of the AP US History test writing committee

External links

* [http://www.trinityvalleyschool.org Trinity Valley School]