Reflections on Beloved History Teacher’s Legacy
Dr. Protheroe Retires after 25 Years at the School
Many students have sat in Dr. Gerald Protheroe’s classroom over the years, but his larger than life persona and impactful teaching have remained the same. During his 25 years at Browning, Dr. Protheroe has impacted the lives of a generation of Browning students and inspired a love of history in countless young minds. With his retirement at the end of the school year, alums share fond memories of Dr. Protheroe from interactions inside and outside the classroom.
“Dr. Protheroe helped guide me, not just through my studies, but he took interest in us and our lives outside of school,” said Stuart Orenstein ‘00, president of Browning’s Alumni Association.
As any of his students will immediately be able to tell you, Dr. Protheroe is originally from Wales. He moved from Great Britain to the United States when his career playing in a top-amateur London soccer league came to an end, and he began teaching at the Anglo-American International School. After a decade of teaching at several schools on the east coast, he was recruited to be the head of Browning’s history department in 1996.
“Everybody had left [the history department]. It was a totally new department, so I had carte-blanche to implement my ideas,” Dr. Protheroe said.
Dr. Protheroe’s enthusiastic teaching style and love for the subject matter brought history to life for his students. His curriculum, finely crafted to strike the balance between challenging and engaging, expanded their knowledge and analytical skills and created a shared experience between classes.
“He has a way of engaging you and interesting you in the coursework that you don’t always come by in teachers,” Aadir Khan ‘16 said.
Many aspects of Dr. Protheroe’s teaching have remained with alums long after they left the classroom. Among these was his ability to take the facts of history and weave them into a narrative.
“He brought impactful storytelling to the narrative of whatever historical events he was presenting,” Mr. Orenstein said.
In addition to the narrative, Dr. Protheroe was able to make his subject matter more approachable by including personal anecdotes.
“He would put into talking about a particular subject matter he was talking about a personal approach to it, either about him studying it or a funny story about his own studies,” Mr. Orenstein said.
Dr. Protheroe, pictured left, with the Model UN team in 1997; Stuart Orenstein ’00, pictured second from right, back row. Dr. Protheroe served as the advisor during his tenure at Browning, often picking controversial countries for the delegation to represent in order to encourage team members to think creatively about how to make their assumed nation relevant on the world stage.
These anecdotes also took more serious forms. When discussing the impacts of industrialization, Dr. Protheroe would tell his students about the Aberfan mining disaster of 1966. Dr. Protheroe lived in a neighboring town, and he spoke about the aftermath from a firsthand perspective. By inserting this story into the curriculum, he was able to communicate the gravity of a historic event in a way that a textbook or documentary could not accomplish.
Even though he taught history, Dr. Protheroe’s classes were never solely about the past. He used the subject as a vehicle to improve his students’ understanding of the present.
“History is important if you want to have a broad understanding of what’s going on in the world today,” Dr. Protheroe said.
For example, the unit in the ninth grade curriculum on the ancient Middle East covered the present-day conflicts in the region and their roots in history. As Dr. Protheroe covered the history of the ancient Persians, Assyrians, and Jews, he simultaneously traced the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The culminating assignment for the unit focused on how the Cave of Abraham, a holy site in the West Bank connected to ancient history, has affected the present day.
“He did a very good job of connecting the curriculum to current affairs,” Aadir said, “You didn’t just think about the past, you thought about how the past impacted the modern day.”
Dr. Protheroe was therefore able to create a learning environment that was perfectly suited for Browning, and his classes have created a shared experience among Browning alums.
“What I realized [when I got to college] is that Dr. Protheroe’s teaching style is truly unique and in many ways is something that is not captured on a large collegiate scale, it is so perfectly set for the intimate setting of our classrooms at Browning,” Mr. Orenstein said. “It has connected us through generations.”
Dr. Protheroe played many roles during his time at Browning, from advisor to soccer coach to faculty leader of the Model United Nations team. He was able to reach a broad range of students and connect with them in a variety of ways.
“The best teachers connect with the most students, that Dr. Protheroe understood, and he could reach students from the worst to the best because he could find commonalities with them in their life that didn’t just have to do with what was going on in the classroom,” Mr. Orenstein said.
Since his arrival at Browning, Dr. Protheroe has shared his passion for history and international affairs outside the classroom by leading the Model United Nations Team. The team annually attended the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference held at the University of Pennsylvania, in which participants assume the roles of mock diplomats from various countries and debate over current international issues. With Dr. Protheroe’s guidance, the program has done much to foster students’ interests in diplomacy.
“He sparked a really deep interest in international affairs, one that I continued in college and I continue now [by working] at the UN,” Aadir said. “I don't think I would be taking the trajectory I am in life or be as successful in it as I have if it wasn’t for Dr. Protheroe’s mentorship.”
As the faculty leader, Dr. Protheroe often picked small, relatively unknown, or controversial countries for the Browning delegation to represent in order to encourage team members to think creatively about how to make their assumed nation relevant on the world stage. Beyond the conference itself, the trip also presented a unique opportunity for students to get to know Dr. Protheroe and form the close relationships between student and teacher that make Browning unique.
“It was a great way to bond with [Dr. Protheroe] almost as peers, and also just to pal around with him. He had a great sense of camaraderie and a wonderful ability to steward and guide you,” Mr. Orenstein said.
From witty comments about current international affairs to dramatic impressions of Winston Churchill, Dr. Protheroe brought energy, passion, and humor to the school. Years later, alumni still remember him impersonating a Welsh farmer waking up at dawn in order to boost morale for early morning Model UN committee sessions, among other antics. He was a presence within the Red Doors, and he will leave a lasting legacy on the Browning community.
Dr. Protheroe, pictured far right, with the Class of 1998. Whether helping boys prepare for a Model UN conference or simply the next essay in one of his history classes, he has pushed the boys to ask better questions, to marshall the correct evidence, and to express themselves with clarity and precision.
