On April 8 at St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Massachusetts, English teacher Jason Eslick was honored at a special ceremony at which he received the Richard A. Rader Chair. 

Many people in Andover remember Jason, who grew up in Andover and attended Proctor Academy.  More will remember Jason’s parents, Tom and Susan, influential members of the Proctor faculty for many years. Tom taught English, and Susan worked in the Admissions Office.

The Richard A. Rader Chair was established at St. Mark’s in 2001 to honor Richard “Dick” Rader, who taught physics and computer science at the school.  Dick also wrote academic software used by many other schools.  He inspired his students, and some went on to be leaders in the computer industry.

A couple of grateful students, each founding well-known Silicon Valley companies, endowed the Rader Chair to be awarded to a “faculty member who shows the same foresight and enthusiasm about teaching and learning that characterized Dick Rader’s work at St. Mark’s.”

The first recipient of the Richard Rader Chair was Ken Wells, also of Andover.  Ken taught math, physics, chemistry, environmental science, and engineering at St. Mark’s. 

Jason is the second recipient of the Rader Chair.  In addition to being an English teacher, he is also a successful songwriter and performer.

Both Jason and Ken feel it is a great honor to receive this chair, established to recognize an outstanding teacher at St. Mark’s.

But surprisingly, the Andover connection goes even further back!  Dick’s father, Harold “Dutch” Rader, taught at Proctor, and Dutch met his wife, Dorothy, while at Proctor.