A state-of-the-art space that serves as the focal point for the Bugliari '52 Athletics Center lobby, the Athletics Hall of Fame sets the tone of excellence in Pingry athletics, and is certain to elicit pride and ambition in all of those associated with the School. Along with memorabilia from individual and team inductees, the Hall of Fame’s technology is significant: a virtual database containing every player from every varsity team on record and accessible through a touch-screen interface.

The displays connect Pingry’s past and present: the past, through memorabilia, trophies, plaques, and lists of championships and award recipients, and the present, by including display cases that highlight current sports with team highlights, memorabilia, and trophies from recent seasons.

A full accounting of the Hall of Fame installations include: a series of four display cases highlighting the history of Pingry athletics from 1861 to the present day; displays highlighting the previous Fall, Winter, and Spring athletic seasons; a distinguished alumni case celebrating some of the school's athletes that went on to greatness in their post-Pingry athletic careers; a championships case featuring historical trophies from every sport played at Pingry; six oversized glass panels listing historical championships and award winners; and of course two exhibits celebrating the previous Pingry Athletics Hall of Fame inductee classes.

Directly before you upon entering the Basking Ridge campus via the main doors, the “Pingry People Through the Years” wall celebrates the long history of the Pingry School by highlighting a diverse group of Pingry People from the distant past, more recent past, and present.

Along with classic images from all of our campus’ buildings and grounds, 10 Pingry People are highlighted each year through a rotating collection of photographs and stories, one per month from September through June.

Spotlight stories can be complete on their own, or more often be part of a 360º storytelling experience where guests are encouraged to scan QR codes to visit a more in depth story published on our website or in one of our publications.

“This is not a static display,” says Archivist Peter Blasevick P ’24, who helped coordinate the wall’s photos and text, and is updating the wall throughout the year with revised displays, new names, new photos, and more. “It is dynamic and interactive, with QR codes that link to more information so we can celebrate people.”

And at an impressive size of 25’ x 10’, this display is more than just photographs of honorees. Interspersed with the spotlight tiles are photos of our current and former campuses, with the images specially selected to represent the different seasons of the year – i.e. during winter, the pictures of the campus are covered in snow, and so on.

The structural design of this display was very important as well. It was crucial that this be a dynamic display, one that could be easily updated on a regular basis throughout the school year. Ultimately, we decided on a design wherein oversized magnetic tiles could be swapped out within a metal framework, through the use of 8” vacuum suction cups.

Continuing with Pingry's modernization of the Upper School, the Summer of 2022 saw the creation of two new displays: The Letter-in-Life and Community Awards walls.

The Letter-in-Life Award is the most prestigious prize bestowed on a Pingry alum, and nothing short of a permanent full-wall installation to celebrate each year's winner would be appropriate. The principal criteria for the Letter-In-Life are (i) an alumnus or alumna who has or has had a distinguished career in professional and/or civic life which has brought honor to Pingry and (ii) the relationship which the recipient has maintained with Pingry. The Letter-in-Life Award is located in the Upper Commons just steps from the Pingry People though the Years Wall.

On the opposite side of the Letter-in-Life Wall is a new exhibit celebrating six other awards and appointments of the Pingry School. This new Community Awards Wall celebrates the many Pingry family members who have been recognized for their accomplishments throughout the years, including The Henry G. Stifel III Award; The Nelson L. Carr '24 Service Award; The Cyril and Beatrice Baldwin Pingry Family Citizen of the Year Award; The Presidents of the Pingry School Alumni Association; The Presidents of the Pingry School Parents' Association; and the Presidents and Chairs of the Pingry Board of Trustees.

Inside the doors of Hauser Auditorium is a celebration of Pingry’s Hillside campus, which was active from 1953 to 1983. Using a combination of metal plaques, photographs, and storyboards, this display honors both the history of the school and of Alumni giving during those years.

Three primary elements make up the Hillside Campus Tribute display:

• Vintage Plaques: When the Basking Ridge, NJ campus first opened in 1983, approximately 30 metal plaques from the previous Hillside campus were hung on a wall near the main entrance. Largely highlighting Alumni philanthropy, dedications, and named spaces, these plaques hung undisturbed for nearly 40 years. Several years ago, the plaques were removed during the earliest phase of the campus redesign and were entrusted to the Archives for refurbishing and storage…with an eye toward future use. 

• Historical Imagery: Culling from our nearly half-million digital images, the Archives curated a collection of photos to share with the committee. The committee then worked together to choose the smaller subset that would make it to the display. 

• Short Stories: Then it was time to tell the story, literally. The Archives worked with Pingry’s longtime faculty and Alumni – along with the school’s Communications team – to determine and develop five short stories featuring landmark moments in the history of the Hillside campus.

These vintage plaques, historical images, and short stories are arranged and set into a dozen large metal frames and hang across nearly 40 feet of wall space. Located in the rear of Pingry's main auditorium, this new space is a fitting tribute to an era of the school’s history and to the generosity of its Alumni. Further, it provides a usable area to stage future Alumni and Development events.

The school wanted to create a modern, centralized way to highlight the achievements of its students, faculty, and staff. Prior to construction of the new displays, these celebrations were captured via a combination of plaques, trophies, and calligraphy scrolls located on different walls throughout the school’s Upper Commons. Creating two dedicated spaces – one for student awards, one for faculty and staff awards – with an updated, integrated look would help focus the spotlight on these important historical achievements. 

It was important that the new displays be faithful to the original design aesthetic. The existing awards, along with their general layouts, were captured and reimagined across two displays totaling 28 elegant glass panels. To accommodate varying time periods during which the awards were bestowed, a combination of two panel sizes are used: 16”x32” and 32”x32”.

A tribute to Alumni who served and sacrificed, Pingry's military plaques are, at last, united. 

Until the Summer of 2019, Pingry’s plaques, listing the names of alumni who served in World Wars I and II, Korea, and Vietnam, were scattered throughout the Upper School building. Now, the commemorations have been collected and refurbished by the Archives and set into a permanent display by the Facilities team. The display is located in the Upper Commons, prominently displayed to the community. 

In recent years, decades after these plaques were created (the exact dates are unknown), Pingry has heard from many other alumni who have served in the armed forces. The School thanks them for their service and continues to update its digital records. If you have served, please notify us so we can make sure our records are up-to-date.