Governor Dummer Academy seeks a smarter moniker

A venerable 18th-century boarding school in Newbury, a neighbor of the Phillips Academies in Andover and Exeter, just doesn't want to be Dummer anymore.

In the interest of smarter marketing, the board of directors at Governor Dummer Academy, a private boarding school in Newbury, voted to change its name to something else, something that will probably not include the name of Governor William Dummer of Massachusetts.

''Rightly or wrongly, first impressions make a difference," said headmaster John M. Doggett, who spent the past few days breaking the news to alumni and students. ''Certainly, when you go outside of the Boston region, the first impression sometimes doesn't convey what the school is all about."

While administrators say that most in the Dummer community support the change, others say that abandoning the name is, well, dumb.

''It's a horrible move," said Thomas Driscoll of Swampscott, a 1978 graduate and football co-captain who is now the Essex County Clerk of Courts. ''Governor Dummer has such tradition. That's what troubles me about this.. . . The name is very special."

Dummer, an early 18th-century governor, donated his land to start the school, which opened in 1763 and professes to be the nation's first independent boarding school.

The name has been changed several times over the centuries, but has always included Dummer's name.

The vote for the name change took place in December, after about 2½ years of discussion. Dummer's Board of Trustees, which includes parents and alumni, will vote on a new name in May. Right now, school officials say they're starting from scratch.

''We will celebrate our legacy in whatever name we choose," Doggett said. ''We're not going to become Doggett Academy."

Governor Dummer has 371 students. Two-thirds board at the school, and most are from New England.

MEREDITH GOLDSTEIN AND KATHY McCABE