In 1972, Glenna Plaisted approached John Hill, then president of the Rockland Savings Bank, about obtaining a loan for the property that would become Riley School. Even with a down payment in hand, in those days such a loan was almost unheard of for a single woman. John agreed to take her proposal to the board.

“At four o'clock on the Friday,” Glenna wrote later, "I was driving through Gray, Maine. I remember clearly stopping at a pay phone to call John, wondering all the while what I would do if he said no. On the other hand, what would I do if he said yes? I was scared to death ― scared in a way that the loan would come off, scared in a way, that it wouldn't.”

The coins clinked in, and Glenna dialed the number. John picked up the phone.

Celebration of Glenna's life, today

5-5:30 school buildings open for self-guided tours

5:30 - 6:30 Gathering in the theater

6:30 - 7:30 Chocolate Delights

The campus will remain open until 7:30 Riley School Warrenton Road Glen Cove

Donations in Glenna's honor may be made to the Glenna Wade Plaisted Endowment Fund

“It's a go,” he said.

Glenna almost fainted on the spot.

Not long after that, Glenna drove her Volvo, towing all her worldly possession behind her, into the driveway that led to the farmhouse. Behind the house, Glen Cove sparkled in the setting sun; the large shade trees cast a long shadow. She turned the key and let herself into what was to be her home for the next 40 years, and the heart of the school that she would create.

The foundation of Riley School was a philosophy that is unswerving, based on the power of unconditional love for children. In no way does that imply that anything goes. What it does imply is that each child is an individual and will be respected as such. Learning is dynamic, taking into account that which stimulates curiosity and engenders passion for learning. The confidence to question, an eagerness to explore new ideas, and a joyous atmosphere are hallmarks of Riley School.

The principle was very simple in Glenna's view. “When you encourage children to love themselves, they will love to learn.”

Alum Jason Hearst wants that for his own children.

“I would much rather my daughter have a foundation from which she can jump off into the world and live her life,” he says, “than to have her jump through hoops just to get through the day.”

Over the years, the fields have become home to simple and beautiful school buildings, raised one by one as funds became available. When Glenna passed away in April 2013, she could stand on her porch and look out over a “field of dreams,” a campus that seemed but a gleam in the eye in 1972, when the first classes were held in the farmhouse that doubled as her home.

Not many of us can claim to have taken a dream and made it into a reality, as Glenna did. And in spite of the bucolic surrounds, make no mistake: there were difficult times, when money was tight and the future was in doubt. As her long-time friend, Cindy Bendelac, commented, “It is important not to make the process sound too easy.” She also comments that Glenna never gave up hope, no matter how hard it was. When she did say goodbye to us, just a few weeks ago, Glenna could surely feel proud to leave Riley with a strong foundation and caring and competent people to carry on her legacy.

The Riley Board consists of many who have been part of the school for years, as parents or teachers or alumnae. Our new head of school, Rebecca Clapp, was a teacher, and parent to two boys who attended Riley. She has been on the board for many years. She knows the school, and is ready to lead it into the future at the same time she is respectful of and committed to the principles on which Riley is founded.

“You can't really say 'This is Riley,'” she writes. “The school is a vibrant entity, with all its strengths and flaws, and we respond to the fact that our children are always growing and changing. That is why Riley will continue to grow and evolve and accommodate. Riley will always be one thing to one child, and something else to another.”

It is unusual in this day and age to have a founder/director at the head of a school, and we all benefited from her strong presence. Just inside the front door, on a table, stood a portrait of her ancestor, Governor Plaisted of Maine; Glenna's roots were in this state and she displayed all the independence we attribute to the people who live here. Her presence was comforting and consistent.

Now the windows in the farmhouse are dark in a way we haven't known before, but the school is alive and there are wonderful new ideas and plans in the air. Children run in the fields and explore the woods and the streams. Riley, as a wonderful example of the progressive environment, attracts educators, writers, and environmentalists who share their ideas for the future.

“Yesterday is gone,” wrote Glenna in 2009. "So, there isn't much I can do about yesterday. I will think a little bit about tomorrow, but right now, right here, right this moment, is the moment I know I have. This is where I need to focus.”

And in her honor, that is what we are all doing, focusing on being the best school we can be.