Carson Long Military Institute

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Carson Long Military Institute is a preparatory boarding school for boys grades 6-12 located in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania It is a direct descendant of Bloomfield Academy, a Latin grammar school founded in 1836 during the "rough, tough, strenuous days of President Andrew Jackson." In 1840 the school moved two blocks up the street to its present location atop a hill overlooking the town. For a short time in the early 1850's, the school was purchased and operated by the Perry County Commissioners. In 1914 the school was purchased by Theodore K. Long, a graduate of Bloomfield Academy and Yale University, who became a prominent Chicago lawyer and city councilman. In 1916, he renamed the school Carson Long Institute as a living memorial to his son, William Carson Long, who was killed in a logging accident in the Pacific Northwest at a very early age. Carson Long Institute is the oldest preparatory school in the United States that still requires military training and has been designated ‘Honor School with Distinction’ by the Department of the Army. A non-profit corporation since 1920, the school has a maximum capacity of 215 cadets, all of whom must live on campus. Although co-educational for a brief period in its early history, CLI accepts male students only.

The oldest building is known as The Maples (1840), which houses documents and school artifacts, as well as a reception hall and serves as the residence of the President. The campus spans over 400 acres, separated into two sections by an eight-mile area. The main campus covers 57 acres in northern New Bloomfield, nestled among the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains just 28 miles northwest of Harrisburg, the state capital. Camp Carson consists of 350 acres situated on Sherman’s Creek.

There are 9 buildings on the main grounds, five of which provide student housing in the form of two-man rooms: The Maples, Centennial Hall (1936), Belfry Hall, Belfry Hall annex, Building `49, an Infirmary, Willard Hall (grades 6-8), the Edward L. Holman Memorial Chapel, a modern gymnasium and a five-story bell tower containing a 10,000 volume library.

Cadets rise each day at 6:40am for exercises, breakfast, and inspection. The remainder of the day consists of classes followed by military instruction and intramural and varsity sports. Carson Long maintains competitive football, baseball, basketball, tennis, track, and rifle teams. Evening study hall is required for all cadets as CLI is a strictly preparatory school. Lights out is at 9:45pm.

More than 85% of CLI graduates go on to college and complete a bachelor’s degree, with a small percentage enlisting in the Armed Forces immediately after graduation. CLI has consistently funneled its brightest students toward appointments to U.S. Service Academies as well as renowned military universities such as Virginia Military Institute and The Citadel.

Colonel Carson E. R. Holman is the current president and is scheduled to retire July 1, 2007. He is a graduate of Carson Long Institute and received his B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He received his M.A. in Education Supervision from Bucknell University and has been headmaster since 1971. His successor, Col. Matthew J. Brown, is a 1979 graduate of West Point and holds two Master's degrees, one from the University of Indiana and the other from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA. He served 28 years on active duty and was a Patriot Missile System Battle Commander whose units deployed to the Middle East, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. He also served three tours at the Pentagon, most notably as the Senior Military Adviser to the Undersecretary of the Army. Brown will also be the first president since 1918 who is not a descendant of the school's founder.

CLI is governed by a 15 member board of trustees and has an active alumni association. An average school year will find 17 to 20 states and 10 foreign countries represented among the student body. This makes for a well rounded academic environment where the exchange of ideas in a more classical sense is encouraged. Along with traditional subjects, advanced placement math, science and foreign language courses are offered. Glee club, debate team, declamation team, piano lessons, “Red & Blue,” (the campus newspaper) and “Carsonian” (yearbook) are just a few of the many extra-curricular activities available to cadets, enabling them to expand on social skills and master a craft in the arts or letters.

[edit] The Mission of Carson Long

"To build and graduate young men of good faith, stout hearts and strong minds with high loyalty to the country and to the flag that are ashamed to die until millions yet unborn will find a better world because Carson Long boys lived."

In fall 2006, Carson Long Military Institute will begin its 170th year of character building education.

[edit] Cadet Pledge

"I pledge my word as a gentleman that I will not be guilty of hazing in any form and that I will do my best to follow the Golden Rule in my association with other members of the Corps. Furthermore, I will not lie, I will not cheat, and I will not steal."

[edit] Alumni

Notable alumni of Carson Long Military Institute include:

• David B. “Rocky” McCoy (Class of 1973) is a Social Studies teacher in a township school near Massillon, Ohio. He holds a graduate degree in Socialization and Personality Development from Kent State University. For over 25 years, David has run Spare Change Press, which in recent years has focused on publishing Solo Flyer and poetry chapbooks. David is the author of Ohio Wineries Guidebook; the Internet book, Buffalo Time; The Geometry of Blue: Prose and Selected Poetry, and Voices from Behind the Mask (both available at his Website [1]). Because of David’s activity with SmokeFreeOhio, he received advocacy awards from the American Cancer Society and the Stark County, Ohio Health Department.

• Michael J. Varhola (Class of 1984), author of several history books and founder of publishing company Skirmisher Publishing LLC [2]

• Todd Herschberg (Class of 1984), internet marketing guru, currently Marketing Director for Wild Attire, Inc.

• David Marc Sullins (Class of 1989) was an EMT in New York City on September 11, 2001. Of the thousands of CLI students, family, and alumni living and working there, he is the only one to have died in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

• Edward Holman (Class of 1916), who returned to his alma mater after World War I and instituted military training there in 1919.

• Col. Carson Edward Richard Holman (Class of 1948), son of Edward L. Holman, who served as the president of the school from 1971-2007.

• Juan Siso Suarez (Class of 1920) was a well known businessman in New York City, particularly in the Spainish community. He founded what is currently Suarez Handbags in Manhattan, known earlier under the "Siso" label. In the late 1960s, he operated a store in the Empire State Building. The family currently has a shop on Park Avenue.