Doug Brown

Doug Brown was the archivist and woodworking shop teacher at Groton School for 50 years, 1970-2020. Doug was born in 1939 in Fitchburg and then moved to Shirley when he was 10. After attending Groton School from 1957 to 1961, Doug completed his bachelor’s studies at Harvard University.

He started his apprenticeship in restoring and building organs, harpsichords, and pianos in Boston. With a love for teaching and woodworking, Doug accepted the shop teacher position at Groton School in 1970. Doug reinvented the shop program to teach students to build furniture from scratch, not from pre-made material, and work with students at all levels.

In this candid interview, Doug also talked about the history of Groton School’s transformation from a male-only school in 1884 to a school that fully embraces diversity and inclusion today.

As an archivist, he oversaw the archives and published two books about two impactful Headmasters, Endicott Peabody and Jack Crocker.

Doug lived in a Groton School faculty house, the former William Amory Gardner estate (demolished in 2016), for over 40 years. He and his wife bought their current home in Groton in 2012.