On May 25, 2025, Thomas S. Perakos '69 returned to The Frederick Gunn School to deliver the keynote address at the school's 175th Commencement Exercises, celebrating the Class of 2025 in a ceremony equal parts heartfelt and showstopping.
True to form, Mr. Perakos brought Broadway with him: seven performers danced down the aisles as part of an address that mixed musical numbers with personal stories from his own boarding school years. He gifted each of the 104 graduates an hourglass inscribed with a simple charge: "Make every second count."
"Stay focused on your journey and, I'm telling you, doors will open."
Thomas S. Perakos '69
A student performer on the same campus in the 1960s, Mr. Perakos was president of the Glee Club, sang in Vesper Choir and co-starred in the school's production of Brigadoon before a career that has spanned more than 50 theatrical productions worldwide and earned Tony and Olivier Awards on both sides of the Atlantic.
The address, delivered in celebration of the school's 175th anniversary, is available to watch in full: The Razzle Dazzle Commencement Address. The school's own story about the day is at frederickgunn.org.