A Suicide at Bala Cynwyd Junior High

Opened in 1939, Bala Cynwyd Junior High School (now Bala Cynwyd Middle School) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education with its prestigious National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. But there is a dark side to this charming red-brick building; in 1947, it was the scene of a shocking act carried out by a student named Donald Peabody Sargent.

The following account of the tragedy comes from the December 3, 1947 edition of the Altoona Tribune.