What is the name of the headmaster at Pencey Prep?

The headmaster at Pencey Prep is Dr. Thurmer.

Dr. Thurmer appears briefly but is important to the novel’s opening conflict. He delivers the school’s formal “welcome” address before the football game, presenting Pencey as an institution devoted to discipline, tradition, and character. Holden views the speech cynically, especially because he believes the school’s leaders are more interested in appearances than in the students themselves.

Holden has already been expelled from Pencey after failing four subjects out of five. Dr. Thurmer’s role therefore represents the institutional authority that has judged Holden and decided that he no longer belongs at the school. Holden’s description of Pencey’s slogan—“Since 1888”—also highlights the gap between the school’s public image and his experience there.

Mr. Spencer is Holden’s history teacher, Mr. Antolini taught him at Elkton Hills, and Mr. Vinson is not the headmaster. Those names are common distractors because they are associated with other adults in Holden’s school life.