 He was asked to spearhead efforts which led to the establishment of St. John's School, located in the River Oaks neighborhood of Houston.Though St. John's opened with 344 students and a small campus linked to St. John the Divine Church, it grew into a large, independent school with a sizeable campus scattered over several city blocks in central Houston.Chidsey served as headmaster of St. John's from its founding until May 1966, when he was succeeded by Elwood Kimball Salls.