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20Years of MLK Day at Exeter
5:1 student-teacher ratio
...and other extraordinary statistics made possible by gifts to the Exeter Annual Giving Fund Donors to the Annual Fund are vital to Exeter’s ability to provide an unmatched student experience—as reflected in statistics like these:
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Average number of students around the Harkness table
450
Number of courses offered in 19 subject areas
100%
83
Percentage of faculty who hold advanced degrees
90
Student organizations and clubs
47
U.S. states represented by the student body
37
Nations represented by the student body
Alumni/ae participation goal for the 2010-11 Annual Fund.
Gifts of all sizes count. Be a part of it!
Help keep Exeter extraordinary. Invest today.
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Mail: use the enclosed envelope
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Online: www.exeter.edu/give
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Phone: 603-777-3473
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Thank you. The Exeter Annual Giving Fund
Exeter ad FINALREV.indd 1
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Around the Table
V O L U M E
C V I ,
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S P R I N G
Contents
Principal ThomasE.Hassan’56,’66,’70,’06(Hon.);P’11 Director of Communications Julie Quinn Editor Karen Ingraham Staff Writers Mike Catano,Alice Gray, Nicole Pellaton, Famebridge Witherspoon Class Notes Editor Janice M. Reiter Editorial Assistant Susan Goraczkowski Creative Director/Design David Nelson, Nelson Design Contributing Editor Edouard L. Desrochers ’45, ’62 (Hon.) Communications Advisory Committee Daniel G. Brown ’82, Robert C. Burtman ’74, Dorinda Elliott ’76, Alison Freeland ’72, Keith Johnson ’52, Yvonne M. Lopez ’93 TRUSTEES President G.Thompson Hutton ’73 Vice President Eunice Johnson Panetta ’84 David O. Beim ’58, Flobelle Burden Davis ’87, Marc C. de La Bruyère ’77, Walter C. Donovan ’81, Jonathan W. Galassi ’67,Thomas E. Hassan ’56, ’66, ’70, ’06 (Hon.); P’11, Robert A. Ho ’73, David R. Horn ’85,Alan R. Jones ’72, Sally Jutabha Michaels ’82,William K. Rawson ’71, Dr. Nina D. Russell ’82, Robert S. Silberman ’76, J. Douglas Smith ’83, Remy White Trafelet ’88, Morrison DeSoto Webb ’65 The Exeter Bulletin (ISSN No. 01950207) is published four times each year: fall, winter, spring, and summer, by Phillips Exeter Academy, 20 Main Street, Exeter NH 03833-2460, 603-772-4311. Periodicals postage paid at Exeter, NH, and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA by The Lane Press. The Exeter Bulletin is printed on recycled paper and sent free of charge to alumni/ae, parents, grandparents, friends, and educational institutions by Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH. Communications may be addressed to the editor; email bulletin@exeter.edu. Copyright 2011 by the Trustees of Phillips Exeter Academy. ISSN-0195-0207 Postmasters: Send address changes to: Phillips Exeter Academy, Records Office, 20 Main Street, Exeter, NH 03833-2460.
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Features 20 | PEA’S MLK DAY TURNS 20 How Exeter celebrates one man’s dream By English Instructors Christine Robinson and Mercy Carbonell
26 | THE EVOLUTION OF SPACE A pictorial timeline of campus transformations Compiled by Karen Ingraham and Tom Wharton
Departments
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2 Around the Table: Faculty achievements, conga on ice, visiting scholar, Sweeney Todd, and more. 12 Table Talk with John Hutchins, financial aid director 14 Exoniana 16 Exonians in Review: From the Box Marked Some Are Missing by Charles W. Pratt ’52. Reviewed by David Weber
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32 Sports: Sled Hockey Scores at PEA by Mike Catano. Plus, winter sports roundup. 36 Connections: News and Notes from the Alumni/ae Community 39 Profiles: Stewart A. Lyons ’69, James Johnson-Piett ’97 and Alex Manfull ’09 102 In Memoriam: James Wells Griswold ’31 (Hon.) 104 Finis Origine Pendet: For Those Who Never Made It by Ryan Weggler ’01
12 Visit Exeter on the web at www. exeter.edu / Email us at bulletin@ exeter.edu
THE EXETER BULLETIN IS PRINTED ON PAPER WITH 10% POST-CONSUMER CONTENT, USING SOY-BASED INKS.
COVER: ALEXANDRA FUIKS '10 AND STEPHANIE WU '11 PERFORM DURING MLK DAY 2009. DANCE PHOTO BY XITAI CHEN, MLK PHOTO COURTESY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
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A Facility for Discovery The Phelps Science Center opened in 2001 with 20 classroom-labs, each equipped with a Harkness table—a first for the Science Department. The 72,000-square-foot building is divided into wings: biology, chemistry, physics and multiscience. —Photo by Brian Crowley
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The View from Here
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What’s new and notable at the Academy
Continuing to ShareFaculty Knowledge By Principal Thomas E. Hassan ’56, ’66, ’70, ’06 (Hon.); P’11
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Civil Disobedience in America: A Documentary History, edited by English Instructor Emeritus David R. Weber ’71, ’74 (Hon.); P’92. In fact, every subject taught at Exeter is represented on these shelves. I would like to be able to provide more of our current faculty members with opportunities to broaden and deepen their expertise in their subject matters, and to share that knowledge with a wider audience.This could be done through the writing of books and articles, but it might also be accomplished by giving instructors the chance to share their academic experiences and Harkness teaching skills in venues outside of the Academy. In the past, PEA has supported a number of faculty members who engaged in teacher exchanges. Modern Languages Instructor Joe Reiter P’91, P’96, P’98; Modern Languages Instructor Emeritus Davis Hammond P’89, P’90; Mathematics Instructor Emeritus Frank T. Gutmann ’52; ’65 (Hon.); P’85, P’87; Science Instructor Emeritus Andy Polychronis ’78 (Hon.); and, more recently, Physical Education Instructor Hilary H. Coder P’04, P’08 left Exeter for yearlong teaching assignments at other schools. Participating schools have included The King’s School (Australia), Harrow School and Eton College (England), and others. We are in the early stages of establishing a formal teacher exchange program between the Academy and national and international partner schools. Our vision is that partner schools would not be predetermined but would instead depend upon the subject area of expertise and teachers’ goals. I believe this program will offer unique professional development opportunities for Academy instructors, their exchange partners, and the departments hosting exchange teachers on their campuses. This project dovetails nicely with the work being done by members of the Exeter in the World Committee, a group of teachers led by Dean of Faculty-elect Ron Kim, whom I have charged with finding ways to broaden the Academy’s reach beyond our campus. I hope that these efforts, coupled with additional opportunities for travel, study and research, will continue to stimulate our faculty.And, in turn, that our faculty will be further motivated to keep the library shelves stocked with inspiring works for future Exonians.
ART DURITY
rom time to time, I have occasion to visit the fourth floor of the Class of 1945 Library. It is there, in rooms named in honor of donors Thomas S. Lamont ’16; P’42, P’44 and Corliss Lamont ’20; P’53, that the library’s Special Collections are kept. Exeter’s cache of rare books and original manuscripts offers materials of interest to literary scholars, historians, book collectors, our faculty, and alumni/ae working in a variety of fields. Its treasures include works from the 16th to 21st centur ies, including a medieval illuminated manuscript and explorer Roald Amundsen’s 1905 journal detailing his discovery of the Northwest Passage. During a recent visit to the library’s top floor, another set of books caught my attention.A number of shelves exhibit the works of current and former Exeter faculty members. These volumes, recordings and CDs—some of which date back to the earliest years of the school—are a testament not only to the Exeter instructors’ depth of knowledge but also to the intensity with which they have approached their disciplines. For instance, old volumes on plane and spherical trigonometry, written by Mathematics Instructor Emeritus George Albert Wentworth in the 1890s, sit on some of these shelves.They were the principal textbooks used nationally in high schools for many years, as were two later sets of mathematics texts by three emeriti instructors in mathematics: one set by Jackson B. Adkins ’22, ’62 (Hon.) and Arthur W. Weeks, and the other by Richard G. Brown ’66, ’79 (Hon.); P’82, P’85, P’93. History Instructor Emeritus Henry W. Bragdon’s History of a Free People, published in 1954, is his most famous work and a staple in high schools and colleges. The library has, however, 28 other publications by the renowned historian. The Women of Plums: Poems in the Voices of Slave Women—a poetry collection by English Instructor Emerita Dolores T. Kendrick—is there, as is
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Former Bush Chief of Staff at PEA A N D R E W C A R D TA L K S A B O U T L I F E I N T H E W H I T E H O U S E
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n a February assembly,
Andrew Card characterized his previous job as consisting of three primary duties: “the care and feeding of the president, policy formulation, and marketing and selling.” The former White House chief of staff for President George W. Bush deemed the first duty as the most demanding but often the most important. “If you don’t do the care and feeding part of the job well,” Card told the student body, “the president probably loses confidence in everything the government is supposed to do. . . . So I spent a disproportionate amount of time paying attention to the president’s every move, every minute of the day, 24 hours a day. . . .” Card, whose visit to PEA was sponsored by the class of 1953, served under Bush from 2001–06. He has the distinction of being the longest-serving chief of staff (the average tenure is 23 months) and for being the one to whisper to Bush that “America is under attack” on September 11, 2001. Card also served as secretary of transportation under President George H.W. Bush, deputy assistant to President Ronald Reagan regarding intergovernmental affairs, and U.S. representative for Massachusetts from 1975–83. During the assembly, Card described his other duties as providing the president with peripheral vision during policy formulation and, in terms of public relations, determining “how you take the president’s decision and communicate it to the right people at the right time, so that [it’s] implemented to the president’s expectation.” At the conclusion, a student asked Card for advice on how young people can best prepare themselves for public service roles. His response: “Be idealistic, have dreams, have aspirations, and then learn what the real world is like. Accept the real world for what it is and try to change it rather than presume the world is different than it is and try to manage it.” While on campus, Card also participated in classroom Harkness discussions and gave an evening lecture entitled “A View into the Oval Office and Managing Crisis,” which was open to the public. —Karen Ingraham
James Gregory ’11 (left) sits next to Andrew Card, former White House chief of staff, who joined some classes while visiting PEA.
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Faculty Wire PEA faculty members continue to garner recognition and awards outside the Academy for the expertise and artistry they exhibit in their respective fields.The following is a roundup of notable faculty news from the fall and winter terms.
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cience Instructor John A. Blackwell has been selected to serve as a teacher mentor in the 2011 NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program. Blackwell is working with one of three teams that are made up of approximately 60 eighth-grade, high school or community college science educators and students, as well as community outreach educators from around the country. Each team will work on an astronomical research project by analyzing large, previously unmined data sets. Team members will present their findings at the 2012 American Astronomical Society winter conference in Austin,TX. English Instructor Todd Hearon was named the 2010 recipient of the Rumi Prize for Poetry, awarded by the literary magazine Arts & Letters Journal of Contemporary Culture. Hearon’s winning poems, “No Other Gods,” “Circe’s Sister,” and “After Words,” were published and he received a $1,000 prize.The poems are part of Hearon’s latest manuscript, No Other Gods. English Instructor Matthew W. Miller was selected as a finalist in the 2010 Robert Frost Foundation poetry contest. Miller’s poem “Twiggin’ ” was among seven finalists whose poems were published on the foundation’s website. Music Department Chair Rohan G. Smith and Adjunct Music Instructor Eva C. Gruesser donated their time and talents to perform earlier this year at Carnegie Hall in the “Beethoven for the Indus Valley” benefit concert. Using Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, the concert was designed to build awareness within the global community about the ongoing humanitarian needs of the 20 million Pakistanis devastated by the 2010 floods. Among the 90 musicians participating, Smith performed second violin and Gruesser was seated in first violin. Last fall, Adjunct Music Instructor Jodi Hagen won a regular position to perform with the Boston Lyric Opera.The freelance violinist had worked with the BLO for several years as a substitute player and competed anonymously in the orchestra’s final round of trials. Additionally, Hagen was one of three violinists chosen by the BLO for an upcoming performance of Handel’s Agrippina. She also recorded a solo violin performance for the “Dinosaur Wars” segment on the PBS series “American Experience,” which aired in January.
Conga on Ice
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On February 27, history was made in Love Gymnasium. For 15 minutes, 266 people joined together to break the Guinness World Record for the longest conga line on ice. Organized by students, the event brought together students, faculty, staff, their families and friends, and even a youth hockey team practicing on the adjacent rink.The number to beat was 252, and—as of press time—student organizers were awaiting official confirmation from Guinness World Records that the record has been broken.The attempt is believed to be the first by a PEA student body to capture a Guinness World Record. If you know of another, please email bulletin@exeter.edu.
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Trustee Roundup
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he Trustees of the Academy met on campus Wednesday,
January 26, through Saturday, January 29. On Wednesday evening, the group, led by History Instructor Emeritus Jack Herney, engaged in a lively Harkness discussion about two books they had read, Education Nation and Higher Education?: How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids and What We Can Do About It. The Trustees began their official meetings Thursday morning with a report from Principal Tom Hassan, who updated them on the various administrative searches under way, next year’s school calendar and progress to date on controlled hiring. Trustees also heard from members of the Alumni/ae Affairs and Development (AA&D) Office and were pleased to learn that Academy fundraising has improved in the area of annual giving. It was noted that in this still shaky economic climate, schools— including Exeter—are having less success in securing major gifts. The Academy received several significant bequests, however, from alumni/ae and friends to support scholarships. The nominees for this year’s Founder’s Day Award and John Phillips Award were discussed and approved. In May, Rick Mahoney ’61, a longtime faculty colleague who retired in 2009, will receive the Founder’s Day Award for his lifetime of service to the school. Maria Cabildo ’85 will be on campus in October to receive the John Phillips Award—which honors an Exeter graduate for contributing to the welfare of community, country and humanity—in recognition of her service work in her native East Los Angeles. (Go to www.exeter.edu/alumni to read more about these award recipients.) Following the AA&D session, Trustees attended English Instructor Todd Hearon’s meditation and greatly enjoyed listening to his thoughtful and eloquent words. Trustees had several opportunities to connect with students and teachers, including dinner with academic department heads and dorm visits on Thursday and meeting with a number of new preps and lowers over breakfast on Friday before attending some classes. The Trustees believe making connections within our community is important and are committed to continuing such outreach. After Thursday’s meditation, the Trustees reconvened to listen to various updates from Director of Facilities Management Roger Wakeman. Trustees approved the continued funding for the steam distribution system renewal project, which is coming in under original budget projections.Wakeman reported that the primary work locations during the spring and summer months will be on the west side of the gym, in the Elliot Street area, and in the area of Wheelwright and Phillips halls. Wakeman also discussed the Phillips Hall renovation work that will begin in the spring, and he noted that the project would be completed over the next two years, with the majority of work
occurring in the summer periods. Phillips Hall will be available for Summer School use this year, but not in 2012. Two major planning efforts were also discussed during this session. A program committee will begin working with a consultant to develop a program statement that will serve as the foundation for a new performing arts center. This spring, another program committee will focus on the planning and prioritization for major dormitory renewal projects. Significant renovations to dorms are scheduled to begin in the summer of 2012. The remainder of Thursday was devoted to a discussion regarding the Academy’s finances. As is customary at the winter meeting, the Trustees decided on tuition for the following academic year.As you may recall, last fall Trustees agreed they would increase tuition to better align our rate with peer institutions.At the January meeting, the group voted to increase boarding tuition for 2011-12 to $41,800 and day tuition to $32,470. Even with this increase, it is anticipated that our tuition will remain lower than that of our peer boarding schools. Much of Friday’s discussions focused on reports delivered by various administrators, including Director of Multicultural Affairs Veda Robinson, Dean of Students Dan Morrissey, Director of Admissions Michael Gary, Director of College Counseling Betsy Dolan, Associate Dean of Faculty Lawrence Smith and Dean of Faculty Kathleen Curwen. Trustees learned of Exeter’s progress in establishing a teacher exchange program and were updated regarding the work of the Exeter in the World Committee, a group working to provide faculty with global research and teaching opportunities. Friday evening was devoted to a surprise dinner for AA&D Director Jim Theisen, who retired in early March. A number of former and current trustees and Principal Emerita Kendra Stearns O’Donnell and Principal Emeritus Ty Tingley roasted and toasted Jim for his 35 years of extraordinary service to the Academy. In honor of Jim, and in recognition of his devotion to and respect for the Exeter staff, a small number of trustees established the James M. Theisen Staff Recognition Fund (see story about this fund on page 44). Saturday morning, the Trustees and the Principal’s Staff discussed the future needs and priorities of the Academy and considered the launch of a planning process to define and tackle those needs. It was agreed to continue Saturday’s productive Harkness conversations over the next months and embark on the design of an inclusive process to gather feedback from faculty and staff. The Trustees appreciated the warm welcome they received during their time on campus and look forward to their gathering at PEA in May. —Julie Quinn
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Visiting Artists Teach Masterclasses G I L B E RT C O N C E RT S E R I E S H O S T S B A R I T O N E A N D Q UA RT E T
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his winter, a student vocalist picked up a violin for the first time and learned to play a solitary note.Another student came to understand how acting can lend depth and character to a performance.These experiences took place during two separate masterclass sessions, which are part of the Gilbert Concert Series—a program that hosts musical artists of national and international acclaim on campus. Evan Strouss ’11, a member of the Concert Choir, was invited to join the Apple Hill String Quartet as guest violinist during a two-hour masterclass in January attended by more than 80
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NICOLE PELLATON (2)
music students. “I had (Above) Leonard never so much as Matczynski, of Apple touched a violin before, Hill String Quartet. and so it was at first (Right) Baritone Andrew Garland. completely overwhelming,” he explains. “My role was to play one note throughout the entire piece, and so they tuned the violin to play just one note. Even so, the intonations of the instrument occasionally caused me to go flat or sharp. The amazing thing was that I had the other four helping me. When I would go flat, I could tune into them, and fix it myself. It was an amazing musical experience, just playing that one note, and is an experience that any musician can take and put into action.” Apple Hill String Quartet is no ordinary quartet. In addition to their musical skill—performing with verve a broad repertoire, from classics to contemporary—they also epitomize the spirit of non sibi with their program Playing for Peace, which promotes peace through music in strife-torn areas of the globe, including Israel, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, and even inner-city neighborhoods within the U.S.
“I love Twitter, Facebook and all that,” said Leonard Matczynski, Apple Hill’s executive and artistic director, who worked with PEA’s student quartet during the masterclass.“But, it’s crucial to have personal one-on-one communication.” For Apple Hill, the playing of music is more than a metaphor for communication— it’s the very vehicle. “It’s a great ‘real world’ experience,” says Strouss, who is also a member of the Exeter Social Service Organization board, of the opportunity to work directly with Apple Hill. “What the Apple Hill Quartet does by combining music and civil service is something [that] I really admire and would love to emulate.” Like Strouss,Theodore Motzkin ’11 had a musical breakthrough in February when he and more than 40 other students attended a masterclass led by baritone Andrew Garland. Motzkin performed “Heidenröslein” by Franz Schubert during the class,and Garland’s“casual and congenial” demeanor quickly settled his nerves. “Mr. Garland’s advice led me to a deeper understanding of what it means to be a singer,” Motzkin says. “I was very focused on technique and proper sound production. In instructing me, Mr. Garland was more interested in communication: how well the performer communicates with the audience.” Garland, who has been hailed by critics for his “grace, fervor and intelligence,” is a national operatic and stage performer whose theatrical highlights include performances at the Boston Lyric Opera as Hermann in Les contes d’Hoffmann, The Gamekeeper in Rusalka, and Schaunard in La Bohème. During the 2009–10 season, he performed in the title role of Don Giovanni with Opera New Jersey, Dancairo in Carmen with the Boston Lyric Opera, and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with the Knoxville Opera, the Dayton Opera, Bob Jones University and National Philharmonic, among others. Watch excerpts Motzkin, one of five students to perfrom both masterclasses at form for Garland during the masterclass, www.exeter.edu says, “Mr. Garland spent several minutes /bulletinextras. working with me on something I hadn’t really associated with music before: acting. Following the masterclass, I performed the piece for my voice teacher and was able to communicate its message much more convincingly.” Both Garland and the Apple Hill String Quartet performed at assembly and gave a public concert during their visits to campus. —Compiled by Nicole Pellaton
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Notes from a Math Champion A N E X O N I A N C O M P E T E S I N RO M A N I A
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hijie “Joy” Zheng ’11 is no stranger to international math compe-
titions. The two-time gold medal winner of the China Girls Mathematics Olympiad traveled to Bucharest, Romania, in February to compete in the Romanian Master of Mathematics and Sciences 2011. Zheng was one of only six high school students in the country invited to be on the U.S. team, which was sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America. Zheng and her teammates were selected because of their scores in the 2010 American Mathematics Competitions and the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad, along with their performance at the previous summer’s Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program.They were among 90 students from 13 countries to compete in Romania. The U.S. contingent ultimately took gold as the overall team winner. Zheng received an honorable mention for the complete solution she provided to the fourth problem, one of six the students tackled over two days. What follows is a brief narrative by Zheng on her experience in Romania. The last moments before the math begins are oddly anticlimactic. I take a sip of water, shuffle the pens around on my desk, and wait for the problems to arrive. The minute hand slid into place. 9:30 a.m.—time to start. A proctor in my room began passing out folders with answer sheets, scratch paper and, finally, problems—each contestant would receive a copy in his or her own language.The three problems on that green slip of paper, and three more the next day, would occupy us for nine hours of competition. I began to methodically read through the problems. Anticipation did not yet creep up on me—it sets in during the last 10 minutes of each competition day, when I pore over my scratch paper and scribble in the remaining blank spots, wondering whether I will manage to come up with anything worth points in these final moments. Here was no different. My flight had touched down just 24 hours ago at the airport in Romania, and now I sat in a classroom of Tudor Vianu, a Bucharest high school. In a week, I would return to Exeter for the last three days of winter term. Until then, I would be here for the Romanian Master of Mathematics and Sciences competition as a member of the U.S. team—and then, after the math, also as a tourist. Though Bucharest is home to a number of Romania’s national museums, I later realized with mild amusement that I had not actually set foot in a single gallery or exhibit over that week. Instead, we strolled around the city on the heels of our guides, all of whom were students at Tudor Vianu.We did, in fact, see the famous statues and monuments in passing while going through the city. On the other hand, I learned about the history of Romania not from museum placards, but from murmured explanations by one of our guides while watching a historical pantomime at Bucharest’s largest theater. While I cannot claim to have come to a complete understanding of Romania over just a few days, I did have the amazing opportunity to see part of a country without much of its tourist veneer.Thank you to our guides, our coaches, and everybody else at the competition and behind the scenes! —Shijie “Joy” Zheng ’11
Shijie “Joy” Zheng ’11 in front of Tudor Vianu, the Bucharest high school where she competed in the Romanian math tournament.
“Anticipation did not yet creep up on me—it sets in during the last 10 minutes of each competition day...”
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Ted Probert Chosen to Lead AA&D
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Online Redesign We’ve redesigned www.exeter.edu to make information more easily accessible. Check out some of the site highlights: New interactive alumni/ae section.Turn to page 37 in this issue to get an overview from Dave Underhill ’69. What’s My Day Like profiles on the homepage.Whether it’s Millie, Mustafa, Monique or Ben you’re curious about, you can get a quick pictorial preview of student life before going to detailed individual profiles. News, news, and more news.We’ve heard loud and clear from parents, alums and students.You’ll see more links to news throughout the website, and more pictures and videos of recent events. Bigger is better.Although not always true, in this case the old adage adds up to easier and quicker scanning of information because we’ve broadened the website page and increased the text size. Drop-down menus from the main navigation bar. Now you can select subtopics with one click—making life simpler for those who know exactly what they’re looking for. We’d love your feedback on the new website. Please send comments to website@exeter.edu.
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CHARLOTTE FIORITO
Ted Probert at an alumni/ae event in San Francisco.
ed Probert P’12, an independent school advancement veteran who oversaw the record-breaking Exeter Initiatives campaign, was appointed director of the Academy’s Alumni/ae Affairs and Development (AA&D) Office in February. His selection followed a six-month nationwide search for a successor to Jim Theisen ’40, ’45, ’52, ’66 (Hon.); P’97, who retired March 1 after 35 years of service to Exeter. “Ted brings to the directorship proficiency in fundraising as well as demonstrated leadership ability,” says Principal Tom Hassan ’56, ’66, ’70, ’06 (Hon.); P’11. “One key to his success is his ability to work cooperatively with the various groups in AA&D and across campus.This team-building skill is a hallmark of Ted’s leadership and promises to have a powerful impact on the AA&D staff.” Prior to his appointment, Probert led AA&D’s outreach to current parents and to supporters living outside of the United States. Previously he served as director of The Exeter Initiatives (2004–09), which raised $352 million for the Academy—16 percent beyond its $305 million goal. The campaign remains the most successful fundraising effort ever conducted by a secondary school. “It is an incredible honor to succeed Jim Theisen,” Probert says.“I hope to build on the sense of ownership and commitment he helped instill among alumni/ae, parents and friends—and to guide their efforts to make this great institution even more vibrant in the future.” Before his arrival at Exeter in 2002, Probert held development positions at the Kent School and The Lawrenceville School.A lieutenant colonel with the United States Marine Corps Reserve, he has served two tours of active duty during his 18-year military career. In 2004, he took a yearlong hiatus from his duties at Exeter to deploy to Iraq, where he served as the Engineer Company commander for 165 Marines. He lives in Newburyport, MA, with his wife,Andi, son Tanner and daughter Campbell ’12. —Sam O’Neill
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VALENTÍN HERNÁNDEZ ’11
SweeneyTodd Unleashed Upon PEA
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or one weekend in mid-February, winter’s chill was forgotten for the cold machinations of a murderous barber. Students put on three sold-out performances of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Sweeney Todd on Fisher Theater’s mainstage. Set in 1840s London, the staging was inspired by old lithographs, explains Sarah Ream ’75; P’09, P’11, chair of the Theater and Dance Department, in the show’s Director’s Notes. “We turned to the notion of old Victorian and Edwardian lithographs and the kind of pen-and-ink illustrations used in early editions of Dickens’ stories.” The limited color palette onstage, she explains, created a “sharpened visual response to color. My choice was to create the ‘blood’ through the use of specific, sporadic saturated flashes of red onstage, rather than employing more literal stage gore. This is a thriller and it should frighten the audience through the power of its storytelling and its music; but it need not be a horror show. It is chilling enough to contemplate what a man can do when his need for revenge overpowers his conscience, his restraint, and his reason.”
(Above) Chorus members enjoy Mrs. Lovett’s “meat” pies. (Middle) Alec Bronder ’11 stars as Sweeney Todd and Dulcinée DeGuere ’11 as his landlady, Mrs. Lovett. (Left) Evan Strouss ’11 plays the young sailor who falls in love with Todd’s daughter, played by Rebecca Millstein ’12.
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Putting an “E” in Affordability TA B L E TA L K W I T H J O H N H U T C H I N S , F I N A N C I A L A I D D I R E C T O R By Karen Ingraham
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aid budget] hasn’t appreciably decreased,” Hutchins says, “which I think is remarkable given that it’s 100 percent endowed, and the endowment dropped by [a few] percentage points.That’s an indication of Exeter’s commitment to its financial aid program.” With more than 60 percent of applicants for 2011-12 admissions indicating an interest in financial aid, Hutchins’ short-term goal is “to make sure we’re doing everything we can to support the students we have,” both cur rent and new. That includes continuing to offer a free Exeter education to admitted students whose family income is $75,000 or less. Currently, nearly 200 students are on full financial aid scholarships. “It makes Exeter feel much more accessible to families who might not otherwise consider independent school education or even Exeter for that matter,” he says. “[The $75k initiative] makes it concrete for them, it’s something they can put their fingers on and say,‘OK I can do this,’ provided they are accepted.” Long term, Hutchins’ “wish list” includes finding funding sources to establish summer study programs for financial aid students. A fund, for example, was recently created by an alumnus to support students doing a summer service project with Exeter Social Service Organization (ESSO). He hopes to be able to offer similar opportunities to students over time. Hutchins is also an adviser and dorm affiliate, and he coached JV soccer last fall.“That, I loved,” says the avid outdoorsman.“It was really fun to get out, and it’s important to be connected to the daily lives of the students. It’s too easy to get locked up in your office.” An alpine skier and mountaineer, Hutchins can sometimes be found rock climbing in and around North Conway, NH. He may even, on occasion, be accompanied by PEA’s CFO Chris Wejchert or Science Instructor David Gulick. But that’s only when he’s not spending time with his wife, Susan, and their two children—John, 6, and Elizabeth, 2—or finding ways to continue making Exeter affordable for incoming Exonians.
FRED CARLSON
rom the first floor of the Davis Center, John Hutchins can watch students come and go along the paths visible from his office window. It’s a nice complement to the work at hand—calculating financial aid offers for the need-based applicants who apply to PEA each year. In the middle of his second admissions season at the Academy, Hutchins, director of financial aid, can point to only one hardship with his job: “You can’t say yes to everybody,” despite there being such a large pool of “really great kids.” In fact, Hutchins’ time is spent, in part, on hundreds of offers that will never ultimately be awarded.And that’s a good thing. “The Admissions Committee knows nothing about the financial situation of the kids they are selecting for admission,” he explains. “We fund 100 percent of the demonstrated need after the committee says, ‘This is the kid we’re taking.’ ” This process may mean more work for Hutchins, but he doesn’t seem to mind, not when he thinks about the size and scope of the financial aid program at Exeter, a place he says “had long been a goal of mine to work at.” Hutchins, a native of Concord, MA, was no stranger to Exeter when he interviewed in 2009 for the position held by Rick Mahoney ’61; ’74, ’95 (Hon.); P’88, P’92, who was retiring that year. Hutchins’ father, John C. Hutchins ’57, and sister, Kristin ’84, both attended the Academy. Hutchins had also spent nearly two decades working at independent schools, including Mercersburg Academy, in Pennsylvania, and Gould Academy, in Maine, but Exeter, he says, “is really seen as the pinnacle of the profession.” That’s due, in part, to the “incredible resources” available to the student body. For the current academic year, Hutchins points out, the percentage of students on need-based financial aid is the highest amongst Exeter’s peer schools.These financial aid grants amount to $15, 852, 834.“The scope of the financial aid program in terms of the number of students it serves just goes beyond anything I expected,” says Hutchins. That scope has held steady despite an economic recession that left few individuals or organizations unscathed. “[The financial
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WhatVergil Was Thinking V I S I T I N G S C H O L A R O F F E R S N E W I N S I G H T I N T O O L D L A N G UA G E S
NICOLE PELLATON
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lassics Professor Joshua Katz of Princeton University came to Exeter recently for a two-week residency.A linguist, classicist and comparative philologist, Katz taught Latin and Greek classes, gave seminars and public lectures, and worked individually with Exeter students. His well-attended seminars were highly interactive as he challenged students to solve linguistic puzzles. “He really opened up the problem-solving involved in linguistics, which is a lot of fun and very important work in terms of our history, how we speak, how we think, who we are,” says Ravi Bajaj ’12, who has studied German at Exeter, and attended the “Introduction to Historical and Comparative Linguistics” seminar.“I remember a particularly interesting exercise where we pieced together a root language given a vocabulary table of four or five Polynesian languages. . . . It was nice because we had a range of experiences in the crowd who could contribute—some French speakers, some German, some Spanish, some Latin, some Greek.” The advanced Latin and Greek students found Katz’s insight into classical literature invaluable. “He definitely challenged me to think about more than the etymology of the words I was reading on the page,” explains Isaac Lederman ’11, an advanced Greek student who studied Homer’s Odyssey with the visiting scholar.“This came in handy, as I read a great deal of lines at sight with him.Though we read at a fast clip—faster than I’ve ever read before—he was still able to teach me more than just grammar. . . . He was able to show that there’s more to Latin and Greek than just memorizing forms or interpreting texts.” “We were all amazed when he pointed out literary devices infused in the text that we wouldn’t have noticed on our own,” says Christine McEvoy ’12, whose Latin class read Book 6 of Vergil’s Aeneid with Katz. “For example, he showed us how Vergil had used ‘vertical enthesis,’ using the first letter of each word of 10 lines of the text, to create another sentence.This extra sentence added significant figurative meaning to The Cumaean Sibyl’s Prophecy of Book 6.” Younger students also found Katz a thought-provoking teacher. “He made me challenge my long-held belief that languages were like species—evolving due to geographical changes, time, etc.—and made me consider the effect we, as humans, specifically English-speakers, had on languages spoken all around the world,” says Olamide Ogunbambo, a prep, who has studied French, Chinese, Spanish and Latin. The visiting scholar residency was hosted and managed by Exeter’s Department of Classical Languages, with funding from the
Professor Joshua Katz works with classics students.
Behr Fund.“This visit has been so exciting for all of us, and also in ways I had not foreseen,” says Sally Morris P’07, P’08, P’10, chair of the department.“Not only are the lectures great, but we are able to chat about curriculum and teaching ideas in Professor Katz’s down time in our department office. This opportunity, a benefit to anyone interested in classical topics and language— adults, students, children, parents, faculty and staff—is in keeping with the deed of gift for the Behr Fund, and yet it incorporates the entire Academy community. The magical part is Joshua’s charisma.We are truly fortunate.” A native of New York, Katz earned his undergraduate degree in linguistics fromYale University in 1991, a master’s degree from Oxford University in 1993; and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1998. He is the recipient of awards and fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation. Since joining the faculty at Princeton in 1998, Katz has been awarded the President’s Distinguished Teaching Award in 2003 and the Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award in 2008. In 2010, he was awarded a Loeb Classical Library Foundation Fellowship and a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. Last fall, he served as aVisiting Fellow at All Souls College in Oxford, United Kingdom, and this spring will serve a term as a Directeur d’études invité at the École pratique des Hautes Études in Paris. —Nicole Pellaton SPRING 201 1
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Exoniana D O YO U R E M E M B E R ? At PEA, some of the oldest buildings have changed in either form or function during their years on campus. A few have even changed addresses. A PEA French instructor first owned the c. 1810 house pictured before it became Academy property. In 1961 the building was moved from its Tan Lane location to another lot on the same street in order to accommodate new construction at the school. Can you name the house and either its former or current location? (Hint: The house, first named after its owner, was renamed after its move.) Please include any memories you may have of events in the house, or of those who lived there. Email your responses to Exoniana@exeter.edu. Or, send them to Exoniana, c/o The Exeter Bulletin, Phillips Exeter Academy, Communications Office, 20 Main Street, Exeter, NH 03833-2460. Entries may be edited for length and clarity.
Answers to the Winter 2011 Issue:
E
xonians pursued the clues and
correctly identified the mystery room as the Latin Study, located across from the Assembly Hall in the Academy Building.
A
Our two randomly selected winners are: Sarah Burd ’03, Milwaukee,WI, who re-
ceived an Exeter pen. “I believe that the mystery room is the Latin Study, located next to the Assembly Hall.The room, it seems to me, was most often used to host smaller discussions with assembly speakers.”
B
Souls of Students
I can’t relate to [picture] B of the winter Bulletin, but I guess that A is the faculty meeting room, on the second floor of the Academy Building, directly above Mr. Hatch’s classroom in the southeast corner. Where all the faculty met every week to “sift out the souls” of students. When I was there, the faculty ran PEA. “I guess” because this room was “off-limits” to boys. I never saw inside the old room, but I heard that each faculty [member] had his chair. And the principal chaired the meetings. I can’t recognize anyone but “Salty” [Principal William Saltonstall ’24] in the center. Larry Clark ’53 Wilsonville,AL A Place for Classics
Diana Davis ’03, of Providence, RI, who
received an Exeter pen. “From your description, the room in the photo must be the Latin Study. I have never been in the room, though I know it was often used for greeting assembly speakers and for prize exams.” 14
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Per the question in the [winter] Bulletin, I believe it was the meeting room for the Classics Society. It’s in the Academy Building, on the same floor as the Assembly Hall. Will Shepler ’97 Santa Monica, CA
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Letters Why ‘Buy Global’ Matters
As a 13-year veteran of the USDA, who started her international agricultural career in 1988 as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English at the Northwest Frontier Province Agricultural University in Peshawar, Pakistan, I read with interest your cover article [winter 2011] on where and how the Academy purchases food for its 1,000-plus students and faculty. I am pleased and gratified that Exonians not only care about what goes into their mouths but are bold enough to demand answers from the principal about the foodstuff ’s origins. Hard questions from our youth can force our country to find solutions to complicated questions about agriculture production, research, the use of genetics, natural resource conservation and nutrition. While I applaud the search for answers, I must admit to dismay with the notion that buying locally is an answer to our nation’s—Earth’s—food challenges. Over a billion people—one in every six persons—do not have access to enough food to eat.A plethora of countries believe that food sufficiency is the answer to hungry populations, arguing that if a country grows enough food locally, its people will not go hungry.This food sufficiency policy may work if one lives in fertile New Hampshire, a state where farmers reap bountiful summer harvests and which is in close proximity (in the grand scheme of life) to other states that enjoy productive agricultural land. Moreover, our nation invested in the infrastructure such as extension agents, irrigation systems and research, enabling us to make the most of our rich but finite resources. This theory of food sufficiency does not work, however, in the Middle East, where most of the land is not arable and the cost of desalinating water makes the commodities prohibitively costly (Saudi Arabia was producing wheat for $800/metric ton; the March 9, 2011 price for wheat in the United States peaked at a record high of $519/metric ton). Nor does the theory work in China, now the second-largest producer of corn, where the use of groundwater is at such alarming
levels that there is a serious threat to access to water (a billion people also do not have access to safe drinking water). Countries are not all created equal in terms of the amount and type of agricultural products they can grow. Read the letter in its entirety at www.exeter. edu/bulletinextras. Jocelyn G. Brown Hall ’84 Washington, D.C. What is ‘Green’?
Your article on the “locavore” culture at Exeter [winter 2011] was interesting, but I wonder if this movement is as “green” as it seems. Food grown close by (300 miles? 400 miles?) may sometimes have a smaller carbon footprint than food grown farther away, [but] this is by no means always so. There are substantial transportation efficiency differentials, for example. Hauling by truck from 300 miles away in Pennsylvania may cause as big a footprint as train transport for food and vegetables grown in Mexico or California because train transport is more efficient. Even more important are differentials in the raising of food itself. Where soils and climates are most amenable to growing certain foods, far less pesticide and fertilizer may be needed to grow those foods, and those good growing seasons are not likely to be in New England. Objective analysts, for example, have determined that the carbon footpr int for New Zealand lamb consumed in England is smaller than the footprint of a similar quantity of lamb grown in England, because the New Zealand farmers are vastly more efficient at lamb production. The same is true of many other foods in other places. It’s great to be green but it’s also great to be rational. Supporting local farmers to prevent “development,” may sound good, but most former farm acreage in New England has returned to forest.That’s why there is a great deal more forest in the Northeast today than there was 100 years ago. Is that bad? Further: Is it more moral to support a local farmer than one some distance away, especially if that farmer in Mexico or Chile is less well-off than farmers in New Hampshire or NewYork? Some of these questions are complex and I do not pretend to have the answers to
them. I only suggest that thinking about these things rationally is better than following what appears, from your article at least, to be a for m of groupthink that Exeter’s faculty always used to teach us to avoid. Philip D. Harvey ’56 Cabin John, MD Slam Dunk
I am really excited about and delighted by the water polo article [winter 2011]. From the Academy, I went on to the University of Chicago in the fall of 1939.There, I was introduced to water polo, which I played for three years. At the time, not many colleges in the area offered the sport. (As examples, Iowa State and the University of Wisconsin did.) Consequently we also played in the Chicago Industrial League, a rugged group. Art Bethke, a sort of Michael Phelps as a swimmer in that day, played in “the hole” and was high scorer. I played in the “outside point” position [and] was second in scoring, well behind Art. Charles “Chuck” Percy, later a U.S. senator, was captain. I am so pleased by the position of water polo at Exeter and impressed by what I have just read about the Reavill brothers. John “Jack”W. Ragle ’39 Lebanon, NH Time-Sharing at Exeter
I read with great interest the article about innovators schooled at Exeter [winter 2011].There is one correction I would like to point out to you. Page 31 says that in 1967, the first time-sharing teletype was installed at Exeter. I know for certain that it was installed in 1965, or perhaps sooner.As a senior, class of 1966, I was taking AP Physics (Mr. Brinckerhoff) and we used the time-sharing terminal for the academic year 1965 to 1966. It might have even been there sooner, but 1965 was my first usage. John Kemeny was on the Dartmouth faculty. He is credited with the development of BASIC language (Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code). The DartSPRING 201 1
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Around the Table mouth system started up on May 1, 1964. Needless to say,this introduction to computers stayed with me my entire academic career at MIT (S.B. in aeronautics and astronautics) and Boston University (for an M.B.A. in finance), and [all] through my working career. Joseph G. Kubit ’66 New London, NH
ducklings emerg ing from the duck house.) Another of my companies is actively working in national security trying to anticipate cyberconflict issues for Sandia National Labs. We just completed work developing some searching technology for the U.S. Department of State. Ward C. Johnson ’60 Edina, MN
Editor’s Note:Thank you for the correction!We went back to the Academy Archives and found an April 1966 Bulletin article, written by James F. Bowring ’68, entitled “A Time-Sharing Computer at Exeter.”The article begins:“In January of 1965, the Academy became a subscribing user of Dartmouth College’s time-sharing computer system and a new educational tool thereby became part of Exeter’s teaching and selfteaching facilities.” Bowring writes that Exeter had one of 30 “remote teletype consoles located in schools and other institutions through the New England States.”
Maker of the ‘Darce Detector’
The Seeds of Innovation
My first invention was in 1980, when I patented some important elements of high-resolution monitors. Moniterm, which is the company that I started and evolved using that technology, was the first supplier of high-res monitors to the computer industry. The high-res monitor was important at that time, since both desktop publishing and computerized CAD/CAM were just evolving, and only low-res monitors were available.The first 20,000 monitors bought by Sun Microsystems came from Moniterm. The company grew to 450 employees, and had a great run. Also, for another of my companies, I have patents on camera technology which is still being used in the classroom, with over 250,000 of the FlexCam cameras for microscopes being sold. I started nine companies so far, with four of them growing to become publicly owned corporations. Other inventions that I have been involved with include developing an algorithm for interpreting written music, an underwater camera, a miniature camera for the model railroad train enthusiast, [and] a special bird-watching camera which records the real-time audio and video inside birdhouses. (I have a great tape of a complete sequence of a wood duck hatch, all the way from egg status to 16
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The following is an edited excerpt from a 50th reunion essay written by John Ackley ’59. In the fall of 1955, a group of a dozen or so boys arrived at Exeter from the same New York City elementary school. I was one of them. Had I not had the support of this group, I do not know how I would have survived Exeter. But survive I did, and I went on to Dartmouth, the Navy, [and] several jobs, until finally the realization that I was, deep down, an “outside the box” technical thinker who might as well try to do something socially useful as an inventor. One major project is “Miles-Per-Gallon” for BuildingsTM. This involves using degreedays to track weather coldness in the microclimate outside a building and comparing this on a real-time basis to the energy that has been used to heat the building. The resulting ratio is an overall reading of the efficiency of the building envelope, the heating system, and, most importantly, the behavior of the occupants. Princeton’s Twin Rivers study in the ’80s showed a 10 to 13 percent savings by providing such computer-based “feedback.” The project won several grants, including one from the U.S. Department of Energy. Another project is [the development of] an ultra high performance nanoscale mortar for seawalls that offers a high resistance to freeze/thaw and chloride attack from salt water. There was a turning point for me at Exeter when I took Physics from the chairman of the department, Charles Bickel. For weeks, there was little love lost between us. Early in the course he warned me that I had better pay more attention, or I would flunk. (In fact, I found the material interesting but easy. I was probably bored.) When the departmental exam came around, he told his son, Charles ’59,
to tell me (off the record) that I had gotten the only perfect score in the entire department. The teacher had been wrong about the student.And vice versa. Anyone who had Mr. Curwin for an English teacher will be unlikely to forget him. “The Darce” was my teacher, my adviser, and a sporting challenge for all of us who lived in Cilley Hall. . . . For my part, I built a “Darce Detector” that was intended to sound an alert if any teacher got near the door handle of the room. (Too bad it never worked reliably.) John Ackley ’59 Stonington, CT Kip’s Correction
This is Charles “Kip” Davis here, class of ’71. After seeing myself misidentified in the [fall 2010 Bulletin] article about Benmont Tench ’71, I contacted my brother Anthony, class of ’69, who said he would write to you and straighten things out. So much for older brothers having your back. I was one of at least three Kips at the Academy at that time, and was the vocalist in Benmont’s band first half of senior year. I left for Rennes and the “School Boy Abroad” Program, as it was called then, in January (against the advice of my dorm head) and received my diploma in the mail (with a letter to “Dear Chuck” attached). Benmont, Bill Magoon ’71 and I all lived inWentworth, where I was a proctor. I left Exeter for France not only to study French language and culture but [also] to avoid witnessing the inevitable secondsemester senior expulsions that seemed to define my time at Exeter. Benmont, it must be remembered, always played the blues. So, one photo has done more to bring me out than any of the stock solicitations I have received over the years, though Will Hunter’s eloquent 40th reunion letter did sorely tempt this disaffected alum to revisit those unpleasant times and to re-connect with some old friends. I don’t quite understand why Tom Donovan ’71 just left me hanging! So to Tom and Will, thanks for trying to make sense out of it all and to give us some kind of closure, and thanks to Benmont for providing the music that will stay with some of us forever. Charles C.“Kip” Davis ’71 NewYork, NY
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Exonians in Review
A Master Craftsman F RO M T H E B OX M A R K E D S O M E A R E M I S S I N G , B Y C H A R L E S W. P R AT T ’ 5 2 A review by David Weber
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harles Pratt’s poems sometimes risk seeming to be pleasing, economical and graceful but also, well, mild. But he is a poet of loss as well as of harvests, a poet of cycles that both sustain us and embody our mortality. I sometimes think of him as a gentler Robert Frost, Frost with an affirming flame if I can borrow from Auden, but he is not only gentle. For one thing Pratt’s mastery of his tools is so unusual that I want to try to evoke it before I describe the poems’ themes. It is not just that he makes remarkably varied and skillful use of alliteration, full rhyme, and half rhyme. Somehow these devices are often both essential to the poems and almost inaudible:Typically one sees and appreciates them only afterward. The poems’ musicality is not intoxicating (as it sometimes is in Keats, Thomas, or Shakespeare’s sonnets) but instead, for all its loveliness, remains subordinate to the sense of an actual voice, talking rather than reciting. Still, the musicality is more than incidental, and Pratt is kin to Wilbur, Frost, Auden, Stevens, even Yeats, rather than to the (also glorious) barbaric yawp of Whitman and his descendants. (Readers are fortunate and do not need to make exclusive choices.) In these collective poems form and rhyme themselves come to seem a metaphor for the fluid but finite boundaries we all live within; Pratt’s patient and inventive use of these fruitful formal constraints is itself a metaphor for our capacity to embrace whatever is precious within the larger patterns that number and circumscribe our days. Further, Pratt ’52; P’83, P’84 is not at all conventional in his use of the devices and techniques he draws on.“May 15,” for instance, in its seven short lines, works out its own rhythm in a sort of conversation between the iamb and the anapest, in the end giving the poem a voice that alludes to meter more than adheres to it.And in another conversation between discipline and freedom, it rhymes:The underlying scheme is abcabc, but the sixth line, the one before the final repetition, is a nonconformist x. (A still more intricate practice of adherence and departure informs “The Verandah,” perhaps the most ambitious and certainly one of the great poems in the collection.) As anyone who has tried to work within a formal convention knows, it is delicate business to both draw on the convention and depart from it. Pratt’s subtle intrepidity in this respect is one section of the high bar his poems sail over with apparent effortlessness.Yet for all the richness and subtlety of the rhymed poems in this collection, some of the most enduringly memorable poems, like “White Dogwood,” are in free verse, if that’s the right term for poetry of such precision and delicacy. Similarly in “The Merger,” where the “you” is the Pratts’ son, Pratt remembers a narrow escape from death in very early adulthood and concludes:
This volume brings together many of the poems from Charles Pratt’s three previous books, along with 32 more that have been previously published only in periodicals.
. . . I met And married your mother, and you were born And have grown up to meet and marry, and I Have begun to understand the blind Release of self to the will of another And the answering wise, dispassionate Restraint of the merger we call marriage. Nothing could be less surprising than that here, where there is no obvious contract with rhyme, Pratt’s ear continues to acknowledge its possibility, its value, through “I”/“blind” and the a-sound that SPRING 201 1
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is shared between “dispassionate” and “marriage.” Here and elsewhere the poems sustain a second marriage, one between voice and form, in which for all their theoretical separateness the voice is so deliberate and distinctive and the chosen form so varied in its richness that we find a union of the wills of two partners, each retaining its integrity. These poems are not, then, of course, just about form. In Pratt’s poems, as in our lives, mortality and the regenerative cycles of the natural world are the braided contexts for human purpose and love.These poems, true to those severe and perennially miraculous surroundings, share their complexity, their gravity, and their beauty in simultaneous consolation and celebration. “Resolution,” the book’s final poem, begins with a title that suggests both an intention—a vow—and a real answer (though that word is too crude) to the deep riddles of joy, change and mortality that the book engages. In Pratt’s poems, as in our lives, mortality The poem’s purposeful repetitions—“patting the and the regenerative cycles of the natural dog, kneading the bread, holding my lover, world are the braided contexts for drinking our coffee”—enumerate the simple things the speaker most resolutely values, the human purpose and love. ones he will bear out even to the edge of doom. The speaker imagines various terminal cataclysms—tsunami, windstorm, earthquake, suicide bombing—as stark emblems of life’s perhaps sudden ending, and in the beginning the poem expresses the wry and somber hope that the speaker “may for once be ready.” But by the end, after considering different things one might be doing when doom erupts, the speaker has redefined readiness as an acceptance that transcends preparation: “Let us be drinking our coffee, unprepared.” The “us” is both domestic and much more inclusive than that: It includes the reader, includes us. An analogous moment occurs in “Wolsey’s Hole” (about a perilous swimming hole that once almost claimed his father), where Pratt asks:
. . . Can I learn To think of death not as infinite contraction, Curtains closed over midnight, but as curtains drawn back To let in the moon and the stars, the whole horizon, To let in the dead and the living—a rope thrown down To haul me from the hole of my heart, all dripping and shining?
It is a wonderful question both within and beyond the poem, one that carries a yearning for transcendence independent of any distinct theology.To note the alliteration and the consonance (haul/hole) seems a pedantic irrelevance, except that this perfect assimilation of poetic technique into a personal voice—one that is neither pretentious nor colloquial, let alone pedestrian—is essential to the way the poems work, and work on us. They are sometimes playful and always meditative, honest and deep, and I look forward to reading them again and again. David Weber ’71, ’74 (Hon.); P’92 is the 1981 Independence Foundation Professor and instructor emeritus in English. 18
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Exonians in Review
Alumni/ae are urged to advise the Exonians in Review editor of their own publications, recordings, films, etc., in any field, and those of classmates.Whenever possible, authors and composers are encouraged to send one copy of their books and original copies of articles to Edouard Desrochers ’45, ’62 (Hon.), the editor of Exonians in Review, Phillips Exeter Academy, 20 Main Street, Exeter, NH 03833. ALUMNI/AE 1951—Sabin Robbins. A
Cruiser’s Guide to Ocean Wonders. (CreateSpace, 2011) 1955—Richard Bevis. Im-
ages of Liberty:The Modern Aesthetics of Great Natural Space. (Trafford Publishing, 2010)
1963—Bill Schubart. Fat People. (Magic Hill LLC, 2010)
exhibit] (Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, 2010)
1971—Doug White. The
1996—Mike Herrod. Bal-
Nonprofit Challenge: Integrating Ethics into the Purpose and Promise of Our Nation’s Charities. (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010)
loon Toons: Doggie Dreams. (Blue Apple Books, 2011)
1976—Norb Vonnegut. 1956—Peter Brooks. The
Emperor’s Body. (W.W. Norton, 2011)
The Gods of Greenwich. (Minotaur Books, 2011)
— Monster Comics. (Blue Apple Books, 2010) 1998—Win Butler and Will Butler ’01. The Sub-
urbs. [CD by Arcade Fire]. (Merge Records, 2010)
1983—Chang-rae Lee. 1956—Walter R. Niessen. Combustion and
The Surrendered. (Riverhead Trade, 2010)
Incineration Processes:Applications in Environmental Engineering. [4th ed.] (CRC Press, 2010)
1989—Edward E. Curtis IV. Muslims in America:A
1957—David P. Simmons. The Sum of Her
Sister.” [poems] IN Arts & Letters. (no. 24, fall 2010) FORMER BENNETT FELLOW Gina Apostol. The Revolu-
tion According to Raymundo Mata. (Anvil Publishing, Inc., 2009) Maggie Dietz.“Are We There Yet?” and “Late Spring.” [poems] IN Salmagundi. (nos. 168-169, fall 2010-winter 2011)
—“Pluto.” [poem] IN Harvard Review. (no. 38, fall 2010)
Short History. (Oxford University Press, 2009)
Parts. (iUniverse, 2010)
1989—Ann Sarah Gagliardi, translator. Twice
1961—Stuart Rawlings.
Born:A Novel. (Viking Adult, 2011)
2001—Will Butler and Win Butler ’98. The Sub-
Memories. [CD] (Sierra Dreams Press, 2010)
1990—John G. Palfrey,
urbs. [CD by Arcade Fire]. (Merge Records, 2010)
co-editor. Access Controlled: The Shaping of Power, Rights, and Rule in Cyberspace. (The MIT Press, 2010)
BRIEFLY NOTED 1966—Lewis B. Lane and
others.“Scapholunate Dissociation With Radiolunate Arthritis Without Radioscaphoid Arthritis.” IN Journal of Hand Surgery. (v. 35A, July 2010)
Calling all reviewers! If you are a book, music or film buff interested in the latest works by fellow Exonians, then consider becoming a reviewer for the Bulletin.You can pick the genre and medium to review. Email edesrochers@ exeter.edu for more information.
1996—Jasmine Dreame Wagner.“Black Swans” and
“How to Draw a Mockingbird.” [poems] IN Caketrain. (no. 8, november 2010) 1961—Stephen Spurr. In
Search of the Kuskokwim and Other Great Endeavors. (Epicenter Press, 2010)
1991—Brian Ripel and Jean Shin. Unlocking. [art
FACULTY L.Todd Hearon.“No
Other Gods,” “After Words” and “Circe’s
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PEA’s MLK D M
How Exeter celebrates one man’s dream
By Christine Robinson ’83 (Hon.), with Mercy Carbonell ’96 (Hon.)
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artin Luther King Day To Be Recognized: James Montford, Minority Advisor, Ends Six Day Fast. Montford’s Methods Questioned
This Exonian headline—dated December 9, 1989—leaps off the page. Montford’s intention, the paper reports, was “to inspire the community to address what Martin Luther King Day represents for [the Academy]” and to continue his fast “until an official policy for a formal recognition of Martin Luther King Day was passed.” His actions prompted Principal Kendra Stearns O’Donnell ’31, ’47, ’63, ’91, ’97 (Hon.); P’00, six days later, to establish a group that would create a program for January 1990. PEA’s first official annual observance took place the following year.And so began the process of celebration that would become, on January 14, 2011, the 20th anniversary of MLK Day at the Academy. But the groundwork began years earlier, when Barbara James ’74, ’85, ’93 (Hon.); P’80, P’81, student activities director, supported students’ requests for greater community awareness of campus diversity issues and the lingering racism in America. English Instructor Dolores Kendrick, the only woman of color on the
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Day Turns 20 faculty, was also crucial in moving the Academy to recognize the needs of its minority students.With the support of the administration and other faculty members, she and James formed the Minority Support Group, which designed, in 1984, a symposium— including speakers, films, photo exhibits and discussions—that would take place between January and April of 1985. Much of that work is lost in Exeter’s collective memory; it is the drama of Montford’s hunger strike that the Academy remembers. As James once stated,“You can do all the groundwork you want to do, but to make people move, you sometimes need one human act of rebellion.” And so, from modest beginnings, MLK Day has become part of Exeter’s tradition, part of Exeter’s curriculum. And curriculum is an essential word, for students and faculty become engaged in serious work, intellectually and emotionally, in small discussion
groups, in lecture halls, in the theater, in the Assembly Hall, in Phillips Church.The campus becomes a classroom, and the text becomes the stories of peoples’ search for justice and equality and peace. As part of her graduate work in education at Stanford University, English Instructor Mercy Carbonell, then an English teaching intern at PEA, chose to look at MLK Day 1995 to analyze the program with an eye on its educational value. She notes how MLK Day’s curriculum “both stands out against the traditional culture of the school and then reinforces and works in harmony with the philosophy and pedagogy at Exeter.” Offering workshops in spaces not generally associated with academia reinforces the Academy’s belief that education is never confined to the classroom.That year, for example,“Out Before the Ball is Pitched: Segregation/Integration in Baseball” was a seminar held in the Tad Jones Room of the Love Gym.
MLK Day 2011: (Left) James Montford, first dean of multicultural affairs. (Middle) Barbara James, former student activities director and civil rights activist. (Right) Members of Outkast and Imani dance groups.
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Two Decades of MLK Celebrations A Timeline of Keynote Speakers and Programs 1991 – James Farmer Jr., founder of the Congress of Racial Equality
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Carbonell’s essay, composed in the spring of 1997, speaks to the philosophical and practical underpinnings of Exeter’s commitment to this celebration. She notes how the changing composition of the MLK Day Committee allows the curriculum to be organic, responsive, evolving, sometimes “spontaneous and unpredictable.” She notes how this curriculum must acknowledge not only the literal diversity of Exeter but the diversity of learning styles in our students as well. She quotes Elliot Eisner, professor of education at Stanford University, who says “. . . different forms of representation develop different cognitive skills.” Programs that offer dance and music workshops, drama, lectures, photography exhibits, films, and performance artists give students the opportunity, Carbonell writes, to “learn to develop new and differing capacities for tolerance—not only with the content of the workshop but also with the way in which they are learning that content.” In 1995, the committee chose the ASE Drumming Circle, a sixwoman percussion ensemble, for the opening assembly, an opening that has most often been reserved for a famous speaker like James Farmer or Yolanda King. It was risky to begin with a form of representation that is not generally considered “academic.” Carbonell describes the event: 1991: James Farmer Jr., keynote speaker for the first formal MLK Day celebration.
1992 – Rev. Samuel Proctor, professor emeritus of Rutgers University and recipient of 38 honorary degrees 1993 – Workshops led by Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP, and Deborah “Arnie” Arnesen, former member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives 1994 – Yolanda King, eldest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King 1995 – Opening performance by ASE Drumming Circle, a six-woman drumming and percussion group
I have an image of the Phillips Exeter Academy Assembly Hall on January 17, 1995, of the student body filing in for the required morning assembly, of boys in jackets and ties and girls in dresses and skirts and blouses, of faculty and staff lined along the walls where portraits of great Exeter men are hung, of the stage set up for singing. There is the familiar chatter before an assembly begins, the chatter of a school in waiting. And then there are the beginning sounds of a song—of whistles and rattles and triangles and drums. From the two back entryways, the musicians enter—six AfricanAmerican women wearing traditional African dress, dancing and playing their way through the aisles to the steps of the stage. . . . They encourage the students to get up out of their seats and dance.The students are shy in the beginning, perhaps nervous to actually dance through a morning assembly usually reserved for a solemn or inspiring speaker. But by the time ASE is into the third song, the entire student body has risen and the students (even some faculty [and] staff) are moving their bodies to the rhythm of these women. Carbonell remembers educational theorist Michael Apple’s interest in, he says, “What counts as knowledge, the ways in which it is organized, who is empowered to teach it.”To open MLK Day with the ASE Drumming Circle is to recognize, according to Carbonell, that “knowledge, in this case the knowledge of MLK, of civil rights, of culture and freedom, can be found in music, in the dance, in the performance arts, in celebration. . . . In that action [to place ASE as the opening assembly], the committee was reorganizing what constitutes as knowledge.” Twenty January programs, 20 opportunities to design what Eisner calls “multiple forms of literacy” that will “provide unique forms of meaning.”As students move from an experiential morning workshop to a lecture in the afternoon, or from a documentary film to a slam poetry performance, they are, Carbonell believes, “being asked ‘to read’ in two different ways.” While MLK Day has always focused on issues of social justice and equality, it has also been rooted in deep pedagogical soil. The Evolution
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Exeter education is the artistry and messiness of dialogue, where students learn how to listen, how to build community from the heat of disagreement and the complexity of difference. And so, MLK Day programs cannot simply hand down knowledge from experts into the minds of passive listeners. In that way, students have been vital in the design of our programs and been essential participants in them. In 2004, Charly Simpson ’04 and Rachel Rhoades ’04, under the direction of Theater and Dance Instructor Rob Richards, performed The Meeting, a play depicting a fictional conversation between Malcolm X 1994:Yolanda King, eldest child and King. In 2005, a choreopoem by of Martin Luther King Jr. and James Chapmyn, One Race, One People, Coretta Scott King. One Peace, was presented by students, under the guidance of Cary Wendell, designer and technical director of Fisher Theater.The list goes on:“In MLK’s Own Words:A Student Reading” (2006); Radio Golf, by August Wilson (2007); For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, by Ntozake Shange (2010); and Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, by Anna Deavere Smith (2011). Discussion follows, the audience and cast engaged in an exploration of art and history and conscience and hope. And Linda Luca, director of the dance program, has coordinated evening performances for years, often with the help of the West African Drumming Ensemble. How does Exeter sustain this celebration without it becoming stale and repetitive, especially for the four-year seniors? Through the richness and depth and diversity of each MLK Day Committee—the ever-changing composition of voluntary faculty, students and staff who are committed to Exeter’s pedagogy and to King’s vision. New members bring to the meetings fresh ideas, different expectations, goals, visions. Perhaps someone knows someone who would be a great workshop leader; perhaps someone feels strongly about a current political event; perhaps someone felt unrepresented in the previous year and wants to design a workshop that will speak to his or her life. In 1994, we heard “Voices from Sarajevo” and in 1995, “U.S. Immigration Policies.” Three years later, workshops included: “Asian-American Identity Development,” “Civil Rights for Gay and Lesbian Citizens,” and “Afro-American Jewish Relations.” In 2000, the committee introduced an international focus: “Human Rights and Freedom in Tibet,” “U.S. Involvement in Africa,” and “Soldiers for Peace.” In 2007 it was “The Whiteness of Barbie” and “The Lost Boys of Sudan”; in 2008,“The Crisis of Hip-Hop.” The variety of workshops throughout our 20-year history with MLK Day is a powerful reflection of thoughtful and intentional evolution from a singular focus on black and white relations.The inclusion of different groups and topics also leaves each committee with questions: Is King himself being left behind? Is the civil rights era being forgotten? Have we tipped the balance between history and the present too dramatically? These are the kinds of questions that inspire the committee to remain vigilant and reflective and open to possibilities. In 2009, the committee moved in a radical direction. Instead of a keynote 1996: Chai Ling, former comspeaker, the day would open with “Stomander-in-chief of the Tiananmen ries: Words and Music by Students, FacSquare student uprising. ulty and Staff.” Under the guidance of Carbonell, this group worked together on their pieces, creating a community within a community of powerful friendships and trust. In the cavernous gym, there was a new kind of silence, as if more than 1,200 people were holding their breaths. And out of that silence came the words: the pain of being verbally harassed, the struggles of biracial identity, the search for a biological mother, the pride of coming out, the strain and joy of being a teacher of color in a predominantly white school. King was
1996 – Chai Ling, international spokeswoman for the Chinese Democracy Movement, president of China Dialogue
1997 – Sonia Sanchez, poet, author and Presidential Fellow at Temple University 1998 – Dr.Vincent Harding, author and professor of religion and social transformation at the Iliff School of Theology at the University of Denver
1999 – Randall Kennedy, professor of law at Harvard Law School 2000 – William Johnston, senior associate for police and community programs for nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves
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not mentioned, at all. And yet, in our collective memory, this assembly returns to us as one of the most effective and moving and visionary. Why Then . . . Why Now?
2001 – BaFa’ BaFa’ community awareness game and a play performed by a community activist troupe 2002 – U.S. Congressman John Lewis, D-GA, recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize 2003 – Dr. Cornel West, Class of 1943 University Professor of Religion at Princeton University 2004 – Judy Richardson, associate producer of “Eyes on the Prize,” a documentary series about the AfricanAmerican Civil Rights Movement 2005 – Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, UPenn’s Avalon Professor in the Humanities and author of a dozen books on race, religion and popular culture [postponed due to the weather]
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We have come to the 20th anniversary in January 2011. The committee began work in the fall, brainstorming, writing ideas up on the board, erasing them, drawing circles and arrows and exclamation points. We envisioned a candlelight walk through town and campus; we then imagined a frigid night with only a few brave, bundled-up students and faculty.What about a candlelight vigil, then? Where? What about getting the Art Department involved, a printmaking project? What about making this a two-day affair, with films and music and poetry readings on Thursday night? What about a special meal in the 2003: Oscar-nominated dining halls? Who has a good workshop idea? actress Alfre Woodard. Has anyone heard Black Violin? Can we get Michael Fowlin back? September moves to October, then November, and we are getting a little sick of pizza and the sky is dark by the time we get out of H-format. Some nights there is moon to guide us to the Academy Building where we gather in Math Instructor Joyce Kemp’s classroom.We have to make choices around the theme:Why Then... Why Now? So emails fly between Kemp ’89 (Hon.); P’88, P’90 and Montford.Would he come back to tell the students why he fasted? And GautamVenkatesan ’97 begins to write a speech about his role in moving the town of Exeter and, later, the New Hampshire State Legislature to formally acknowledge MLK Day.And Barbara James and her husband,Art Instructor Emeritus Bud James ’74, ’80 (Hon.); P’80, P’81, dig through their memories of activism; the march to Montgomery,AL; and their work with students of color here.And Thee Smith ’69, who dared to address the student body in 1968 as the “New Black,” would love to return to talk with students about how to create a “beloved community.” The day is beginning to take shape. Curtis Chin will bring his documentary film Vincent Who? and talk about Asian-American civil rights. Professor Margaret Burnham, from Northeastern University School of Law, is ready to discuss the legal ramifications of bringing men to trial for crimes committed against blacks a half-century ago. The Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence will send its executive director and an ex-gang member who now walks the streets of Providence, RI, to help angry, poor youths solve their conflicts without fists and guns. Or students can choose Our Community: Exploring the Lives of New Americans, the documentary by Brendan Gillett ’09 about his work with immigrants in Manchester, NH. We have in place Steve Schapiro’s photography exhibit, “Heroes,” in the Lamont Gallery; Fowlin’s one-person show,“You Don’t Know Me, UntilYou Know Me”; and a Thursday-night celebration of dance and music by students, while jazz fills the Agora. The Gospel Choir and Concert Choir will sing during Friday’s assembly, and Daniel Yu ’11 will play the sax. And I will frame the day with opening and closing remarks. And then the blizzard. 2007: Outkast, Exeter’s Weather Channel images depict Atlanta, all-male stepping and GA—home of Thee Smith—digging out from hip-hop dance group. uncommon snow and Channel 5’s storm watch reports every 15 minutes. We hear that Venkatesan is stranded in Washington State and he doesn’t want his words spoken, his story told.We scramble, we cross our fingers, we arrive at Principal Tom Hassan’s home on Thursday night to find that everyone else has arrived.Through some phone calls and reflection,Venkatesan agrees to have Dean of Residential Life Russell Weatherspoon ’01, ’03, ’08 (Hon.); P’92, P’95, P’97, P’01 read his piece. So it’s on: the 20th anniversary of MLK Day.
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It may be difficult to measure the “success” of 2009:The West African Drumming these special days, carved Ensemble before the opening session. out of the relentless pace of Exeter life, one “splashy day” per year, as one student called it.And every four years there is a new student body, negotiating the complexities of diversity in classrooms, dorms, sports teams, social spaces. As the opening speaker of our 20th anniversary celebration, I felt it was important to remind all of us that: The Academy has not arrived, fully, any more than King’s vision has fully arrived. It was not so long ago that one of our black students had to fight off the hands of her white dorm mates who wanted to play with her hair as though she were some exotic pet. It was not so long ago that a noose was carved on a dormitory door and ‘Chink eyes’ were drawn on a whiteboard . . . that ‘Ghetto’ was OK as a nickname, and the Heart of Darkness is a canonized text, much easier to discuss if you are white than if you live with the complexity of race every day. But not to try, to let this opportunity for learning and growth and possibility slip away would be to fail the Academy’s mantra:“Knowledge without goodness is dangerous.” And so, each year, for 20 years, we have committed ourselves to a curriculum that is grounded in hope. Given the privilege and honor of speaking last, I sent these words into the cavernous space of the Love Gym, where some students were fidgeting, uncomfortable on the hard wooden bleachers and some were leaning forward to listen: In his book I May Not Get There With You, Michael Eric Dyson writes:‘If Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy is to thrive, it will have to be adapted, translated and reinterpreted by a new generation. . . .’ The philosopher Maxine Greene believes,‘We have our social imagination: the capacity to invent visions of what should be and what might be. . . .’ 2011:Thee Smith ’69 This morning you have heard some returns to campus. stories about why MLK Day mattered, 20 years ago, to individuals and to the Academy. The workshops you have chosen will speak to why MLK Day matters now. And the dialogue will continue, for a time, until you return to the demands of your homework and sports and social lives. And that makes sense; our lives are often defined here by the ringing of bells, the papers to write, the equations to solve and the needs of a friend. Some of you have an activist spirit; some of you may feel curious about the world, but the stress of Exeter limits your time to explore it; and perhaps some of you feel too young, too powerless in the face of so much that needs to be done for strangers who long for justice, health, safety, the simplicity of clean water. But the MLK Day Committee hopes that today will, like an echo, return to you. Perhaps even on a day you least expect it. And even with the smallest of gestures you will become an agent of change, adapting and translating King’s legacy, envisioning what should be, what might be, what can be. Christine Robinson, the B. Rodney Marriott Chair in the Humanities, and Mercy Car-
2006 – Rebecca Walker, author of the memoir Black,White and Jewish:Autobiography of a Shifting Self 2007 – Roland Fryer Jr., associate director, Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research, professor of economics at Harvard University 2008 – Frank Wu, dean and professor of law at Wayne State University Law School, author of Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White 2009 – “Stories,” the opening session featuring words and music by students, faculty and staff
2010 – Dr. Benjamin Carson, neurosurgeon, author of four books and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom 2011 – “Why Then? …Why Now?” program, featuring MLK Day founders and activists
bonell are instructors in English at the Academy. SPRING 201 1
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Davis Library second-floor reading room, now a dance studio.
here young men in jackets and ties once sat quietly reading periodicals, barefoot young women in athletic wear move gracefully in time to music. The sprung floor that absorbs their leaps and landings sits atop the hardwood that once supported bookshelves, desks and chairs. The ornate gold clock remains though, hung from the ceiling and frozen at 8 o’clock regardless of how much time really passes. Surrounding it still are the stately Corinthian columns, watchful sentries before the entryway. The cornerstone of the Davis Library was laid 100 years ago. It was the Academy’s first standalone library,
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PEA ARCHIVES
The Evolutionof W
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CHERYL SENTER
Space A pictorial timeline of campus transformations Compiled by Karen Ingraham and Tom Wharton
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and it served as such until 1971 when the Class of 1945 Library opened. Since then, the space now known as the Davis Center has undergone several incarnations, the most recent being the installation of a 1,700-square-foot dance studio—an interim home for PEA’s dance program— in what was originally the library’s second-floor reading room. Such structural transformations are not an uncommon occurrence in the history of the Academy. One building is repurposed for something else, or picked up entirely and moved down the street. The first Academy Building, for instance, has been moved three times since the school dedicated it on May 1, 1783. What follows are pictorial examples of PEA’s Yankee ingenuity, where buildings and grounds have been changed in order to better serve and adapt to a diverse and growing student body.
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(Above) The first Academy Building had four recitation rooms, which held 56 students. It was moved from Tan Lane to Front Street in 1784 after the school had outgrown the space. It was then used as a private farmhouse [pictured c. 1900] until the class of 1891 purchased it and moved it back toTan Lane. After serving as the Faculty Club for a number of years, the house—named Wells Kerr House in 1953—is now a faculty residence. In 1999, it was moved once again, this time to Elliot Street [pictured] in order to make room for the Phelps Science Center. Go to www.exeter.edu/bulletinextras to watch a video of the 1999 move. LEFT: PEA ARCHIVES; RIGHT: SUSAN GORACZKOWSKI
(Below) After the first building burned to the ground in 1907, the second Dunbar Hall opened in 1908. A boys’ dormitory for much of its 103year history, it’s now home to 62 girls. Room décor and furnishings mark the change from 1909 (left) to today (right). LEFT: WALTER R. MERRYMAN; RIGHT: NICOLE PELLATON
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(Above) The physics laboratory (top left), was built in 1887 and its twin, the chemical laboratory (interior, top right), was completed in 1891.The buildings were razed and replaced by the Thompson Science Building, which was constructed in 1931. When it first opened, the Thompson Science Building housed six teachers in three lecture rooms and three lab spaces (lower left). By 2001, the Science Department had outgrown the space and moved to the new Phelps Science Center. Five years later, the older building had been remodeled into the Phelps Academy Center, featuring, among other things, a day student study area in the former lab space (lower right). TOP LEFT AND RIGHT, LOWER LEFT: PEA ARCHIVES; RIGHT: GUY CONRAD
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The first Exeter-Andover spring track meet took place on June 12, 1889 (6-3 Andover), 10 years after baseball and football programs had been formally established. By 1902, the campus could no longer adequately support the growing athletics programs. The September 1905 Bulletin states, “More students have often appeared for exercise than could be comfortably accommodated on the playground.” George A. Plimpton [1873] purchased 23 acres between Front Street and the Exeter River, what had been referred to as “Sunday Campus,” and donated the land to the school in 1905, creating the Plimpton Playing Fields. The track has remained in its original location, but the football field that once occupied the center of the track was moved across the river, to the Plimpton Playing Fields-Beyond, after Plimpton donated more land in 1911. ABOVE: PEA ARCHIVES, RIGHT: AYA PETERS ’11
Some buildings remain unchanged. Take, for instance, Williams House, the Academy’s oldest dormitory. With permission from Principal Gideon Soule [1813], John Allison [1851] leased the former printing house and organized a “boarding club” in 1850 where, according to The Phillips Exeter Academy: A Pictorial History, “students received room, board, service, washing, fuel and light . . .” for $2 a week—half of what private boarding houses charged. The experiment prompted the construction of Abbot Hall, the first dormitory built on campus, which opened in 1855. Williams House continued as a student residence [pictured], and 12 PEA boys call it “home” this year. TOP: PEA ARCHIVES, BOTTOM: SUSAN GORACZKOWSKI
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Built in 1735 and first owned by an officer in the French and Indian Wars, the Nathaniel Gilman House, the oldest structure on campus, was given to the Academy in 1905. The September Bulletin from that year notes,“The Gilman house has been remodeled at considerable expense during the summer months, and made into an attractive residence for a married instructor and dormitory for sixteen students.” In 1968, the house became the principal’s residence, where Principal Richard Day ’68 (Hon.); P’68 resided and later Principal Stephen Kurtz ’44, ’46, ’78, ’87 (Hon.); P’77 lived until 1983, when the space was converted to offices for Alumni/ae Affairs and Development. The Victorian sitting room pictured (above) is now the director of AA&D’s office (left). ABOVE: PEA ARCHIVES, LEFT: NICOLE PELLATON
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Sports
Sled Hockey Scores at PEA G I R L S VA R S I T Y H O C K E Y P L AY E R S VO L U N T E E R THEIR TIME AND ENTHUSIASM By Mike Catano
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very few weeks during the winter term, an unusual form of ice hockey is played in Love Gymnasium. There is the standard array of equipment—protective gear, pucks, nets—and the object of the game remains unchanged. Instead of traditional ice skates, however, the players use sleds mounted on two skate blades. Instead of a single, full-sized stick, they carry two shorter sticks with metal picks on top. These changes accommodate the competitive natures of the youngsters and adults who arrive at the ice rink in wheelchairs but are soon propelling themselves across the ice as they chase the puck. Since 2008, PEA has provided free ice rink access for a regional sled hockey program. Girls Varsity Hockey Coach and Physical Education Instructor Melissa Pacific was instrumental in bringing the program to Exeter, which hosts about five events each season. “I had the wonderful opportunity to work with the Ohio Sled Hockey Association while I was in college,” she says. “Whether it was on the ice with the kids, talking with the parents or setting up events, those days hold a special place in my heart. I wanted to give our students the same opportunity and experience.” Members of the girls varsity hockey team, like forward
(Above) Yuna Evans ’13 and Aune Mitchell ’11 with their sled hockey gear. (Right) Northeast Passage players on the ice at PEA.
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PHOTOS BY VALENTÍN HERNÁNDEZ ’11
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Emily Finneran ’11, routinely volunteer to assist the young players. Finneran heads an ESSO (Exeter Social Service Organization) club that helps out with sled hockey events at Exeter. “[These kids] are very outgoing and just love to play the sport,” she says.“Even though [they’re] young—some are only 8 or 9 years old—they stay on [the] ice for the full two hours.” Sled hockey first appeared in Sweden in the 1960s, thanks to former hockey players who wanted to continue playing despite their disabilities. Players use the spiked ends of their sticks to push their sleds across the ice; otherwise, the rules are much the same as for regular hockey. Sled hockey is fully supported by USA Hockey, which provides leagues, competitions and organizational support. Locally, Northeast Passage (NEP)—a service branch of the University of New Hampshire’s Recreation Management and Policy Department— offers aYouth Sled Hockey Program for kids ages 5–18. NEP also has an adult team that participates in regional and national tournaments. Both NEP groups take advantage of PEA’s rinks during the year. Tom Carr, NEP assistant director for outreach and athletics, appreciates having another local venue for his players.“Our PEA ice times consistently have the best attendance, and the facility and staff are just great. “We really enjoy getting the PEA students involved,” he adds.“This partnership is great for both our young Emily Finneran ’11 players as well as the PEA athletes.” (left) heads the Sled hockey events at Exeter usually begin with the arrival of several adult players and 20 to 30 younger ESSO club that players who participate in the development league. Describing the PEA hockey team’s volunteer duties, helps to ensure sled Finneran says,“It’s important that we get there around 15 minutes early so that we can help out as parents get hockey events are the kids ready for the ice.” Exeter forward Martha Griffin ’12 adds,“Two of the most important things we do fun for the players. for the kids are helping them on and off the ice and making the event as fun as possible by playing alongside them and cheering them on.” The PEA players help out wherever they are needed; sometimes that means running passing and shooting drills, or, Finneran says, it may be as simple as reading a book to one of the younger Learn more kids.“Some of the older [players] even kid me about needing to work on my passing,” she says. about Northeast “They are such nice kids—I love working with them.” Passage: After the drills, the players get to scrimmage in games together.The team experience, accordnepassage.org ing to Carr, is often a new one for the sled hockey players.“Being part of a team is a huge opportunity: it promotes teamwork, but also communication skills...and helps our players grow as young people,” he says. After watching the sled hockey players and trying the sport themselves, the PEA girls have been surprised by the challenge.“There were times when they let us all on the ice with the team and by the time practice was over, it felt like my arms had fallen off,” said Exeter defenseman Naomi Richardson ’12. “Even though I’ve been playing hockey all my life, it was still very difficult to adjust to being in a sled.There were some kids who were just barreling down the ice, making sharp turns, and shooting the puck into the top corner of the goal, while I just inched along the boards trying not to topple over. It really makes you appreciate [the] fact that even though the kids on the team have disabilities, they’re no different than any other athlete.” All the hard work and physical exercise certainly pay dividends for the disabled players, according to Carr. “The strength and endurance that we see developing in our young players is really amazing.We can see gains week to week, and huge leaps from year to year.” And for the PEA athletes, their volunteerism produces unexpected dividends as well.“For me, there was a huge boost of morale from helping out,” Exeter goalieYuna Evans ’13 says.“Watching the kids work so hard— just for fun—really reminded me of why I play and how much I love the sport.” Forward Remy Tabano ’11 adds,“The kids have such great personalities, play with determination, and have so much energy. Sometimes I think I learn more from them than they do from me.” Fellow forward Aune Mitchell ’11 says she enjoys seeing the sled hockey players’“hard work pay off when they score a goal or are part of a big play. I love seeing the feeling that inspires them—that they can do anything—because they really can!” SPRING 201 1
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(A) Boys Basketball Record: 9-10 Qualified for New England quarterfinals Head Coach: Jay Tilton Assistant Coaches: Matthew Hartnett, Jon Pierce ’05 MVP: Ryan Kilcullen ’11 (B) Girls Basketball Record: 6-13 Head Coach: Johnny Griffith Assistant Coaches: Nat Hawkins, Max Johnson Captains: Sylvia Okafor ’12, Karalyn Sommers ’11 MVP: Sylvia Okafor
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(C) Boys Ice Hockey Record: 12-15-0 Head Coach: Dana Barbin Assistant Coaches: A.J. Cosgrove, Bill Dennehy, Mark Evans Captains: Nathaniel Morgan ’11, Eric Neiley ’11 MVPs: Brian Hart ’12, Eric Neiley
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(D) Girls Ice Hockey Record: 10-11-3 Head Coach: Melissa Pacific Assistant Coaches: Lee Young ’82, Steven Wilson Captains: Caroline Jankowski ’11, Kristina Krull ’11, Jordan Schildhaus ’11 MVP:Yuna Evans ’13
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ALL PHOTOS BY MIKE CATANO EXCEPT (C) BY TED KEATING P’13, AND (G) AND (H) BY ROSS SCHLAIKJER ’11.
(E) Boys Squash Record: 12-7 6th at the New England Championships Head Coach: Fred Brussel Captain: Kevin Chen ’11 MVP: Kevin Chen (F) Girls Squash Record: 4-9 14th at the New England Championships Head Coach: Fred Brussel Assistant Coaches: Stefan Bergill, Bruce Shang Captains: Shannon Dominguez ’11,Tammara Gary ’11,
So Myung Lee ’11 MVP:Tammara Gary (G) Boys Swimming and Diving Record: 4-4 in regular season dual meets 2nd at New England Prep School Championships Head Coach: Don Mills Captains: Kyle DeLand ’11, Marc Gazda ’11, Duncan McIntire ’11 MVP: Joe Shepley ’14 (H) Girls Swimming and Diving Record: 4-2 in regular season dual meets 1st at New England Prep School Championships Head Coach: Jean Chase Farnum Assistant Coach: Lundy Smith Captains: Nicole Anderson ’11, Blair Baker ’11 MVPs: Nicole Anderson, Blair Baker (I) Winter Track Record: Boys: 4-0-0; Girls: 4-0-0 Head Coach: Hilary Coder Assistant Coaches: Kitty Fair, Hobart Hardej, Brandon Newbould, Francis Ronan Captains: Jabari Johnson ’12, Martin Manser ’11,Arjun Nukal ’11, Katrina Coogan ’11,Ashley Ifeadike ’11, Hannah Najar ’11 MVPs: Katrina Coogan, Jabari Johnson (J) Wrestling Record: 8-11 6th in Class A Tournament; 5th at New England Championships Head Coaches: David Hudson, Ethan Shapiro Captains: Kyle Gaffney ’11, Dylan Ryan ’11 MVPs: Kyle Gaffney, Dylan Ryan
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Connections News & Notes from the Alumni/ae Community
Get Together By Dave Underhill ’69
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BRIAN CROWLEY
NEW ALUMNI/AE WEBSITE STRENGTHENS TIES AMONG EXONIANS
he legendary H. Hamilton “Hammy” Bissell ’29, Exeter’s first director of scholarships, didn’t have a web browser, but if he could magically return to campus today he’d likely be making full use of the Internet to reach out to prospective students. Fostering great personal relationships has always been the essence of Exeter; how those bonds flourish and evolve has changed radically over the years. With input from representatives of many PEA classes, Exeter has just launched a new alumni/ae website that gives Exonians an improved virtual space to continue connecting with one another. Check it out at www.exeter.edu/alumni. Once there, update your profile photo (if you didn’t upload a picture to the old site, there’s a good chance your PEAN mug shot is now displayed online).Then search for any Exonian in the alumni/ae directory, post photo albums, read the latest news and register for events in your area. In addition to sending updates to your class correspondent for the Class News & Notes section of the Bulletin, you can share stories in real time and comment on others using the site’s online class notes feature. Because of the site’s security improvements, you will need to create a new username and password if you’ve not yet done so. Simply navigate to www.exeter.edu/alumni, click “login” and answer a few questions to have your new credentials emailed to you. During the testing period, members of the General Alumni/ae AssociationTechnology Committee joined with other beta-users (class correspondents, class presidents and agents) to kick the e-tires and recommend improvements. The benefits of this teamwork show in the final product. Planned upgrades include new tools for the class agents and a streamlined process for making online gifts to the Annual Giving Fund.And of course, the directory will improve weekly as we continue to update our profiles with the latest information. Mike Nagel, associate director of communications for alumni/ae affairs and development, is the point person on these new adventures; please email him (mnagel@exeter.edu) or me (dunderhill@alum. exeter.edu) with your ideas and recommendations. Dave Underhill ’69 cultivated an interest in communications tools at WPEA and “learned a very small amount about computers using the time-sharing terminal in the Math Department when that was the only student-accessible computer on campus.” Today he is a management consultant to a variety of Internet, journalism and broadcasting companies and chairs the General Alumni/ae Association Technology Committee.
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EXONIAN PROFILE
S T E WA RT A . LYO N S ’ 6 9
Finder of Tortoises and Exploding Heads
Actor Bryan Cranston (left) with Stewart Lyons ’69, line producer for the show “Breaking Bad.”
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hen the executive producer of “Breaking Bad,” one of cable TV’s most critically acclaimed shows, is looking for a unique prop to enhance an episode, who gets the call? Stewart Lyons ’69: the show’s seasoned line producer. Lyons has been in television and filmmaking for more than 30 years and recently received his second Emmy nomination for his work on “Breaking Bad,” a show about a high school chemistry teacher who decides to “cook” and sell methamphetamine to provide for his family when he learns he has incurable lung cancer. Lyons is the person who deftly handles all of a show’s logistics, from budgeting and scheduling each episode, hiring the crews, renting the cameras and soundstages, to overseeing the filming process. “You have to come up with inventive ways of doing things, because no show ever has enough of a budget to do everything the writers and directors would like,” Lyons says. “And since creative people like choices rather than limits, you need to develop multiple solutions to any problem.” Most unique prop? “One of the drug cartel characters gets beheaded and we needed to see the head moving through the desert scrub so that one of our characters thinks the man is still alive,” explains Lyons. “The solution was to mount the head on a tortoise. But then the writers wanted the head to explode. I had to coordinate
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finding a big enough tortoise (and not an endangered species!), getting a model head made, special effects explosives planted inside the skull, stunt men to be blown into the air after the explosion, and high-speed cameras to record the carnage. All in less than a week.And of course, since it was winter in New Mexico, the tortoise had to have his own heated trailer.” Television production means working with tight budgets, tighter deadlines, production crews of more than 150 people, and 12- to 14-plus-hour days. And Lyons says it’s not a career for those looking for stability:“If you don’t like looking for work, this isn’t the industry for you. I have worked on 29 different series and an equal number of television pilots and feature films. In a given year, I might work for two or three different studios, each with its own way of doing things.” Lyons says Exeter prepared him for some aspects of TV production. “I came in as a lower,” he says, “and going to Exeter taught me how to work under extreme pressure at very high standards.” The Marblehead, MA, native credits his English and drama instructors B. Rodney Marriott and Thomas Lee Hinkle for encouraging his interest in drama. As a student, Lyons performed in and worked as a stagehand in the Academy’s productions of Hamlet and Macbeth. After realizing he had a gift for organizing creative projects, he majored in film and television production at NYU and later went there for his M.B.A. At the same time he was in graduate school, he was in the prestigious Directors Guild of America Assistant Director Training Program. His first movie production was Three Days of the Condor. Some of his best-known gigs were “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Cagney & Lacey” and “Taxi.” “I’ve just finished my 569th television episode,” Lyons says. During his career, he has worked as a production manager, first assistant director, director and writer. Ultimately, Lyons says he succeeds in the makebelieve world by being able to support a variety of visions: “Show business is a mixture of technology, creativity and business.You have to understand all aspects of the process as well as the different kinds of people who do them in order to get the best possible show on the screen.” —Famebridge Witherspoon
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EXONIAN PROFILE
JAMES JOHNSON-PIETT ’97
Healthy Neighborhoods, One Store at a Time
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few years ago, Romano’s Grocery in northeast Philadelphia was much like any small corner market in an inner city. The shelves were stocked with beef jerky, cans of soda and bags of salty, fried snacks. Healthy, fresh food was not an option for its clientele, many of whom had little choice but to shop locally. That was before owner Juan Carlos Romano met James Johnson-Piett ’97. Where others saw a dusty shop selling lottery tickets, prepackaged goods and beer, JohnsonPiett, principal and CEO of Urbane Development, LLC, envisioned a modern, energy-efficient community crossroads providing fresh produce and healthy food options to the neighborhood. Johnson-Piett is one of the leaders behind a growing national movement to help storeowners increase the quality of the products they sell and to help introduce high-quality markets in other underserved areas. He specializes in neighborhood development and revitalization of urban commercial and retail services. “It can be a slow march, but good things happen,” Johnson-Piett says of his work. “Over time Romano’s has grown from sales of $250,000 a year with no healthy food choices to annual sales of more than $900,000 with 15 percent of the merchandise fresh or healthy foods. And with an energy-saving renovation, utility costs have dropped by 30 percent. “In the past, no one has focused on the small-scale storeowner in a disadvantaged area:They didn’t fit the big store models,” he continues. “But these grocers have the opportunity to form important relationships with their communities.” Johnson-Piett describes his role as “part activist, part advocate and part skill builder.” “I help grocers reinvent their skill sets,” he explains. “If they know their product, how to cook and store it, they can pass that information on to their consumers. By taking an active role in the lives of their patrons, they can change the behavior of shoppers and set in motion a true change in the eating habits not only of one family, but also of a whole neighborhood.” A former bank loan officer, Johnson-Piett works with cities, banks and individual business proprietors to create customized financing options to encourage healthy food retail development in communities without such businesses. His company also provides direct training, technical assistance, and strategic planning to owners like Romano. Johnson-Piett’s activism has affected his own palate: “I didn’t start out this way, but I would say I have almost
become a ‘foodie.’ ” He is associated with Slow Food, a global, grass-roots organization with supporters in 150 countries who link good food with a commitment to their community and the environment. For the past several years, Johnson-Piett, usually accompanied by one or more of his grocers-in-training, has traveled to Slow Food’s international exposition in Turin, Italy. This event, which occurs every two years, draws more than 150,000 visitors and small-scale food producers from all over the world. He is using this venue as a jumping-off point for his next project: a video and brochure packaged together that will be a primer for storeowners. Johnson-Piett has visited markets in Italy and other European countries and filmed market owners interacting with their customers. “These sellers start by asking the buyer, ‘What do you want to cook?’Then they take it from there, helping the buyer craft a meal,” he explains. He sees this use of an instructional video as “total Exeter: Show them, don’t tell them was something I learned at Exeter, and a concept I employ in all of my communications.” Johnson-Piett “sees food as a means to an end,” and his aim is to make “food deserts” bloom with fresh produce, involved shopkeepers, and healthy residents.“A great market is more than an amenity; it is a watering hole,” he says. —Julie Quinn SPRING 2011
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ALEX MANFULL ’09
The Privilege of Homework
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n August 2010, Alex Manfull ’09 departed from Boston tered chalkboard and explained that they wanted to study Logan International Airport with a camera, fluency in and asked her for more homework.After years of studying at French, three 50-pound boxes, and a determination to Exeter and Princeton, Alex hadn’t thought of homework as make a difference at a small orphanage in the poor West such a privilege. African nation of Burkina Faso.When Alex was growing up, her After nearly two weeks’ worth of lessons, six hours each French tutor, Janine Kolb, had told her stories about a friend, day, Alex informed the women and girls that she would be Sister Rita Bujold,who served in an orphanage and clinic in Oua- leaving Burkina Faso to return home. The students did not gadougou (wah-ga-doo-goo), Burkina Faso, caring for those whom poverty and illness had left in need. After her freshman year at Princeton, Alex decided to make the journey herself. If you are like me, the mention of Burkina Faso will have you racing to your atlas. I didn’t know exactly where it was (in the west, landlocked between Ghana and Mali). I also didn’t know that annual per capita income is $580, and that only one in four is literate. I certainly didn’t know that infant mortality claims almost one in 10 lives, or that the average person lives to be just 53 years old. The poverty and illnesses that define the lives of most Burkinabès were first apparent to Alex at the open-air medical clinic in Mariadougou (mar-ee-ah-doo-goo). Adults and chil- Alex Manfull ’09 understand why that meant she could not dren were stricken with diseases all but forgotten in (left) ran a toy come right back, unaware of the distance the developed world, like malaria, tuberculosis, and between their country and the United States. drive for Burkinabè typhoid. In Dédougou (day-doo-goo), Sister Rita and orphans. Edith, an 18-year-old woman, wrote a note in the Catholic mission of St. Joseph’s had established a her best possible French, stating repeatedly,“I school for girls, many of whom are orphans.There, Alex was like you,” and ultimately pleading that she wanted to “come initially called nasarra or “great white one” by frightened chilwhere you live.” dren who refused to make eye contact with her. Nonetheless, Alex already knew what she would be doing upon her a group of girls and young women formed a student body, return. Armed with a digital camera and recalling the skills and Alex began to teach what for many of them were likely she had learned in Art Department Chair Steve Lewis’ photheir first formal lessons. tography class,Alex had taken more than 600 photos in BurkHer students were quiet at first, seemingly afraid of Alex ina Faso. She chose 10 for an exhibition and fundraiser at the even though she was 10 years younger than some. ConversSeacoast African American Cultural Center in Portsmouth, ing in French,Alex began by teaching the alphabet, explaining NH. In one evening, Alex raised $550, roughly the annual how each letter has a sound, and then demonstrating how earnings of a Burkinabè, which she then sent to a delighted two letters together make another sound. After a few days, Sister Rita. the students were delighted to remember the alphabet, read The three heavy boxes that Alex had initially brought with small words and write their names. Alex described her teach- her to the African country were filled with toys and clothes ing efforts as trial and error, recalling how she had learned donated by Portsmouth residents. Sister Rita kept the boxes math at Exeter through a process of figuring things out. closed until December 25 so that the orphans could, for the Alex was impressed by her students’ progress and struck first time ever, open presents on Christmas Day. by their eagerness to learn. She asked them what they —Ron Kim, instructor in history enjoyed doing with their free time.They pointed at the bat40
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Memorial Minutes
James Wells Griswold ’31 (Hon.) AC A D E M Y T R E A S U R E R , E M E R I T U S ( 1 9 0 9 – 2 0 1 0 )
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im Griswold personified multitasking before the word began to buzz.
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PEA ARCHIVES
Throughout his 16-year tenure as Academy treasurer, he provided vision, management and financial discipline for the school.And he gave energy and leadership to numerous causes and institutions in the town of Exeter, where he lived for nearly 60 years. These activities were often simultaneous but never seemed frantic; and, if Jim was pressed, the pressure did not show. Solutions and results belied the difficulty of the tasks he undertook. His was a life of fulfilled service. And that life was lengthy, coming to a close in Exeter just after his 101st birthday. Born in Ohio in 1909, James Wells Griswold graduated from Oberlin, where he met his future wife, Bonnie.They began their 73-year marriage in 1933, and in time welcomed four daughters. After a year at Harvard Business School, Jim worked at a garage for 25 cents an hour, made a profit on some stock, and returned to finish at Harvard in 1934.Then, traveling across Minnesota and South Dakota, he sold shoes. In 1939, Jim’s career turned toward educational and nonprofit institutions. While working at Fenn College (now Cleveland State University), he organized training programs to enhance industrial production duringWorldWar II.After the war, he became business manager at Park College in Missouri, where he introJim Griswold at the ceremony duced TIAA and became a Rotarian and volunteer fireman—interests that he that made him an honorary brought to Exeter in 1950. member of the class of 1931. Exeter’s treasurer in those years had a minuscule administrative staff to handle accounting, budgets, endowment, buildings and grounds, insurance, development, dining, payroll, personnel, purchasing, trustee affairs,The Exeter Inn, and the bookstore. Jim’s ability to assume those responsibilities, and Principal Bill Saltonstall’s confidence in him, played a vital role in the successful operation of His years at the Academy the school during that period. demonstrated vision, the financial His years at the Academy demonstrated vision, the financial discipline of a constantly discipline of a constantly balanced balanced budget, and concern for the people budget, and concern for the around him. He replaced the Academy’s existing pension system with TIAA-CREF and people around him. reassured faculty about the change. He purchased equipment and pipes for the Academy’s first artificial rink from an ice-making plant in Lynn,MA,that was going out of business due to modern refrigeration coming onto the market. Concerned that lack of real estate might inhibit future growth,Jim bought property and millions of bricks when the local brickyard faced closure—actions that enabled the school to develop and expand the campus in the late ’60s and ’70s. In his spare time, he taught a course in business, coached a Club Hockey team, and was always ready to provide financial counsel to the many employees who asked him for advice.
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(continued from page 104)
Jim Griswold in the 1950s.
Jim left the Academy in 1966 and soon after became manager of development for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He raised funds for the museum’s centennial celebration before retiring and returning to full-time residence in Exeter in 1974. But retirement never connoted inactivity.While treasurer of the Academy, Jim served as chairman of the local chapter of the Red Cross; assisted in establishing the Exeter Day School; led a successful effort to secure real estate zoning in town; helped found the Rotary Club; and served as fiscal agent for Nelson Rockefeller’s presidential campaign in the 1964 primary.With formal retirement and presumably more time on his hands, Jim’s activity for his Oberlin class increased and he researched and published a book on medieval English barns. He was a trustee, and occasionally chairman, of the Exeter Historical Society, the Eventide Home, the Exeter Hospital, the Currier Museum, and several official or ad hoc groups concerned with town affairs. He raised funds for many of these groups, as well as for the Congregational Church; the relocation of the town’s library; a couple of parks; the modern police, fire and safety complex on Court Street; and numerous other important projects. When there was worthy work to be done in Exeter, someone called Jim Griswold. While he was not solely responsible for reducing the town-gown tension that had prevailed when he arrived in 1950, he was often the face of cooperative endeavor. He personified and led a new cordial relationship that was as important and lasting an achievement for the school as was his institutional financial management. He was a very busy and very able Academy treasurer. He was also a treasure for the community in which he and the Academy resided. This Memorial Minute was written by James M.Theisen ’40, ’45, ’52, ’66 (Hon.); P’97, chair; Henry F. Bedford ’48; ’67 (Hon.); P’72, P’74, P’76; Katharine B. Cornell P’81; Donald C. Dunbar ’45, ’59, ’62 (Hon.); P’71, P’73, P’76; Joseph E. Fellows ’62; David E.Thomas ’62, ’69 (Hon.); P’78, P’79, P’81; and Jacquelyn H.Thomas ’45, ’62, ’69 (Hon.); P’78, P’79, P’81 and was presented at faculty meeting on February 16, 2011.
Hurricane Katrina. Instead of preparing for midterms in Ithaca, I handed out diapers and patched up roofs in neighborhoods the Red Cross and FEMA wouldn’t touch. And surely my non sibi was at the forefront of my experience living in an old mission on the Bowery of Manhattan and helping amputee veterans and former inmates while working with Legal Aid to sue the City of New York for inadequate housing policies. Having thought I lost my worth to the world allowed me to leave a teaching position at another boarding school and literally get lost alone in the mountains of northern Vietnam where I was taught to mill grain by a young boy who couldn’t speak a word of English and communicated with his attentive eyes and his good heart. I was standing outside in a rainstorm in the mountains of Costa Rica on a pay phone speaking with another George a few years ago. I was saying goodbye to Mr. Mangan the night before he said goodbye to us all. I never got to play a match as his golf team captain or sit in his classroom for more than two days, but our close friendship extended far beyond the golf course or the Harkness table. Since leaving the Academy, I had stopped in Exeter dozens of times on my trips to Maine just to chat with “The Chief ” or leave a note on his kitchen table. I don’t need to visit the campus or open the Bulletin anymore to be reminded of the most influential four years of my life. In the final weeks alone I experienced the innocent bliss of a first kiss, the ecstatic joy of leading the hockey team to a crushing victory over Andover, and the tumultuous defeat of utter failure when I left Exeter on a cold night in late March. I sat in deep snow until the sun rose over the ocean just to make sure it was still there. Of all the valuable lessons I’ve learned in my short life, the most humbling one has been my experience leaving Exeter. I may not have a piece of paper to prove I was a student at Phillips Exeter Academy, but I will always be grateful for the opportunity I was given to earn one. I would like to close with the opening line of a favorite reggae song of mine. “If you live a life of love, love will follow you. If you live a life of grudge, grudge will follow you.” I chose the former, and I hope you will too. SPRING 201 1
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Finis Origine Pendet
For Those Who Never Made It By Ryan Weggler ’01
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he first time I came to Exeter I was a young boy watching my father coach against Ed
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FRED CARLSON
Frey, who would coach me on that very same field many years later. I remember sitting on the large concrete stadium between my two grandfathers, still wearing half of my hockey equipment from a game I had played in earlier that day. My parents met on a rugby pitch at college and both coached me in different sports before I got to Exeter.When I arrived a pessimistic prep, Phillips Exeter was my sixth school in seven years, but I quickly found a worthy challenge in the company of other warriors flanking the Harkness table. Athletics had been my ticket to Exeter but were merely an afterthought by the time I left the show. During the spring break of my senior year I had chosen to camp on a remote beach in Costa Rica with no access to funds—surviving on fish and coconuts. A few days later, I found myself at my eldest grandfather’s funeral, speaking on behalf of the 11 younger grandchildren just hours before returning to Exeter. I was only allowed to spend a day and a half of my senior spring on campus before being required to withdraw. I left the red brick buildings for an old shoe factory on the Maine coast that had been converted into a community center. I hoped to earn a GED in the three-room facility, where girls often brought their babies to class and some of the boys had to keep track of a busy court schedule. My acceptance to college had been rescinded, and I eventually went to work at an uncle’s gelateria in Italy not knowing if I would ever return to academia. The night before I graduated from Cornell University, I was sitting on a boat in the Portsmouth Harbor with most of my Exeter class celebrating our fifth reunion. We had nominated Russell Weatherspoon to be our faculty representative. My former psychology and business ethics instructor grabbed the microphone and greeted the class of 2001. “In my 20 years at Exeter, you guys were the worst,” he said, as laughter erupted throughout the boat.“But of all the people here tonight, I’m happiest to see those that never made it.Thanks for coming, Ryan.” I nearly fell over in my chair. I was sitting next to Theron Cook II ’01 who was on the discipline committee that had unanimously voted me out. Five years earlier, he had run into my father and I walking up the marble steps in the Academy Building and burst into tears. There were a lot of tears that year, but Theron’s were for me.Ten years ago, the study where I had earned multiple Latin prizes conquering Caesar was seemingly transformed into the ancient Colosseum, where I thought my future had been devoured by an unchained lion rampant. I hustled back to my dormitory and changed out of my jacket and tie for the last time. I put on my favorite Bob Marley tie-dyed T-shirt and walked downstairs to hear the decision from the faculty members on the committee. Mr.Weatherspoon stood against the wall behind my adviser’s dining room table and broke the silence after I sat down. “That is one serious T-shirt,” he announced in his strong, authoritative voice. After listening to a dean I had never spoken to tell me how the Academy would miss me, I eventually broke down in front of Mr.Weatherspoon on the staircase of Browning House. I was flushed with rage and confusion, but he calmed me with his large, penetrating eyes and his huge, articulating hands. “Ryan, in a few years you will be sitting up on that hill in Ithaca and laughing about this,” he said. I couldn’t hear him then, but he was right. George Plimpton ’44 once wrote that his expulsion from Exeter was a driving force in his life to prove to the world that he was still good. Perhaps that’s what drew me to cut classes at Cornell (continued on page 103) and live in a tent in a former Black Panther’s backyard weeks after