T H E S C H O O L M AG A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 1 6
Forging a Future in Business
Remembering Sara Frey 8
Creating Art Every Day 23 Art Purchase Award 28
Katie Herron Gambill ’64
CO N T E N T S D E PA R T M E N T S 3
News from Hutchison
7
Winning Stats
8
Remembering Sara Frey
18 Barry Gilmore: A Love of Education 20 Visitor Profile: Lisa Damour, Raising Resilient Girls 26 Faculty Profile: Jeanie Gibson 48 Remembrances of Sara Frey FEATURE STORY 10 Forging a Future in Business: An Industry Yields Returns for Hutchison Alumnae ALUMNAE PROFILES 15 Katie Herron Gambill ’64: Building Businesses 23 Martha Kelly ’88: Creating Art Every Day GIVING TO HUTCHISON 28 Scott and John Adams: Art Purchase Award 30 Why I Give to the Annual Fund: Eva Mea Duncan Hussey ’55 and Amy Pickens ’11 ALUMNAE NEWS 32 Alumnae Gathering: College Reunion 34 Milestones 36 Professionally Speaking 37 Class Notes
L E F T Upper school math teacher Jeanie Gibson helps Anne Carter Lake ’16 (left) and Hallie Hayden ’16 (right) with finite math and elementary calculus. Gibson is profiled on page 26. P H OTO BY M A L I K S H A R P P H OTO G R A P H Y & F I L M
O N T H E C OV E R Katie Herron Gambill ’64 is the co-founder and general partner of Council Capital, a private equity firm based in Nashville. Read a profile of Gambill on page 15. P H OTO BY WO L F H O F F M A N N P H OTO G R A P H Y
Hutchison | 1
M E S S AG E | F R O M T H E H E A D O F S C H O O L
dear friends, Sometimes being at an all-girls school, one can forget that when our girls graduate, they will enter a co-ed world, competing with men in colleges and in careers. While
MISSION
we firmly believe that we prepare our girls
a c a d e m i c exc e l l e n c e a n d t o t h e
well for this inevitability, some environments
p a ra l l e l d eve l o p m e n t o f m i n d , b o d y,
and industries are still particularly hard to
fo r s u cce ss i n co l l e g e a n d f o r l i ve s o f
navigate and advance in. Dr. Annette Smith
Hutchison School is dedicated to
What we have seen time and again, however, is that the foundation that Hutchison
provides, starting as early as the Little Hive and through to twelfth grade, serves as a springboard to building imagination, resourcefulness, compassion, and self-assuredness. We also know that our girls have successful college experiences and careers because they apply their ingenuity and critical-thinking skills to think creatively and solve problems. All along the way they are conscientious and diligent. Hutchison girls and alumnae are blazing the path for the next generation, whether it is a junior girl helping to explain a heart dissection to a junior kindergartener or an executive opening up a job opportunity for another woman. The message is that progress is possible for those who apply themselves. Beyond all of the hard work is one ingredient that sets Hutchison apart: joy. Our girls flourish because they love learning. Their teachers guide and challenge
a n d spirit a s it edu cates young wom e n integrity and responsible citizenship.
H U TC H I S O N M AG A Z I N E April 2016 HEAD OF SCHOOL D r. A n n e t t e C . S m i t h E X E C U T I V E E D I TO R L o r i G u y, S t ra t e g i c Communications Director E D I TO R Max Maddock, Senior Communications Director m m a d d o c k @ h u t c h i s o n s c h o o l .o r g A LU M N A E D I R E C TO R L e e S t ewa r t B owe n ’ 7 2 CO N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R S J u d i C e n t ko, L o r i G u y, P a t Ke l l y, M a x M a d d o c k , G a b r i e l l e P r ew i t t , B eve r l ey R a y ’ 0 4
them to read, ask questions, and create. And as our alumnae know, there is an unparalleled bond that girls form at Hutchison, from the youngest girls running through the courtyard together to the oldest girls joining hands in doing work throughout our community.
P H OTO G R A P H Y T h o m a s E l d r e d , Wo l f H o f f m a n n , G a b r i e l l e P r ew i t t , M a l i k S h a r p , a n d va r i o u s H u t c h i s o n c o n s t i t u e n t s DESIGNER
Sincerely,
B a r b a ra H i m b e r H u t c h i s o n M a g a z i n e i s p u b l i s h e d by t h e H u tc h i s o n Co m m u n i c a t i o n s O f f i ce .
Annette C. Smith, Ed.D. President and Head of School
Please forward address changes to: H U TC H I S O N S C H O O L 1 74 0 R I D G E WAY R OA D MEMPHIS, TN 38119 o r t w h i t e @ h u t c h i s o n s c h o o l .o r g
2 | Hutchison
news
F R O M H U TC H I S O N
Science Research Fellow Among Top 100 in the U.S. Junior Sophie Merchant is among a select group of students from across the nation to receive a 2016 Emperor Science Award. This joint venture between PBS Learning Media and Stand Up to Cancer gives 10th- and 11th-grade students with a passion for science, particularly cancer research, a chance to partner with an accomplished scientist to collaborate on an 8– to 12-week research project. More than 1,200 students across the country entered the competition, and Merchant was the only Tennessee winner. Merchant is a member of Hutchison’s Science Research Fellows program. In its third year, this program challenges girls in grades 9 through 12 who have a strong interest in science to go beyond the classroom and find a subject they are passionate about, conduct independent research, and then present and defend their findings.
Fellows Learn from St. Jude Research Scientists Four Science Research Fellows (Arden Farr ’17, Sophie Merchant ’17, Stewart Nichols ’17, and Francie Sentilles ’17) have been selected as St. Jude Science Scholars of Tomorrow. The Scholars will discover how the fundamental scientific principles they learn in class are applied to basic and clinical research. As part of the program, they will tour St. Jude laboratories and clinics, hear case studies from faculty members, and have lunch with postdoctoral fellows. St. Jude Science Scholars of Tomorrow include Sophie Merchant ’17, Arden Farr ’17, and Stewart Nichols ’17. Not pictured: Francie Sentilles ’17.
Senior Receives Princeton Award Saneela Tameez ’16 is a 2016 recipient of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations. She received the award because of her diversity initiatives, specifically her founding and leadership of the Co-Exist Society at Hutchison. This society aims to foster a school environment where students of various races, creeds, and backgrounds feel included and welcomed. Tameez’s prize includes a $1,000 cash award, as well as an invitation to attend a symposium at Princeton University with other winners from around the country in April. Dr. Annette Smith believes Tameez’s prize is a reflection of the loving and supportive community of which she has been a part since fifth grade.
“At Hutchison, every girl is treated as a wonderfully precious child of God. When a community treasures each girl for her unique talents, beliefs, and interests, she finds her unique voice and place in the world.”
— ANNETTE SMITH Hutchison | 3
Young Writers Compete Nationally
L to R: Katy Gilmore ’20, Abby Hays ’20, Sydney Shy ’20, Millie Mencke ’20, Carter Patikas ’20. Not pictured: Myanne James ’20
Hutchison girls earned an impressive 35 Scholastic Writing Awards at the Nonprofit Alliance for Young Writers’ Southeastern competition. In genres as varied as science fiction, humor, short story, and poetry, our girls demonstrated a
mastery of language. Six girls received Gold Keys and moved on to compete nationally. Eighth-grader Abby Hays earned a Silver Medal in the national competition for her humorous short story, “One Big Apple.”
Aspiring Poets Published
Front row, L to R, from the Class of 2022: Kate Weakley, Ella Luter, Caroline Brickey, Laney Robertson, Caroline Erb, Kristin Nunn, Betsy Grimes; Middle row, L to R: Ann Grimes, Camille Mattingly, Curren Ligon, Lily Williams, Lillie Hollabaugh, Annabelle Bridgforth; Back row, L to R: Stephanie Woodbury, Sophie Fernandez, Rachel Perry, Zoe Gilmore
Seventeen Hutchison girls’ poems will be published in the Young Americans’ Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans. The AOP reviews thousands of submissions each year and selects approximately 55 percent for 4 | Hutchison
publication. Having edited children’s poetry since 1989, the Anthology is dedicated to nurturing the self-expression and the fun of poetry in young writers.
news Alumna’s Novel Hits Hutchison Stage
Hutchison’s middle school play, Harriet the Spy, is set to premiere on the Wiener Theater stage April 1 and 2, 2016. The play is based on the novel by Hutchison alumna Louise Fitzhugh ’46 and tells the story of Harriet M. Welsch, an 11-year-old girl in New York City who loves to write and dreams of one day becoming a spy. Laura Morehead, owner of the rights to Harriet the Spy, donated books to the girls participating in and working on the play. When Harper & Row published the book in 1964, it won a New York Times’ Outstanding Children’s Book of the Year award. More than 5.5 million copies have been sold around the world, in countries such as China, Korea, Romania, and Israel. In a world where cell phones, laptops, and technology are all-consuming, Harriet the Spy is a timeless story of a girl who takes her notebook, pencil, and spy tools and remains defiantly committed to her future aspirations.
F R O M H U TC H I S O N
Student Artists Earn National Honors At the National Scholastic Art Awards competition, three Hutchison girls earned prestigious Sliver Keys for their artwork. Kate Grace Cunningham ’17 and Madison Wunderlich ’16 received Silver Keys for their drawings, while Elizabeth Owen ’16 earned a Silver Key for her complete portfolio of work. Numerous Hutchison girls Elizabeth Owen ’16, Kate Grace Cunningham ’17, and received honors at the MidMadison Wunderlich ’16 won Silver Keys. South Scholastic Arts competition. In total, Hutchison received 44 honors: 11 Gold Keys, 17 Silver Keys and 16 Honorable Mentions. Six Gold Keys were given out for portfolios, and Hutchison took home three of them. Hallie Robison’s portfolio won Best In Show.
Silver Key winning artwork: above: “Endless Direction” by Elizabeth Owen ’16; above, right: “Bend Over” by Madison Wunderlich ’16; right: “Empty Embrace” by Kate Grace Cunningham ’17
Hutchison | 5
news
F R O M H U TC H I S O N
Coaching at Hutchison a Career Highlight When Mary Murphy, a 10-year golf pro, was first approached by Hutchison’s athletic department to coach middle school golf in fall 2015, she jumped at the opportunity when she discovered it would partner her with upper school golf coach Julie Olsen. She and Olsen share a similar passion for golf and the opportunity it presents for young girls to learn patience, resilience, and focus. Murphy’s career accomplishments include dual membership with the LPGA Tour and LPGA Club. She also is director of player development at America’s Golf Team and director of instruction for the Olive Branch Country Club. “Coaching at Hutchison is not one of the highlights of my career; it is THE highlight,” she said. “To be able to get a group of girls who are non-golfers together, share the game with them, see their excitement and cohesiveness as a team … it can’t get any better than that.”
Senior Signs Letter of Intent
Alli Herring (center) with her mother, Shannon, and father, Thomas; back row, L to R, Catherine Chubb, athletics director, Coach Candice Spiniolas, Annette Smith, head of school, and Carlos Rivera, assistant varsity coach.
Hutchison senior Alli Herring signed her letter of intent to play soccer at Union University beginning fall 2016. Herring plays left defender, center midfield, and left forward on the Hutchison varsity soccer team. She is currently enrolled in three AP courses and three honors courses and plans to study nursing in college. “By far one 6 | Hutchison
of the greatest experiences I’ve had at Hutchison has been being a part of the soccer team for four years. I’ve gained so much from my time with Coach Spiniolas, who has not only been my mentor and coach, but a dear friend. Being a part of this team has made my experience at Hutchison more than I could have ever hoped for.”
Empowering Female Entrepreneurship
On March 19, Hutchison hosted the ninth annual Beeline Bazaar and a new event called the Be Powerful Summit. The Beeline Bazaar, which was organized and run completely by girls in Hutchison’s junior class, featured more than 70 local artisans and small-business owners. The girls gained real-world experience planning and promoting a major event, soliciting vendors, negotiating contracts, and collaborating as a team. The proceeds benefit the Hutchison Community Service Endowment Fund, which supports a grant program directed by the student-run Philanthropic Literacy Board. The Be Powerful Summit, cosponsored by Start Co. and EpiCenter, taught women and girls the keys to pitching, branding, and launching a business idea. The workshop was organized and facilitated by upper school faculty member Hardy Farrow, founder of the Mid-South nonprofit Let’s Innovate Through Education (LITE).
N E W S | W I N N I N G S TAT S
48 AP
SCHOLARS 35 SCHOLASTIC WRITING AWARDS regional silver 17 S orchestra keys PUBLISHED POEMS
3
regional choir honors
SCHOLARS OF
TOMORROW
4
3 3 in art
silver key in writing
1 PBS EMPEROR
SCIENCE AWARD
honors
college soccer signing
44
SCHOLASTIC ART AWARDS Hutchison | 7
S A R A F R E Y | N OV E M B E R 2 6 , 1 9 2 7— JA N UA RY 1 1 , 2 0 1 6
Remembering Sara Frey This past January, Hutchison lost a great educator and friend—Sara Augusta Ackerman Frey. Mrs. Frey began teaching history, social studies, and geography at Miss Hutchison’s School on Union Avenue in 1956 and remained there for eight years. While she was at Hutchison, her husband, Leonard, taught Greek and Latin at Rhodes College (then called Southwestern). In 1964, the Freys moved to New York City, where they taught at The Chapin School, a K–12 all-girls school in Manhattan. After 13 years, they felt the pull to come back to Memphis. This time, they both joined the Hutchison staff. Mr. Frey served as Academics Dean and Associate Head of School, as well as college counselor and teacher. He was frequently featured in the school plays. Mrs. Frey was Head of the Lower Forms in Upper School (grades 7–9). From 1981–1997, she was the Head of Upper School. With a passion for history, Mrs. Frey helped develop Hutchison’s archives and served as archivist until her retirement in 2010. One of Mrs. Frey’s favorite questions when she met with people was, “What do you know?” She had a curious mind and wanted to know what others could teach her. She always wanted to learn something new.
A Personal Recollection by Pat Newberry Kelly
Sara Frey was my employer, my mentor, my colleague, and my
arrive for dinner or tea or just a visit with a green Vera Bradley
dearly beloved friend. Sara was the embodiment of Hutchison’s
bag on her arm. In the bag were articles that she had found inter-
own mission statement—the parallel development of mind, body,
esting and wanted to share because she knew that you would be
and spirit.
interested, too. Even in the last months of her life when she was
Sara was a fabulous teacher—both of my daughters said she
blind, she wanted to know what Harper Lee’s “new” novel was all
was the best teacher they had ever had. Long before it was a
about because she had loved To Kill a Mockingbird. I would read to
buzzword, Sara believed in project-based learning. Fifty years
her, and we would discuss what I had read.
later her students remember the notebooks they filled with
As much as she loved learning, she loved her students. She
information about the country they were assigned. And 50 years
knew who they were, what interested them, and she kept in touch.
later Sara could still remember which countries those students
Sara and Leonard always visited the alums who lived in the city
had investigated. When traveling, she and Leonard would send
they were visiting—and the green bag went with them. She had
postcards to the women who had done their notebooks on that
a particular affection for the girl who was struggling, whether at
particular country. Some still have the cherished postcards.
home or at school, and though she was always firm, she was kind.
From her early childhood, she had loved learning, and she
She had a very high standard for the teachers who taught
inspired her students to love learning also. And she herself never
under her. She expected the same level of curiosity and dedication
stopped learning. Years after she had left the classroom she would
from them that she exacted from herself. Sara’s will was a force to
8 | Hutchison
P H OTO BY M AT T H E W C R A I G FO R T H E CO M M E R C I A L A P P E A L
In 2002, Sara and Leonard Frey authored Reflections on Learning and Life at Hutchison School, in commemoration of Hutchison’s centennial. They cleverly sprinkled throughout the publication questions and anagrams related to the school’s history. Their goal, like the masterful teachers they were, wasn’t simply to relay history, but to encourage inquiry and discovery.
From her early childhood, she had loved learning, and she inspired her students to love learning also. And she herself never stopped learning. be reckoned with, especially if she had an idea to benefit teaching or learning. Sara came from a New England family of hikers, skiers, canoers, campers. Neither she nor Leonard (especially!) shared these passions—but they loved to dance. To watch them at a Father-Daughter Dinner dance was a beautiful experience. They also were avid bicyclers and rented bikes on many of their vacations. Until Sara’s eyesight failed, they could be seen on many mornings biking to Hutchison. Sara was a strong person with strong opinions, which she expressed emphatically. She had grit, the quality which enables you to overcome difficulties and not be
Above: Sara Frey talks with Laurie Stanton ’65, assistant head for program, in the Hutchison courtyard. Below: Leonard and Sara Frey at a faculty function.
defeated by setbacks. Sara had integrity—not just the Honor Code definition of not lying, cheating, or stealing, but the meaning of the original word—moral wholeness. She could be counted on to be strong, to be firm, to be fair, and, in the end, to be kind. She supported wholeheartedly those things that were important to her. She devoted her life to her three loves: Leonard, Hutchison’s goals and girls, and the community and mission of St. Mary’s Cathedral. Leonard has gone before her, and I am certain they are dancing together to heavenly music. Neither Hutchison nor St. Mary’s Cathedral will be the same without her.
Hutchison | 9
Forging a Future in Business
10 | Hutchison
P H OTO C O U R T E SY O F F I R S T T E N N E S S E E B A N K / T H O M A S E L D R E D
F E AT U R E | A L U M N A E I N F I N A N C I A L S E RV I C E S
An Industry Yields Returns for Hutchison Alumnae by Max Maddock
For as long as anyone can remember, the perceptions, statistics, and headlines have not been kind to women working in financial services, investment banking, venture capital firms, and related fields. Trading stocks, managing funds, cultivating start-ups all seemed destined to remain a world reserved for men, with most women in the industry working on the periphery in support roles. But this story isn’t about women being left behind in management. This is a story of Hutchison alumnae who have
B A N K I N G O N I N C LU S I O N “We currently have three female board members,” said
succeeded in leadership positions in financial services and
Susan L. Springfield ’82, executive vice president and chief
who are laying the foundation for the next generation of
credit officer of First Horizon National Corp., parent company
analysts, stockbrokers, investment bankers, credit officers,
of First Tennessee Bank. “I would tell you that even when
board members, and more. It’s an indication that the tide
we had two female board members, that was considered
is turning.
unique.” Springfield serves on Hutchison’s Board of Trustees
Additionally, research is starting to bear out the benefits of companies diversifying their board rooms and executive
as treasurer. Springfield echoed that numerous articles suggest that
positions. A quick Google search on this topic yields a
gender and ethnic diversity equal better performance. “The
wealth of articles and studies. In February 2016, The New
theory is that diversity broadens the conversation and the
York Times touted, “Women in Company Leadership Tied to
perspective at the board table and at the management
Stronger Profits, Study Says.” The robust study, conducted
committee table,” she said.
by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a non-
A Credit Suisse paper referenced in the Peterson study
profit Washington group, looked at 22,000 publicly traded
suggests seven key reasons why gender diversity might
companies in 91 countries. While the statistics showed that
improve company performance, the most relevant of which
just over 50 percent of the firms had no female executives
include creating a better mix of leadership skills; enabling
and that of the remaining companies, 57 percent had only
access to a wider pool of talent; and reflecting the high
one female executive, the study did discover that more
percentage of women who are consumer decision-makers.
women in top management positions correlated with a rise in profitability. Marcus Noland, Peterson Institute’s director of studies,
First Tennessee is the largest bank headquartered in Tennessee. Springfield is in her 18th year there and works closely with Hutchison alumna Amy A. Shreve ’80. Shreve
suggested that a management pipeline of women needed
is executive vice president and director of loan support
to be cultivated as early as childhood. “The larger the pool,
services, and has been with the bank 21 years.
the more you’re going to see make it to that very top level,” he said. We talked to five Hutchison graduates to find out their
Sitting together for an interview, Springfield and Shreve admit that it wasn’t easy to reach their executive positions, but both give much credit to their Hutchison foundation.
experiences working in financial services and to get their
“I think the education I received at Hutchison, and the oppor-
opinions on the current status of gender diversity in the
tunities to lead as a female at an early age, established a
industry. All have found it to be challenging, but see oppor-
level of confidence that there were no limits,” Springfield
tunities for women opening up more and more every day.
said without hesitation.
Opposite page: Susan L. Springfield ’82 and Amy A. Shreve ’80 work as executives at First Tennessee Bank. Hutchison | 11
A L U M N A E I N F I N A N C I A L S E RV I C E S | CO N T I N U E D
Diversity broadens the conversation at the board table and the management committee table. —Susan Springfield ’82
Shreve noted that her family
the aptitude and then the pas-
placed a premium on education,
sion and perseverance can be
and she discovered an internal
successful.” (See a full profile of
drive that has helped her in her
Gambill on page 15).
career. “A lot of the satisfaction I
Sequoia Taylor ’04 works as
got from achievement in school
an entrepreneur and runs Spry
is the exact same satisfaction I
Ventures, her own advisory firm
get in my career,” Shreve said.
for private placement transac-
Was there a secret to reaching
tions. She added, “Make sure
an executive position as a
to show why you deserve to
woman? “In many cases, I don’t think I was any smarter or better
Springfield and Shreve are part of the First Tennessee Women’s Initiative, which offers professional support and networking opportunities for women at the bank.
than others. I was just willing to
be there with your work. Yes, you’re going to be different, but if you put that energy out
do the work,” Shreve added.
there and make that a central focus of who you are and how
Springfield concurred and added, “It’s not always about
you interact with people, then it will be a problem. Put your
the next opportunity being a promotion. When Amy talks
work first.”
about doing the work, I think that having the curiosity to want to try something different and being willing to take the
R E L AT I O N S H I P S G O A LO N G WAY …
task no one else wants are important.”
E V E N AC R O S S T H E P O N D
Katie Gambill ’64, co-founder of Council Capital in Nash-
At the University of Virginia, Gwin G. Myerberg ’99
ville, has been in the financial world since the late 1960s,
thought she would study English and art history. She was
when women in leadership positions were pretty much
interested in communications and writing. Then she took
unheard of. She worked her way up at Equitable Securities
some courses that were prerequisites for a business school
from analyst to chief investment officer, and from leading
program. “Oddly enough, statistics interested me more,”
the company’s equity business to becoming president.
she said. “Usually that’s what scares people away. But it
“There’s no one preventing you, but it’s not easy,” she said.
resonated with me, and particularly how you can apply it to
“What is different now is that I think any woman who has
the field of marketing and communications.”
TIPS FOR ASPIRING HUTCHISON GIRLS Think about which companies you admire and why Don’t limit yourself … look at all the opportunities you can
12 | Hutchison
Start perusing The Wall Street Journal
Entrepreneurial? Look for problems around you and start trying to solve them
Pursue interests, even if it’s not part of the master plan
Myerberg applied to the business school and has a
real-life preparation for what the working world is like.”
degree in finance and marketing. She is a client portfolio
Springfield and Shreve see the culture changing. “Men
manager at Southeastern Asset Management. Although she
who are raising daughters or have wives or sisters entering
started her career in New York City, she met the founder
the workplace have become more aware of making sure that
of Southeastern, a global investment management firm
there are plenty of opportunities,” Springfield said.
headquartered in Memphis,
Shreve agreed. “They want their daughters to have an
at a conference and discov-
equal opportunity to excel; they see the talents they have,
ered they were looking for
and I think it makes them more open-minded and really look
someone for their London
for that opportunity for women here at the bank.”
office. Myerberg jumped at the opportunity and has been there for almost eight years
Katie Gambill ’64
ME NTO RING IS K E Y “We don’t get here alone,” added Springfield. “I think
now. “It turns out I’m a city
about the people, either as peers who encouraged me,
mouse. A big city mouse, I
mentors, or role models, who would seemingly pluck me
guess,” she said.
out of a situation and say, ‘We would like you to do this.’ So
As a client manager,
sometimes it’s others seeing something in you that maybe
Myerberg serves as the main connection between Southeastern and its clients in Lon-
you thought was there but you weren’t really sure.” First Tennessee has a mentoring program that focuses
don and Europe. “It’s all about building and maintaining
on cross-pairing, including men mentoring women, women
relationships,” she said. “I think one of the most important
mentoring men, people of different ages, ethnicities, and
things in a role like this—I think in any professional role—is
positions in the company mentoring one another. “So if
networking and making sure when you meet somebody that
I’m mentoring a millennial, sometimes I’ll say, ‘I didn’t think
you stay in contact with them … helping them if you can,
about it from that perspective.’ You think about the mento-
because it can come back around to you in ways that you
ring helping the mentee, but it’s actually helping us become
don’t expect.”
a stronger company,” Springfield said.
She admits that it can be challenging working in a male-
“Some of my greatest satisfaction comes from devel-
dominated profession, but that she’s enjoyed it. Sometimes,
oping people,” Shreve said, “seeing something in someone
she says, “you have to prove yourself more quickly, because
that they don’t see in themselves, and seeing them flourish.
you walk into a room, and often—unfairly, I think—it’s
That’s very rewarding.”
assumed that you’re just the face that they’ve sent.”
Shreve and Springfield are both part of the First Tennes-
Her Hutchison education, she believes, helped prepare
see Women’s Initiative which offers professional support
her for that. “I think one of the best things Hutchison did is
and networking opportunities for women working at the
to breed confidence. Those skill sets of being able to speak
bank. The group welcomes men and has several members.
publicly, speak your mind or your view in a group, and to
“This is not just ‘women power,’ this is about men and
challenge each other in a discussion in a classroom, that is
women doing things together to support one another’s
Get the best financial internship you can between your junior and senior year in college
Be confident and comfortable in your own skin
Have a goal and be perseverant
Take computer science and coding classes Master Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
Hutchison | 13
A L U M N A E I N F I N A N C I A L S E RV I C E S | CO N T I N U E D
professional growth,” Springfield added. Myerberg has had both female and male mentors,
to tell others your story, building those connections.” Everyone agreed there’s plenty of opportunity, but it’s
including the current head of client portfolio management
an industry that requires work and perseverance to make
at Southeastern. One mentor was only two years older, but
that opportunity yours. “Pay your dues,” said Gambill.
invaluable because “she had just lived through some of the
“Grind it out for two years after college as an analyst at
things I was going through.”
an investment bank or consulting firm, then join a private
“I’ll go back to Amy’s quote about being willing to do
equity firm or hedge fund.” And more important, she added,
the work,” Springfield said. “It also means being willing to
you can have a career and family life. “Don’t think you have
do the work of speaking up for yourself, not in an arrogant
to choose.”
or boastful way, but in a confident, realistic way. Being willing
Being able to speak your mind in a group … that is real-life preparation for the working world. —Gwin Myerberg ’99
From the Traditional to the Entrepreneurial Sequoia Taylor ’04 remembers watching Pirates of Silicon Valley when she was 11 years old. The movie dramatized the rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. “That movie got me interested in technology,” Taylor said. But after one semester of computer science, Taylor set her sights on Wall Street. When she graduated from Wellesley in 2008, it was the height of the mortgage crisis, and Wall Street wasn’t the best option. After working in investment banking in California and at Morgan Keegan in Memphis for a number of years, Taylor headed back to California to work in the tech industry. She interned at a tech company, worked at a start-up, and then became
Sequoia Taylor ’04
entrepreneur-in-residence at a venture capital firm, helping with their needs and brainstorming a unique entrepreneurial idea. Taylor is now implementing that idea, called MerryMenFund.org, a play on Robin Hood’s band of Merry Men. The goal of MerryMen Fund is to solicit donations from philanthropists to help social impact entrepreneurs reduce or pay off student loan debt so that they can pursue their dreams. In order to fund her own dreams, Taylor started Spry VSL, which stands for Ventures, Strategies, and Labs. She advises clients on private placement transactions. “I could not have the credibility I have when I speak to clients had I not had those years in banking,” Taylor said. “Now I have CEOs, who are decades older, saying, ‘I want you to sell $20 million worth of my stock.’ And they come to me—a 29-year-old woman.” “Women bring a unique perspective,” she said. “Everyone has a different set of life experiences. When you get so many of the same people in a room together, your outcomes aren’t going to be very different. Diversity is required to survive—and that includes gender diversity.”
14 | Hutchison
ALUMNA PROFILE K AT I E H E R R O N G A M B I L L ’ 6 4
Building Businesses A Passion That Has Served an Alumna Well by Max Maddock
Katie Herron Gambill ’64 exudes confidence and enthusiasm, even when just talking with her on the phone. Although she’s worked in the financial services industry since 1968, she sounds as excited about her work today as she might have been on her first day. Maybe even more so, because these days, she can be proud of the fact that she’s blazed a trail for women in her field.
When she was first recruited from Vanderbilt University to be an assistant analyst at Equitable Securities in Nashville, she was the only woman in that role. She recalls that while men resented her, so did some of the women that worked as secretaries in the company. But Gambill persisted. “I kept doing each job well,” she said. She moved from assistant analyst to analyst, then became head of research, then head of equity, and eventually president. Along the way, she was one of a small group who bought Equitable back from American Express in 1972, and she was the second largest shareholder in the company. In 1998, Equitable was sold to SunTrust Bank, and Gambill stayed on for two years. But as soon as her non-compete agreement expired, she left to start a new company, Council Capital, in 2000. “I wanted to be in business for myself again, and I love building companies,” Gambill said. “That was,
and still is, my passion.” Council is a private equity firm with approximately $300 million of capital under management. Individual and institutional investors buy into Council funds, and then Council invests in private healthcare services and healthcare IT companies. “We invest on the right side of change in healthcare,” Gambill explained, which includes improved efficiency, enhanced quality, and lower costs. “So we’re investing in companies that are innovative in ways that can help cut cost out of the [healthcare] system.” Headquartered in Nashville, Council is well positioned for this particular niche because according to Gambill, over 50 percent of the for-profit hospital beds in the U.S. are managed out of Nashville. Council is usually the largest or second largest investor, so it is considered an active investor with control and influence. “We consider ourselves company
I love building companies. That was, and still is, my passion. Hutchison | 15
16 | Hutchison
K AT I E G A M B I L L | CO N T I N U E D
I am a big fan of single-sex education. I think it helps girls focus and develop a voice. builders, not just passive investors,” said Gambill. “Talented management teams want Council Capital to invest because they believe their companies can grow faster and ultimately become more valuable because of our support and involvement than they could on their own.” To build substantial value, this often means holding these portfolio companies for 5–10 years or more. For example, Council sold one of its companies this past January for $450 million, but it almost sold the company five years ago for $30 million. “The management team builds a company, but we help them,” she said. One of the ways Council stays competitive is that it has a team of CEOs who have each made a substantial investment in Council’s funds. Often these CEOs sit on company boards. “It’s a group of 34 industry-leading CEOs who have invested and help support the growth and success of our portfolio companies,” Gambill added. I N S P I R E D AT A YO U N G AG E
Gambill was inspired by her father. “He advised me early on, when I was in high school at Hutchison, that I needed to be financially independent. Not to depend on him and not to depend on a future husband,” she said. “I was naturally good at math and problem solving, so in college I found myself the only girl in the finance classrooms.” Even today, advancing in financial services is tricky for women, so how did she do it in the 1960s and 1970s? “First of all, you have to have a passion for what you are doing,” she said. “Then it takes the love of a challenge and a lot of perseverance.” She credited Hutchison with laying a strong foundation. “I am a big fan of single-sex education. I think it helps girls focus and develop a voice.” Gambill’s daughter and son attended single-sex schools in Nashville—Harpeth Hall, where Gambill was a trustee, and Montgomery Bell Academy. Having graduated from Hutchison in 1964, Gambill
spent her years on the Union campus. “It was wonderful. It was two houses that were expanded into classrooms. And then there was an old gym and a new gym. It was a fun old place.” She also pointed out what she believes is a crucial piece of success. “Even though I am in finance, expressing oneself verbally and in writing is critical. The English program at Hutchison is outstanding,” Gambill said. “I can’t tell you how many research reports I have written and taught people how to write. We received such a good foundation, with an emphasis on grammar and the structure of writing a sentence, the structure of writing a paragraph and a story. “You can learn a trade later, but learning the skill to communicate and speak publicly … if you don’t get it early, you don’t get it ever,” Gambill added. There were sacrifices, of course, but Gambill was quick to stress that women can have, and deserve to have, both a career and a family. “You have to give up something, but you don’t have to give up your job or your family.” She is most proud of her children. Her daughter is the founder and CEO of an online start-up in Los Angeles, and her son is the founder and managing partner of a hedge fund in New York. What can bring more women into the financial services industry? Gambill said preparing them early with math, accounting, and economics classes, and having industry speakers present to girls. But she emphasized one aspect specifically—computer science and coding. “My granddaughter is already learning to code.” She said schools are modeling coding classes after foreign languages and starting early. And, of course, Gambill has lifelong friends from her days at Hutchison. “We still have a Hutchison group that’s about eight to 10 girls, depending on who’s available at the time. Your closest friends are made in high school, I think. And a lot of us came all the way from kindergarten.”
Katie Gambill ’64 works with her colleague, Grant A. Jackson, Managing General Partner at Council Capital. Photos by Wolf Hoffmann Photography
Hutchison | 17
P R O F I L E | B A R RY G I L M O R E
Barry Gilmore: A Love of Education Hutchison’s Middle School Head Talks About Teaching, Writing, Music, and Moving to Upper School by Max Maddock
AT HUTCHISON’S 2015 GRADUATION, SENIOR EMILY FABER delivered a poignant speech during which she
gave her interpretation of Robert Frost’s revered poem “The Road Not Taken.” Many of us have read the poem and have a sense of its message. But Faber said she learned to examine the poem on a deeper level after being challenged in her freshman English class by Dr. Barry Gilmore. Faber summed up her speech saying, “We never would’ve been the analytical readers and courageous travelers we are with-
leaves to take a head of school position in Baltimore.
out the people who
“Hutchison is a wonderful school and an amazing group of
pushed, challenged,
girls, teachers, and parents,” Gilmore said. “The middle school
and supported us
teachers have worked hard on a lot of new initiatives and ideas,
on our journey.
and it feels like everything’s in sync—the teachers are giving their
What would any of
all for the girls. I’m going to miss being a part of that, because
us have done with-
we’re such a team here. But I’m excited about moving to upper
out our teachers’
school, too.”
unending love for each of us … ?” After Gilmore
Dr. Barry Gilmore talks with Caroline Halliday ’21 about her motion-activated robot during this year’s middle school science fair.
August, he will become head of upper school when Caroline Blatti
Over the last four years, Gilmore said, he’s immersed himself in young adult fiction. But he’s slowly gravitating toward the literary fiction that juniors and seniors read. “I find myself readjusting to
heard Faber’s
the upper school mindset. But I’ll say this, too, I think my time
speech, he was
in middle school has taught me more about what to do in upper
compelled to go
school than I would have predicted. I have broadened my thinking
back and read it
about education.”
several times. “Even if the kernel of her
T H E H U TC H I S O N D I F F E R E N C E
interpretation came
Gilmore says Hutchison’s approach to teaching is what attracted
from my class … the
him to the school initially and why he decided to enroll his daugh-
eloquent way that she phrased what she learned from the poem
ters, Katy ’20 and Zoe ’22.
brought new pieces of the poem alive for me. As much as I
“When I started teaching in 1991, everything was directed at a
appreciate her talking about learning from me, I never stop
single kind of student,” Gilmore said. “Now, instead of the teacher
learning from Hutchison girls.” (To read Faber’s full speech, visit
as the content expert who delivers the information to students,
hutchisonschool.org/faberspeech.)
it’s the teacher as facilitator and guide. Content is delivered in a way that promotes inquiry and exploration and that reacts to girls’
A D E D I C AT I O N TO E D U C AT I O N Gilmore has spent his career inspiring and challenging students
passions and to what they are interested in.” In upper school, that experience is extended beyond the classroom, he said, through
and celebrating their successes. He spent 11 years teaching at
programs like Hutchison Leads and Hutchison Serves, in which
Lausanne, but then decided he was ready for a change. When he
each girl’s passion drives the learning.
joined Hutchison, he taught upper school English and a global
Additionally, Gilmore said, every girl who walks through
studies class for two years before taking on the duties of the
Hutchison’s doors is a unique human being. “She has different
head of middle school, where he’s been for the last four years. In
passions, different strengths, and different challenges in front
18 | Hutchison
P H OTO BY M A L I K S H A R P P H OTO G R A P H Y & F I L M
of her. What our teachers do so well is recognize that most girls learn in certain ways, without ever falling prey to the stereotype that all girls learn the same way. Our teachers are very good at structuring a classroom environment in which girls thrive because they allow for each girl to learn in her particular style.” The other differentiating aspect of Hutchison, Gilmore observes, is the sense of joy Hutchison girls exude. “Our girls are leaving the school not only well educated but happily educated and broadly educated in all of the skills that they need to be successful in college, in careers, and in life.” S H A R I N G H I S K N OW L E D G E Gilmore still makes time to get in the classroom and teach. He just taught the seventh grade while they were studying A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Shakespeare is a favorite, along with Jane Austen. He has published eight books on educational topics such as must-have skills for achievement, the art of revising, how to get students to discuss books, and plagiarism. “People who read my books think that I go into writing the book with all the answers,”
Barry Gilmore, current head of middle school, will become the head of upper school in the 2016–2017 academic year.
Gilmore said. “The truth is that I discover all of that while I’m writing the book. I teach myself a great deal about what good teaching and learning involves.” In his last book, Academic Moves, he used many examples from Hutchison classrooms. Gilmore is a frequent speaker at conferences and schools. He discusses literacy and works with faculty to make improvements
To relax, Gilmore plays music, primarily as a guitarist. He loves traditional forms of music, especially Irish and Scottish music, and Appalachian music. He occasionally composes and arranges music for Tennessee Shakespeare Company productions.
in their curriculum. He also encourages teachers to go out and
But his principal love is education. “It’s challenging, but the
present. “Once they’ve presented something they’ve done well
reward is seeing girls thrive. They’re not just mastering a checklist
here, not only have they turned the spotlight on Hutchison and
of material anymore. They’re thinking deeply, they’re probing with
our practices,” he said, “but they also will come back and do it
questions, they’re exploring their passions, they’re learning to
better the next time because they’ve had to think through how
collaborate, they’re learning to innovate, they’re learning to com-
and why they do what they do and they’ve gotten some probing
municate. And they’re more joyous human beings because of it.”
questions in response.”
I think my time in middle school has taught me more about what to do in upper school than I would have predicted. I have broadened my thinking about education. Hutchison | 19
During her visit to Hutchison, Lisa Damour met with middle school girls (above) and upper school girls (below) to talk about their daily challenges and offer some advice.
20 | Hutchison
V I S I TO R P R O F I L E | L I S A DA M O U R
Lisa Damour Talks About Raising Resilient Girls I hope to change how we talk about teenage girls. THAT WAS ONE OF THE OVERARCHING STATEMENTS from Dr. Lisa Damour, who visited Hutchison
School in November 2015 to talk about how to raise girls with grit and resilience. up by research, was that there is little evidence of girls’ Damour is a psychologist, bestselling author, widespread reputation for being mean. columnist, speaker, a clinical instructor at Case WestIn her column, Damour suggested that girls harbor ern Reserve University, and director of the Center for peer slights more than boys and that they also seek Research on Girls at Laurel School in Shaker Heights, out support from their friends, which, Ohio. The Center studies how girls while good, also spreads the hurt. learn and grow. Damour’s latest book, Girls become upset that their friends Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls are upset, and a single slight goes Through the Seven Transitions into much further in the group. Her recAdulthood, was published this past ommendation is that parents validate February. their pain, but encourage them to What was impressive about Damove on. The same advice goes to mour’s visit was that she didn’t just girls worrying about a friend. fly in from her home in Ohio, make a speech to the parents telling them what they should do, and fly out. A N E X P E R T I N A D O L E S C E N TS Instead, she spent the entire day at It makes sense that Damour could Lisa Damour Hutchison, meeting and talking with answer the many complex questions parents, faculty members, and girls in during her Hutchison visit. She’s been middle and upper school. interviewing and studying adolescents since she was 19 There was commonality in some of the things and worked at the Yale Child Study Center. Additionally, Damour said to each group, but her most valuable gift she has an affinity for adolescents. “I’ve always liked was in listening. teenagers,” Damour said. “And to be honest, I think it’s She asked the girls questions about their struggles, because I really liked being a teenager. It felt like when their favorite coping mechanisms (Netflix anyone?), my whole world opened up.” and how they handle interpersonal conflicts. She queDamour talked about the idea of promoting growth ried parents about their daily and weekly battles with mindset thinking versus fixed mindset thinking. You their daughters, what their expectations were for their might think of fixed mindset thinkers as “old school.” girls, and how they handled the ever-increasing presA fixed mindset thinks they’re either good at someence of technology in their households. She listened thing or they’re not. They give up easily and don’t like carefully to their answers and their questions, and then challenges. When they fail, they think they are no good. offered sage advice. And they think their abilities determine who they are. Her desire to change the way we talk about teenage The good news is that Damour and Hutchison girls was fresh on her mind because her latest Motherpromote growth mindset thinking. A growth mindset lode column for The New York Times had just been thinker believes she can learn anything she wants. published that day. The title was “Girls Aren’t Meaner She perseveres and challenges herself. She knows that Than Boys. It Only Looks That Way.” Her view, backed failing at something is just a part of learning. She Hutchison | 21
L I S A DA M O U R | CO N T I N U E D
tries hard, and when she succeeds she is inspired. She believes effort and attitude are what determine her success. S T R E S S A N D W E L L- B E I N G
Damour also talked about stress and well-being. She said that when she went to look at all of the research on girls with stress and how to alleviate it, she found a large hole. “The reason there’s no research on stress is that we don’t study people until they’re really in trouble. So if a girl is depressed or anxious or has an eating disorder or is self-destructive, we have research monies to fund those studies. But for a high-functioning girl who is crying a lot and complaining about stress, there is no research money out there to look at her story.” She admitted that girls today can and have the opportunity to do anything. But that often means that their plates are full. So Damour’s question is, how do we get girls to push things off of their plates? “We expect girls to be biomedical engineers,” she said, “but we also expect them to be really nice, accommodating, friendly, attuned to the needs of others, and to write thank-you notes. So we have these very traditional expectations for girls and women and those have not been bumped off the plate by the phenomenal opportunities that are now available.” Damour said often the thinking is that if we just alleviate stress, everyone will be okay. Her solution is to build up resilience, so that when the inevitable stress
arises, girls can manage better. When she talked with the girls in Middle and Upper School, Damour stressed the importance of self-care. Her biggest advice—get good sleep. It seems intuitive, but often is the culprit. When speaking to the parents, Damour said, “I talked to the girls about sleep and the role of technology in the interference with sleep. In particular, how it interferes with the ability to fall asleep when they want to fall asleep.” Damour advocates for a technology-free bedroom for girls, because it should be a sanctuary for them. She even suggested girls not do homework on their beds. Pam Patteson, Hutchison’s counseling director, says that Hutchison works hard to instill the kinds of things Damour talked about during her visit. Patteson and Katie Sentilles, middle school counselor, traveled to Laurel School last October to attend a symposium about social and emotional intelligence, known as SEL, which has long been a part of the Hutchison culture. “Hutchison has counselors in all divisions,” Patteson said. “So there is a progression from lower school to upper school in helping girls deal with feelings, manners, kindness, and learning about emotions and social development. We want SEL to be a part of our everyday conversations. So we obviously have the academic curriculum and athletics and fine arts, but woven throughout the daily lives of the girls is the social emotional learning.”
G R OW T H M I N D S E T T H I N K I N G During her visit, Damour offered a handout explaining growth mindset, adapted from Carol S. Dweck’s book Mindset. AC H I E V E M E N T . . . means that you’re learning and stretching. B E I N G S M A R T . . . means that you’re confronting a challenge and making progress. S U CC E S S . . . is defined as working hard to become your best and is based on motivation. FA I LU R E . . . means that you’re not yet fulfilling potential and need to work harder. E F F O R T . . . is the path to mastery that makes you smarter. You get out what you put in. A B A D G R A D E . . . means it’s time to work harder. F E E D B AC K . . . is welcomed, as it provides useful direction toward areas to work on. T H E N E E D TO A S K F O R H E L P . . . is a useful strategy for growth. TA L E N T E D P E E R S . . . are a source of inspiration. The content above quotes or was adapted directly from Dweck, Carol S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Ballantine Books. 22 | Hutchison
A L U M N A P R O F I L E | M A R T H A K E L LY ’ 8 8
Martha Kelly ’88 spends some time sketching in an Amsterdam café, while a local looks on.
Photo by Emily Roth
Martha Kelly ’88: Creating Art Every Day Inspired by Her Hometown by Max Maddock
Arriving at the studio of Martha Kelly ’88 in Midtown Memphis, one is greeted by the artist, and by a long-legged, svelte, brown-and-white boxer named Mr. Darcy. His name is, of course, a nod to the character in the classic Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice. Like the fictional character, Mr. Darcy is regal and at first a little aloof, until he gets to know you. He is Kelly’s studio and plein air companion, and more recently, her muse. His recumbent and sleeping form appears often now in her sketchbooks, alongside her other favorite muse—trees. There are trees in her sketchbook. There are linoleumcut prints of trees adorning the walls of Kelly’s living room. Trees appear in her paintings. They are grand old trees in full leaf, surrounded by swirling, perhaps portentous clouds. Kelly’s house is about a two-block walk to venerable Overton Park, so she finds herself there most days making sketches or creating watercolors. “Landscape is my first love,” she says. “It’s always been the trees for me. I have the
best of all possible worlds. I live in the heart of the city and I walk in a forest every morning. And it is so enriching for my art.” Last year, Kelly was asked to create a landscape show for Dixon Gallery & Gardens. It was curated by Julie Pierotti, who chose from Kelly’s work and arranged it. Her work hung in the Mallory/Wurtzburger galleries from November 2015 to January 2016. She titled the show “My Own Places,” Hutchison | 23
© Martha Kelly Art www.marthakellyart.com
Photo by Charles Barnes
L: One of Kelly’s popular prints of Memphis landmarks. R: Kelly sketching one of her favorite muses: a tree in Tower Grove Park in St. Louis.
I remember the moment the paint swirled in front of me on the page … It was magic, and I was hooked. which originates from a quote by John Constable (17761837), an English Romantic artist who painted landscapes of the village in which he grew up. Constable is Kelly’s art hero. “He said something like: ‘Still I should paint my own places best; painting is with me but another word for feeling,’ ” Kelly quoted. “Dixon was my career moment,” she said. “To be recognized in Memphis with a museum show gives huge legitimacy and recognition to what I’m doing.” Much of Kelly’s art is centered on Memphis and its landscapes. “I love this place. It has such tangible beauty for me,” she explained. “It’s got these beautiful spreading oak trees, we’ve got rolling farm land, and we’ve got big skies. I want to give people here a lens to see the beauty around them.” Kelly recalled Hutchison teachers Pat Newberry and Bill Caldwell fondly. “They were amazing teachers and gave us the love of learning,” she said. As an artist, Kelly didn’t always feel like she fit in. “I was raised on ballads and opera. My family was culturally way out of the mainstream.” So she discerned, early on, that she couldn’t fake it and decided that she was going to do what made her happy. She said she had a crew of friends at Hutchison and found joy in the theatre department, working on sets, props, and stage management. 24 | Hutchison
She remembered when she realized her passion for art. She was 14 and taking a summer class on water media at the Memphis College of Art. “I remember the moment the paint swirled in front of me on the page in a way that was better than what I had hoped for. It was magic, and I was hooked.” Her primary media early in her career was large oil landscapes. She stayed busy for years with gallery shows in the city and around the Southeast. Then she decided she was ready for something new. She audited a class in basic printmaking, and a whole new world opened up to her. But there was a steep learning curve. To make prints, she had to learn to carve into linoleum backwards. “Anything you cut away is white, and anything you leave the ink sticks to,” Kelly said. The more she practiced, though, the more she realized that she wanted to focus on printmaking. It just so happened that her interest in printmaking coincided with the 2008 recession. “Big oil paintings are just not what people need during a recession. People realized they could buy prints at $75 for a relative for Christmas.” It was a matter of the right place at the right time, because as Kelly stressed, “You have to be authentic. I have to create the things I am seeing in my head. I can’t force it and think, ‘Oh, this would be a lucrative market. I’m going
© Martha Kelly Art www.marthakellyart.com
illustrate scripture, including the Book of Revelation for the Presbyterian Church USA. Recently she’s been serving as the artist-in-residence at the Memphis Theological Seminary. “They’ve got an art and theology program, and they want to raise the visibility of that and give students different languages to express their faith, and also be able to work with their congregations when they get to that place.” She has made presentations, taught workshops, and is creating art for the seminary’s chapel bulletin. Listening to Kelly, it’s hard to imagine her not working. “It’s vocation,” she said. “I give myself the time to travel when I want to and then when I’m home, what I want to be doing is working. I play music, I dance, I do things that I love. But, what I wake up wanting to do every day is make art.”
© Martha Kelly Art www.marthakellyart.com
to paint in this style.’ That never works.” Kelly has two presses for printmaking. One is unassuming. It lays flat on a table and looks like an extra-large version of those old machines that used to make a carbon-copy imprint of a credit card. You lay the paper down and slide the roller across it. But the real beauty is a 1909 Chandler and Price treadleoperated press. It fills one whole corner of a room, is about five feet tall, and weighs approximately 1,500 pounds. To install it in the house, Kelly had to add posts underneath the house to reinforce the floor. Kelly uses this large press for invitations and notecards, but there’s a sense in watching her demonstrate how it works—pushing the treadle with her feet, spinning the enormous iron wheel, and watching the press draw ink and make imprints—that the physicality of the machine is quite gratifying. Indeed, she says, it’s a workout. There’s another side to being a full-time artist—being a full-time business person. When she was starting out, the galleries handled the business side. But as she’s turned to printmaking, she’s taken on running her business herself. She makes prints, packages notecards, attends local shows like the Pink Palace Crafts Fair, and keeps up with a million other little things, all while trying to make new art. Running a business is not something that was part of Kelly’s art major, she said, so she has had to learn the ins and outs as she goes. Working in the studio can be a solitary pursuit, so Kelly makes sure to get out and meet other artists. She is part of the Memphis Urban Sketchers, a group that meets every first Saturday at a different location in the city to sketch together. “It’s lovely to go out with other artists, see what they’re working on, see the different ways that they approach the same scene,” Kelly said. She’s met with Urban Sketcher groups in Paris and in Amsterdam. “It’s a language that you speak. It’s a nice cultural exchange.” Kelly had a double major in college—religion and art. This has served her well as she’s had commissions to
“The Waltz,” linoleum block print Hutchison | 25
FAC U LT Y P R O F I L E | Q & A : J E A N I E G I B S O N
JEANIE GIBSON, UPPER SCHOOL MATH TEACHER, IS PASSIONATE about math and its practical uses. She knows that math can be a polarizing subject (the stereotypical idea that some are good at it and others aren’t), but research has shown that isn’t true. Everyone is a math person and can become competent and confident in math; some just need to be encouraged and cultivated more than others. That’s what Gibson does. She teaches AP statistics, advanced honors intro to calculus, finite math and elementary calculus, and algebra. She has a master’s degree in math and a chemistry and science undergraduate degree. This is Gibson’s fifth year at Hutchison; she taught previously for 16 years at a private coed school and three years in a public school. We wanted to find out how she gets Hutchison girls interested in math and hear what she’s been learning.
Q: What do you like about math and teaching math? A: I like math because I’ve always enjoyed working puzzles and having that challenge
of making things fit together, and then in the end, knowing that you have the correct
answer. I like AP statistics because in our culture, statistics are everywhere. Almost any area that you look at—medicine, sports, business—they’re using statistics to analyze data. I hear of occupations being phased out because of advancements in technology, but then I hear the area that’s most in demand is math—in particular, things related to statistics.
Q: Has teaching math changed since you began teaching? A: It used to be that you used formulas and algebraically worked out problems with
equations. Now, there’s more emphasis on real-world applications and expressing things not just algebraically, but numerically, graphically, verbally. There’s more emphasis on being able to analyze and interpret the problems using different methods, instead of just using equations.
Q: Is the real-world emphasis easier for the girls to relate to? A: They might be able to relate to it more, but it’s harder, because it involves what
we call mathematical modeling. So you’re taking a word problem about a real situation
and trying to model it with an equation. And to go from a word problem to an equation, that thought process is more challenging than just memorizing the steps of solving an equation. So the critical-thinking skills involved in making that transition from word problem to the computational part of it is harder and more valuable.
Q: How do you keep up-to-date on the latest teaching techniques for math?
A: In math, things change so much, so it’s important to have the chance to get professional develop-
ment. Hutchison has gone above and beyond in supporting those opportunities. This past summer I went to a math conference at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. It was the best I’ve attended in all my years of teaching. I was particularly interested in the Harkness teaching method. Students are given very challenging questions that require deep critical-thinking skills. They work on those for their homework and then come to class. Everybody has their answers to these questions, and you collaborate and discuss the questions. I have tried the method with my intro to calculus class, but we haven’t fully instituted it yet. There’s a lot of preparation involved. Designing the questions is not easy. But I’m very interested in trying to do more with it. 26 | Hutchison
Jeanie Gibson works with upper school students on finite math and elementary calculus.
“ I like statistics because almost any area that you
look at—medicine, sports, business—they’re using
”
statistics to analyze things.
Q: How do you keep girls interested in math? A: When learning is relevant, I find the girls remain interested. So as we work on different problems, I
point out the practical tasks that require this kind of thinking. I make sure they all know that they can be successful in math, even those that think they “aren’t good at it.” I try to create a classroom in which students feel safe taking risks, and I encourage them to be engaged in the learning process, even if it means making mistakes as they reach their goals. For those with a passion for math and statistics, I make sure they know about the many career opportunities available.
Q: What are your hobbies outside of work? A: I play piano. I’ve played in church all my life, since I was 12. I practice several hours a week. I also love
to read. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book.
Hutchison | 27
G I V I N G | S COT T A N D J O H N A DA M S
Hutchison Art Purchase Award Honoring Their Daughters and Encouraging Future Artists “I TELL KIDS, ‘YOU’RE NEVER WRONG IN ART,’ ” said Scott Adams, self-taught artist and parent of two Hutchison alumnae. “Not every kid can make an A in every course,” she continued. “So I can’t even tell you how important I feel it is for children to create art.” Dr. Annette Smith, head of school, began purchasing art from students for the school when she arrived in 2000. Shortly after, Scott and John Adams gave a gift to honor their two daughters and continue the program in perpetuity. The Award selects an outstanding piece of art from a senior to frame and display permanently on the campus. So far, there have been 29 award winners, ranging in media from charcoal to oil, graphite to ink, and acrylic to chalk. “It was a beautiful way of honoring our two daughters and encouraging the future artist,” John and Scott Adams
Scott said. Her daughters are Alexandra Adams Roll ’03 and Tucker Adams Schwartz ’05. Alexandra’s daughter, Rhodes, will be starting in the
Little Hive two-year-old program at Hutchison in September. Scott’s mother, Billie Fisher Houghton ’49, also attended the school when it was on Union Avenue. “It’s essential for children to feel that art is significant,” Scott said. “I tell children all the time that art is as important as math and science. You can express your soul and your sense of self through art.” What does she think it means for the artists who are selected for the award? “It means that their art is important, and that they are valued not only as a human being, but as an artist.” Scott has another enduring tie to Hutchison—she helped oversee the creation, design, and installation of the 500-square-foot mosaic mural that faces the Wiener Theater on Hutchison’s campus. She worked with art teachers Gwen English, Gwen Bruno, and Debra McDaniel. The mosaic was made possible by Dean and Linda Underwood in honor of their daughter Elizabeth Underwood ’16. The theme of the Hutchison mural is The Four Seasons. Every girl at the school was involved in the project, from drawing pictures for the mosaic to cutting, mounting, grouting, and installing the pieces that make up the whole. “The mosaic made art come alive for the girls,” Dr. Smith said. “Working on the mosaic, every girl was able to participate and celebrate the school’s centennial. It is a beautiful part of our campus, and our girls get to pass by it every day. It reminds them of the power and importance of art.” While she loves art, Scott said her passion has always been for kids. “I love their honesty. They’re so real and when they do something, it is from the heart and soul.” “My husband, John, always says, ‘leave the world a little bit better than when you found it.’ And I think it’s important to leave something like a legacy,” Scott said. “Those murals on the walls … they inspire kids. They walk by and go, ‘gosh this is important. This means something.’ ”
I tell children all the time that art is as important as math and science. You can express your soul and your sense of self through art. 28 | Hutchison
The winter section of the beautiful mosaic that lives on the Hutchison campus.
G I V I N G | A R T P U R C H A S E AWA R D
The annual Alexandra ’03 & Tucker ’05 Adams Art Purchase Award is a powerful way of sharing a young artist’s journey of learning at Hutchison. Making artistic choices helps our girls hone their ideas, and the visual arts are a wonderful way for them to voice what they think about the world around them. Hutchison believes that the fine arts are fundamental to a complete education. Cultivating artistic expression in the visual arts and the performing arts encourages our girls to think abstractly and with curiosity, fluidity, and flexibility.
Recent winners of the Alexandra ’03 & Tucker ’05 Adams Art Purchase Award, top and middle: two works by Gabi Alvergue ’13; top right: Haley Putman ’15; bottom right: Claire Eason ’12; bottom center: Haley Putman ’15 at work; bottom left: Katie Daniel ’14.
I was happy the school purchased my art so that a piece of me would remain at Hutchison. —Katie Daniel ’14, Art Purchase Award recipient Hutchison | 29
G I V I N G | E VA M A E D U N C A N H U S S E Y ’ 5 5 & A M Y P I C K E N S ’ 1 1
Why I Give to the Annual Fund Two Hutchison Alumnae, Separated By Years, Are Dedicated to Giving OFTEN WHEN WE THINK of philanthropy, we think of a new building being built or an exciting new program being launched. But imagine the impact that giving for years, or even decades, has on both Hutchison and an alumna. Giving consistently enables consistency. Giving also changes one’s relationship to the school. It deepens an already significant tie. Two alums serve as a great example of this. Eva Mae Duncan Hussey ’55 and Amy Pickens ’11 have given steadily to Hutchison. Both understand the impact that their Hutchison education has had on their lives and the lifelong friendships that they made while at the school. For Hussey, she attended Miss Hutchison’s School when it was on Union Ave. “It was an environment that suited me. It was relatively small in two older houses and an old gym Eva Mae Duncan ’55 when she was at Miss Hutchison’s School on Union Avenue
in the back. It was a warm environment,” she said. And while she knows the Hutchison of today is quite different, she still wants it to be “an environment that’s good for the girls.” Hussey’s sister, Margaret Duncan Renshaw ’47, also attended Hutchison. So Hussey gives for sentimental reasons. “Once I started, I hated to stop!” she said. And she hasn’t. Hussey has given consistently for decades. Amy Pickens is a relatively new donor who has given ever since her graduation in 2011. She’s currently finishing up her last year at Vanderbilt, studying computer science, and will start a full-time job at FedEx in June. “I want to make sure that other girls have the same opportunities that I had,” Pickens said, “and also give them new opportunities.” She particularly appreciated the fact that things were so well-balanced at Hutchison. Pickens played soccer, basketball, and lacrosse throughout middle and upper school, but also found time for her studies and the honor council. “I was able to do it all and still do it well,” she said. Pickens credits her mom, Suzanne Satterfield ’73, also a regular donor, with influencing
Amy Pickens ’11 (right) was encouraged by her mother, Suzanne Satterfield ’73 (left), to give each year.
her to give. “She encouraged me, even if I couldn’t give very much, to at least give each year.” In turn, Pickens encourages others to give. “Give no matter how much it is,” Pickens added, “because I think it’s important for everyone to participate.”
Remember what you enjoyed at Hutchison and the opportunities you had and know that you can give those opportunities to other girls. —Amy Pickens ’11
30 | Hutchison
the annual fund keeps Hutchison
Your donation supports
academics athletics financial assistance fine arts technology
Give now at hutchisonschool.org/give
participation matters It is the proud philanthropic support of the greater Hutchison community—the collective spirit of giving by parents, alumnae, parents of alumnae, grandparents, faculty and staff—that keeps Hutchison strong. It takes gifts at all levels to achieve our goal.
A L U M N A E G AT H E R I N G | CO L L E G E R E U N I O N
Claire Sentilles ’15, Sarah Grace Rogers ’15, and Ann Bennett Nash ’15
Katy Nair and Gaby Nair ’14
Annette Smith, Emily Faber ’15, Lauren Colpitts, Maria Evans, and Bonnie Cathryn Prather ’15
Gabi Stein ’15, Sarah Grace Moore ’15, and Mary Grace Donoghue ’15
Claire Temple ’15, Ann Bennett Nash ’15, Kennedy Cox ’15, and Caroline Blatti
32 | Hutchison
Ana Romero ’15 and Kelsey Dowling ’15
Front row, L to R: Mary Sanford McClure ’13, Allie Saunders ’13, Kennedi Woods ’15, Raven Cox ’15, Emily Faber ’15, Margaret Shaw ’15, Stephanie Pierotti ’15, Julie Kendall ’15, Kelsey Dowling ’15; middle row: Kaitlin Tillman ’14, Mary Grace Donoghue ’15, Sarah Grace Moore ’15, Ana Romero ’15; back row: Ann Bennett Nash ’15, Allison Ann Gusmus ’15, Weldon Saunders ’15, Claire Temple ’15, Molly McKinney ’14, Caroline Coleman ’14, Molly McCullough ’14, Gaby Nair ’14, Loring Gearhardt ’14, Sandy Smith ’14, Elizabeth Jones ’12, Lauren Atkins ’14, and Millie Weiman ’15
Kaitlin Tillman ’14, Molly McKinney ’14, Margaret Shaw ’15, Molly McCullough ’14, and Caroline Coleman ’14
Millie Weiman ’15 and Stephanie Pierotti ’15
Kennedi Woods ’15 and Rosa Carter
Loring Gearhardt ’14 and Lauren Atkins ’14
Allison Ann Gusmus ’15 and Weldon Saunders ’15
Hutchison | 33
A L U M N A E & F R I E N D S PAY T R I B U T E | S A R A F R E Y
Remembrances of Sara Frey MRS. FREY WAS A FORCE and taught
WHAT AN AMAZING WOMAN who
THE FREYS WERE LIKE SURROGATE
me so much. Most importantly she
had such an impact on my formative
PARENTS who believed in my potential.
taught me to be courageous, true to
years. It gives me comfort, however,
I will always be grateful for their help
myself, to travel widely, and to have
knowing she is reunited with dear
and advice. So sad for the loss, and
faith. I will never forget her absolute
Mr. Frey. – Anne Latham Martin ’83
at the same time, Leonard’s “vision of
fervor for life, art, and her devoted
loveliness” is now joining him.
husband, as well as her infectious laugh.
– Sherry Colette Ihrig Smith ’79
I know they are together again riding bikes into the eternal sunset!
SARA MADE AN IMPACT on every girl
– Blair Westbrook Fowler ’99
who walked the halls of the school. Tell your husband hello and know you were
SARA WAS WONDERFUL! She was
loved and appreciated.
probably one of ALL of our favorites.
– Daye Elkin Virostek ’86
Weren’t we lucky to have known her, and for many of us, to have been taught
MY HEART JUST GOT HEAVIER. Mr. and
by her? – Jane Hughes Coble ’60
Mrs. Frey were a fundamental part of my education in every way.
SARA FREY TOLD ME when I began
– Garner Chandler ’79
my 15 wonderful years in the Hutchison community, “You’ll want to give it your
SHE WAS TRULY AMAZING!
everything, but be careful: remember,
– Christy Smith Muller ’91
you have a marriage, your writing, your
I AM SO GRATEFUL to have
own life as well.” So thoughtful, under-
been friends with Sara. I will always
I HAVE SO MANY FOND MEMORIES of
standing, and kind. Then, of course, she
have fond memories of stimulating and
my days at Hutchison, and Mrs. Frey is
and Leonard went right ahead—even
thought-provoking conversations,
certainly one of the important reasons
in semi-retirement—and disproved her
listening to opera and discussing
why my memories are just so good.
own admonition. They gave it all. There
poetry, and going together to events
As an educator and an administrator,
is no end to their legacy of rigorous,
at St. Mary’s Cathedral with our small
I reflect on the interactions I have with
vital learning and generous, grace-filled
group of friends. I remember the wild-
students, specifically what I want them
living. Thank you for helping us know
flowers we planted and how much she
to think and how I want them to feel
what the word integrity can really mean.
loved them, even with limited sight. She
as a result. While I fear I do not often
– Hadley Hury, former English teacher and
was dear to me, and I will miss her.
hit the mark, Mrs. Frey is the example I
– Marcia McCall Wunderlich,
strive to model. I left every interaction
college counselor
retired educator and friend
I AM LUCKY to have been a student at
with her more informed and feeling capable, accomplished, and heard.
Hutchison when Sara Frey was there.
MY ONLY TEARS ON GRADUATION
What separates Mrs. Frey from so many
Her guidance and wisdom have stayed
DAY came when Mrs. Frey hugged me
teachers and educational leaders is that
with me since then and will forever. She
tightly and wished me well. She had
she imparted trust to her students, and
and Mr. Frey were truly an unforgettable
been tough on me at times, but it was
that is what I aspire to do in my interac-
pair. – Joan Rim Botts ’86
out of love and wanting me to fulfill my
tions with my students. She has left an
potential. Over the years, she and
indelible mark on my heart and in my
SAD NEWS for those of us who
Mr. Frey asked about me and my sister,
memory, and I am ever grateful for the
treasured Sara Frey and counted her
Cara Grinder, when they ran into our
lessons she taught me about honor, un-
as one of the greatest influences in our
parents. Her memory and enduring
derstanding, trustworthiness, courtesy,
lives. She will be missed.
concern were remarkable.
humility, industry, sincerity, obedience,
– Genie Montgomery Williamson ’66
– Anna Baskin Lattimore ’86
and nobility. – Milly Joyner ’83
48 | Hutchison
Allie Dowdle ’17 helps junior kindergarten girls Harper Epps ’29 and Kylee Gleeton ’29 dissect a sheep heart.
Holy cow ... it’s a real heart! — Mary McLean Farmer ’29 Junior kingergarten girls hold up their hands to get a sense of the shape of the heart while dissecting a sheep heart.
THE HEART COMES TO LIFE FOR JK GIRLS The junior kindergarten class recently studied the human heart. After examining the parts of the heart, sculpting a heart in the art center, and discovering ways to keep the heart healthy, the girls traveled to the upper school science laboratory to inspect and dissect a real sheep heart. This kind of inter-disciplinary instruction helps guide the girls from the abstract to the tangible and immerses them in learning.
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Hutchison accepts qualified female students regardless of race, color, religion, or national origin.
A summer full of adventure — two fun programs, one beautiful campus. FILL YOUR SUMMER WITH FUN, LEARNING, AND ADVENTURE with any combination of SPARK Day Camp and Center for Excellence sports clinics and workshops in the arts, leadership, theatre, and academics. Girls, boys, parents, and educators will find PLENTY TO CHOOSE FROM ALL SUMMER LONG!
Register online or give us a call! hutchisonschool.org/summer • 901.507.2460