2016
The Harley School. Committed to our motto, “Become what thou art.�
The Importance of Having a Plan
Class Notes
Alumni Profi les
p. 10
Reunion Photos
FEATURE Stories The Importance of Having a Plan
10
As The Harley School launches a new strategic plan, we survey alumni who have appreciated and met the challenge of shifting gears to find a new dream and a new, fulfilled life. BY JONATHAN SHERWOOD
16
Lives of Great Purpose
20
Living the Mission: Our Students Are Prepared to Meet the Challenges of Tomorrow
Alumni in service to our country
BY ROBIN FLANIGAN
19
A remarkable group of students we were honored to know and teach
ALUMNI
14 25 48
Reunion Class Notes
Making an Impact Maddie Laitz ’12
49
16 What I’ve Learned Sarita Gupta ’92
51
Become What Thou Art John Mills ’57
DEPARTMENTS 5
By the Numbers
22
Sports
6
Commencement
26 1000 Words
8
From the Harley Archives
38 Farewell to Bud Ewell
9
What’s New at Harley
42
In Memoriam
© 2016
HEAD OF SCHOOL
A S S O C I AT E D I R E C T O R O F D E V E L O P M E N T
THE HARLEY SCHOOL
Ward J. Ghory, EdD
A N D A L U M N I R E L AT I O N S
1981 Clover Street Rochester, NY 14618 (585) 442-1770
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
Kate Turner Jacus ’92 ART DIRECTOR AND DESIGNER
Lisa Osborne Lange ’74 A S S I S TA N T E D I T O R
Erin Berg DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Debra Weiss Walker ’83
Karen Saludo C O P Y C O N S U LTA N T
Ceil Goldman CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Robin Flanigan, Jonathan Sherwood CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Art Rothfuss III and submissions from our community C O V E R I L L U S T R AT I O N
Rocco Baviera
Becoming Magazine welcomes questions, story ideas, and letters from readers. Contact us at the address above or at becoming@harleyschool.org Becoming Magazine is published by The Harley School
from the Harley
Archives
Fall 2016 The environment we live in feels increasingly fluid. This summer, a man was pulled over for a headlight malfunction, then shot. Police marshaled a protest march, and were ambushed. Great Britain voted whether to leave the European Union, then its leaders resigned with no plan for the unexpected outcome. Especially in uncertain times, people seek a sense of direction. We want to stand on common ground, with a shared understanding of our situation. We need to agree upon values and priorities, and articulate our sense of mission. Then, we can envision a path forward that gives meaning in challenging times. We work together best when we know where we’re going and why. This issue of Becoming Magazine offers a forum where Harley graduates reflect on setting a direction through forward thinking in their own lives and fields. In this issue, we proudly share a synopsis of Harley’s “Lives of Great Purpose Strategic Plan”. Our restated mission declares our determination “to … prepare our students to meet the challenges of tomorrow and lead lives of great purpose.” Our strategic plan makes three firm commitments to realize this purpose: 1. We will inspire academic excellence. 2. We will live our mission as a diverse, inclusive school. 3. We will strengthen our financial sustainability. I know you will read this plan synopsis with interest, and we invite your comments and questions. In February 2017, on the 100th day of Harley’s 100th year, we will begin to celebrate Harley’s Centennial. We invite all of our alumni, alumni parents, former trustees, faculty, and friends to reserve the weekend of October 13–15, 2017, as a time to return to Harley for a gala Centennial Celebration. Our Centennial is a time to reflect upon our heritage. The strategic plan is our vehicle to build for our future. Enjoy Becoming Magazine and do plan to join us for our Centennial celebration. With best wishes,
Ward J. Ghory Head of School
4 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
By the Numbers 1
Jamir Avery ’13 started playing basketball at Harley in Middle School. Known as a sweet kid and well-liked by his classmates, Jamir continued on to Genesee Community College. A serious car accident then changed his life; a head injury left him wheelchair-bound and unable to communicate. The Harley community rallied around the Avery family. When a specific need arose after Jamir came home from the hospital, coach Paul Liotti, HAC basketball players, and friends stepped up to help.
2013 year Jamir Avery graduated from Harley; also the
year Jamir was voted Most Valuable Player on the basketball team.
35 Jamir’s jersey number.
His jersey number is now an honor that the varsity team bestows upon one of its own each year through a team vote.
6 number of years that Jamir played basketball for HAC Athletics. 2 number of years Jamir was a member of the All Finger Lakes-West Team.
19 April 2015 night of Jamir’s car accident. 2 3
5 February 2016 Jamir Avery honorary game that rallied support to build a wheelchair ramp for the family.
18 June 2016 day when 7 volunteers, including 3 current HAC basketball players, helped the Avery family with pre-building preparation to defer costs.
700 dollars the volunteers’ labor saved the Averys. 10 post holes dug at 42" deep. 37bags of concrete that were mixed and 4
poured onto the pad.
5 July 2016 day the 6' x 8' deck and wheelchair ramp was completed.
1 JAMIR SPLITS NAPLES DEFENDERS TO SCORE IN A FINGER LAKES-WEST GAME AT ALLENDALE COLUMBIA DURING HIS SENIOR SEASON. 2 FAN SUPPORT AT THE JAMIR AVERY HONORARY GAME 3 & 4 VOLUNTEER CREW AND THE FINISHED PROJECT
2 016
| 5
Commencement 2016
MAELYS LOSSA ’16 gave
heartfelt introductions to the speakers. NATE KNAUF ’16 spoke appreciatively of the family that is his class and the Harley community as a whole. DOMINIC LIOTTI ’16 gave a powerful address about the value of being “unacceptable.” DR. BILL SCHARA, history department chair, advised the class to embrace the luck that goes along with hard work.
Become What Thou Art 6 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
COLLEGE CHOICES CLASS OF 2016
Alfred University Allegheny College Boston University Brandeis University Bryn Mawr College Bucknell University University of California, Davis Canisius College Case Western Reserve University Cazenovia College Clemson University Cornell University University of Delaware
The George Washington University Georgia Institute of Technology Hampton University Ithaca College Kenyon College New Jersey Institute of Technology The New School New York University North Carolina A&T State University The Ohio State University University of Pittsburgh Pratt Institute University of Rochester
Rochester Institute of Technology Savannah College of Art and Design School of Visual Arts St. John Fisher College Stanford University Stevens Institute of Technology SUNY Binghamton SUNY Geneseo Syracuse University Webster University Wellesley College
2 016
| 7
emerging from the Harley
Archives Archives
ANNE TOWNSEND RETIRED IN JUNE 2016 AFTER A 25-YEAR CAREER AT HARLEY. THE TOWNSEND FAMILY HAS BEEN A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE THE 1960s: ANNE’S HUSBAND, JIM ’61, SERVED AS BOARD CHAIR FROM 1989 TO 1992. JIM’S SISTERS, MARGOT ’64 AND VIRGINIA “WIDGE” ’75, AND ANNE AND JIM’S CHILDREN, TED ’98 AND SARAH ’01, ARE GRADUATES.
M
y first volunteer job was as a parent council representative, where I became involved in class socials, special events, and The Harley Sale. In 1991, the Data Center coordinator, Karen Guthrie, retired and Barb LaRue, assistant to the head, asked if I’d be interested in the part-time job. Hmmm—tuition benefits, spending the day at my kids’ school, and a Harley lunch—how could I say no? No resumé, no interviews—I was offered the job and started July 1, 1991.
My office was behind the receptionist desk, and I worked three days a week. My duties included: keeping our student, parent, alum, and other constituency records current; to notify teachers and administrators of any employment or address changes; to sort, bundle, and mail all bulk mailings; to prepare and mail the back-to-school mailing; to provide census information to school districts, and to prepare, print, and distribute the student directory. Along the way, I continued to help with special events and The Harley Sale. In 2003, Admissions and Development were reorganizing, and I was moved to the Development Office to become the special events coordinator. My main job was to work with parents to organize and coordinate the Blast! fundraisers—a job I held until 2013. In addition to the special events, I was also given the task of trying to organize our archives materials. I spent months scouring every corner of the School collecting photos, written materials, programs, memorabilia, etc.—anything that would tell Harley’s story. I remember spending three weeks of one of the hottest summers sitting on a cardboard box in the boiler room (no AC there!) sorting through boxes of materials that had been stored there for years. Teachers began to drop off information and items that might be important. Once all this was collected, I tried to sort it into piles so that it made sense. Some of the piles were filed away in the archives room. Others were set aside for identification.
8 || BBeeccoommiinngg M Maaga gazziinnee
With the help of an archives committee made up of alums and former and current faculty, we then set to the task of trying to identify our photos. We met once a month and painstakingly sorted through yearbooks, A History of The Harley School written by Ruth Ewell, and our own memories to come up with names, dates, and events. Half the fun of those meetings was to listen to the former teachers discussing some of the funny things that had happened to them during their careers. There was the story about Mohan Gam—a fictitious English teacher candidate who sent outrageous letters requesting to teach at The Harley School. Thank you to all who worked with me to try to make some sense out of all of this—to name a few:—Susan Smith, Ron Richardson, Maggie Schneider, Alex DeSantis, Mike Lasser, Bob Joslyn, Len Wilcox, Phyllis Bentley ’45, Mary Toepfer, Lee Allen ’64, and more. I couldn’t have done it without you, and I enjoyed the time we spent in the ACR learning about Harley. Thanks to all of you who helped me organize these pieces of history, and thank you for thinking of Harley when you are cleaning or reorganizing. If you come across something from Harley, contact Karen Saludo at Harley before you toss it. It might be just what we are looking for. I’ll miss you all! Anne Townsend
SEE PAGE 24 FOR SOME INTERESTING ARCHIVAL TIDBITS THANKS TO ANNE’S CURIOSITY, CREATIVITY, AND PASSION FOR THE HARLEY SCHOOL.
farewell Anne
What’s New at Harley LARS KUELLING, ACADEMIC DEAN
Lars Kuelling is new to Rochester, NY, new to The Harley School, and starting in a newly-created position as academic dean. In this position—an initiative coming directly from the School’s strategic plan, the academic dean will work across developmental levels and academic disciplines from Nursery to Grade 12. In this position, created in support of strategic priorities derived from months of collaborative planning by trustees, administrators, parents, and faculty, Kuelling will work closely with division heads and faculty on establishing curriculum review processes, creating materials showing Harley’s distinctive approach to its college preparatory program, and coordinating faculty evaluation and professional development. As academic dean, he will also support the incorporation of academic technology into the curriculum, co-teach the Rights and Responsibilities course, and advise in the Upper School. Kuelling and his family moved from Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, and are quickly settling into the Rochester community. His three children are attending Harley in the classess 2018, 2020, and 2021.
Teaching has always been a passion for Kuelling; over the years, he has taught history, Spanish, and ethics, for classes ranging from the fifth to twelfth grades. His teaching career spans three independent schools—The Bryn Mawr School for Girls (Baltimore, MD), The Canterbury School (Fort Wayne, IN), and The Grosse Pointe Academy (Grosse Pointe Farms, MI). Why Harley? As Kuelling notes, he loved Grosse Pointe, but as head of school, he felt removed from the students and the everyday joys of teaching and learning. He also missed working in a school where he could watch the complete development of a student from nursery school through graduation. At Harley, Kuelling is excited to return to a N-12 college prep school, to collaborate with another dynamic faculty, and to get involved in supporting Harley’s learning initiatives, such as The Commons. He is looking forward to helping Harley students “become what thou art.” Welcome to Harley, Lars Kuelling!
Prior to arriving at The Harley School, Kuelling was the head of school at The Grosse Pointe Academy, a K-8 independent school, where he was able to fit in teaching fifth-grade character education courses and coaching lacrosse, in addition to his administrative duties. This coming year will mark his thirteenth year working in administration and his twentieth year teaching.
welcome
Lars
2 016
| 9
Andrea Durfee ’02
Chris Cleveland ’80
Jeff Penney ’79
Rachel Kurchin ’09
Ryan Kimmet ’95
To support our commitment at Harley to strategic planning, we tapped into our strong alumni network to hear real-world accounts of what it means to build, execute, and adapt a wide variety of strategic plans.
10 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
In the 2014 issue of Becoming Magazine, we introduced our strategic planning process. Last year we heralded a key development in that process: the School’s new mission statement. Now, we are proud to include with this issue of Becoming Magazine a copy of the strategic plan booklet, which signifies the end of the planning process and the start of the implementation of the plan.
F
rom many creative and inspiring stories, we have chosen these five glimpses into the lives of alumni who planned their lives and careers—and then learned the most important lesson of all: plans change! And in that process comes the realization of what these alumni really wanted in their lives and careers. Some began with unyielding personal goals and flexible professional aspirations; others, just the opposite. And they are not all in the same stage of life and career planning. Some are just beginning the grand planning process, and some have learned a tremendous amount about how to implement their plans. But one thing they all have in common is the realization that the process of creating a strategic plan reveals your identity and goals to yourself—and becomes a path you must honor. Following the plan, then, simply takes you to where you may not have known you wanted to be all along, but where you feel at home.
Come along with us and these five alums on their inspiring stories of self-discovery and fulfillment.
Andrea Durfee Your wedding is a moment you expect will change your personal life forever. A bit less often, though, is it a moment that changes your professional life, as well. “My sister-in-law and I designed the invitations for my wedding, and a light bulb just went off,” says Andrea Durfee ’02. “We loved doing everything involved in the stationery design, and we started talking about turning artistic wedding invitations into a business.” Both Durfee and her sister-in-law, Ashley Durfee, were working full-time in 2013 when the idea struck them, so dropping everything and starting on a whim wasn’t an option. They needed—you guessed it—a plan. “We had a lot of conversations,” says Durfee. “We had to be honest with each other and ourselves about what we wanted from the business. Where do we want to be in five years? What do we want our home and work life to look like? How do we make sure we are still enjoying ourselves and not turning into staff managers? We had to think deeply about every one of those things, and when we felt we had the answers, we worked backward and asked, ‘How do we get there?’ ”
The pair founded Louelle Design Studios, and for a while things went according to their plan, but they discovered that while the plan had originally kept them focused on their goals, it needed to be redefined in order to get them to those goals. “We’re enthusiastic, creative people, and sometimes we’ll get so swept up in an idea we think is amazing but that might not be in line with getting us where we want to be,” says Durfee. “We did one wedding where the invitations, decorations, tablecloths, and even the bridesmaids’ skirts all had to carry the theme. We really enjoyed designing those skirts and wanted to expand our business into more clothing like that. But then we looked at how that lined up with the plan. “When we did,” Durfee said, “we realized that items like skirts weren’t part of the original plan, regardless of how much we enjoyed making them. We turned to our families, who are our great sounding boards, and they helped us see that there was a legitimate compromise; our real business isn’t just about designer stationery, but about a sort of ‘event branding.’ Skirts can be part of that, but they shouldn’t be the focus. That was a conversation that forced us to stick to the plan, even as we modified it to make the business stronger.” Both Durfees are now full time into Louelle, and have even opened a store in Rochester with custom-designed scarves—another complement to, but not a distraction from, the modified plan. “I think the key to good planning is to listen with an open mind,” says Durfee. “Understand others and yourself, and don’t just hear what you want to hear. Building something that can change your whole life like this is too important to be anything other than honest.” 2 016
| 11
Chris Cleveland “Keep your long-term goals in mind, but never turn your nose up at short-term gains,” says Chris Cleveland ’80. “There are many paths to your destination.” Cleveland is one of those people who knew his passion early in life, and laid out his goals with the aim of achieving them. While still in high school at Harley, Cleveland was fascinated by two things: computers and politics. He wasn’t sure at the time how those interests might play out, but he knew he was going to pursue them with vigor. In the end, he launched his own successful software company and became the chair of the Chicago Republican Party. After graduating from Princeton, Cleveland started his political career, returning to Rochester to work as a congressional staffer before moving to Chicago to earn his MBA from the University of Chicago. That’s when he started a specialized search engine company called Dieselpoint, which is still going strong. But politics was never far from his mind. In Chicago, Cleveland joined the local Republican organization, and over time he worked on campaigns, met people, and forged relationships. Those relationships pushed him to take on more responsibility. “Long ago, I would never have planned to get involved in urban politics, or have thought to spend my days fighting the Chicago Democratic machine,” he notes. “Who in their right mind would choose that life? But it’s been a fascinating challenge—to run an underdog party in a city of 2.7 million people when the cards are stacked against you. We tried a new plan. We set several small, achievable, realistic goals. We recruited candidates who could speak to local concerns using local language. Our approach has sparked a lot of interest, and we’re hoping it can become a model for urban Republican parties around the country.”
12 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
Cleveland says the occasional setbacks he experienced in politics and growing his software company ultimately taught him how to plan successfully. He shares what he has learned: “As opportunities arise, take them,” he says. “Don’t be excessively rigid in your plan. If you join a team and acquit yourself well, new opportunities will arise through the people you meet. And you might find yourself in a place you didn’t expect.” Following this advice himself has brought Cleveland both achievement and satisfaction.
Jeff Penney “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth,” says Jeff Penney ’79, quoting famous boxer Mike Tyson. “I approach planning the same way. It ’s a strategy in the sense that, if something happens to yo u , d o yo u h a ve a s e t of actions in your back pocket ready to deal with it?” Penney is now a professional strategist. After a long career in banking, he is a senior advisor at McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm. He starts explaining his thinking by making a distinction between the business model and operating model. “The business model is the thing you are doing, presumably to generate profit, and the operating model is how you go about doing it,” Penney says. “Harley is in the business of educating, and that’s not going to change. But if you look at banking—before 2008, banks were trying to be all things to all people. Now they’re having to step back and rethink what business they want to be in.” Penney thinks about plans and strategy as having different functions. Plans are most often a set of actions you will undertake today, and they help guide you to your goal under a set of conditions. The strategy deals more with the future and the unknowns. Crucially, strategy involves being prepared for a change in conditions. Part of the strategy, then, needs to be the ability to change the overall plan.
“A plan can be a static thing that is developed at one point in time, so as that plan starts to age, it becomes less relevant,” he says. “As soon as something happens that you weren’t expecting, that plan may no longer make sense, like what happened in the banking sector, so you need to develop a new plan—and that’s where strategy comes in. Maybe you will have to stop doing certain things, or make serious structural changes, such as downsizing. That’s the hard part of strategic planning that nobody likes to think about, but you really need to have some ideas for how to proceed if a crisis occurs. Maybe you can get by with merely adjusting your operating model, but perhaps it’s time to rethink your entire business model.”
“This was just a natural way for me to meld physics, which I’m intellectually interested in, with social and energy issues, which I’m emotionally interested in,” she says.
And, Penney notes, everyday life can throw curve balls, such as unexpected expense or loss of income, and it’s best to have some sense of how you might change your life plan if need be.
So Kurchin is trying to find a material that may work just as well as—or better than—silicon, even if it’s not as pure. But finding that material is no simple task. Some materials may work better, but they’re unstable, or they’re so rare they’ll cost far too much, or they’re toxic to the environment, which negates a large reason solar is attractive in the first place.
“If you don’t like the idea of detailed planning, at least have a strategy that outlines how you’ll adjust if something unlikely happens,” he says. “It’s why I like that Mike Tyson quote. You go about your life fairly confident about how things will proceed, and then something happens you don’t expect. It’s usually the really low-probability things that cause the most problems. It pays every now and again to sit down and think strategically about how you might respond so that if the unexpected does arise, you’ll already know what to do.”
Rachel Kurchin
For Rachel Kurchin ’09, the ultimate goal was never really in question. “I know what impact I want to have,” she says. “Climate change and the attendant issues of how we get and use our energy are the biggest crises facing us. There are a lot of pressing social and other issues, but this is going to be such a huge disaster if we don’t do something right.” Kurchin is a graduate student, two years into her materials science and engineering PhD at M.I.T., where she is working toward the Holy Grail of solar power research: a material that will make solar cells so cheap they become ubiquitous.
Solar cells today are typically made from silicon, largely because the computer industry has invested so much into the refining of silicon that crystalline silicon is the purest man-made substance on Earth, and thus works for collecting sunlight. But silicon is not an ideal material. As Kurchin says, “If you were going to start from scratch to build solar cells, you wouldn’t start with silicon.” This is because the process of ultra-purifying silicon, while well understood, is still costly.
For the last two years, Kurchin has built and run a type of laboratory furnace at M.I.T. that evaporates different materials, then slowly lets them cool and deposit like ice forming on a windshield; the process can take several hours. Once the deposits are formed, she studies the deposited material to see if any candidate that was tested might possibly beat silicon. Then, she starts it all over again with other candidate materials. “For me, this is a multi-scale problem,” Kurchin says. “Climate change is pernicious. It’s like it was designed to confound the ways we deal with problems because it’s a slow and longterm threat. It’s almost impossible for one person to encompass, so when I look at how I want to plan my career and my own contribution, I have to prioritize my own short- and medium-term plans, and do so in a way that gets me to where I want to ultimately be. Do I want a professorship or to be a research scientist at a university? Do I want to work at a national laboratory? Do I want to work in industry? Maybe a startup?” Kurchin’s professor has opened up new opportunities for her to spend some time in different arenas as she pursues her PhD so that she can get a feel for what kind of a career she may want. “It’s been unequivocal to me for a long time that climate change is the broad-strokes issue that I want to tackle in my career,” says Kurchin. “I have to figure out what I enjoy, but also what I’m good at. How can I maximize my impact? That’s what I see in the next couple of years—what do I think I’m best at? And how do I use that to do the most good?”
continued on page 47
2 016
| 13
THIS IS HOW IT'S DONE
JUNE 17–18, 2016
2
1
4
5
3
6
WE HAD A TREMENDOUS TURNOUT FOR THIS YEAR’S REUNION. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE REUNION REPS AND EVENT HOSTS (LISTED BELOW) FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP MAKING IT AN UNFORGETTABLE WEEKEND FOR ALL! JUDITH WHITING IRELAND ’56, TRUMAN BULLARD ’56, LIZ VICK ’66, BARBARA ANDREWS ’66, MELINDA MOYER WHITBECK ’66, LAURIE ALLAN ’66, STAFFAN LUNDBACK ’66, AND LEE CRAIG LUNDBACK ’66 ALSO
KATHY DURFEE D’AMANDA ’76, LAURA MORSE HAYDEN ’76, GALE D’AMANDA FOX ’76, TIM WIEST ’76, ROB SANDS ’76, BILL SYKES ’76, JOHN MORSE ’81, LEE GOLDMAN ’86, 7 8 9 DAVID SHECHTER ’86, JOHN GLASSMAN ’86, 1 CLASS OF 1956: JUDY WHITING IRELAND, NANCY WEBBER, TRUMAN BULLARD, AND DOUGLAS KNIGHT 2 ANNA KIEBURTZ ’06 AND CHAR KAISER COSTELLO ’91, KIRSTEN ALLEN READER ’90 3 HELEN AND AL SOANES WITH THEIR DAUGHTER BETH SOANES O’BRIEN '86 4 CLASS OF 1966 REMEMBRANCE ALISA STETZER ’91, CLAIRISSA SERVICE 5 CLASS OF 1991: DAVID LEBOWITZ, ALISA STETZER, AND DUKE STEAMER 6 CLASS OF 2011 WITH THEIR TIME CAPSULE: JAHNA BREEN ’96, ASHLEY RICE ’01, HUMPHREY, MARISSA MALONE, AMANDA JOHNSON, AND INDIADORA NICHOLSON 7 CLASS OF 2006: AT TABLE: PAUL MCINTRYE AND STEVEN SARAH TOWNSEND ’01, JACKSON, JENNIFER MCINTYRE AND ALISA STETZER ’91; IN THE BACK ON LEFT: THOMAS MAURICI, ANDREW RAGAZZO, LIZ SKIBA, CHRISTINA MEG MALONE STERNOWSKI ’06, MARTINEZ, KEVIN MURPHY, JUSTIN WOODWARD, STEWART LAIRD, CATY HERMANN POSEY, VIKKI LOMAGILO, AND OLGA ZVINYATSKOVSKAYA MARIKA TOSCANO ’06, AND 8 CLASS OF 2001: ASHLEY RICE, MEGHAN BYRNES CHAPMAN, PHOTO BOMBER JIM TOWNSEND ’61, GREG SHEAR, SARAH TOWSEND, HANNAH MARISSA MALONE ’11 MAHER MURPHY, TARA MILLER-SCHREINER WHITEHURST, AND JEFF KNIGHT 9 CLASS OF 1986: JOHN GLASSMAN, DAVID FORD, MICHAEL ZARETSKY, MARJIE GOLDMAN MCKONE, RON RICHARDSON (FORMER FACULTY), NELSON THOMAS, HEATHER CASE, LEE GOLDMAN, ERIC BLACKMAN, BETH SOANES O’BRIEN, SUSAN PLANO-FABER, AND KATHRYN ATKINS
10 10 THE CLASS OF 1976 PULLED TOGETHER FOR THEIR 40TH REUNION AND GIFTED A NEW FLAGPOLE TO THE FRONT OF THE HARLEY SCHOOL.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO TIM WIEST '76 FOR THIS TREMENDOUS IDEA AND TO THE CLASS FOR THEIR SUPPORT! BACK ROW: KIM MEAGHER SALISBURY, SUSAN BRIGGS KITCHEN, PHIL MULLIGAN, PAULA BAKER, MEG KLEIN TRULL, LISA HAMLIN SKINNER, AND KATHY DURFEE D’AMANDA, RICK MILLARD, LAURA MORSE HAYDEN, WARD GHORY, TIM FELDMAN, TIM WIEST, CHRIS ODDLIEFSON, PRISCILLA ROCKWELL WIEST, AND JOHN TROW FRONT ROW: JENNY MERRITT-HACKEL, BILL SYKES, ROB SANDS, THE TWO GUYS KNEELING: DAVE OSBORN AND JIM STORMONT
THIS IS THE GORGEOUS NEW FLAGPOLE BASE DONATED BY THE CLASS OF 1976. THE BASE WAS DESIGNED BY CHUCK EBLACKER, OUR STONE WALL DESIGNER.
WHAT A TURNOUT! 1
3
JUNE 17–18, 2016 1 KATE HINRICHS ’66, HER HUSBAND KENNETH, PETER GOOD ’66, AND PAUL WHITBECK LOOKING AT THE
ARCHIVES DISPLAY IN THE GALLERY AT REUNION 2 MURRAY BECKERMAN GREETING DAVID TUTHILL ’67 AT THE CLASS OF 1966 REMEMBRANCE HELD IN THE BECKERMAN CENTER 3 CLASS OF 1966: KATE HINRICHS,
MARGARET HICKMAN MITCHELL, MELINDA MOYER WHITBECK, BARBARA ANDREW, PETER GOOD AND LIZ VICK
REUNION 2017 AND 2018 WILL BE COMBINED WITH OUR EPIC CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 2 4
STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS. MAKE IT COUNT. 4 THE MARK VON BUCHER AC ’08 HAC ALUMNI SOCCER GAME. THIS WAS THE 10TH ANNUAL SOCCER GAME, AND IT ENDED WITH A TIE! THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO CAME BACK TO JOIN IN THE FUN AND TO HONOR MARK’S MEMORY.
Th ank You to the class of 1976 for your 40th Reunion gift of the flagpole and the Cruikshank family for the benches.
2 016 | 15
[ Mission in Action ]
Lives
alumni
The Harley School believes that an education filled with passion and purpose will lead to a career filled with passion and purpose — a career that contributes to the greater good. For the five graduates profiled here — in law enforcement, the Federal government, and the military — that means serving others to effect change close to home and around the world. 16 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
of Great Purpose
in service to our country
A
lex Schneider
Alex Schneider ’04 loves when the adrenaline kicks in. As a crime and intelligence analyst for the Arlington Police Department in Texas, working to track down robbery and gang suspects, she thrives on high-stakes situations.
“I’m drawn to situations where somebody’s life is depending on me doing a good job.” Like when she learns gang members are planning to shoot somebody within a few hours. (Social media sometimes simplifies her work: suspects often post pictures of themselves searching for their victim, giving away their location.) If a witness is able to supply only a partial license plate number, for example, she searches for potential matches in a database that tracks past robberies and homicides, or through a database that collects license plate reader information from police patrol vehicles. She feeds information to detectives out in the field — while feeding herself. In these tense situations,
“I always stuff Oreos in my mouth in between sips of Mountain Dew.”
“It’s very easy in this kind of profession to be jaded, and Harley taught me how to still look for the good in people and in the community. It drilled home that that’s why we do this.” Now, aside from maintaining gang databases, she examines robbery reports for patterns, creates lists of potential suspects for line-ups, and otherwise assists detectives. In 2013, she received her certificate as an Expert Level Gang Specialist from the National Gang Crime Research Center, and in 2014 became a Certified Law Enforcement Analyst through the International Association of Crime Analysts. She also has presented at several crime-related conferences.
“There are the nights you go home and know you’ve done something good, that a victim is going to get closure. That’s always the rewarding part.”
Schneider, a former gang analyst for the Rochester Police Department, gives every bit of credit to Harley for helping her discover a passion for her work. She had wanted to become a marine biologist before spending a three-week internship during her senior year with the Irondequoit Police Department. 2 016
| 17
D
rew Ludwick
As command chief warrant officer at the Joint Communications Support Element, Drew Ludwick ’93 designs, installs, and manages communications networks around the world. The JCSE helps fill a niche within the Department of Defense between the individual branches with secure, extremely mobile command and control capabilities.
“We provide technical leadership without having to split time between other responsibilities,” says Ludwick, who has achieved the rank of CW4 (CW5 is the highest).
“We try to expand on ideas, be innovative, and lead the way for the Department of Defense within the IT industry.” Ludwick, the senior technical advisor to the commander for all information technology matters, has worked at the White House and with NATO, and has accompanied the United States European commander throughout Europe, setting up secure video teleconferences with presidents from other countries. Among his duties supporting operations in the Middle East, he has managed secure networking between the U.S. Special Operations Command in Afghanistan and its headquarters in Tampa: “We call them zero-failure environments, because there is no room for failure,” Ludwick says. Between 2007 and 2011, Ludwick was away from home on assignment an average of 300 days a year, which he acknowledges hasn’t been easy on his wife, Sarah Swan ’94, and their three children. Ludwick says that Harley not only helped him develop an aptitude for critical and outside-the-box thinking, but underscored the importance of good values and hard work. It’s difficult for him to think about moving on from the military one day.
“What I love most is serving my nation, putting on the uniform. It has been an honor. Every day I feel like I’m making a difference around the world.” 18 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
J
ason Vick
Imagine being asked to describe the world of 2030-2050 in militarily-significant detail. Jason Vick ’84 was given that assignment last year as one of 21 people nationwide selected as the Chief of Staff of the Army’s Strategic Studies Group, an annual assembly of the most capable and creative soldiers and civilians from the Army, Department of Defense, government, academia, and industry.
“It’s a huge endeavor. Mind you, none of us was a futurist, so we started by reading books on forecasting. We were told to use our best judgment and see what happens.” Based in Arlington, VA, at the time, the group divided into four research teams to analyze the future from four perspectives: the U.S. Government, allies and partners, adversaries and competitors, and the private sector. The group was charged with writing a report and producing a briefing, the results of which may influence near- and mid-term goals affecting the direction of the Army. The report, currently being edited, totaled roughly 400 pages, the result of information from nearly 1,000 sources and approximately 8,000 database entries. The findings in one sentence?
“The future’s going to look a lot like today,” says Vick, who since has been assigned as the logistics staff officer for U.S. Army forces in the Pacific, mainly in Hawaii, South Korea, Japan, Alaska, and the Seattle area. He now lives in Honolulu. Harley nurtured Vick’s intellectual curiosity and capacity for critical thinking, both of which continue to be helpful in his career and as he pursues his third master’s degree, this one in business administration. (The previous two are in military arts and sciences, and in strategy and national resourcing.)
“For some people, high school is the end, and for me it felt like it was the beginning of a journey.”
J
ohn Vaughan
The decisions John Vaughan ’69 has to make in his job impact other people’s futures. As an appeals officer with the Administrative Appeals Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), within the Department of Homeland Security, he works on cases filed by U.S. companies that want to employ foreign nationals, or by would-be immigrants attempting to enter or stay in this country. The petitions and applications he reviews on appeal have been initially considered and denied by USCIS service centers or field offices around the country.
“A lot of people are trying to get into the United States. At times, we are faced with fraud, deception, or half-truths. Appeals adjudication is a complicated process.” The emphasis at Harley on writing well and extensively has been invaluable.
“I had some very good teachers who taught the art of writing from the ground up and were very rigorous in their grading. They got us all to rethink how we presented our thoughts and arguments and conclusions, and that has been useful over my entire career.” That career has included judicial clerkships at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and a staff attorney position in the U.S. Department of Justice (Foreign Claims Settlement Commission), as well as a decade-long stint as a government affairs advisor for German business organizations. In his current post, the adjudication of individual cases sometimes involves background checks and security investigations, determining whether foreign academic credentials are authentic, or whether a business is operating in the manner in which it claims. Vaughan says that appeals adjudication is like solving a multi-issue puzzle.
“The immigration field presents many challenges to U.S. policy makers today and to those of us who are responsible for administering immigration law. It is worthwhile and personally satisfying to be a part of this important process.”
C
aroline Marshall
It can be a bomb threat, a hate crime, or simply a phone call from a person suspicious about someone new in town. Whatever the report or complaint, if it has the potential to be a domestic or international terrorist threat, Caroline Marshall ’98 investigates. Marshall is a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the only agent assigned to domestic terrorism in the state of Vermont.
“A lot of what we do is just talking to people and getting information.” Then there is the ancillary part of her job. Marshall is also part of the Albany SWAT team, one of the FBI’s 56 field offices, which covers anywhere from the Albany region of New York to Vermont. In July 2015, Marshall found herself with other SWAT team members deep in a dense forest on a week-long search for a man who had killed his girlfriend.
“It was a lot of long hours, dealing with a lot of different and unknown terrain, and it definitely takes a toll on your body. But it was great being out there with teammates. I think the more difficult the situation is and the conditions are, the more bonding you do.” Harley motivated Marshall to adopt a broad worldview.
“It got me to think about what I could be doing that would be challenging and interesting for me, but also have an impact on those around me. I had thoughts in mind about serving a greater community, and Harley gave me a lot of confidence to explore some things that were out of my comfort zone.”
2 016
| 19
We are living our mission.
We are a diverse, inclusive school. We provide a balanced education that prepares our students to meet the challenges of tomorrow and lead lives of great purpose. WHAT A REMARKABLE AND VARIED GROUP OF STUDENTS WE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF KNOWING AND TEACHING THIS YEAR. HERE ARE SOME OF OUR STORIES...
BY EARNING A REGIONAL GOLD KEY AWARD FOR HIS WRITING, ROWAN BECAME A NATIONAL COMPETITOR FOR A SCHOLASTIC ART AND WRITING AWARD. AWESOME JOB!
JASMINE WON A NATIONAL SILVER MEDAL FOR HER WRITING PORTFOLIO “DENOUEMENT.” HER CRITICAL ESSAY WITHIN HER PORTFOLIO, “PASSIVITY IS PASSÉ,” ALSO WON THE GEDENK AWARD FOR TOLERANCE, WHICH RECOGNIZES WRITING THAT REFLECTS UPON THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE HOLOCAUST.
Writing
Art/Film
Stephanie Cui ’18
Asha Hotaling ’21
First Prize, Poetry, Sokol High School Literary Awards, Friends of the Rochester Public Library Rowan Melcher ’17
Gold Key for Fiction/Fantasy, Northeast Region Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Floriana Milazzo ’17
First Prize in Poetry, Friends of Brighton Memorial Library competition Jasmine Cui ’16
Gold Keys for Critical Essay, Poems, and Writing Portfolio, Northeast Region Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
20 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
Official Selection to the Fast Forward Film Festival Stephanie Cui ’18
Gold Key for Painting, Northeast Region Scholastic Art & Writing Awards River Melcher ’17
Gold Keys for Film & Animation and Editorial Cartoons, Northeast Region Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
vimeo.com/162400001
ASHA’S FILM “APPLES: CORE DILEMMA” ALSO WON THE POLLUTION PREVENTION AWARD THAT WAS PRESENTED BY NEW YORK STATE POLLUTION PREVENTION INSTITUTE. STEPHANIE'S PAINTING, "SORRY, I'M JUST SCARED OF THE FUTURE." COMPETED NATIONALLY AFTER WINNING A REGIONAL GOLD KEY AWARD.
RIVER'S CERAMIC PIECE, KIDDISH, ALSO WON THE GEDENK AWARD.
Drama
Music
Rob Kellogg ’16
Max Ellis ’23 Pierce Sullivan ’23
English Speaking Union Rochester Branch National Shakespeare Competition Winner WITH HIS HILARIOUS PERFORMANCE OF PUCK FROM “A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM”, ROB BECAME ONE OF 55 NATIONAL SEMI-FINALISTS TO PERFORM AT THE LINCOLN CENTER IN NEW YORK CITY. KEEP AN EYE ON THIS ACTOR!
OPEN TO STUDENTS IN 9 COUNTIES, STUDENTS PLAYED MUSIC IN VARIED STYLES BEFORE A JURY OF PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS.
Maxwell Sun ’22 Sydney McKinnon ’22 Olivia Reynolds ’22 Daniel Atkinson ’22 Lucy Ray ’22
Elementary All-County Band Miranda Blood ’17 Katie Carney ’19
High School All-County Choir Ben Doane ’18
Taco Taco Taco was featured at Geva Theatre’s Young Writer’s Showcase
High School All-County Orchestra Jude Kukla ’20 Micah Smith ’21 Cleo Wadkins ’20
Junior High All-County Orchestra
DOM’S 10- TO 15-MINUTE PLAY WAS ONE OF SIX SELECTED WORKS TO BE READ AND PERFORMED BY LOCAL ACTORS AT GEVA THEATRE. HIS WAS ONE OF ABOUT 30 SUBMISSIONS!
Thomas Neumaier ’19 Shea Willis ’20 Maxwell Sun ’22
Hochstein Philharmonia Erin Allen ’19 Grace Mendola ’17
Math Maxwell Sun ’22
Middle School Math Counts Francisco Pernice ’18 Jerome Jing ’19
Winners, American Mathematics Competition 9/10 Manuel Hanuch ’16 Bennett Kukla ’17
3 OUT OF 2 PEOPLE HAVE TROUBLE WITH FRACTIONS, BUT NOT OUR HARLEY MATHEMATICIANS!
2016 David Hochstein Recital Competition winner
Elementary All-County Orchestra
Dominic Liotti ’16: His play
MAXWELL WON THE COUNTDOWN ROUND IN THE LOCAL COMPETITION IN GRADE 5, THEN REPRESENTED HARLEY AT THE STATE COMPETITION IN GRADE 6. IMPRESSIVE!
Ben Doane ’18
Winners, American Mathematics Competition 12 Winners, American
Hochstein Youth Symphony Audrey Scudder ’19 Sam Reeder ’19 Elliot Tindall ’19 Jude Kukla ’20
Junior High Area All-State Band/Orchestra Audrey Scudder ’19 Erin Allen ’19 Thomas Neumaier ’19
High School All-County Orchestra
Alexandra DiTommaso ’17 Oliver Knauf ’18 Ben Doane ’18
Area All-State Band
Ben Doane ’18 Alexandra DiTommaso ’17 Jasmine Cui ’16 Manuel Hanuch ’16
Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra The Harley School
selected as a Support Music Merit Award School for excellence in music education
Debate
NO SURPRISE HERE! KUDOS TO THE ENTIRE MUSIC DEPARTMENT.
Lily Glaser ’19
was the Genesee Valley Forensic League champion in the category Declamation, which earned her the right to go to Nationals.
LILY PRESENTED A SPEECH: “THE GIRL WHO SILENCED THE WORLD FOR SIX MINUTES”.
2 016
| 21
HAC Sports
Tech Robotics Club
won a competition at St. John Fisher College Adrian Bell ’17 Cate Rollins ’19 * John Papin ’16 Matthias Rollins ’20 * Ming DeMers ’21 Nate Knauf ’16 Noah Mendola ’21 Ryan Paddock ’17 Thomas Neumaier ’19 Uryah Taylor 17 * Coach Dan Hollands * not shown in photo
HARLEY ROBOTICS CLUB COMPETED AT THE 2014-2015 FINGER LAKES NEW YORK FIRST® TECH CHALLENGE (FTC) QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT— A COMPETITION WHERE TEAMS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR DESIGNING, BUILDING, AND PROGRAMMING ROBOTS TO COMPETE IN AN ALLIANCE FORMAT AGAINST OTHER TEAMS. THEY WERE 10 AMONG 160 OTHER MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!
HAC girls’ volleyball, #5 seed in Section V Class D3 tournament and advanced to championship game in sectionals
AMY COLOSIMO, CHAIR OF US FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT AND HAC VARSITY GIRLS VOLLEYBALL COACH, WAS NAMED FINGER LAKES-WEST DIVISION CO-COACH OF THE YEAR.
HAC girls’ varsity swimming, Genesee Region Swim League Champions, Genesee Region Division II title winners and Intersectional champions
National Awards
HAC boys’ varsity swimming, Genesee Region Swim League champions and runners-up at Class D sectionals
National Merit Scholarship Nate Knauf ’16
National Merit Scholarship Commendation Jasmine Cui ’16 Edwin Dorsey ’16 Gabriel Jackel-Dewhurst ’16 Rob Kellogg ’16 Brighid Smith ’16 David Titus ’16
22 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
PETER MANCUSO, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AND VARSITY SWIMMING AND DIVING COACH, WAS NAMED SECTION V, CLASS D COACH OF THE YEAR FOR THE SIXTH TIME IN HIS CAREER.
Anastasia Gubanova ’20
Advanced to NYS individual qualifiers and advanced to semifinals of individual sectionals in girls’ tennis HAC girls’ varsity bowling Section V Class D runners-up
Harley-Allendale Columbia named School of Distinction
All varsity teams finished with an overall average G.P.A. of 90 or higher for the school year.
Other Sports Eileen Reinhardt ’17
THIS IS IMPRESSIVE!
Naomi Bennett ’18
Zone 2 champion, over fences class, Interscholastic Equestrian Association Skye Mossbrook ’18
KATIE DIDONAT
competed in U.S. Junior Freestyle Skiing Nationals
HAC girls’ varsity XC Section V Class D champions Magnus Sheffield ’20 Manuel Hanuch ’16
Junior men’s 13-14 cyclocross national champion
Individual qualifier for section V Class BB tournament in boys' tennis COURTESY CYCLOCROSS MAGAZINE
HAC girls’ varsity basketball advanced to Section V Class D1 Semifinals
Section V Class D individual champion, Wayne-Finger Lakes All-Star, 18th overall finisher at NYSPHSAA State Championship and individual qualifier at sectionals for varsity track and field in the 800m and the 1500m
HAC IS THE ONLY ATHLETIC PROGRAM IN WESTERN NY, OUT OF NEARLY 800 IN NYS, TO ACHIEVE THIS DISTINCTION SEVEN YEARS IN A ROW.
2 016
| 23
Harley Awards Gilbert Smolyak ’16
Seeley Taylor ’16
Alumni Cup
GIVEN TO THE SENIOR WHO, BY HIS OR HER ACADEMIC INITIATIVE, PERSONAL INTEGRITY, AND CONCERN FOR THE SCHOOL AND ITS STUDENTS, BEST TYPIFIES THE SPIRIT OF HARLEY.
Maya Taylor-Bush ’24 Jackson Gilbert ’24
The Lower School Acorn Award recognizes a fourth grade student who best exemplifies the spirit of the school. This student possesses qualities that include leadership, cooperation, community spirit, intellectual curiosity, and perseverance. Andrew Alexis ’20
Donald A. Pollack Scholarship Award to an 8th grader who is involved in volunteer work within or outside the Harley community. Zoe Reader ’20
Oak Leaf Award to recognize the 8th grader who, while in Middle School, has best exemplified the qualities we value — strong sense of commitment, hard work, compassion for others, and genuine and ongoing involvement with the school. Emma Baker-Keyon ’20
Bill Dalton Award to an 8th grader who excels in understanding and knowledge of the humanities. Lily Glaser ’19
Melanie Truman Bullard Scholarship to a student who excels in Latin. Allison Urban-Spillane ’16
Mary & Art Cerasani Award for a student with a passion for the art of sculpting. Katianna Conde ’16
Frank & Rose Lynn Curro Arts and Humanities Award given to a student who shows creativity, leadership, commitment, and appreciation for culture, history, and art.
The Ralph S. McKee Memorial Trophy
AWARDED TO THE BOY OR GIRL WHO HAS DISPLAYED THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF DEDICATION, LEADERSHIP, AND ABILITY IN ATHLETICS.
Keely Costello ’64 recently donated a beautiful wool blazer he found at a sale. Does anyone recognize it or know what it might have been for? IF SO, PLEASE CALL KAREN AT (585) 277-1117.
Ginny Munson ’16 A.J. Torre ’16
Abigail Bates Rinehart Art Award to honor initiative, productivity, perseverance, creativity, and commitment.
Rob Kellogg ’16 (vocal) Ginny Munson ’16 (instrumental)
Music Award honoring outstanding musicianship, and strong contributions to performing groups. Rob Kellogg ’16 Gail Sharpe ’16
Drama Award honoring dedication to the production of drama as a performer, technician, or both.
Did you know that Harley had an equestrian basketball team in the 1930s?
Max Bednarcyk ’16
School Service Award honoring a student who shows exceptional service to the School.
.
Maelys Lossa ’16
Foreign Language Award honoring outstanding ability in language. Dominic Liotti ’16
Alex DeSantis English Award to honor sensitivity to spoken and written work and a passion for reading. Seeley Taylor ’16
Dexter Perkins History Award honoring interest and scholarship in history. Quinn Kaufman ’16
Alan Soanes Science Award for consistent interest and abilities in science, mastery of concepts, and success in application. David Titus ’16
William Sisson Mathematics Award for excellence in math. Thirty-seven students from Class of ’16
24 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
From the Archives …
White Key Awards for volunteering over 100 hours.
Thanks to Rod Crittenden ’47, we have wonderful photos of Harley in the early days showing the trolley stop that was nearby.
1940s
School adult program), and I still work as a volunteer at the Camillus Erie Canal Park (part of the Erie Canal National Park). I am very appreciative of the start Harley gave me!
Ann Hartman ’43 writes: My partner and I celebrated 50 years together by inviting 50 friends to a dinner party, catered by the best restaurant in the Pioneer Valley. It was great fun. We have moved to an independent living retirement community where we have a nice small house and don’t have to shovel snow. We are very active in Five College Learning in Retirement, a totally member-directed organization through which we both conduct and take seminars on a wide range of topics. I’m currently taking one on T. S. Eliot. Our son and his family live nearby and two out of the three grandchildren are in college. I recently met a Harley student, a friend of my granddaughter’s, who said, “Harley saved my life,” and I said, “Mine too!”
Richard Anderson ’49 wrote a note to Ward Ghory regarding the new Mission Statement: I was always very interested in science and math. Mr. Cliff Whiting (chemistry) and Miss Neal (math) truly helped, and indeed were the [primary influences upon] my having a career in science and engineering. Mr. Whiting’s class was quiet and small. When I asked if I could do some independent experiments in the lab, he agreed! Under his supervision, I worked alone in the third-floor chem lab in “The Barn.” Wow! Miss Neal taught a one-onone calculus class for me! I was the Bausch Honorary Science Awardee, and have degrees in physics and chemical research. I also became a part-time driver safety pro bono adult education teacher (part of this was at Rush-Henrietta’s Sperry High
Barbara Buell Slater ’49 came from a farming community in Ontario, NY. She attended Harley from Grades 9–12. Following Harley, she attended Westminster College in Pennsylvania. After her graduation, she worked as a “salad girl” at an inn in the Muskoka region of Ontario. While working there, she met her future husband, James, a Canadian student at the University of Toronto. They stayed in Canada and eventually moved to Manitoba for her husband’s work as an Anglican clergyman; before that, he was an engineer. Married for 57 years, they have three married daughters. Barbara loved her Harley years and says that Harley is where she “learned to love to learn.”
1950s
Babette Becker ’54 (non-graduate), Judy Goldman Damron ’54, and Mary Critikos ’54 met in Rochester for a reunion of San Gabriel’s “Three Little Maids From School Were We.” Last all together in the summer of 1947, when they were 10 years old, Babette came from New York City, Judy from Kingston, and Mary locally from Brighton. So what’s happened between that summer of 1947 and today? In their own words: Babette Becker writes: I attended Harley from nursery through fifth grade. I then moved to New York City with my mother, and was enrolled in City and Country School for my last three years of elementary and then on to the New Lincoln School for high school. The two schools in New
York were very similar in values and progressive education. I learned to be curious about everything, to try everything I could, whether I thought I could do it or not. I was encouraged to learn, to read, to think, to question, to experiment, to play, to communicate, to love, to be part of a community—all of which I got to do because of my education through my earliest years at Harley through to my high school years at New Lincoln. This breadth of being has been the foundation of my adult life as well. I’m still asking myself, at the age of 78, what do I want to be, and what do I want to do when . . . What a wonderful three days I had with Mary and Judy—full of laughter and energy. It was amazing seeing the Rochester I left so long ago, that our street and our houses are still there, looking beautiful. Of course neither of the old Harley School buildings are there. But I am glad to know that the values, principles, and creative approach to teaching and learning have flourished and grown. I will make it back to Rochester before another several years have passed. Judy Goldman Damron writes: Although this was primarily a reunion with two old friends I have had since early childhood, for all of us, having been at Harley was an enduring thread that circled in and out of our lives and was a very strong link in our friendship chain. I loved Harley and that is where I learned about community, about adults giving their all to their students, and experienced flourishing ideals that have stood me in good stead all of my almost 79 years. It is a great satisfaction to see and know that Harley continues to flourish and foster in young people strong foundations and lasting values. Our world needs that now more than ever. Mary Critikos writes: I had decided well before graduation in 1954 to live in Rochester, as I wanted to remain at Harley in one form or another the rest of my life. It worked out well, all things considered, and I have no regrets whatsoever. I travel Clover Street a few times a week and look up at those school bells and out at the stone fence and smile. It is comforting. It is home. I’ve 2 016
| 25
1000
words
26 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
2 016 | 27
never wanted to be away from the School’s community and/or sense of values. It has worked for me quite beautifully. I cannot imagine it otherwise. What was considered a progressive and independent day school 60 years ago remains at the forefront [of education], as the parents and Board never lost sight of keeping the student’s acclimatization to his or her growing world first. It made the difference and I daresay has been the backbone of Harley these past 99 years. For those of you not current with the goings-on at Harley over the years, it would be a cultural shock to witness the pace and cutting edge of the School today. You would leave with a deep sense of pride and thanksgiving for the faculty and staff on Clover Street. They are working wonders. The physical campus is secondary. Truly.
Malcolm Baldwin ’58 family above and right
Fran Curro Cary ’58
Barbara Poole von Schilcher ’58 family
of Virginia, which carries out conservation easements. Richard Cerasani ’56 writes: I am proud to announce that there is a new award at The Harley School in honor of my parents. The Mary and Arthur Cerasani Award was presented for the first time to a deserving art student this past spring. I am so pleased that my parents, both teachers, true educators, and residents of Rochester, are being honored. I have written a book, Love Letters from Mount Rushmore, for them: Mom, a teacher at The Harley School, and Dad, a sculptor at Mount Rushmore. This book is so important because it brings deserved attention to my parents. Malcolm Baldwin ’58 writes: Our farm keeps me busy with its 24 ewes and 3 rams, although I didn’t have lambs this year. I took 6 ram lambs to market last fall, which isn’t ever my favorite job. I’ve turned over the grapevine pruning and canopy management to the winery buying our grapes, so now I’ll just do the spraying and the mowing. Guess I’m getting old! I’ve been active in local politics, hosting fundraisers for local candidates this past year, including a friend who’s a young (by my standards) woman. She won and is now Virginia’s first African American chair of a county board of supervisors. Otherwise, I’m engaged with the county’s Rural Economy Council and on the Board of the Land Trust 28 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
We’re fortunate to have three grandchildren just eight miles away, and we see them regularly, along with their busy parents. Our youngest daughter, Alice, gave birth to her first child, Penelope Doris Baldwin O’Keefe, on May 8, 2016. She and her partner moved to Oregon in July. Any of you who wonder if I retain any vestige of my Republican sentiments in the Eisenhower days can rest assured: they’re dead and buried! I hope to see our class well represented at Harley’s 100th anniversary in October 2017! Fran Curro Cary ’58 writes: After returning from my Peace Corps stint in eastern Ukraine, I’ve settled in Sylvania, OH, with my two daughters and seven grandchildren. Still love to travel, and took on some great projects for my U.S. congresswoman, Marcy Kaptur. One project is helping her write a story about saving our honeybees in the great Maumee Valley; another is an oral history of a wonderful Toledoan from Poland whose family was captured and sent to a Siberian gulag when Russia invaded Poland in 1939. I remain involved in what’s happening in Ukraine, and have learned a lot about eastern Europe during WWII—“the Bloodlands,” as historian
Timothy Snyder rightly calls it in his book so titled. It makes me aware of the greatness of our own country. Harley got me started on my intellectual and cultural journeys, and I remain grateful! This photo is of me at the Book of Kells, Trinity College Library, Dublin, Ireland, in March, which took me straight back to Mrs. Bullock and my Latin classes! Barbara Poole von Schilcher ’58 writes: My younger son, Stephan, and his wife, Becki, welcomed their second son, Oskar Simms von Schilcher, on February 9, 2016. Oskar joins his older brother, Johann, who is holding him in this photo. My oldest granddaughter graduated from high school this spring.
Make your gift to
The Harley Fund www.harleyschool.org/give
Geoff Feltner ’65 and Marc Smith ’65 skiing at Steamboat Springs, CO
as often as possible. How lucky I am to live in New Jersey, which has one of the major migratory flyways; our trips to Cape May always result in great bird counts and unusual sightings.
Peter Ewell ’66
Going forward is an interesting challenge. First off: Stay healthy. Second: Give back to the community. Third: Have fun. Working on all these things. Excited to hear from and see as many classmates as possible!
Barbara Andrews ’66
A tremendous thank you to the Class of 1966 for pulling together for their 50th Reunion. The class donated an oak tree to Harley’s Lower School playground in memory of late classmates and contributed almost $8,000 to Harley’s Scholarship Fund.
1960s by Omega Publications/Suluk Press. Most recently, I have begun a new and different kind of work: volunteering at the front desk for the Albany Field Office of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Laura Grossman Fukunishi ’63 writes: I am teaching a new class at Kobe International University in Japan. It’s for upperclassmen and called “Performance English” (from interviews to presentations to full-length plays), so our great Harley thespian director, Mrs. Roach, is on my mind. I always ask her for help! But I have problems quite different from hers: less than half of my students are Japanese, and the majority are a mixture of Nepali, Chinese, Vietnamese, Mongolian, Taiwanese, Indian, and Pakistani—all with their own languages’ pronunciation coloring or distorting their very weak spoken English abilities. I’m really tired on Wednesdays! Rebecca Randolph McBride ’63 writes: I continue to work as a freelance writer/ editor. These days I am enjoying publicizing events for the Chatham Bookstore and the Chatham Film Club in our wonderful little village of Chatham in Columbia County, NY. Last year my biography of Sophia Saintsbury-Green was published, along with her original writing, as Images of Inayat
Barbara Andrew ’66 writes: Wow! Fifty years after Harley graduation. How is that possible? I still feel as though I am in my forties—until I get out of the car after a long drive, etc. etc. It has been an amazing half century and continues to be an adventure every day.
Peter Ewell ’66 writes: After graduating from Harley, I attended Haverford College. It was a wonderful experience—basically extending what happened at Harley with a terrific bunch of faculty and equally small classes. Because I had always thought I was going to end up as a college professor, I then went on to get a PhD in political science at Yale and joined the faculty at the University of Chicago. That was where it ended because it turned out that I really didn’t like it very much. I was fascinated by and loved undergraduate teaching, but I was not at all ready for the dog-eat-dog competitive atmosphere that dominated the young scholars in my department with respect to research; if this was the “life of the mind,” it was not for me. So I took a job as director of planning at a brand new university, Governors State, on the south side of Chicago. There I started a long career researching and writing about college student behavior and success, beginning with the factors that predict and determine whether a student ends up graduating and then moving on to researching how much, and about what, students end up learning in college. I also hired a research assistant there, Jennifer Mauldin, whom I later happily married.
Through good fortune and some miracles, I have a terrific husband, meaningful work, adored friends, and a generally wonderful community. My extended family is a total blessing. Furry friends have sustained me as well over the decades—some with hooves, some with claws—all sweet and cherished.
About three years later, I was recruited by my current employer, the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) in Boulder, CO, and ended up working there thirty-five years, rising from research associate to president. Internationally, I work on accreditation and quality assurance in higher education and have worked in the UK, China, Chile, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Germany, and Dubai. Domestically, I have visited more than 475 colleges and universities, have written six books, and a whole bunch of articles.
As my aging body stiffens and complains, I have had to give up long-distance cycling, riding, skiing, and a few other vigorous sports, but I can still go birding and do so
We love living in Boulder. It has a great restaurant scene and is five minutes away from hiking and sightseeing in the mountains. When we are not there and I am
2 016
| 29
not working, we are usually on something that floats. We had a long love affair with Queen Elizabeth 2 and usually cruise with Cunard or Holland America; we have done four Atlantic crossings and plan many more, since I am retiring in September (Jennifer retired from Regis University two years ago). We have also taken up renting small boats for river cruising—a narrowboat in Wales a couple of years ago, a barge on the Canal du Midi in the south of France last summer, and a barge in the wine country in Burgundy this summer. Life has been good, and we hope it will continue to be so. I [missed] seeing you all in June because of a meeting that culminates a five-year project on college calculus, but I hope to catch up in other ways. Ed Fallon ’66 writes: I’ve been living in Columbia County, NY, for more than thirty years and recently retired after a long career as a school psychologist. I am happily married, have two grown children (both lawyers) and a grand new grandchild. I’ve been enjoying retirement and am looking forward to some upcoming travel opportunities, as well as time to relax, spend more time with family, and move into some new areas of interest. Peter Good ’66 writes: I am still living in Penfield. My wife of 30+ years, Kimberly, and I have three children and soon (late summer ’16) will be a grandfather for the second time. I am retired, having spent a significant amount of time working for various companies in Rochester as a systems analyst. Currently I am enjoying my retirement, with my family, spending time traveling frequently to Cape Cod— the family favorite—gardening, exploring the United States with Kim on multiple road trips, and taking long walks together with our dog. For the past 10 years, I have been working as an office manager and tax professional for H&R Block. My mother, Mary Kates '32, passed away in 2008. My sister Lisa Good ’58 lives in Schenectady and another sister, Margaret Good ’60, lives in Princeton, NJ. Kate Hinrichs ’66 writes: Wow, has it really been that long? I have been busy for 29 years. Update on my careers: graduated in 1970 from nursing school (Massachusetts General); worked from 1970 to 1987 as an RN at the University of Michigan Medical Center ICU and the Maine Medical ER; 30 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
Kate Hinrichs ’66
Sally Constantin Kittredge ’66
dropped out in 1987 to become a cook and first mate on a 50-foot sailboat in the Caribbean in the winters and summers in Boothbay Harbor, ME. I married the captain and we have sailed from St. Thomas to Trinidad; west to Panama and the San Blas Islands; and headed north to Roatan and the Bay Islands, Belize, Mexico, Key West, and up the coast to Maine and on to Canada. Then we returned to the Caribbean and the start of our charter season. In 2007 I won a Cooking Light contest with my Caribbean shrimp salad with a lime dressing and took home $25,000. I have entered more contests, but no winners again. In 2016, I had bilateral total knee replacements, so the knees are the best part and moving well. Cinda Hawks Johnson ’66 writes: It seems impossible that my 67 years have zoomed by so quickly! As a young adult, I never thought much about what life would be like as I grew older—my focus was on my career, children/family, a healthy lifestyle, and exploring the world. Our move to Colorado in the early ’80s turned out to be a wonderful decision for our family. Boulder’s healthy, active, and outdoor-oriented lifestyle continues to feed our souls. My career in finance and running a few high-growth companies has been intense but rewarding. I have loved being a mom to our two daughters and grandmother to our five grandchildren. We also feel fortunate to have traveled extensively throughout the world for work, service, and pleasure. Reflecting back upon my life’s journey, I am filled with immense gratitude for having
arrived at this wonderful phase of our lives—it is a privilege that many do not get to experience. I have lived a healthy, blessed life with my soulmate of 48 years, filled with joy and adventure. I believe the years have taught me to be a wiser, gentler, and more humble human being. My goal going forward is to live in the present moment and cherish/accept each day for what it brings. Betty Friedan’s quote referencing successful aging is poignant: “Aging is not ‘lost youth,’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” Sally Constantin Kittredge ’66 writes: After graduation from Harley I could not wait to get out of Rochester! I went to a two-year college in Washington, DC, and after graduating cum laude with an associate’s degree, I transferred to Ohio Wesleyan University outside of Columbus, where I thrived. I loved the Midwest. Post-graduation I moved back to Washington, working some different business jobs, including a stint in the House of Representatives for a Michigan congressman. Rep. Gerald Ford would visit and so did the Romneys, who lived in our district. That was the era of Bella Abzug, and it was fun to watch her stalk down the halls in her big hat and white boots with men running behind her! I met my husband, George, in DC, and after we were married for a year, we moved to Toronto for his job. There I worked for Mattel Canada, Ltd. with my green card, where I led the Consumer Service and Office Services departments—probably my favorite job. I loved the challenge of customer service and the product was a fun subject.
Margie Hickman Mitchell ’66
We bought our first house there and, as is the Canadian way, we had two mortgages! In 1976 we moved to Columbia, MD, the planned city between Baltimore and Washington, built by James Rouse. Both of our children were born there: Tad in 1977 and Chris in 1980. Later that year we were transferred to Rochester. I never expected to return, but as many of you know, this city is an excellent place to bring up children. Another bonus was closer proximity to our family cottage in the 1000 Islands—a priority in our lives. I worked part time for a stockbroker for several years before becoming executive director of the Rochester Women’s Network for five years. With multiple contacts and self-taught fundraising skills, I moved over to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children before becoming director of development for the New York branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Currently, I am thoroughly enjoying working seasonally for the United Way of Greater Rochester. That schedule allows us to spend time at the cottage, travel to visit our wonderful children and grandchildren, who now live in New York City and San Francisco—the two most expensive cities in the United States! Our older son, Tad, works for Clorox, and currently is director of marketing for Brita. Younger son, Chris, is a managing director at Sard Verbinnen, which specializes in financial crises issues. We have done some international travel, and look forward to doing more when family circumstances allow us that opportunity.
B. G. Staffan Lundback ’66 writes: After the terrific year 1965-66 as the Harley School exchange student, I returned to Sweden and the University of Stockholm for 1½ years before transferring to the University of Rochester for my BA, followed by the Boston University School of Law and a JD. Lee Craig Lundback ’66 and I were married in 1969 as juniors at UR. Upon graduation in 1970, we spent a year backpacking in Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India before attending law school together in Boston. In 1974 I went to work at Nixon, Hargrave, Devans & Doyle, now Nixon Peabody, in Rochester, where I practiced corporate law for 35 years. Most of my clients were banks, insurance companies, and international corporations headquartered in New York City and abroad. So much of my time was spent in New York City and beyond, but we always lived in Rochester. Lee and I are both happily retired now. We love being with Hadley and Erik, our daughter and son and their respective families, not to mention our grandchildren Miles, Eva, and Gunnar. We travel a great deal to countries far away (Bhutan, China, Vietnam, Patagonia, Kenya, Greenland, Peru and others), as well as to the countries and cities in Europe we have come to like over the years. We have served on a number of boards in Rochester and New York City but are in the process of winding down on our own civic commitments. I spend a great deal of time with photography, from camera to computer to printing and framing, as well as preparing travelogues/ slideshows of our trips. We spend summers at our place in the Finger Lakes, where the desk and paperwork has been replaced by chainsaws, wood choppers, and just plain physical work. The rest of my time is for reading, golf, fitness centers, tennis, friends, and long walks with Björn, our dog and ever loyal companion. Lee Craig Lundback ’66 writes: After working for Xerox for many years, I retired in 2000. I love retirement. We downsized, moving from Brighton back into the city, and are now living in the Bragdon House, an old East Avenue mansion that was converted into condominiums 40 years ago. Great location, within walking distance of restaurants, bakeries, and other urban delights.
I am seriously indulging in my passion for travel. We were first bitten by the travel bug when we spent the year between college and law school going overland from Sweden to India and back. Both Staffan and I love to plan our trips from scratch and make all arrangements ourselves, and enjoy traveling to many exotic places. We’re scheduled to go to Italy and France in the fall; Mexico, Ireland, and perhaps Japan in 2017. We have two lovely grandchildren in Rochester and one newborn in Los Angeles, so we will spend the month of November in Santa Monica getting to know our newest grandson better. Lauryne Miller ’66 writes: I am retired and currently live in Ecuador. The best way for people to keep up with me is on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurynem24. Margie Hickman Mitchell ’66 writes: After somehow graduating from the University of Colorado amid the turmoil of the late ’60s, I remained in Denver. Before going to Colorado I had not imagined that the sun would shine almost every day, so having found the sun I just could not move back to Rochester! I married an Air Force officer several years after graduation and moved from base to base around the country for the next ten years. During that time we had two sons, Ryan and Jorge. Divorced when the boys were still quite young, I moved back to Denver in 1984, where I raised my children and worked in the IT field. About five years ago, I moved to Cary (near Raleigh), NC, where the winters are mild but the politics are terrible. Armed with a master’s degree in computer resource management, I worked first for the State of Colorado Department of Revenue and later for a number of tech consulting companies, including HP and Oracle. My work has required a great deal of travel, both domestic and international. I am still working and traveling, and don’t know when I will retire. I have two granddaughters, Cecilia (9) and Lux (6). They (and their parents) live in Ohio, so I don’t get to see them as often as I would like, but I love being a grandma! Kristine Niven ’66 writes: Currently, I have a day job as personal assistant to some rich folks on the Upper East Side. I’m kind of a cross between Mr. Carson and Mrs.
2 016
| 31
Hughes (or Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins if you remember Remains of the Day!). My passion continues to be theater, and I am artistic co-director of an off-offBroadway theater company, Artistic New Directions, which Jim Wemett ’66 and I started over 30 years ago in New York City with my brother Charles ’68 and Margaret Kingsley. I have been acting, writing, directing, and teaching with this theater company for most of those 30 years. Also about 30 years ago I got involved with the improvisational theater world. I worked with the now defunct Manhattan Punchline Theatre and later for Second City, running the New York City branch of their training center. I also created several summer camps for adults—improvisation, musical theater, playwriting—which ran for 19 years in the Catskills. Six or seven years ago, I married Jeffrey Sweet, a playwright, author, and teacher, and we live in Manhattan on the Upper West Side. I spend a lot of time in the Rochester area, where my sister and my brother Bruce ’65 live, as well as my children and grandchildren. Jim and I have two daughters and six grandchildren together. Murry Wight Rouch ’66 writes: It has been great to hear news about so many classmates! After Harley, Bradford (with Margie Hickman ’66), Beaver, and I spent four years at Purdue studying American history. I’ve had several interesting jobs along the way, but I have to say raising three great kids as a single mom has been the most rewarding. (And now I have two very cool grandsons!)
Marty Sewell ’66 Murry Wight Rouch ’66
Liz Vick ’66
time, and ran the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon twice, in 1978 and 1979. I left Kodak in 1996, and moved to Santa Fe, NM. There, I taught beadwork and volunteered for the Wheelwright Museum, the Desert Chorale, and the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. After about 10 years, and after studying Spanish for several years, I gave up my volunteering, and traveled quite a bit in Mexico and Central America.
Currently, I’m working in a circuit court, a completely new field for me. It’s challenging and helps me keep things in perspective. (My glass is always at least half full.)
While living in Santa Fe, I also lived in Bluff, UT, and renovated an 1897 pioneer home there, the Willard Butt House. I was a llama wrangler for 5-6 years, running trips with my friend, Larry, into the canyons of southeastern Utah and northern Arizona.
Marty Sewell ’66 writes: After graduating from Harley, I got my BS and MS in materials science engineering: the first from Northwestern University and the second, at night, from the University of Rochester. I worked for Kodak, mostly in Rochester, for 26 years, beginning in the research labs, and spending most of the time in film and paper manufacturing. Kodak sent me to MIT to the Sloan Fellows program in 1984 to get an MS in business. Around 1980, I was married, briefly, but it didn’t work out so well. I enjoyed tennis and skiing during this
About eight years ago, I moved to Tubac, AZ, a small community 40 miles south of Tucson. The motto there is: Where Art and History Meet. It is perfect for me, as I’m interested in both of these things, and I love good weather, friendly people, and easy living. I’m currently working toward a certificate in nature illustration at the Art Institute at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson. I’m a birder and love traveling around the southwest, from California to Texas and from Mexico to Canada.
32 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
Jim Wemett ’66
Liz Vick ’66 writes: Harley School Graduation Day, June 1966, the day we had been eagerly awaiting. There I was, wearing a long white dress with sleeves (mandatory), which I had made, and carrying the beautiful dozen red roses that each young woman was given. It was a thrilling and memorable evening. That fall I went on to Bennington College in Vermont and graduated in 1970 as a history major. A particularly interesting part of college was studying for a year at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, in a self-styled exchange program for my junior year. After Bennington, I spent a year in a teacher-training program at an alternative elementary school during the beginning of the “open classroom” movement, and subsequently worked as a teacher and school director for preschool and early elementary-age children for most of my career. I loved it, but I was also happy to retire a few years ago. I have a son, Max, and three stepdaughters, plus four delightful grandchildren. My husband, Craig Hammond, is a kind and gentle man. We live on a small farm in the woods of Marlboro, VT, where we raise chickens, sheep (sometimes), and organic vegetables/fruit in the summer for ourselves—and for the local food pantry if we have extra.
for Battered Women, now known as Willow Domestic Violence Center, in Rochester. Kris and I divorced in 1983 when she decided to live in New York City and pursue her acting career. The two of us were producing Off-Broadway plays there for many years through our not-for-profit company, Artistic New Directions—which still exists today, 35 years later.
Dian Wolk Warnhoff ’67 and John Davidson ’67
Bruce Lindsay ’68
John Horowitz ’66
Because I started out at Harley in the class of ’65 and only joined the class of ’66 in our junior year (I was ill as a teenager), I attended my 50th un-Reunion last June with the Harley class of ’65. It was so exciting and so much fun that I decided to really work on a great 50th Reunion for our class. Returning to Harley last June was a very moving experience for me. I am so proud to have graduated from this really fine, socially responsible school, and I am grateful for the excellent education I was able to participate in there. So welcome back, friends! And thank you, Harley! Jim Wemett ’66 writes: After graduating from Harley, I attended four years at Bryant College, majoring in business. During this time I married Kris Niven ’66 and after college we moved to Springwater, NY. We have two amazing children: Nicole Mahoney, who gave us four granddaughters, and Jaime Saunders, who gave us our grandson and another granddaughter. I am very lucky they stayed in the Rochester area. Nicole has her own company, Break The Ice Media, working with ten counties in tourism. Jaime is the CEO of Alternatives
I have been self-employed my entire life, and have operated many automotive-related businesses. As many may remember, senior year I drove to school in a 1931 Ford coupe I had built into a street rod. After college, I started a tire repair shop and then a fullblown auto parts store in Macedon, which still exists today under different owners. At the same time, around 1974, I started a company called Roc Communications in Rochester that sold car electronics and cell phones. It is still open today under different owners. In 1989, I married Nancy Gage from Middlesex. We have two daughters: Kelsea and Whitney. This year, Kelsea will earn her master’s in social work from Nazareth College and Whitney will graduate from Stonehill College in Easton, MA; she is going to work at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Boston as a CPA. All told: Four daughters, six grandkids—I’m a proud dad for sure. I also raced professionally all over the country for 12 years in the Nitro Funny Car class of the National Hot Rod Association. My website covers this history (www.jimwemett.com). I still attend races and sponsor the DHL Funny Car. Today I am the CEO of a public company, NaturalNano. I am also a partner in a few more companies, including one that supplies checklist boards to operating rooms that prevent patient errors (www.checklistboards. com). I enjoy going to work, where I am surrounded by a great team. Last summer I moved to Conesus Lake. I grew up in Hemlock a few miles away and spent many summers on this lake. Plus, I spend time with my daughters and grandkids every chance I get. Melinda Moyer Whitbeck ’66 writes: After Harley, I attended Wittenberg University and had way too much fun, but I did manage to graduate almost on time. Harley was way ahead of its time making us all learn to type, and that skill kept me in beer
money through my four years of undergrad, since no one else on my floor could type. When I graduated, I swore I would never write or type another term paper—famous last words. After a short stint as a secretary in Boston, I ended up with a job as demographer at the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester and essentially spent the next 19 years writing one “term paper” after another. That was followed by a job as director of data/research/analytics (the title changed depending on what we were doing and who we were talking with) with the Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency, the local not-forprofit health care planning group—another twenty some years writing “term papers.” Rochester is such a small town—the wife of Tom Toole, our math teacher at Harley, was executive director of FLHSA until a couple of years ago, so I ended up seeing Tom fairly often. I retired at the end of 2015 but was hired back as a consultant, so I stop in almost every week. Somewhere in the middle I managed to earn an MBA from the University of Rochester, meet and marry Paul Whitbeck, and have two daughters, who attended Harley for Nursery and Lower School. While they were there, I was involved with Harley’s Alumni Council and for a couple of years I was the alumni representative on the Board of Trustees. Our older daughter, Emily, graduated from Penn State with a combined bachelor’s/master’s degree in architectural engineering and is a structural engineer living in Chicago doing rehab and forensic engineering work for Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger. After our younger daughter, Abigail, graduated from Williams College, she worked for one of the big consulting firms and ended up spending a year working in Mumbai. Then she got an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth and is doing AP strategy and analytics for the College Board. She lives in Brooklyn. Still trying to figure out retirement. All suggestions are welcome! Classmates John Davidson ’67 and Dian Wolk Warnhoff ’67 had a mini Reunion in Paris this spring. John says he is always happy to meet up with fellow classmates who stop in Paris. R. Bruce Lindsay ’68 writes: I’m still selling great properties in Rochester’s high-end neighborhoods and still operating Whaleback, a Preserve Club 2,000 feet high above beautiful Canandaigua Lake.
2 016 | 33
1970s Mary Sullivan ’70 writes: This year our kids have lots going on. Our oldest, Nick, is getting married, graduating from medical school, and starting a residency in general surgery in Salt Lake City. Shannon is a labor and delivery nurse at Glens Falls Hospital, and Nathan will be starting law school in Seattle. I’m still working part-time at Parkway Veterinary Hospital/The Animal Care Group of Lake Oswego in Oregon, and my husband, Jerome, continues working on major water projects as a consulting engineer.
Michael Tomb ’72 Peter Holloran ’71 Taylor Holloran ’11
Deb Schaller Willsea ’73 Rob Staehle ’73 Joshua Dienstag ’82
Peter Holloran ’71 writes: My elder son, Carter, attended West Irondequoit schools and Dartmouth College. He moved to London after graduation in 2004, and has been there ever since, where he’s a financial analyst at Schroders of London—a very old and respected investment firm. He’s a musician, a swing dancer, and a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst). My younger son, Taylor Holloran ’11, attended Harley from Grade 1 through to graduation. He was the youngest member of his class, and in no particular hurry to go to college, so after his post-graduation exchange trip to Scotland, he went on a couple of gap-year adventures. The first was to a remote outpost in the Philippines to join up with the Coral Cay Commission, a London-based nonprofit that monitors the health of the world’s great coral reefs. Over the 2½ months he was gone, he learned to SCUBA dive (ultimately completing 96 dives), learned to recognize hundreds of species of fish and coral, shed about 40 pounds and got into amazing shape, and learned what it was like to live without the company of any Americans. In the spring he traveled to Buenos Aires, where he spent 10 weeks teaching English to children in a small and impoverished ghetto school. Needless to say, when he did finally arrive at Gettysburg College, he was more than 34 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
ready to take maximum advantage of the next stage of his education. He has been a residential advisor at Gettysburg all four years, and graduated this spring with a philosophy degree and a strong ambition to see more of the world. And that hope looks like it’ll be fulfilled. Taylor got news just days before his graduation from Gettysburg that he’d been awarded a one-year fellowship with an organization called Princeton in Asia. So shortly he will leave for a year in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to work for an Australianbased NGO that is involved in child rights advocacy and education policy. Now that's one thing you can do with a philosophy degree! As for me, who also attended Gettysburg College, I’ve spent my career in the communications business. Harley taught me to write, and that skill has served as the basis of my career. After earning a master’s degree at the Newhouse School at Syracuse, I went to work for General Electric Company in its famed in-house advertising operation. In 1982, I returned to Rochester, spent the next 12 years or so working on the strategy side at three different advertising agencies, and then founded my own marketing communications business, Cognitive Marketing, in 1993. One of our early accounts was The Harley School. You may be familiar with the
expression “Joy in Learning.” Now you know where it came from. In recent years, Cognitive Marketing has been fully devoted to the advancement of colleges, universities, and independent schools, from North Carolina to New Brunswick, Canada. It’s interesting work— which it needs to be, because I checked my unabridged dictionary last week, and found that for whatever reason, my copy does not include the word “retirement!” I took Harley for granted when I was a kid—it was where my parents sent me to school, and I was fine with that. Suffice it to say, I do not take it for granted any more. Michael Tomb ’72 writes: For the second year in a row, a short film that I created was selected for the Fast Forward Film Festival held here in Rochester in April. Titled Century, I designed this film to premiere at this festival during Earth Week. Deb Schaller Willsea ’73 and Peter Willsea ’72 had a wonderful visit with Rob Staehele ’73 and his wife, Lori, spending an evening with them while they were in California last December. They had a fabulous discussion about what Rob attributes to his Harley education as a basis for his success in his amazing career in aerospace engineering, environmental astrobiology, and environmental economies.
Berklee College of Music in Boston, and is also involved in various recording projects with music professionals in the Boston area, including the Handel and Hayden Society.
Laura Frankenstein ’76 writes: We’ve been in Little Rock, AR, since 2007. After getting sidetracked in demanding situations, I unintentionally retired from 25 dynamic and fulfilling years as a family physician in a variety of communities. After caring for my mother-in-law for three years in our home until her death in 2013, I became increasingly involved with the artisanal ice cream company my daughter started in 2011, Loblolly Creamery. As co-owner and chief creative gap filler, I never know what I will be doing at the soda fountain, on the solar-powered ice cream truck we take to events or farmers markets, or at the back of the house. I assist with everything except churning the ice cream. Small business is challenging and rewarding. Our focus on quality, teamwork, and sustainability is demanding. We collaborate with lots of other small businesses, local farmers, and nonprofits in some fairly innovative ways. My husband recently semi-retired so we opted to downsize and moved locally to a woodsy and walkable community. We are fond of our local craft breweries and restaurants, our library system, our parks and our farmers markets, as well as those folks working for peace and justice. We are also only two miles from the state capital if we feel the urge to join a group on the steps. Deborah Vatcher ’76 writes: Because of various health issues, I have retired from the practice of medicine. I’ve enjoyed pursuing my interests here at home, including reading widely—both contemporary authors as well as some of my older favorites such as Tolstoy, Jane Austen, and Henry James. I have a great dog, who keeps me busy, along with a few cats who continually entertain us. I’ve continued my studies in French over the years, and stay up to date on medical developments through my membership in the Massachusetts Medical Society. Our son, Stephen, graduated from UMass Amherst two years ago, and is currently working as a software engineer in New York City. Julia is in her final undergraduate year at McGill University, where she is working on her degree in psychology and music. My husband, Jim, is an assistant professor at the
Jeffrey Krist ’79 writes: Retirement: May 6, 2017. WOO HOO! Then I will be on the road to travel the world.
1980s 1980s After Harley, Ellen Frankenstein ’80 went on to receive her bachelor’s degree from Vassar, then continued her education at the University of Southern California, where she earned her master’s degree in visual anthropology. Ellen’s fieldwork with the developmentally disabled, migrant farm workers, and the elderly inspired her to investigate the connections between social justice and the media. She is now a filmmaker, photographer, and educator, organizing both community art and schoolbased media projects. Based in Alaska, Ellen has directed award-winning documentaries exploring the meaning of community and how we understand our world. She delves into social issues from suicide to food systems. One of her latest films, Eating Alaska, is about “connecting where you live and eating locally.” Ellen credits the closeknit Harley environment for inspiring her love of learning. Jim Moore ’80 After many years of teaching English and microeconomics at Blair Academy in New Jersey, Jim has given up the latter to become chairman of the school’s English department. He is also director of the school’s squash programs and serves as the varsity girls’ coach. His daughter, Emma, (attended Harley 19972006) graduated from the University of Rochester in May and spent the summer working at a school in southern California. Son Harry (attended Harley 2002-06) just finished his junior year at Blair Academy, where he plays varsity squash and is an actor and musician. Julie Messenger Pearsall ’80 writes: Ken and I are in our third year here in Rockledge, FL, where I’m teaching biology and environmental science at Rockledge High School. I’ve started a vegetable garden in the courtyard between two buildings
with my general science classes and use it to illustrate all kinds of ecosystem principles. Last September I spent a weekend with Sue Bales Anderson ’80 and Edye Hurwitz Holt ’80 at Edye’s home in The Villages in central Florida. I moved my horse here in October and go riding once or twice a week in the “outback” tropical scrub. Armadillos, egrets, lizards, and hogs, oh, my! This past February we became grandparents for the second time to a granddaughter who lives in Ithaca.
Rebecca Weiner ’81 still lives in New Haven, CT, with her husband, Mike Rastelli, their daughter, Sarah (just finishing fifth grade at Ezra Academy, a school much like Harley but with a Judaic focus), and with a cat, two parakeets, several fish, and six chickens. Rebecca continues to work in the United States-China medical optics trade, and to invest in bricks and mortar real estate in lieu of Wall Street. Visiting Harleyites are always welcome at the Weiner-Rastelli “farm.” Joshua Dienstag ’82 writes: My new book, Cinema, Democracy, Perfectionism: Joshua Foa Dienstag in Dialogue, will be published in September and available on Amazon.
David Shechter ’86 writes: I live in Rochester with my wife, Michelle, and daughter, Emily. My son, Josh ’13, moved out to LA to try his hand in visual communication in video and television. Josh and I met with my fellow classmate Joey (Bentivegna) Syracuse ’86. I had not seen Joey since our 10-year Reunion, and he has not changed a bit. Josh hopes to work on Joey’s next movie; Emily plans to attend Nazareth College in the fall to study physical therapy. Michelle is tenured at Rush-Henrietta schools as a teacher tech assistant and I still work in construction setting ceramic tile.
2 016
| 35
Joe Syracuse ’86 wrote and directed a film with his wife, Lisa Addario. Amateur Night is a fish-out-of-water comedy based on Joe’s real-life experience as a driver of prostitutes when he first moved to LA and was awaiting his first child. It stars Jason Biggs (American Pie, Orange Is the New Black), Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical), and Janet Montgomery (Salem, Black Swan), and is now available to stream on VOD, iTunes, and Netflix.
1990s 1990s
Richard Eames ’91 writes: After completing my undergraduate degree, I returned to the States and did a master’s in journalism at the University of Missouri. I then looked for a journalism job in this country but ended up moving to Budapest to work on an English language newspaper. After three years in Hungary I moved to Beirut to do a similar job. Then London for six years, Vienna for two, Switzerland for five and a half, and now back to Vienna. That’s enough moving, I think, so hopefully we’ll stay here for a while! Martha Mukasa ’91 writes: I am now in Senegal, West Africa, in Peace Corps service as a health extension volunteer. During my 27 months of service, I will be tasked with addressing malaria prevention and treatment through education, with improving child growth and nutrition through education and behavior change, and with improving the hygiene conditions of my community, including improving access to water and sanitation. I will also work on my own to identify and address other areas of need that may improve the health conditions of my community. I was last back in Africa (in Uganda, the country of my birth) in 2011 doing field research for my master’s degree, and I’m excited to be returning to Africa to do this work; it will be my first experience of West Africa. I look forward to applying all my educational training in language, health, and culture in a real-world setting by serving as a health volunteer. 36 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
Caroline Marshall '98 (top and bottom)
Joe Syracuse '86 Abby Stern Bennett '99 [Mary Corcoran Photography]
Aimee Guthinger ’92: Aimee moved from Rochester to Newport, RI, before moving to Cape Cod. Upon her arrival, she noted a lack of intimate apparel stores that provided personal customer service. With her prior experience founding and running two businesses, Aimee opened Bedroom I’s Boutique in Marstons Mills, MA, in 2004, which she then relocated to Osterville, MA, in 2006. Aimee has always loved personal service as part of her shopping experience, so she made personal customer service—including custom fitting of bras and other support garments—the focus of her store. Many of her customers were repeat customers, and she observed that word of mouth was her best method for drawing in new customers—all contributing to her twelve years of successful store operation. In August she closed the store to move on to new adventures.
Caroline Marshall ’98 is engaged. Her fiancé, Darwin Jurentkuff, proposed during a weekend trip to Keuka Lake to visit Chris Wright ’98—an important person in the surprise proposal process! Pictured left to right: Chris Wright, Jake Trees, Caroline Marshall, Darwin Jurentkuff, Abbie Pope, and Dave Pope (Jake is a friend of Chris’, and the Popes are friends from Vermont). Abby (Stern) Bennett ’99 and her husband, Doug, welcomed their first child, Azalea Claire Bennett, in July 2015. Abby reports that motherhood is the most vibrant experience of her life and is really enjoying it. Harmony Button ’99 writes about her new job at Waterford School in Salt Lake City, UT: I just gave a talk on building healthy communities through respect and empathy. We’re launching a new mindfulness initiative that is part of our campaign for the “well-lived life,” which is part of our school’s mission statement. It sure has been a busy launch to the year! I am loving my
Jennifer Simmons Svensson '00 (left and right)
Chris Hartman ’93 was recognized with the first annual Singer Family Prize for Excellence in Secondary Teaching, awarded through the University of Rochester. The award ceremony took place on May 14, with further recognition at the University of Rochester's Commencement ceremony on May 15. Chris was nominated by Ulrik Soderstrom ’11, who wrote in his nomination letter: Chris Hartman intrinsically motivates and empowers students. He simultaneously challenges them to question the world around them, while encouraging the growth of their personal identities and strengths. Hartman is explosively creative in his role as a teacher at The Harley School and in the City of Rochester. He leads sustainability classes, constructs greenhouses in the back field of the School, builds boats with students of diverse backgrounds to encourage teamwork and understanding, and even empowers students through roles in his local sustainable food company. Hartman inspired me to become passionate about sustainability, which has been a catalyst for my career interests and future plans. Hartman taught me to put the “why”before the “what.” As I became interested in sustainability, he showed me to passionately investigate how to do my part with excellence.
Ashley Rice '01
Karin Bleeg '01
Hannah Maher Murphy '01 (3 photos)
new position, even though it keeps me very, very busy. All day long, I get to help people solve problems and build systems that will make our school a better place. It’s pretty rewarding work! I have been keeping one eye on Harley, as one of the schools that I use as a guide and influence as I watch how independent schools develop all over the country. My Writing Across the Curriculum blog is running again! Go to http://wac.waterfordschool.org/ to read my latest. Morgan Maholick Dryer ’99 writes: My husband, Matthew, and I had a son, Dax Dempsey Dryer, on January 12, 2015. We are enjoying being parents so much.
2000s Jennifer Simmons Svensson ’00 writes: We had our second child, Lilyana Grace, on December 31, 2015. Logan, her older brother, has been a wonderful helper and they already adore each other.
Karin Bleeg ’01: Married Frank J. Dana II on April 17. Harley alums who attended: Lauren Rosenberg Stuhmer ’02 and Catherine Carithers ’01. Karin said she wore Lauren’s veil, which Lauren wore nearly 10 years ago at her own wedding June 9, 2006. 10 years! Time flies! Erik Holtze ’01 writes: Following graduation from veterinary school, I took the family up to Juneau for two years. There, I was an associate veterinarian at Southeast Alaska Animal Medical Center, providing general and emergency medicine, surgery, and dentistry for patients throughout the region. We returned to New York in 2015 to be closer to family, and now we have settled in the Syracuse area, where I split my time between the animal hospital and my family.
Hannah Maher Murphy ’01 writes: I’m married and stay at home with my three sons, Declan (6), Cormac (4), and Éamon (1). I completed my master of education at Nazareth, and for the past seven years I’ve worked in the nonprofit world. I serve on the Board of Feminists for Nonviolent Choices, and am a founding member of the Rochester Regional Coalition Against Human Trafficking. My latest project was for disability rights and justice. My eldest son was excited to attend the Harley summer camp this year. Oh! And my neighbor is Mr. Dalton! Claire Newman ’01 writes: I am currently representing Native American tribes at a law firm in Seattle and living with my husband on Vashon Island in Puget Sound. Ashley Rice ’01 writes: On April 25, I became engaged to Michael Weiss while on vacation in Seabrook Island, SC. We met four years ago on a plane ride home from Nashville and are looking forward to many more adventures together! continued on page 40
2 016
| 37
1 HARLEY SAYS FAREWELL TO A LEGEND
Matson “ Bud” Ewell 1923 – 2016 attended The Harley School with class of
1940
began teaching mathematics and science
1952
Head of Lower School
1959-1963
teacher and Head of Middle School
1964-1980
woodworking teacher
1982-1993
Remembrances of Bud Bud loved Harley and Harley loved him. He had that special understanding of the School’s ethos and lived it. His cheerful, upbeat manner, enormous enthusiasm, and caring manner was a model for all of us. To me, he will forever be “Mr. Harley.” Dexter Lewis Headmaster 1977-1982
2
B
1 RUTH AND BUD EWELL 2 BUD WITH JIM TOWNSEND ’61 IN THE EARLY ’90s
ud served as a navigator on a bomber in the European Theatre during WWII after graduating from The New School, flying 99 missions and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross. After his time in the service, he attended St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, where he studied under the Great Books Program, a curriculum consisting of “books that are thought to constitute an essential foundation in the literature of Western Culture.” Bud loved working with his hands and taught many students woodworking—some may remember the boat project. His wife, Ruth, was headmaster’s secretary and registrar from 1960-1980 and a member of the College Counseling office from 1980-1986. In later years, they were staples at the School, attending events, especially Reunion, where they were beloved by Bud’s many former students. Bud loved the School and wanted to give back as much as he could. When he and Ruth were moving to an assisted living facility, they sold their house and donated the proceeds to the School to help build the “Barn” (The Commons). Bud donated tools to the “maker space” in The Commons (affectionately called “Bud’s Basement.”) There you’ll find a box of his tools and a bookshelf he made, along with some of his favorite books.
Working in the shop with him was one of my favorite things to do at School. Lindsay Agor ’02
Taking history with him in Grade 7, reading A Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter, was one of the first times I can remember thinking about living in a different culture with different customs. I appreciated his kindness and understanding. Nancy Brooks Phillips ’84
[soccer]: Bud would be running up and down the field the whole game, cheering on the players and giving encouragement to all. I will miss Bud's strong, gentle, and loving demeanor. Bill Dalton Middle School English teacher 1971-1998
I had the pleasure of having Bud as my Grade 7 social studies teacher. I remember writing about the history of Penfield and making corn husk dolls in his class; I still have my doll on the windowsill and the report! Laura Bales Barrows ’79
38 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
In the years that I was a teacher and director of theater, Bud was one I could always count on to be in the audience with Ruth to see our latest dramatic endeavor, and he never failed to chase me down in the hall the next day to effuse about the production, the kids, and what amazing talent they had. He was an institution; in fact, he may better be described as “The Institution” at 1981 Clover Street. Such a wonderful man and not soon to be forgotten. Pam Stoffel English teacher 1973-1982 Drama teacher 1989-1996
A Remembrance of Matson “Bud” Ewell April 2016
by LEN WILCOX
B
y the time I came to Harley in 1969, Bud Ewell
was already a legend. The Ewells—Bud and Ruth— represented Harley in a way that no one had done before,
O
and that no one has since.
ver the years Bud and I became good friends, and there was always something new to discover about him. We worked together on a few projects, the first being a replacement sign for the School (it’s now hanging in the corridor between Beckerman Center and the field house). Sal Rahman—a math teacher and calligrapher—did the lettering, I did the woodwork, and Bud did the hard part—beating out the bronze straps and riveting all the pieces together. Bud never sought any credit for his work; I never saw much ego in him. One day as I was walking to class, I spotted Bud surrounded by students. He was wearing his army uniform from World War II—and it still fit! That was when I learned that Bud had been a navigator in a bomber flying missions over Germany. Bud loved boats and boatbuilding. In the early seventies, a group of us at Harley (under the tutelage of Dr. Joe Geary) decided that building a boat—two of them, in fact—would would be a good project for some of our students. (One of these boats, which was finished by Horizons students, sits outside the Upper School art studio.) As we started work, it came out that Joe Geary was not the only backyard boat builder—Bud had one of his own design under construction in his back yard. It was the process, not the end product, that fascinated Bud. He loved to solve problems— and in building his boat, he delighted in it. For example: How do you install a lead keel weighing over 2,000 pounds on your boat? Well, by shifting, sliding, positioning, digging out—using the physics of levers and inclined planes. And he did it all by himself with help from his two sons, Jay ’70 and Peter ’66. Bud cared deeply about others and would do just about anything for his students. There were two handicapped students at Harley: one in a wheelchair. Bud wanted them to have as completely normal a Harley experience as they could have; difficult given that the School did not have an elevator at that time. So Bud would haul the wheelchair up and down the stairs, carrying the student if need be. Rather than saying “Sorry, the School can’t accommodate you,” he made it happen. Bud brought out the best in people in different ways. Marvin Baetzel was on the maintenance staff in the early days (in fact, he may have been the maintenance staff). Marvin cared about the School and its students. With Bud’s encouragement, he fashioned a prize to be awarded to a Middle Schooler. It was awarded for several years, and it now resides in one of the display cases outside the library. And if you look closely at the bell that is still used to call Upper Schoolers to attention at morning meeting, you will see the name Marvin Baetzel engraved on it. Bud knew that Marvin loved the School and made Marvin an integral part of it. More recently—and this is what I loved about Bud as a teacher—a telescope was unearthed in the science storeroom. The telescope had been built in the 1870s by Alvan Clark, a famous telescope maker in his day. I asked Bud about it, hoping that he might know how it happened to end up at Harley. He didn’t, but was immediately excited and said, “What a great project for the students! Who knows where their research might lead them!” To me that was the quintessential Bud—always reaching out, always thinking of ways to engage our students. He was a true teacher. Two years ago, I was helping Bud and Ruth clean out their house. They had donated it to Harley and we needed to sort through books, furniture, decorations—the collections of two lifetimes. As I was moving some books, I saw something hanging on the wall and asked, “Bud, what is this?” He replied matter-of-factly, “Oh, that is my Distinguished Flying Cross.” After some more questions, it turned out that Bud had flown 99 missions in World War II. He could have opted out after 25 missions, but he kept signing on for more. The last time I saw Bud and Ruth together was a short time ago at the Fairport Baptist Home. He was still filled with enthusiasm and a love for teaching. As we talked, I felt like one of his students, and that is the way I will always remember him.
Richard Bennett ’36 1919–2015
Richard Bennett ’36 passed away December 2, 2015, at the age of 96. A WWII veteran, Richard served in the Air Force, stationed in Guam, and achieved the rank of major by the end of the war. Professionally, Richard was the owner and president of Stewart & Bennett General Contractors, a family company that built the First Federal Building and the Strasenburgh Planetarium, among other projects. Bennett’s family has a long history with The Harley School. Richard was married to Ruth Harris Bennett ’36 and is the brother of fellow graduates Jane Bennett Morris ’34 and John Bennett ’42. Richard and Ruth’s children all graduated from Harley: Richard “Biff” Bennett ’65, Margaret “Peg” Bennett Heminway ’67, and James Bennett ’69, along with their grandson Andrew Heminway ’95 (married to Ryan Hallagan Heminway ’96). Andrew and Ryan’s two children, Merritt and Ella, attended Harley for a time. As a student, Richard was very involved. He was Student Council president, a member of the chorus, participated in theater, and was a member of the basketball team. Richard continued his involvement following graduation as an alumni representative on the Board of Trustees from 1948-1951, a member of the Pension Fund committee in 1947, and president of the Board of Trustees from 1957-59.
2 016 | 39
Liz Marion '04
Rob Richardson ’01 spent eight years working for the YMCA of Greater Rochester before leaving to pursue his MPA at SUNY Brockport. At the Y, he served as the Association’s Office of Children and family services coordinator and as the assistant director at the Lewis Street Child Care Center. For the last eleven years, he’s coached in the HAC varsity soccer and basketball programs. Ashley Stone ’01 writes: I started a new job on February 1, 2016 as an associate director of development, Parents Campaign for The George Washington University. Tara Miller-Schreiner Whitehurst ’01 writes: The past five years have been exciting and eventful for me. I have worked hard in my profession of early childhood development to become a quality teacher. My husband, Josh, and I married in May 2012. Since then we have been blessed with two beautiful boys: Tristan, 2½, and baby Beckett, 3 months. The two of them plus the two cats keep our household interesting. We moved from Asheville, NC, to Apex, NC, this past December to be closer to family. Katie Dunn Daoud ’03 writes: After taking some time off after leaving surgical residency in 2013, I will be starting an emergency medicine residency at UConn in Hartford, where my husband, Vlad, will also be starting as a surgical attending. We bought a house and are turning into real adults! Ashley Hellman ’03 writes: I am currently working for the New Zealand Department of Conservation as a media and communications specialist. I get to tell the story of what my colleagues are doing and try to get local communities involved in conservation work. I’ve only been in this position a little over a month, so I’m still learning loads, but I love it. In terms of how I got to New Zealand, I’m here on what’s called a Working Holiday visa. If you’re American, 18-30 years old, of good moral standing (aka no criminal record), and good health (aka no tuberculosis), you can easily get a visa to live and work in New Zealand or Australia for one year. This is actually my second job here. Previously, I worked for the Hamilton City Council doing public outreach on domestic water use and water conservation.
40 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
Life in New Zealand is awesome. I’ve gotten to travel all around the North Island, and am planning to travel around the South Island in the next few months. Meanwhile, I just came back from a vacation on Rarotonga, Cook Islands, and in September I’ll be headed to the Gili Islands/Bali, Indonesia. Liz Marion ’04 writes: My husband and I welcomed Galen Theo Jensen on May 17, 2016. Odin, age 6, is super happy to be a big brother! Max Carithers ’05 wedding: in picture: Andy Rea ’05, Catherine Carithers ’01, Max, his sister, Sawyer Jacobs ’05 and Rashid Duroseau ’05 Taylor Smith Veenema ’05 and Blair Veenema had a baby boy, Smith Blair Veenema, on February 11, 2016. Katie Christa Cala ’05 had a daughter, Jane Marie Cala, born September 26, 2015, in Pittsburgh.
Max Carithers '05
opportunity. I also work as a part-time yoga teacher in Brooklyn. Sommer Henry ’06 writes: In 2010, I received my BA in psychology at Hampton University. I went on to graduate studies at Argosy University and received my MA in clinical mental health counseling in 2014. I am now a child, adolescent, and family therapist at Northstar Psychological Services. I received my Licensed Associate Professional Counselor licensing, as well as my National Certified Counselor certification. In winter 2015, I started my doctoral program at Argosy University for my EdD in counselor education and supervision. Erica Ingraham ’06 writes: I lived in Japan for 1.5 years, where I worked as an ESL teacher and also studied Japanese on the side. I have been living in Brooklyn for the past 2.5 years (New York City for four). I have almost completed my first semester at the CUNY School of Public Health, where I am working toward an M.S. in nutrition. I plan to graduate in 2017! I am really enjoying my program so far; it is quite rigorous but I am learning so much more about the human body than I ever thought I would. I am so grateful to have that
Thomas Maurici ’06 writes: Over the past five years I have been working for People Inc., a human services company concerned with the care of individuals with developmental disabilities. They are based in Buffalo but have two houses in Rochester, one of which is in North Chili. I worked about four years in direct care as a house and day services staff member, interacting directly with the clients. The past year I was working in a house as the assistant manager when I moved to the corporate office, where I began working in payroll. I have been married quite happily for three years and we live in the Buffalo area with our dog. Tammela Platt ’06 writes: My partner, Fabian, and I got married in a small civil ceremony in Germany on April 8, 2016. We are still living in London and hope to be here for another couple of years. I work at a charity in East London, where I teach English to migrant women who mostly come from Bangladesh. It is a wonderful and rewarding job. If any Harley alumni, students, or teachers are ever across the pond, do get in touch!
Taylor Smith Veenema '05
Tammela Platt '06
LGBT Center, and annually bikes in the AIDS Lifecycle ride, a 545-mile trip from San Francisco to LA, raising money for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. While attending Cazenovia College, Kyle M. Robison ’07 attended a semester at Canterbury Christ Church University in Canterbury, UK. He also attended the Disney College in Orlando, enrolling in classes as well as working full time in an internship program at Disney World. Kyle graduated from Cazenovia College with a degree in visual communications and a minor in psychology in 2013. He went on to Boston to Emerson College, where he earned a graduate degree in marketing and public relations in 2015. Kyle is now a project manager in the Creative Department at DVL Seigenthaler, a Finn Partners Company, in Nashville, TN.
2010s Becca Cinquino ’10 writes: I am going to graduate school starting this fall for social work at the Greater Rochester Collaborative master’s in social work program (joint program between Nazareth College and SUNY Brockport).
Katie Christa Cala '05
Caitlin Hermann Posy ’06 writes: After college, I went to grad school at Radford University, where I got my MS in corporate and professional communications. From there, I got a job in public relations at Blast PR, where I’ve been working for 3½ years now and am a PR specialist. The biggest change is that I got married on September 20, 2014! My husband and I live in Forest, VA. Andrew Ragazzo ’06 writes: I went to college to receive a degree in childhood and special education, though unfortunately, upon completion, I realized I didn’t want to teach school. I found myself working at the Genesee Country Village and Museum as the development associate and membership coordinator. After a little over a year, I switched fields to work at the karate school I trained in and worked at while in high school. I’ve been running the school since 2012. I love doing what I’m doing: working with students across many ages (my youngest is 4 and my oldest is 73). I teach martial skills, self-defense, and character traits. It’s been a truly rewarding career.
Nena Vandebroek ’06 writes: After graduating from Cornell with my master’s degree, I moved to San Francisco, where I worked as a coastal engineer for a few years, making California’s coastline more resilient against coastal flooding and erosion, especially in the face of climate change and sea level rise. In 2014, I moved to the Netherlands to do a year of coastal research at Delft University of Technology under a Fulbright grant. I spent a relaxing year biking everywhere, walking along the city’s canals, admiring fields of tulips, and making Dutch friends. This summer I spent three months traveling all over Europe with friends from the States before moving to Belgium to work as a coastal engineer at a company called Antea Group. All my extended family lives in Belgium, so I’m really enjoying spending time with them on a regular basis. After graduating from The Ohio State University, James Greenebaum ’07 served in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. He currently works as a disease intervention specialist for the Los Angeles
Jeffrey Einhaus ’11 writes: I graduated from Case Western Reserve University this past May with a BS in computer science and a B.A. in music performance. I am now working as a software engineer at IBM in Columbus, OH, and loving it! JP Fauchet ’11 writes: Since graduation in 2011, I attended SUNY Binghamton. After my first year at school, my family relocated to Nashville, TN, but I decided to continue at Binghamton. After switching my major a couple of times, I graduated with a BS in computer science and a minor in economics. At Binghamton, I immersed myself in extracurriculars. I have played on the men’s club soccer team, been the speaker of the Student Congress, a supervisor in our Tour Guide program, and a student consultant to c o n t i n u e d o n p a ge 4 4
2 016 | 41
In Memoriam FACULTY AND STAFF Pat Andreas, Director of Food Services, 1982-1996 Matson “Bud” Ewell ’40, Faculty and Administration 1952-1992 (see pages 38-39) John Hewey, History 1964-1994 (see below) Patti Kutner Strait, Public Relations and Development 1982-1984 Hazel Varner, Physical Education 1968-1969 Eleanor Weld, Receptionist 1964-1974 Alan Whiting, Lower School Assistant Head 1989-1995 (see article at right)
Alan Whiting
ALUMNI Margaret Rosenberg Spanel ’29 Richard Bennett ’36 Art Lowenthal ’37 (see below) Deborah Cook Benedict ’39 Virginia Sharp Carpenter ’41 Caroline Berry Laporte ’43 Jane Jewett Stickler ’46
John Hewey
History teacher and college counselor 1964-1994 Dexter Lewis, head of school 1977-1982, writes: We were in close touch with the Heweys for many years after Harley and had wonderful times together. Barbara was so irreverent and up front and John was one of my closest confidantes and friends on the faculty. As you may recall, it was not easy following a legend and John helped so much by telling me to be myself and not try to be Steve. John was such a special person. Quiet, solid, honest and very able. I thought he was one of the finest teachers at Harley; the kids loved and respected him. Dave McDowell, history teacher 1968-1973 and dean of upper school 1973-1978, writes: John was such a unique fellow, and he, Bobbie, Melissa ’76, and Bo ’77 formed a wonderful and, again, unique family. Mike Lasser, English teacher 1963-1998 and arts center director 1975-1989, writes: John and I got to Harley within a few years of one another—at the end of one generation of great teachers and the beginning of another. We had a chance to know people like Olivia Edey, Melanie Bullard, and Mim Cooper, all of them long dead now. And now our generation begins to pass— Maggie Schneider and Edna Deutsch and now John. We were an extraordinary group, even if it’s self-serving for me to say so. John’s death brings back wonderful days at Harley when Steve Hinrichs and then Dexter Lewis were building an extraordinary school and we were all part of it. Scott Reisinger, history teacher 1980-1987, and director of admissions 1983-1987, writes: 42 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
Lower School Assistant Head 1989-1995
Chris May ’47 (see next page) Stephen May ’49 (see next page) David McGhee ’49 Paul Kober ’51 William R. Nojay ’74 Ryan Benjamin ’09 Louis D’Amanda ’09
It is a with great sadness that Anne and I received your email. Thank you so much for thinking about us. John was a truly gifted teacher and a great mentor to me in my early years of teaching. Where has the time gone, my friend? I remember so fondly my years at Harley, our frequent dinners with the Lassers, Heweys, and Reisingers, and all the good times we had. After all these years, I still miss our time together. If you wish to see stories and memories from John’s students, go to the Harley School Alumni Facebook page. Thank you to everyone for sharing your memories of this great man. Our condolences to John Hewey’s family, especially Melissa ’76 and Bo ’77.
Alan Whiting passed away on April 11, 2016, at the age of 84. He worked at The Harley School from 1989 to 1995. Hired by Pam Kimmet, she remembered his wonderful sense of humor and that the teachers appreciated his wisdom and gentleness. She said he was very dedicated and committed to the School. Marilyn Fenster shared that he was a well-regarded administrator in the West Irondequoit school system when she was a student. He was known as someone deeply committed to providing the best education possible to all children who were lucky enough to cross his path. He volunteered in city schools as a reading tutor. He was always on the prowl for good books he could share with “his kids.” Dean Kindig also shared a memory of Alan leading the entire Lower School in stretching exercises every day during a Focus Week. The current lower school teachers recently donated the book Sleepless Knight (Adventures in Cartooning) by James Sturm to the Lower School library in honor of Alan and his love of cartooning.
Arthur E. Lowenthal ’37 1919-2015
Arthur E. Lowenthal ’37, my mother’s cousin, was the first member of the family to attend Harley. In the classrooms and labs at Harley, and at the factory of Max Lowenthal & Sons —the knit goods business founded by his grandfather—he developed a fascination for how things work. As a boy he built beautiful, fully functional model steam engines from scratch. In WWII, he was an aerial photographer in the U.S. Army. In the ’50s, he designed and built a circuit for a prototype of the heart pacemaker for a Cleveland cardiologist. Well into his 80s, he was restoring President Grover Cleveland’s steam barge for the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY. He loved solving everyday problems and getting to know everyday people. At breakfast last December, shortly before he died peacefully at the age of 96, he introduced me to our server, then quietly shared with me a kind of tribute to her. A single mom with two children, she had recently moved her ailing father in with them, was working two full-time jobs, and yet, without fail, had a smile for her customers. “What a neat lady. A neat lady,” he said to me. Art was a true believer in the great value of independent education, and was a generous life-long supporter of RIT, Union College, and The Harley School. His greatest joy was sharing a huge array of interests with family and the many friends who now survive him, including his beloved companion Mary Ann O’Connor and Harley faculty member Len Wilcox. BY JIM ALSINA ’74
Christopher May ’47 1930-2015
Christopher May ’47 passed away on October 17, 2015, at the age of 85. May graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1951, and joined the CIA. Serving first as a Navy officer from 1952-1955, he returned to the CIA and was stationed in Washington, DC, Frankfurt, Germany, and Vienna, Austria, until his retirement in 1977. In 1978, May received a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and practiced law in child abuse and neglect cases in the DC Superior Court. He then fought to protect ethnically diverse, low- to moderate-income rental communities in Washington and Deale, MD, in the mid-1990s. May leaves his beloved second wife, Carolyn Stearns, four children from his first marriage, two stepdaughters, and 13 adored grandchildren. His brother, Stephen May ’49, noted that Chris had a great affection for Harley, believing that the School had provided him with invaluable insights and standards that lasted a lifetime.
Sands-Stern Award The Sands-Stern Award recognizes an individual or family who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to The Harley School through the contribution of their service and passion. 2015 RECIPIENT
Mark Zupan Since first elected to The Harley School Board in 2008, Mark has served as both president and treasurer. In 2009, Mark had the idea of establishing a giving circle committed to sustaining Harley’s future. In the first year of the Harley Circle, under Mark’s leadership, 72 people committed to five-year pledges. In addition, Mark co-chaired the search committee for head of school, Ward Ghory, established the endowed Zupan Family Fund, and parented two graduates: sons Will ’10 and Walker ’14. Previously the dean of the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester, Mark was recently appointed the 14th president of Alfred University. SANDS-STERN AWARD 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009
Stephen May ’49 1931-2016
Stephen May ’49 passed away on March 31, 2016, at the age of 85. Following his graduation from Harley, May went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in American civilization from Wesleyan University in 1953. He joined the U.S. Army, and took an interest in politics and government. This led to law school at Georgetown, where he received a JD in 1961. He served as Rochester’s 62nd mayor from 1970-1973 and held staff positions in the U. S. Senate. Upon retiring from government service, May pursued his lifelong interest in American art, culture, and historic preservation, and built a rewarding second career writing and lecturing about art. May was predeceased by his brother, Christopher May ’47, in October 2015. In addition to three nephews and a niece and their families, he leaves his wife, Kathryn B. Wilson, whom he married in 2007.
MARK ZUPAN SCOTT ’73 & KATHY KEARNS FRAME ’73 PETER ’72 & DEB SCHALLER WILLSEA ’73 PHYLLIS BENTLEY ’45 JOE ’48 & NANCY BRIGGS ARUNAS & PAMELA CHESONIS RICHARD ’69 & JENNIFER SANDS ROBERT ’76 & NANCY SANDS
Diane Doniger Award The Diane R. Doniger Parent Volunteer Service Award was established in 1997 to recognize Diane’s efforts and dedicated years of service to Harley. An active parent volunteer, she chaired the Board of Trustees, The Harley Sale, and Harley’s Yearbook 2000 capital campaign. The award is presented to the parent who best exemplifies the spirit Diane has shown in her endless hours of service to the Harley community. 2016 RECIPIENT
Kelly Scudder Harley’s volunteers are vital to the success of the School, the feel of our community, and the work that we’re able to accomplish. Please consider volunteering in whatever way you can. parentcouncil@harleyschool.org 2 016 Your importance cannot be overstated.
| 43
the president of the university. I had an amazing experience at Binghamton, where I found a lot of similarities between the university and Harley, one of the biggest being both schools’ dedication to energy efficiency and using renewable energy sources. The summers of 2014 and 2015, I did internships with Lockheed Martin and Corning, respectively. This summer, I began full-time employment in New York City working as a technology risk consultant for Deloitte & Touche. Tony Kim ’11 writes: I graduated from Tufts University in May 2015. Since then, I have taken a position at Clinical Assistance Programs (CAP) in Massachusetts as a pharmaceutical consultant. I was just recently granted admission to the Tufts School of Dental Medicine and my plan is to enroll there this fall. Marissa Malone ’11 writes: In May, I graduated magna cum laude from the University at Buffalo with a BA in communication and a double minor in Spanish and management. When my nose wasn’t in the books, I was fortunate to study abroad in Santiago, Chile, for a short stint, and the following year I traveled to Greece and Turkey as part of a leadership program. Since graduating, I’ve moved into an apartment near downtown Buffalo and was hired as a marketing specialist for a staffing company, SelectOne. Through all my successes, I am constantly reminded of my Harley education and I attribute so much of who I am to my Harley days. Jaziel Ortiz ’11 writes: I graduated from the University of Rochester this past May with a BA in psychology. In my senior year, I interned at a local Rochester marketing firm, which created a passion in consumer sciences and behavior for me. This summer, I moved to Indiana to pursue my graduate studies in consumer science at Purdue University, where I am currently in the MS program in consumer behavior as a full-time student and a part-time research assistant with a renowned professor who relocated here from the Duke University School of Medicine, Dr. Stewart Chang-Alexander. Since beginning my studies in consumer behavior and doing public health research with Dr. Chang-Alexander, my career and research interests have morphed into a bit of a combination of both, resulting in my focus on consumer health and behavior change. 44 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
Upon my graduation from Purdue in 2017, I will be continuing on to another university to earn my PhD in social and behavioral sciences. Jose Sanchez ’11 writes: In addition to taking classes, I have also had two co-ops (an internship for a six-month period in between semesters of classes) while attending Northeastern. My first one was at Eagle Eye Institute, a small environmental education nonprofit serving underprivileged youth of color in Somerville, MA. While there, I led an organic gardening club at the Mystic Learning Center (an after-school program for youth living in the Mystic Housing Projects in Somerville) as well as outdoor education classes for junior and senior students at Medford High School in Medford, MA. I finished my second and final co-op in December 2015 with the Boston Water and Sewer Commission as their Planning and Conservation Department intern. This co-op is heavily civil engineering-centered but with just enough concentration on green infrastructure to make it applicable to my major. For the last three years I have also found time to play music with my brother after he graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. For the first year, we both lived in Boston and were able to play shows around the city and record some videos and collaborate with friends, but shortly after that my brother moved to Brooklyn for work. We’ve continued to play music and record (including our EP “Towns” as well as an upcoming EP we are recording). Many of my weekends in college have been spent taking buses to and from New York City to practice and write music for our group, Hunting Stories (http://huntingstoriesmusic.com/). I have found that music is what makes me happy, and although I do need a stable income and proper education, music will always take precedence. Didrik Soderstrom ’08 is also in the band. Jason Tahir ’11 continued his tennis career at Duke University and finished with a top 10 ranking in the Duke record books for singles wins, doubles wins, and overall wins, and making the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honor Roll all four years. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in management at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business and is a volunteer coach for the men’s tennis team.
Katie Hoeger ’12 writes: After graduating from Barnard College with a BA in psychology, I will be heading to the University of Oxford to pursue an MSc in criminology and criminal justice. Ben Kurchin ’12 writes: This summer I started a full-time job at Jane Street Capital in New York City. I interned there last summer. Nathan Duckles ’04 also works there. Meghan Dewan ’13 is halfway through her third year as a viola major at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt and has committed to participate in a unique program between Blair and the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt. She will finish after five years at Vanderbilt with an undergraduate degree in music and an MBA. She loves both Vanderbilt and Nashville, and has been very happy with her school choice and with attending an urban school. Her biggest complaint is that there are not enough hours in a day to get all the things she wants to do accomplished. Ginny Munson ’16 shares her favorite Harley memory: On the Adirondacks trip, there was one night when our class gathered around a campfire and Mr. O’Brien [Dan] was teary-eyed as he sang “Puff the Magic Dragon.” Seeley Taylor ’16 shares her favorite Harley memory: When we created sixthgrade reflection journals in Mr. S (Raj Singaravelu)’s class. David Titus ’16 wrote that his favorite memory at Harley is the Twoville Post Office. Allison Urban-Spillane ’16 is one of two recipients of the Connor Porter Memorial Scholarship, created in 2013 through a generous donation from Connor’s family members Trish and Shannon Porter. The award honors graduating high school seniors who are members of USA Fencing and who have been recommended by a coach, teacher, or school administrator. For Urban-Spillane, it’s all about the love of the game—particularly teaching it to others and seeing them “pay it forward.” At her club, she helped devise visually-based drills and lessons for a young fencer with slow auditory processing and ADHD. Allison is attending Stevens Technical Institute.
Cherished
TRADITIONS
Elf Day
is a fun celebration of
the impending holiday break in December and takes place on the day of Candlelight. Seniors, Middle and Upper School faculty, and administrators arrive at School bedecked
at
Art teachers Allyson Klopp, Rebecca Tracy, Lyn Parsons, and Michael Frank dressed in their elf costumes.
in crafty and creative elf costumes. In addition to the festive outfits, what makes Elf Day a special Harley tradition is the responsibility the senior class takes on by making the arrangements for the holiday banquet: decorating the cafeteria, planning entertainment, serving the meal, and cleaning up afterward. After feeding the School, seniors head to the Centrum and put on a silly holiday skit for the Lower School. A lighthearted tradition full of all-school camaraderie, Elf Day harnesses the energy of the day before vacation, and ushers in the serene and magical evening of Candlelight.
Faculty and seniors in elf costumes pose in the English/ Senior hallway. Please make your gift.
Karen Saludo Associate Director of Development ksaludo@harleyschool.org (585) 277-1117
2 016
| 45
Aerial photo by John Griebsch
WE ARE APPRECIATIVE OF OUR DONORS
class notes
By Erich Van Dussen
Anonymous Jeffrey Alexis and Christine Hay Tom and Holly Anderson Mr. Robert August Ms. Elizabeth August ’82 and Mr. Thomas Mafriciu Paula Baker ’76 Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Baldo Jack and Lisa Baron Bruce B. Bates Jim and Kay Benjamin Mrs. Abigail Stern Bennett ’99 Phyllis W. Bentley ’45 Norman and Phyllis Breen Ms. Valerie R. Bronte ’99 Mr. Stephen Brown Catherine M. Callery and Michael D. Nazar Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Chessin ’80 Mr. Alexander Clowes ’00 and Ms. Jolynn Khamky Patricia Corcoran Mary Critikos ’54 Dr. E. Ray Dorsey and Ms. Zena Shuber Dorsey Mr. and Mrs. Timothy S. Douglas ’82 Dr. Clifford R. Everett and Ms. Rita M. Adler-Everett Bud ’40* and Ruth Ewell Peter T. Ewell ’66 Mr. Raymond Fiorini and Ms. Gail Fiorini Mr. Steven Foisy and Mrs. Ivone P. Foisy Scott Frame ’73 and Katherine Kearns Frame ’73 Mary Jo and Conger Gabel ’62 Lee Gartley ’82 Mr. Ward J. Ghory and Mrs. Anne Ghory-Goodman Mr. Mark Goldstein and Dr. Dena Levy Mr. James Grieve and Ms. Eleanor R. Rusling Dr. Jonathan Gross and Ms. Laura Gross Anthony L. and Earlene C. Gugino Drs. Kenneth and Kathleen Hale Dr. and Mrs. Samuel M. Hampton ’77 Drs. Omar Hanuch and Andrea Sandoz-Hanuch Sara ’61 and Peter Hartman J. T. Jacus and Kate Turner Jacus ’92 Kraig H. Kayser ’78 Drs. Srinivas Kaza and Lesley James Mrs. Shirley C. Kearns
Gary and Pam Kimmet VaNita and Jim Laurito Dr. and Mrs. Michael E. Leit Dr. Kenneth and Mrs. Kathy Lindahl Susan Mees Longfield ’82 Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Mahar Dr. John Markman and Ms. Amy Bach Jon and Susan Parkes McNally Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Mendelson J. Merrill ’73 and Katy Stein Prof. John Mills ’57 Mr. and Mrs. Richard Moon Sarah ’18 and Leah ’21 Moore Family Ken Motsenbocker Robert and Milena Novy-Marx Michael and Sarah Paddock Larry and Nancy Peckham Terry Platt and Dianne Edgar Drs. Bernard Ricca and Stephanie Townsend Ms. Karen Saludo and Mr. Dennis Drew Mrs. Marilyn Sands Mr. and Mrs. Richard Sands ’69 Mr. Robert Sands ’76 Kelly and Brian Scudder Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Shea Drs. William J. Sheeran and Deborah L. Pearce The Sisson Family Dr. Andrew Stern and Mrs. Melissa McGrain Lisa and William C. Sykes ’76 Mr. Kunal Tanwar and Ms. Anuradha Chaudhri Nelson Thomas ’86 Tim Tindall and Erica Harper Dr. T. Michael Toole ’79 Mr. John S. Trow ’76 Ms. Mary C. (Kitty) Van Bortel and Mr. Roger C. Garrett Mrs. Debra Weiss Walker ’83 Mr. and Mrs. Ziad Wehbe Helen Wiley and Marian Payson Peter ’72 and Deb Schaller Willsea ’73 Mr. and Mrs. Matt Winslow Mr. Daniel P. Yeoman ’00 and Ms. Beth Bafford The Zupan Family
* deceased
The Harley Circle is a giving society that supports the longstanding belief in Harley’s vision and core values. A five-year commitment of $1,000 or greater annually to The Harley Fund provides membership into The Harley Circle. To learn more, contact Debra Weiss Walker ’83, Director of Development (585) 277-1116 • dwalker@harleyschool.org 46 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
The Commons Speaker Series 2016-17 September 21, 2016 October 19, 2016 November 16, 2016 December 14, 2016 January 18, 2017 February 15, 2017 March 15, 2017 April 26, 2017 May 24, 2017
Shawn Dunwoody Confronting Change—Planting Seeds for Community Engagement LGBTQ Academy of The Gay Alliance Gender Panel Meredith Ciaccia ’08 Special Olympics Peter Jemison Iroquois White Corn Project Walter Cooper Life in Rochester—A Perspective Siobhan LeGros, Cheddy Harvey Raising Mindful Children Elizabeth Murray, Wade Norwood P ’16, Victoria LoMaglio ’06 Community Health Panel Joel Pasternack Science of The Commons Rajesh Barnabas, Erica Bryant Community Activism
The Commons at The Harley School Wednesdays at 6:30 pm Plan … continued from page 13
Ryan Kimmet “It’s amazing to have a plan and then let go of that plan and see where it’s going to take you,” says Ryan Kimmet ’95. “In the letting go you actually find amazing possibilities that you wouldn’t have found otherwise.” Kimmet has been an educator his whole professional life, and because his mother, Pam Kimmet, was head of the Harley Lower School the years he was growing up, even his personal life has revolved around education. “After Harley, I attended Skidmore College and earned my degree in English, but I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life,” Kimmet says. “I took that quintessential year off after graduation and wound up selling guitars at a music shop in Boston. But even though I’m a musician and music is important to me, I knew I needed something more. I landed a job as a fifth grade teacher and just fell in love with teaching.” For 11 years, Kimmet taught fifth grade at a school he says is very much like Harley. When the head of its Middle School took maternity leave, Kimmet stepped into the role,
and the six months he spent as acting head taught him that he had an affinity for leadership as well. He earned his second master’s—this time in school leadership—and is now the head of the Lower and Middle Schools at the Greene Street Friends private school in Philadelphia. “I’m so happy where I am now,” says Kimmet. “Being open to where life takes you is not something that comes easily to me, but having that experience is really powerful. It taught me that a plan isn’t a rigid set of rules, and that came into play as I dealt with the expansion of Greene Street Friends.” Greene Street Friends was working through a multi-year growth cycle when Kimmet took on the role as division head. He says keeping the school’s expansion plan in mind when confronting unexpected decisions was extremely useful, but as he learned from his own life plan, having flexibility in the plan as well was essential to achieving the school’s ultimate goals. “We had what we called ‘the fifth-grade question,’ ” Kimmet notes. “Fifth grade is a transition time between lower school and middle school, and as our school expanded, we had to think about which school we were going to physically house those students in. Many people on both sides were very passionate about this question, so instead of simply asking, ‘Which school should the fifth grade belong in,’ which can be divisive, we asked what people felt the fifth grade should accomplish. 2 016 | 47
Impact Making an
A
t Harley, I learned how to approach teachers for help, or just to talk about ideas, and not to be afraid of my inexperience. Maddie Laitz ’12 shares her noteworthy projects at the University of Rochester and her plans for future research.
I
never took calculus at Harley, and though I loved science courses, left-brain thinking didn’t come easily to me. I felt out of my depth in those subjects and was more comfortable pursuing independent studies in creative writing, playing the violin, and whiling away hours in the glassblowing studio. Yet, this past May, I graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in chemical engineering, and in the fall I will be in London as the Imperial College’s Fulbright Scholar for a master’s degree in green chemistry, developing next-generation fuel-cell technologies. Upon returning from London, I will pursue a PhD in civil and environmental engineering at MIT, with the goal of securing a university faculty position, leading a team in tackling energy quandaries, reimagining the best teaching practices, and inspiring young women to enter the STEM fields. It began for me in high school. Besides loving the arts, I had a passion for environmental preservation. Because I didn’t consider science and math my forté, I figured my energy would best be spent pursuing environmental issues from an advocacy perspective. Following my senior year at Harley, I interned at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Los Angeles. Hydraulic fracturing was a new concern at that time, and the lawyers with whom I worked were seeking to regulate the practice—a compromise, since an outright ban was not an accepted solution. I wished we had a clean, efficient, cost-effective alternative energy source to offer in place of hydrofracking, but such a technology simply did not exist. My frustration led to a moment of clarity: I decided to devote my life to developing green alterna-
48 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
tives to the current methods of energy generation. This would mean facing my math and science insecurities head on, but I took comfort in what I had learned at Harley: the STEM fields are no less creative than music and art. When mathematical concepts are mastered, they are tools much like the bow of a violinist or the brush of a painter, and the creation they inspire is beautiful in as much an artistic as a scientific sense. The faculty and administration at Harley encouraged me to pursue my disparate interests equally, highlighting the relatedness of the various disciplines rather than their differences. I was inspired to connect Dr. Evans’s passion for chemistry, Dr. Thorley’s enthusiasm for physics, Dr. Dolan’s insights on creative writing, Dr. Malone’s astute literary analyses, and Ms. Parsons’s keen painterly eye, as well as the strengths of many other teachers I encountered. Emboldened by such diverse learning experiences at Harley, I decided to minor in English at U of R, where I also served as the concertmaster of the University of Rochester Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, in addition to pursuing the chemical engineering program. At U of R, I was soon captivated by the possibilities and near magic of engineering. Because I didn’t have the strong mathematical foundation of my peers, the freshman year coursework was baptism by fire. The work was challenging, but I never lost sight of my aim in tackling the program of study: to conduct meaningful research and discover creative, clean solutions to environmental problems. During the next four years, I leapt at every opportunity afforded me—wherever it was. I served
continued on page 50
Sarita Gupta ’92
What I’ve
Learned
“I am a citizen of a world not yet born .” is a West African proverb I heard from a civil rights leader a few years ago. It best describes an important lesson I have learned and continue to learn throughout my life—the importance of using my voice to make a change for a better future.
F
rom a very early age, I learned quickly that we have a choice whether to act on things that we witness, especially bad things, or stay silent and ignore a bad situation if it does not directly affect us. My first lesson in this was in the second grade at an elementary school in Greece, NY. At recess, I was surrounded by classmates who began to tease me because I was the only dark-skinned kid in the class. More than being angry at the mean kids, though, I was extremely hurt that many of my “friends” chose to walk away and ignore it, instead of helping me make it stop. When I got home, my parents and my older sister listened to my account of the story and encouraged me to think about how I could channel my feelings positively and do something about a bad situation. I promised myself then that I would never fall silent in the face of things that seem wrong, but instead use my voice to make a positive change. And so began my lifelong commitment to advocating and acting on what I know is right. Building on that resolve I gained from my family, I felt encouraged during my four years at Harley to build this muscle of making my voice heard to make changes for the better. The School offered me plenty
of leadership opportunities: I was involved with the student government all four years; I helped start new clubs, like GAP (Global Action Project), which began a recycling program at the School; I introduced a Hindu faith component to Candlelight. In all of this, Harley created a space for me to find my voice, an experience that I have carried with me throughout college and that has shaped my career choice.
At Mount Holyoke College, I got involved in student issues on campus that encouraged me to reflect on inequities in our society—economic, racial, gender, and cultural. For example, every year, I witnessed students leaving campus because they could not afford the increasing tuition costs. These students were from working-class backgrounds, and a majority of them were the first in their families to go to college; not surprisingly, many were students of color. It did not seem right to me that students who wanted to go to college by Sarita Gupta ’86 and pursue careers could not because they lacked the money to do so. Following up on these observations, I took part in a successful campaign to promote the recruitment and retention of working-class students and students of color. Where Harley gave me the space to develop a voice for myself, at Mount Holyoke College, I learned to appreciate how the voices of many can shape the environment of all. This college campaign led me to pursue a career in social change and advocacy work—from increased access to higher education to shaping the world of work. Today, I am the continued on next page
2 016
| 49
Laitz … continued from page 48
Gupta … continued from page 49
as a peer advisor and teaching assistant for four of the core chemical engineering courses, while working in a U of R lab researching the decomposition mechanism of biomass for conversion to biofuels. I conducted research at UCLA on the fate and transport of antibiotic-resistant genes, spent two summers at MIT performing toxicological and environmental analyses of rare earth elements, and worked this summer at the General Motors Global Propulsion headquarters, engineering fuel cells for zeroemission vehicles.
executive director of Jobs with Justice, a national network advocating for change to ensure that all people can live, work, and age with dignity. My organization works on a broad range of issues to win solid, measurable improvements in the lives of working people; I myself have advocated for change before Congress, at the White House, on various media outlets, and at national and international conferences. By creating pathways that allow working people to shape their lives for the better, we have achieved many positive changes in workplaces across the country and in the policy arena.
I learned to follow where my interests took me, and to make up in enthusiasm and effort what I lacked in experience. It is an approach that has served me well—and indeed has changed my life. When I look back, I realize the debt I owe my teachers at Harley, whose dedication inspired me, whose faith encouraged greater effort on my part, and whose support gave me the courage to envision a self beyond what was familiar and comfortable. Without this, I might never have had the confidence to attempt the engineering curriculum, nor have found my home in the laboratory— committed to inspire and make a difference.
The Harriet Bentley Society
Throughout this commitment, I have learned that when you use your voice and organize the voices of many, you can make what seems impossible possible—you can win real improvements in peoples’ lives. In this moment of growing racial tensions, xenophobia, acts of terror, poverty, and climate degradation, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and resigned that anything can be done, especially if you are not affected directly. But it is now, more than ever, that we need everyone to be a “citizen of a country not yet born” to help us shape a better future for generations to come. I am grateful to Harley for setting me on my path to this “citizenship.”
Create Your Legacy • Save on Taxes • Receive Income from Your Gift
of The Harley School
Gift Ideas
to Help The Harley School A GIFT THAT COSTS YOU NOTHING IN YOUR LIFETIME Bequest GIFTS THAT PAY YOU INCOME Gift Annuity Charitable Trust
Contact (585) 277-1116 dwalker@harleyschool.org us today! www.harleyschool.org/plannedgiving
Debra Weiss Walker ’83, Director of Development
50 | B e c o m i n g M a ga z i n e
GIFTS OF ASSETS Cash Gifts of Appreciated Stock IRAs
Become what thou art by Erin Berg John Mills ’57 entered The Harley School in Grade 5. While not always the best student (he flunked Latin 1 and had to retake it at a summer camp), Mills credits his success in math and science to his geometry teacher, Matson “Bud” Ewell, and his chemistry teacher, Ted Lobdell; both encouraged him to pursue each field enthusiastically while at Harley. So enthusiastically, in fact, that sometimes Mills’s chemistry explorations were too successful: one of his bromine synthesis experiments resulted in the evacuation of the entire science building! Mills graduated with honors and a BS in biology from the University of Chicago in 1961. At Harvard Medical School, he delved into research and published his first two scientific papers. After interning at Boston City Hospital, doing research at the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, teaching at the Howard University School of Medicine, and completing a residency at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), he was board certified for general internal medicine and pulmonary disease in 1970. Accepting a position as assistant professor at UCSF, Mills also served as medical director of the Emergency Department and as a member of the Infectious Disease Unit at San Francisco General Hospital. It is in this role that he found himself involved in AIDS research by 1981. This commitment would become one of the hallmarks of Mills’ career, turning SFGH into an internationally-recognized center for research and clinical care for patients with HIV infection; to this day, SFGH remains a global leader in HIV/AIDS care. It was this dedication to AIDS research that led Mills to Australia.
John Mills ’57
Physician, Researcher, Businessman
Recruited to the Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health (BI) in Melbourne, Mills continued his impressive career. The managing director of BI from 1992 to 2002, he oversaw the development of an international health unit and the founding of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes. He’s held two professorships and directed national laboratories; was elected a non-executive director of a private Australian biotechnology company; and held other board positions such as chair of a publicly listed company, CEO of another, and non-executive director of other for-profit and nonprofit entities. In 2015, Mills was lauded as an officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to medicine as a researcher and physician in the field of infectious diseases, particularly HIV and AIDS, to medical administration, and to the development of Australia’s biotechnology industry. John Mills credits his successful career as a physician, researcher, and business executive to many of his experiences at The Harley School. Thinking back on his school experience, he is grateful to Mrs. Poole for her fifthgrade typing course and to Mrs. Baldwin’s patience. He also credits Mr. Ewell for helping him understand, for the first time, “the real role of mathematics.” Ewell’s geometry course set him up for UC’s calculus course and statistics, he says, which were key to his later research. Mills also recalls his exceptionally bright classmates and the multicultural environment of Harley. The way in which The School welcomed and accommodated disabled classmates influenced the way in which he interacts with patients and colleagues, an attribute that has served him well throughout his career of dedication to medical research and care. 2 016 | 51
1981 Clover Street Rochester, NY 14618
Centennial Celebration! Experience this once-in-a-lifetime event at The Harley School. Celebrate the 100th year anniversary of The Harley School with alumni, parents, emeritus faculty, teachers, grandparents, students, and the entire Harley Community, and the rest of the Harley community. We are planning a fun-filled weekend of events including: – Opening the 75th anniversary time capsule – Unveiling our new history wall – Breakfast with current and former faculty – Alumni sporting event – Class receptions – Historical bus tour of Rochester – Birthday Party Gala
Save the dates: October 13-15, 2017