Bulletin - Fall 2019 by The Frederick Gunn School

Fall 2019

BULLETIN

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

BULLETIN

Fall 2019 2 Message from the Head of School 4 Educating for Character 6 What’s in a Name? 14 From the Archives 16 Commencement 20 Arts and Community Center Update 22 The Arts 24 Campus Life 28 Faculty Travel 30 Athletics 32 Supporting The Gunnery 34 Alumni Weekend 2019 41 From the Alumni Association 42 Alumni Career Day 44 Trustee News 49 Alumni Events 50 Highlander Journeys 60 Class Notes 78 Ten Minutes With … Alisa Croft On the cover: Friends Marley Berano ’20, who is a prefect, and Ana Thompson ’21, who is a tour guide and head card in the Cards and Grays Program, welcomed new students and families at a picnic at Conroy House on August 27.

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These pages: The Girls Varsity Field Hockey Team was one of five teams that participated in Canterbury Day 2018. In the foreground are (left to right): Kiera Koval ’20, Grace Genest ’20, Talia Zabit ’19, Kayla Clark ’22, Kaleigh Laurendeau ’22, Katie Porrello ’22, Sofia Pattillo ’20, Laura Wells ’19 and Kelly Hill ’20. Highlanders traveled to New Milford for Canterbury Day 2019 as part of a yearlong effort to retain The Gunnery-Canterbury Cup. Read more about this friendly rivalry on page 30.

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

Dear Gunnery Community,

about education, our best source for his philosophy of education, “Confidence Between Boys and Teachers.” We are working actively to determine how to help students grow in all four of these areas, informed by both tradition and the latest research in each.

As we enter the 170th year of Mr. Gunn’s school, we, collectively, are engaged in a conversation about The Gunnery’s exciting future. We recognize this is an important time in the history Seeing our community as an ecosystem. Our focus of our school, and as we evaluate our priorities for the years to here is to help students become more acutely aware of their place come, we must consider what from our first 170 years remains and role in the “ecosystem” of our school, and more broadly, in important to The Gunnery of 2019 and beyond. From where we their neighborhood, town, region, and the natural world. This stand today, with the benefit of hindsight and no more able idea inspired our all-school summer reading of “The than were Mr. and Mrs. Gunn and their successors to Hidden Life of Trees,” which was integrated into predict the future, what do we want to be true of our student activities and our LEADS program this fall. school in 2119? The simple answer is that most In particular, Mr. Gunn’s passion for the natural of what Frederick Gunn believed and modeled world — his intellectual and practical knowledge remains not only relevant but urgently and of it, his love for it, and his demonstrated belief practically important for young people today. I in it as a vital formative tool in education — believe that we have something vital to contribute compels us to follow his lead and ensure that our as a school based on the ideals of our founder. The students develop the same deep appreciation for challenge for those of us invested in his school’s future nature, an awareness of their individual and collective (both here on campus and in the broader impact on it, a moral concern to minimize Gunnery community) is to determine and that impact as its stewards, and an We imagine a world filled articulate why and how, to continually appreciation for their place in the natural build the school around that core, and to with Gunnery alumni who share a world, current and future. Finally, today tell others about it with uncommon pride. we believe students should understand the sense of duty for conserving the Having sought to distill and articulate ecosystem of which they are part in terms common good, whether clearly Mr. Gunn’s essential beliefs for of the school’s rich 170-year history; they as a member of the PTA, a today, we are focusing on five specific are stewards of it and they owe it to future ideas as our points of orientation for generations to leave it better than they corporate employee, a member the school’s future. All of them derive found it. of the armed forces, an from our reading of Mr. Gunn’s original The transformative role of entrepreneur, a craftsman, or purpose and model for education, some of hope-filled faculty. We believe holding political office... which he wrote about explicitly but most the most transformative influence in a of which he simply lived out and exists for student’s experience is the impact of hopeus in the pages of “The Master of The filled faculty. This is our attempt today to Gunnery” and letters from the school’s “scale up” the model Mr. Gunn left as an individual educator. The earliest alumni. All of them will inform and animate pages of “The Master of The Gunnery” and other reminiscences our future as a school. of alumni who knew him are filled with one account after another Understanding what it means to be human. of his unceasing belief in his students. He could be stern, certainly, What we each believe about this is deeply formative for how we but never for the sake of it. His sincere love for each student and see ourselves and other people, how we grow and change, and, commitment to their growth (wholistically conceived — mind, ultimately, whether or not we arrive at contentment and joy in life. body, spirit, and emotions), not to mention a beautiful sense of Mr. Gunn practiced what we call an integrated anthropology — a humor and willingness to laugh at himself, often at key moments view of the human person as dynamically integrated beings, mind, in public, shine through in stories about him. Perhaps most body, spirit and emotions. Whereas many trends in education importantly in a boarding school setting, Mr. Gunn understood and culture unwittingly default to one of these four areas as the power he (and almost any teacher) held to shape how a student paramount, he knew that a flourishing life results from attention saw himself and wielded it deftly and with great compassion. He spoke about this most clearly in his 1877 address when he to each of them and the relationships between them. Evidence for said: “There is an unconscious influence, a mysterious, silent this leaps off the pages of his biography as well as his 1877 talk

than the one he knew. So will we. (Read more about how The Gunnery is approaching character education in the 21st century on page 4).

Emphasizing character as the driving force of a life well-lived. The hallmark of our school community is

our goal to develop in students what Mr. Gunn called character. While that word has developed disparate meanings over the ensuing decades, it is clear that Mr. Gunn meant moral character development. Specifically, The Gunnery will be a school that nurtures Mr. Gunn’s belief in character as the driving force in a life well-lived, and that character emerges through the intentional pursuit — in knowledge and practice — of what is good, right, true, sustainable, and beautiful. This central pursuit is both more urgent and more complicated today than it was in 1850. Mr. Gunn would have embraced fearlessly and lovingly the complexity of pursuing character development in a much more diverse setting

With best wishes,

Peter Becker Head of School

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emanation going out from the personality of every teacher which is one of the strong forces of nature. Silent as the force of gravity, more powerful than the will of man, this influence works like the unnoticed electricity of the atmosphere, and makes it certain that every teacher will actually teach that which he is.” Any of us whose life has been transformed through the conviction of a non-parent adult mentor who believed in us, sometimes despite the evidence, knows how enduring is this ephemeral but powerful truth. (And some of us have had to overcome the opposite, an adult who undermined our self-confidence.) Mr. Gunn knew that the key to unlocking the potential in each student was the student’s ability and willingness to trust their teacher. He called this the “confidence” between students and teachers.

To the end of active citizenship. The Gunnery will be a school that, despite growing cultural apathy, cynicism, consumerism and distraction, produces people who care deeply — who become wise, engaged, active citizens. Just as Mr. Gunn did not fall into a particular political mold but followed his conscience — a conscience he cultivated with humility — we will not borrow any party’s platform as our playbook. We will follow his model of helping students develop their own convictions and then give them the opportunity to live them out fearlessly, whether on a very local scale (on campus), or in their families, and, later, when they get to college and begin to develop broader spheres of influence. Clarence Deming, who graduated from The Gunnery in 1866 and went on to Yale and a career in journalism, wrote in “The Master of The Gunnery” that: “A school, in Mr. Gunn’s theory and largely in his practice, was a mimic republic … The scholars were to him embryo citizens, interested in the weal [well-being] of the school community, and each charged, as an individual, with the duty of conserving it.” We imagine a world filled with Gunnery alumni who share a sense of duty for conserving the common good, whether as a member of the PTA, a corporate employee, a member of the armed forces, an entrepreneur, a craftsman, or holding political office, and have developed skills and instincts for discharging that duty during their time as students here. As hopeful faculty invest in them, our students will understand themselves more accurately as humans and will understand their place in the ecosystems that surround them; they will be equipped to develop dynamic, robust character, such that they will enter the world understanding themselves as citizens in the mold of Frederick Gunn, prepared and freed to serve others in the interest of the common good. That is our goal for our students, our adults, and the broader Gunnery community, of which you are such an important part. The school’s future will be focused on integrating these five core commitments into every aspect of what we do. We look forward to sharing with you in the months and years to come what that looks like. It will feel, we believe, about as exciting as it must have for Mr. Gunn to have started his school in Washington in 1850.

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Educating Students for Character

This summer, the Edward E. Ford Foundation awarded a $100,000 matching grant to The Gunnery to establish a Center for Ethics, Leadership, and Civic Engagement. The new center will expand upon The Gunnery’s longstanding commitment to character education, which stems from the ideals of school founder Frederick Gunn, while building on the success of the LEADS Program, a four-year curriculum based on the mission of the school. LEADS, which stands for Leadership for Ethical Engagement, Active Citizenship and Dedicated Service, was first introduced at The Gunnery in 2010. The program impacts every student, from freshmen to seniors, offering lessons on how to develop greater self-awareness, how to engage in discussions on ethics and responsibility, how to improve one’s public speaking skills, and how to put responsible citizenship into action by completing an independent Senior Service Project. With the support of the grant, the school plans to integrate the LEADS curriculum into the day-to-day life of the school, by expanding upon existing opportunities for students to develop leadership skills and help them understand how they can put Mr. Gunn’s vision of engaged citizenship into action as they make their way into the world. The new center represents the culmination of efforts over the last several years to answer the larger questions of how we define character at The Gunnery, and how we teach character as a school in the 21st century. “There is a vital, dynamic, really interesting and exciting point of intersection between Mr. Gunn’s vision of education, emerging best practices in educating high school students, and what prospective families are looking for when it comes to choosing a school,” said Head of School Peter Becker, who has led the effort to define what Mr. Gunn’s vision looks like and means in 2019 and beyond.

As Becker said: “If we are going to live up to Mr. Gunn’s declaration that the purpose of education is character, what do we mean by that word, and how do we think students grow in it?”

Building on the Vision of Frederick Gunn In July 2018, the school’s senior leadership team sought to bring together Mr. Gunn’s own writing and the legacies and traditions of the school with contemporary research around moral development from Tufts and the University of Virginia. That work culminated in the development of a character statement, which outlines the school’s vision of character education in the 21st century. It states in part: “At The Gunnery, we see character not as a fixed set of traits, but as a process that spans one’s life; therefore, we believe that moral character development happens through the intentional pursuit — in knowledge and practice — of what is good, right, true, sustainable, and beautiful.”

The team that put together the vision for the new center,

successfully developed the grant application and is continuing to drive the project forward includes Becker, Seth Low, Associate Head of School, Emily Gum, Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning, Jess Matthews, Dean of Students, and Bart McMann, History Department Chair, who will serve as director of the center beginning in the 2020-21 academic year.

In June, McMann participated in the 2019 Summer

Institute of Civic Studies at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University, a week-long, immersive seminar that gave Ph.D. students and high school teachers alike access to the entire undergraduate-level, research-based introduction to civic studies course at Tufts, albeit in a condensed fashion. “The summer institute provided a great opportunity for me to

Becoming Engaged Citizens The first initiative under the new center involved students from McMann’s Honors U.S. Government and Politics class and members of the school’s Gray Party, who served as moderators and timekeepers at a candidates forum cosponsored by Washington’s Democratic Town Committee and Republican Town Committee at town hall in October. The forum featured two Democrats and two Republicans who were vying for the town’s top three leadership positions in the municipal elections on November 5. Students noticed the candidates appeared to have few differences on the issues despite their party affiliations. “They met local people who want to work together to ensure the

Washington community is a vibrant place for their family and friends,” McMann said. This level of discourse and civic engagement illustrated the reasons that Anthony Cochrane ’18, a Republican, and Mark Choi ’18, a Democrat, founded the school’s Gray Party. It was also the first time Gunnery students had observed a live political forum in which the candidates were not polarized on the issues or divided by stereotypes. Last month, McMann’s students began serving as campaign staff members for Democrat Michelle Gorra and Republican Jim Brinton, the candidates for First Selectman, who spoke to the class and answered questions. Students also helped to register voters on campus who were eligible to participate in the municipal election using some of the newest techniques to “get out the vote,” which McMann gleaned from experts he met at the summer institute at Tufts. Ultimately, the school hopes to cultivate in students a coherent moral commitment to the common good, so that when they graduate, they will become engaged citizens in their neighborhoods, towns, and in the world. As Becker explained it: “Character development, and moral character specifically, is the chief purpose of our school. If everything else fell away, that’s what we want to be measured by. But moral character in Mr. Gunn’s mind was not an end in itself. The purpose of developing character was to go out and put it to use in the world, whether that was in the immediate world around you, or more broadly. He wanted his alumni to be what we call ‘engaged citizens’ and this is what he modeled himself, even before he created the school.” n

About the Edward E. Ford Foundation Edward E. Ford was the son of A. Ward Ford, who founded and developed a manufacturing business in Binghamton, New York, that ultimately became a part of International Business Machine Corporation, or IBM. Educated at Mercersburg Academy and Princeton University, he served IBM in various capacities during his lifetime and was a member of IBM’s Board of Directors until his death in 1963. He established The Edward E. Ford Foundation with a relatively small gift in 1957, and three years later, infused it with additional resources to begin developing a program directed towards his major objective of improving the quality of education at independent secondary schools. All grants from the foundation have a required matching component of at least one-to-one. The grant received by The Gunnery requires a successful one-to-one match. To accomplish this goal, the school’s Alumni & Development Office must raise $100,000 in matching funds by July 31, 2020.

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learn more about the current scholarship on civic engagement as we begin planning this year for the launch of our new interdisciplinary center at The Gunnery,” said McMann, who is leading the task force charged with the redesign of the LEADS curriculum and its implementation. This process will include the creation of a new space on campus to host the center and foster creative social entrepreneurship. The new space will be modeled on state-ofthe-art coworking spaces in urban centers, such as Workbar in Boston and NeuHouse in New York. McMann hopes the new Gunnery workspace will serve as a hub for local community leaders to meet with students about their projects, and as a newsroom where students will learn news literacy and digital citizenship skills. “Character education is privileged above all at The Gunnery, across multiple channels, from the classroom to our athletic and co-curricular programs,” said Low. “We will be revamping our LEADS curriculum and those students who are elected to positions of leadership, such as team captains, residential advisors and prefects, will experience another layer of character development through their leadership training.” Alongside this, the matching grant will make possible new levels of professional development for faculty around the topics of ethics, leadership, and civic engagement, and more opportunities for faculty to become involved in shaping how character education happens. “Through this grant we hope to centralize character and active citizenship education, while preserving our mission as the driving force of all of the decisions that we make for the benefit of our students,” Gum said. “Character is a principle that pervades our programs. It’s the heart of what we do, day in and day out.”

FOREWARD

As the world has grown smaller with advances in technology, and we’ve been brought closer together by the click of a mouse, the question of where we come from – our genetic makeup, family tree, identity – has come more sharply into focus. The number of ads for genetic testing products from

companies such as 23andMe and Ancestry.com seems

his students to join the Union Army, ancestors from

to have multiplied exponentially, while programs such as

another branch in their family tree decided to serve —

“Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.” (which

controversially — with the Confederate Army. “So it’s a

began its sixth season on PBS last month) and “Who Do

very interesting story,” Bellinger said. “It’s a story about

You Think You Are?” (which is sponsored by Ancestry.com)

our country, about our families, and about The Gunnery.”

let us watch as celebrities search for their ancestors, and

We are grateful to Bellinger for sharing his story here.

discover that a great-great-someone was actually a Civil

“As I tell my students, there are names and dates.

Rights activist, a soldier in the Revolutionary War, or a

I’m going to not focus on the dates and you don’t have

bootlegger.

to either. The story is what’s most important,” he said

in presenting his findings to the Board along with three

“By the start of 2019, more than 26 million consumers

Another surprise: while Mr. Gunn was preparing

had added their DNA to four leading commercial

conclusions: “The first is that the history of the United

ancestry and health databases,” MIT Technology Review

States is more complicated than we imagine. Second, we

reported, estimating that if current trends continue, DNA

are interwoven with one another more than we recognize;

data will have been collected for 100 million Americans

and third, we have to really understand the depth of what

by early 2021. For many, the results offer far more than

we mean when we say that Frederick Gunn was

entertainment value. Looking at where we come from also

an abolitionist.”

connects us to the past — to our shared history.

– Jennifer Clement P’22, Bulletin Editor

Robert A. Bellinger, Ph.D. ’73,

a Gunnery Trustee and Associate Professor of History at Suffolk University in Boston, has been researching his genealogical history for the past several years. It has been a personal pursuit of a lifelong passion. A Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical

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Society and a member of the

African American Historical and Genealogical Society, Bellinger shared his research with fellow Trustees and the school’s senior leaders in January. The thing that most surprised him? He’s related to school founder Frederick Gunn!

Robert A. Bellinger, Ph.D. ’73

“A compleat description of the province of Carolina in 3 parts,” Edward Crisp, 1711, which lists “Bellenger” among the landowners CREDIT: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, GEOGRAPHY AND MAP DIVISION

By Robert A. Bellinger ’73

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What’s in a Name? 7

Kim Bellinger ’68, Robert Bellinger ’73, Alex Bellinger ’68 and his wife, Christina Bellinger, at Alumni Weekend in June 2018

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hat’s in a name? This question has been bouncing bore the same surname. He broke the silence by turning his head around in my head over the past several years, and calling someone over to join us. “I think I found one of our especially when thinking about the genealogical cousins,” he said, introducing me to his brother, Kim Bellinger history of my paternal family. My surname, Bellinger, is not a very ’68. The three of us spoke briefly about our shared surname, but common name, especially not in the Connecticut community none of us really knew much about our family histories or how that I grew up in. In fact, I had never met anyone outside of my we came to carry the same name. We were several years apart in immediate family who carried the same surname — that is, until age — Alex and Kim had graduated from The Gunnery five years one spring afternoon at The Gunnery in 1993. before me — but what left each of us still wondering was the fact Having returned to campus for my 20th reunion, I was that I am African American and they are not. drinking a nice cold beverage and In the ensuing years, I became more involved in researching genealogy and the enjoying the fresh air of Washington, spring before my 40th reunion, I began while I mingled with my fellow alumni We were several years apart to more closely examine our two family at a reception. Then I bumped into a in age — Alex and Kim had lines. I have since come to have a greater person standing behind me. Turning to graduated from The Gunnery understanding of the importance of this apologize, I found myself face to face five years before me — but what chance meeting that brought me together with a gentleman I did not know and, as with these two other Bellingers. As I have people do at such events, we both looked left each of us still wondering learned more about my family history, at each other’s name tags. I read his name was the fact that I am African I have come to see that wrapped up in — Alex Bellinger ’68 — as he read mine American and they are not. this name is a very interesting look at the — Robert Bellinger ’73. We were both history of the United States. surprised momentarily by the fact that we

The Bellinger name that I carry has its beginnings in England, where in the 14th century the name was changed from Bellingham to Bellinger. These renamed ancestors made their way in the 17th century to South Carolina, where they became successful planters. The first to arrive was Captain Edmund Bellinger, who was born in England in 1657 and reached South Carolina by 1674, settling on James Island. He was in the Royal Navy and commanded the ship “Blake.” By 1694 he began to receive small land grants and was made Attorney General for the Province. In April 1698 he was made Surveyor-General, and the following month he was made a landgrave and given a grant for 1,290 acres on the Stono River.1 (See map, page 7.) With the use of slave labor he was able to develop his land into several plantations on which he grew cotton, rice and other crops. He had married Elizabeth Cartwright (1662-1721) in England in 1680 and their two eldest children, Thomas and Margaret, were born there. In 1707, when he died, their third child, Edmund Bellinger II (1690-1739) succeeded him as landgrave.2 Edmund Bellinger II married Elizabeth Butler

(1697-1753). Among their children was Edmund Bellinger III (1719-1787), the third landgrave, who married Mary Lucia Bull (1723-1796), his first cousin. The first of their eight children was Edmund Bellinger IV (1743-1801), who became the fourth landgrave. He married Mary Cussings (died 1812), who was an inlaw, as her sister, Elizabeth, had married Edmund’s uncle, William Bellinger. Edmund IV and Mary’s son, Joseph Bellinger (1773-1883), became the fifth landgrave and, continuing the close family connections, married his first cousin Lucia Georgina Bellinger (died 1830). Their son, Edmund Cussings Bellinger (1795-1848), became the sixth landgrave. He had his favorite plantation on the Ashepoo River and sometimes had the name Ashepoo attached to his own name in records. This is where another transition in the Bellinger name took place.3 Edmund Cussings Bellinger fathered a child with an enslaved woman named Biniah. This child was given the name Richard Bellinger (1845-1916), and he was my great-great-grandfather. This is the beginning of my line of African American Bellingers. This name is thus firmly tied to the history of African America, with roots set deep in South Carolina. It is a name connected to both the enslaved and the enslaver.4

Robert Bellinger ’73 at the grave site of Edmund C. Bellinger, his great-great-great grandfather, in Colleton, South Carolina, this summer PHOTO: DON BUSSEY, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR THE MIDDLETON PLACE FOUNDATION IN CHARLESTON

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From England to South Carolina

Edmund Cussings Bellinger

A Different Journey

fathered a child with an enslaved

Germantown community of Columbia, New York, and then in Herkimer, woman named Biniah. This child The Bellingers I met on that spring New York where he lived with his wife, day in Connecticut, it turns out, have a was given the name Richard Elizabeth Harter (1764-1823).8 different historic journey. Their line had Bellinger (1845-1916), and he Subsequent generations in this line its beginnings in Germany before the included Frederick Peter Bellinger Sr. was my great-great-grandfather. 17th century. I have traced it back as far as (1792-1876), who married Mary Barbara Johannes Frederick Bellinger (1664-1725), Weaver (1798-1894);9 their son, Peter who was married to Anna Maria Margaret Frederick Bellinger (1817-1897), who married Mary Louise Kuhn (1662-1738). Both were born in Germany and lived there Sawyer and moved to Vermont;10 and Hiram Paulding Bellinger for a good portion of their lives. They came to America with their (1865-1930), who married Elizabeth Dwight Raymond (1868four children, Frederick, Phillip, Johan Peter and Adam, in 1710 1963). He moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where he became as part of the Palatine immigration and settled in upstate New a member of the faculty at Yale University.11 York.5

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Their second son, Phillip (1695-1788), married Elisabeth Catherine Baum, who had also been born in Germany.6 The eldest of their eight children was Frederick Peter Bellinger (1727-1781), who married Catherine Weber Weaver (1735-1834) and together they raised a family. Frederick Peter Bellinger also became a high-ranking officer in the 4th Tryon Co. Regiment and in 1777 he was held as a prisoner of war in Canada until 1778 when he was released.7 (See list below.) Frederick and Catherine’s third child was Peter F. Bellinger (1754-1815). He stayed in New York, settling first in the

An Old Connecticut Family Hiram and Elizabeth’s son, Alfred Raymond Bellinger (18931978), married a woman named Charlotte Blake Brinsmade (1893-1970), who hailed from an old Connecticut family that has roots extending to the very early days of the Connecticut colony.12 Charlotte Brinsmade was the daughter of John Chapin Brinsmade and Mary Gold Gunn, and the granddaughter of Abigail Irene Brinsmade13 and Frederick William Gunn, an abolitionist and founder of The Gunnery. The significance of this, of course, is that Alfred Raymond Bellinger married into a New England family that was associated with abolition, and Alex and Kim Bellinger, whom I encountered at The Gunnery on that spring evening, are the grandchildren of Alfred Raymond Bellinger, and great-great grandchildren of Frederick Gunn.14 Today, I reflect on that meeting in the spring of 1993 as an historic moment that brought together a Bellinger family from the south with a Bellinger family from the north; it brought together the legacy of slavery and the tradition of abolition, which challenged the institution of slavery. But historians are never satisfied and the research never stops. To understand the deeper significance of this meeting of two Bellinger families, I began to look closer at the genealogy of Frederick Gunn’s extended family.

As part of his research, Bellinger came across this list of American prisoners of war released from Montreal, Canada in 1778 by General Frederick Haldimand of the British Army. It includes Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Peter Bellinger, who led the fourth regiment of the Tryon County Militia in New York.7 The names were compiled by librarian and historian Lyman Draper. Although copied from a microfilm version, Reference Archivist Lee Grady is convinced the original is part of the Draper Collection of manuscripts housed at the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Jobamah Gunn (1637-1715) was Frederick Gunn’s great-great-greatgrandfather. Jobamah was married twice, first to Sarah Lane (16421689) on October 30, 1663, with whom he had seven children, and then, 20 years later, to Mary Bristol (1661-1719) on October 30, 1683. Alfred Raymond Bellinger Jobamah and Sarah’s second child, in a photo from The Samuel (1669-1749), was Frederick Gunnery archives Gunn’s great-great-grandfather. The first of three Samuels, he was known by the military title of Captain. This distinguished him from his son, Lieutenant Samuel Gunn (1701-1756), and his grandson, Samuel Gunn (1740-1782). The third Samuel, Frederick Gunn’s grandfather, and his wife Phoebe Northrup (b. 1735) were the parents of John Northrup Gunn (1772-1836). John and his wife Polly Ford (1773-1827) were the parents of Frederick Gunn (1816-1881).15

Grave of Alfred Raymond Bellinger and his wife, Charlotte, who are buried in Washington Cemetery, near Fred and Abigail Gunn CREDIT: JIM LAWSON

The Birth of an Abolitionist Frederick William Gunn was born in Washington, Connecticut, on October 4, 1816. He was born into what historian Lerone Bennett, Jr. referred to as the “Generation of Crisis.” Bennett called it this because it was the generation that came of age during the antebellum era, the period that led up to the Civil War. Bennett uses Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and Jefferson Davis as representatives of this generation and describes it as “a compound of many things, of machines and turnpikes and railroads and tracks; of sin, sex and salvation; of the restless yearnings of poor whites and the volcanic stirrings of poor blacks; of the fear, guilt and anxiety which lay like a slave chain across the American soul.” Frederick Gunn, who became an abolitionist and a supporter of equality of educational opportunity, was also part of this generation.16 Frederick Gunn did not adopt abolitionism lightly and did not wear this identity passively. “I am an abolitionist among a slaveholding community,” he said.17 He was a man who was true to his beliefs, even when it ran against the grain of those around him. “If I were dumb when humanity wants my voice,” he said, “If I were to suppress my convictions and fetter my soul for the sake of retaining their friendship, I should never dare look at my own soul in the face again.”18 His conviction is also reflected in the meetings that he frequently held in his room. In those meetings he discussed ways to help fugitives from slavery avoid being captured by their pursuers and how to assist the fugitives in getting to freedom in Canada.19 As an educator, Gunn also believed in providing equal access

When faced with the question of accepting black

Fred and Abigail Gunn having tea on their porch, from The Gunnery archives; Former School Archivist Paula Krimsky believes this picture was taken at The Abbey, a few years prior to Mr. Gunn’s death in 1881.

Pennsylvania, prior to establishing The Gunnery, he replied, “I am no critic of skins.”

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students into the school he ran in Towanda,

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Together we represent two

different Bellinger families, with to learning. When faced with the question From the early years of the 18th century to the early years of the 19th of accepting black students into the school different historical trajectories; century there were several unions he ran in Towanda, Pennsylvania, prior to two Bellinger family lines that between the Gunn and Northrup establishing The Gunnery, he replied, “I each have a familial link to families. Frederick Gunn’s great-greatam no critic of skins.” He further reported grandfather’s younger half-sister Mary that he responded by saying, “I teach all Frederick Gunn. Gunn, her younger brother Joseph Gunn, who come to receive my instructions, and and his great-grandfather’s younger sister who conduct themselves in such a manner Sarah Gunn, and his grandfather Samuel as to promote the ends of the institution; all married Northrups. Amos Bird Northrup (1784-1812), the that I never can or will give way to this inhuman and infernal great-grandson of Mary Gunn and Amos Northrup (b. 1689), as prejudice.”20 He took this position while realizing it may cause white parents to take their children out of the school and could well as Frederick Gunn’s fourth cousin, attended Yale Law School result in him being removed as schoolmaster. and graduated in 1804. While at Yale, he became friends with a In April 1848, Frederick Gunn married Abigail Irene classmate, John C. Calhoun, and this may have influenced him Brinsmade (1820-1908) who, as his spouse, was the mistress of to move to South Carolina after graduation. Northrup began to The Gunnery and is said to have practice law in Charleston and was been as influential on students as her nominated to the South Carolina husband. Their daughter Mary Gold House of Representatives.23 About 1809, he married Claudia Margaret Gunn (b. 1853) also married into Bellinger (1787-1853), a young woman the Brinsmade family. She and her from a prominent South Carolina husband, John Chapin Brinsmade family.24 However, he died of malaria (b. 1852), had a daughter, Charlotte before he could take his seat in the Blake Brinsmade, (Frederick Gunn’s House. granddaughter), who married Alfred Claudia Margaret Bellinger’s Raymond Bellinger, the grandfather of 21 parents were John Bellinger (1745Alex and Kim Bellinger. 1809) and Rebecca D’Oyley (1761Back to South Carolina 1823). Her paternal grandfather was Edmund Bellinger III (1719-1787), As mentioned earlier, Frederick who you may recall from the beginning Gunn’s great-great-great-grandfather of my story, was the third landgrave. Jobamah Gunn married a second time This made her a member of one of the in 1783 to Mary Bristol (1661-1719) leading families of South Carolina. and together they had three children: You may further recall that Edmund Mary (1691-1770), Joseph (1693) and Bellinger III had a son named Edmund Abigail (1698). It is the eldest two Bellinger IV (1743-1801), who was children who are the most pertinent the fourth landgrave. This made to this family history. Mary Gunn, the Edmund Bellinger IV the uncle of eldest child, married Amos Northrup Claudia Margaret Bellinger. Edmund (1689-1726) of whom more will be Bellinger IV had a son named Joseph mentioned later. Mary’s brother, (1773-1883), who was first cousin to Joseph, married Amos Northrup’s Claudia Margaret Bellinger. In his younger sister Margaret (b. 1702), second marriage, Joseph Bellinger wed and Amos and Margaret’s first cousin, his cousin Lucia Georgina Bellinger. Ephraim Northrup (1695/96-1787) Grave of Claudia Margaret Bellinger Northrup, who They had a son named Edmund married Sarah Gunn (1704/05-1730), descended from “one of the landgraves of South Cussings Bellinger (1795-1848), who the niece of Mary and Joseph, and the Carolina,” in Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church Cemetery, was Claudia Margaret Bellinger’s daughter of Frederick Gunn’s greatCharleston, South Carolina 22 first cousin, once removed. Edmund great-grandfather Samuel Gunn. PHOTO CREDIT: MICHAEL BELL

Cussings Bellinger fathered a son with Biniah, an enslaved woman. This son was named Richard Bellinger (1845-1916) and he is my great-great-grandfather.25 He is also a first cousin, twice removed to Claudia Margaret Bellinger, the wife of Amos Bird Northrup, who is the fourth cousin of Frederick William Gunn. Amos Bird Northrup and Claudia Margaret Bellinger had a son, Lucius Bellinger Northrup (1811-1894), a cousin and contemporary of Frederick Gunn, who served as a Commissary General of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. So while Alex and Kim Bellinger are directly related to Frederick William

Gunn through the Gunn/Brinsmade line, my familial relationship to Frederick William Gunn is more convoluted and less direct through the Northrup line. Together we represent two different Bellinger families with different historical trajectories, two Bellinger family lines that each have a familial link to Frederick Gunn. Would I have made these discoveries had Alex Bellinger and I not bumped into each other at The Gunnery and looked at each other’s name tags? I’m not sure. But I do know that when Alex and I met, he was correct when he said to his brother Kim, “I think I found one of our cousins.” n

1. Landgrave was a title of nobility used in the Carolina colonies and usually accompanied large land grants. A landgrave was entitled to four baronies of 12,000 acres each. Some South Carolina Families, vol. 1, compiled by Joseph L. Rivers, 2005, 15-23.

12. 1930; Census Place: New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0096; FHL microfilm: 2340013, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2002; Number: 045-09-6301; Issue State: Connecticut; Issue Date: Before 1951, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2014; The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) for the State of Connecticut; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975; Record Group Number: 147; Series Number: M1962, Ancestry. com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010; Find A Grave.com

3. Landgrave Bellinger Family by Dorothy Kelly MacDowell, South Carolina Magazine, MayJune 1977, p. 24-26; Some South Carolina Families, vol. 1, compiled by Joseph L. Rivers, 2005, 15-23; Bellinger family of South Carolina, family of Edmund Cussings Bellinger, bellingerofsc.tribalpages.com 4. Richard Bellinger State of South Carolina Death Certificate, September 29, 1916; Richard Huger Bellinger State of South Carolina Death Certificate, January 23, 1925; Robert A. Bellinger Ancestry DNA Circle match with Edmund Cussings Ashepas Bellinger. 5. Descendants of Johannes Bellinger, Working file of Mary Lou Cook, updated 6 October 2013: http://collectornuts.com/bellinger.pdf; Early Families of Herkimer County, New York: Descendants of the Burnetsfield Palatines, By William V. H. Barker, Reprinted for Clearfield Company, Inc. by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, Maryland. 1999, 2001 (Bellinger, pages 22-31); Wikitree.com/wiki/Bellinger-144 6. Ibid 7. Lineage Book of the Charter Members of the DAR Vol 014, Ancestry.com. North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016; American Prisoners Released From Canada, 1778: Ancestry.com 8. Holland Society of New York; New York, New York; Germantown NY, Book 81, Ancestry. com. U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014; US, Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989: Ancestry.com; Year: 1790; Census Place: Herkimer, Montgomery, New York; Series: M637; Roll: 6; Page: 60; Image: 44; Family History Library Film: 0568146, Ancestry.com. 1790 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch; Find A Grave.com 9. 1850; Census Place: Herkimer, Herkimer, New York; Roll: M432_513; Page: 22B; Image: 293; Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch; Find A Grave. com. 10. Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry. com Operations, Inc., 2014; 1880; Census Place: Elizabeth, Union, New Jersey; Roll: 800; Page: 236A; Enumeration District: 173; Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2010. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ©1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. All use is subject to the limited use license and other terms and conditions applicable to this site; Find A Grave.com 11. 1900; Census Place: Syracuse Ward 9, Onondaga, New York; Page: 12; Enumeration District: 0114; FHL microfilm: 1241137, Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2004. Original data: United States of America; 1910; Census Place: Syracuse Ward 9, Onondaga, New York; Roll: T624_1056; Page: 16B; Enumeration District: 0136; FHL microfilm: 1375069, Ancestry. com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry. com Operations Inc., 2006; 1920; Census Place: Syracuse Ward 9, Onondaga, New York; Roll: T625_1248; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 153, Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch; New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1905; Election District: E.D. 02; City: Syracuse Ward 09; County: Onondaga; Page: 5, Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1905 [database online]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

13. Abigail Irene Brinsmade was the sister of William B. Brinsmade, the father of John Chapin Brinsmade. This means that John Chapin Brinsmade and his wife Mary Gold Gunn were first cousins, since her mother and his father were siblings. 14. A Sedgwick Genealogy: Descendants of Deacon Benjamin Sedgwick 15. The Gunn family genealogy is from: Geneanet.org; GENI.com; “Full Text of the NorthrupNorthrop Genealogy: a record of the known descendants of Joseph Northrup, who came from England in 1637, and was one of the original settlers of Milford, Conn., in 1639; with lists of Northrups and Northrops in the Revolution,” archive.org; Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut, volume 2, part 1, by William Richard Cutter, Edward Henry Clement, Samuel Hart, Mary Kingsbury Talcott, Frederick Bostwick, Ezra S. Stearn; 16. Lerone Bennett, Jr., Before the Mayflower, Penguin Books, 1984, 142. 17. Adam Korpalski, The Gunnery 1850-1975, A Documentary History of Private Education in America, 1. 18. William Hamilton Gibson, The Master of The Gunnery, 2014, 48. 19. William Hamilton Gibson, The Master of The Gunnery, 2014, 34-36. 20. William Hamilton Gibson, The Master of The Gunnery, 2014, 165. 21. Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut, volume 2, part 1, by William Richard Cutter, Edward Henry Clement, Samuel Hart, Mary Kingsbury Talcott, Frederick Bostwick, Ezra S. Stearn; The Connecticut Quarterly; 22. The Gunn family genealogy is from: Geneanet.org; GENI.com; “Full Text of the NorthrupNorthrop Genealogy: a record of the known descendants of Joseph Northrup, who came from England in 1637, and was one of the original settlers of Milford, Conn., in 1639; with lists of Northrups and Northrops in the Revolution,” Archive.org; Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut, volume 2, part 1, by William Richard Cutter, Edward Henry Clement, Samuel Hart, Mary Kingsbury Talcott, Frederick Bostwick, Ezra S. Stearn; 23. The information about John C. Calhoun is from: Eugene M. Wait, Opening of the Civil War, New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. 1999, p 120. Information on Amos Bird Northrup is from Confederate Commissary General, by Jerrold Northrup Moore, White Mane Publishing Co., 1996. 24. All of the genealogical information about the Northrup family is from: “Full Text of the Northrup-Northrop Genealogy: a record of the known descendants of Joseph Northrup, who came from England in 1637, and was one of the original settlers of Milford, Conn., in 1639; with lists of Northrups and Northrops in the Revolution,” Archive.org 25. The information on the Bellinger family genealogy is from: Bellinger family of South Carolina, family of Edmund Cussings Bellinger, bellingerofsc.tribalpages.com. The information on the relationship of Edmund Cussings Bellinger, Biniah and Richard Bellinger is from: Richard Bellinger State of South Carolina Death Certificate, September 29, 1916; Richard Huger Bellinger State of South Carolina Death Certificate, January 23, 1925; Robert A. Bellinger Ancestry DNA Circle match with Edmund Cussings Ashepas Bellinger.

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2. Edmund Bellinger II was said to have had a twin sister, Elizabeth (1690-March 8, 1765). Some South Carolina Families, compiled by Joseph L. Rivers 2005, 15-23.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

A Look Back at the School Newspaper Last spring Maddie Aitken ’19, Editor-in-Chief of The Highlander, led a successful effort to publish the first online edition of the student newspaper, while Managing Editor Rain Ji ’19 presented her Gunn Scholar project on the newspaper from 1935 to 2018. Intrigued, we looked into the Paula and George Krimsky ’60 Archives to learn more.

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Below: The first edition of The Stray Shot was published in March 1884. “One alumna, Mary Gunn Brinsmade [Class of 1905], Mr. Gunn’s daughter, wrote ‘I wish to mention my grateful appreciation of The Gunnery News. I enjoy it and it helps to keep me in touch with Gunnery life,’” Gunn Scholar Rain Ji ‘19 reported.

Above, inset: The Gunnery News had many homes, said Ed Small, the Anne S. and Ogden D. Miller Senior Master, who remembered it being based in McCutcheon Lounge, in an art room, his classroom (B1) and Bache. Its home in the 1940s and ’50s was The Gunnery News shack (above), a former fraternity house (Delta Beta), and Elizabeth Kempton’s classroom. Known as Kempton today, the building is a replica of the original, which burned in 1986.

At right: Frederick Gunn was listed as a contributor to The Journal of Science Hill, a newspaper for Towanda Academy.

Above: In the first edition of The Gunnery News, published on October 5,1935. founding editor Cornelius Dutcher ’37 encouraged reader contributions, writing: “Criticism is one of the easiest things in the world to give, and for us, the more the merrier.”

The staff of The Gunnery News at work in the 1940s

Timothy Tredwell ’52, Photographic Editor of The Gunnery News, with his camera

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The editorial staff of The Gunnery News in 1936

hile in exile from Washington, Frederick Gunn was involved in the publication of a newspaper at Towanda Academy in 1848. “He always had a newspaper at his schools,” said Paula Krimsky, former School Archivist and Associate Director of Marketing & Communications. “The Judea Nightingale was the first paper when The Gunnery opened. Also, Mr. Gunn published The Waramaug Roarer when he was at Gould Whittlesey’s school in New Preston in 1845.” Clarence Deming of the Class of 1866 noted in “The Master of The Gunnery” that an awareness of local news was integral to Mr. Gunn’s lessons on citizenship: “Every afternoon toward the close of the school session, when the lumbering stage-coach brought the daily newspaper, the sheet was read for half an hour to the boys, with a running fire of crisp comments, each conveying some earnest hint as to public duty.” (MOG, page 72) In 1884, The Stray Shot made its debut as a monthly publication. It functioned as a school newspaper, literary journal, alumni bulletin for the “old boys,” and for a time as the town’s newspaper. In 1935, the first edition of The Gunnery News was published. Viewed as a bit of a competitor, it was similarly intended for students, faculty and alumni. In the 1960s, the editorial staff chronicled major political issues and interviewed local literary and artistic giants such as Arthur Miller, William Styron, William F. Buckley, Jr., and Harrison Salisbury, who in 1969 discussed “Vietnam, President Nixon and the Russo-Chinese dispute.” The same year, Curtis Roberts ’71 and Roger Netzer ’71 interviewed Andy Cornelius Dutcher’s senior Warhol. “I remember looking up the phone yearbook page said: “His outstanding achievement number for Andy Warhol Films on Union was The News which he Square in the New York City phone book. created and has burned We just went ahead and called, armed with midnight oil editing for the last two years.” the confidence that teenagers can have,” Roberts recalled in the book, “I’ll Be Your Mirror, The Selected Andy Warhol Interviews.” In 2004, The News adopted a new name, The Highlander, without fanfare from the editors, James Walsh ’04 and Jess Abate ’05. “As best I can remember, I think we felt it was time for a change and ‘The Gunnery News’ sounded like a boring school newsletter,” wrote Walsh, who is now on the editorial staff of New York magazine. Mark Choi ’18 redesigned the format of The Highlander to engage more students. The online edition was introduced in 2019 with the hope that “The Highlander will continue to be a platform for anyone at The Gunnery to make their voice heard,” Aiken said. Find it at Gunneryhighlander.com. n

Commencement

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On May 26, The Gunnery celebrated its 169th Commencement, graduating 84 students in a ceremony that was notable for its abundant sunshine, joy, gratitude, and a true sense of community inspired by the legacy and spirit of Frederick W. Gunn.

THE CLASS OF 2019 Saara Suvi Kristiina Aaltonen Madeleine Corhan Aitken William Bailey Clarke Alling Graney Chase Mitchell Amador Anthony Andrew Annicelli Julian Varlay Aviles Lois Altstein Bachman Asa Sebastian Ethan Baker Barbora Barancikova Anne Fairfax Beatty Mason Joseph Beecher Elijah Louis Berano Lucas Gardiner Boyden Conor O’Brien Bradley Riley Thomas Brennan Katrina Marie Broccoli Lauren Michelle Burkhart Taryn Nicole Carey Wyatt Michael Cicarelli Alexander Joseph Coady Garrett Lindberg Coe

John Cleveland Coleman, Jr. Philip Hutchinson Collins Gavin Connors Aiden Charles Cooke John Granville Crabtree Isabelle Mary Crocco Robert Patterson Cronin Sinawe Vulindlela Cuba Jake Anthony Di Girolamo Caleb Warren Hooper Dorf Elijah Harris Heidelberg Dorf Chen “Jean” Fang Marissa Alyse Fiori Duke S. Fishman Madison Kathleen Gleason Andrew John Hyland Nikolas Isaiah Ioannou Yuchen “Rain” Ji Case Walker Kantgias Michael John Kassis Caroline Luise Kröll

J. Matthew Derek Lee John McCormack Leonard Chia-Ying “Nina” Lin Yongjun “Joey” Lin Sichen “Phil” Liu Julian Harris Lopez Allison Lee Madow Julian Perry Marlowe Lindsey Caroline McDonald John-Paul Takiguchi Mella Sommer Eliza Miller Sage Ryan Mines Paige Arden Moffat Cody Allen Moore Katherine Robin Nemergut Amelie Roberta Neubert Alexandra Nicole Noeding Stephen Thomas Oswald Tucker Lindell Paron Tuomas Tapio Pelamo Riley Curtis Pengue

Katheryn Mary Pettibone Panop Phongpetra Will Calder Prentice Ethan Daniel Privman Jared Francis Rainville Cristian Rafael Rodriguez Hannah Francesca Rossi Sharon Christa Rowland Cody Justin Sipher Robert Latham Taylor III Jiawen “Jasmine” Tian Ryan Peter Trom Sofia Reina Trotta Timothy Tyler Tscheppe Layla Veronica Walcott Laura Cecelia Wells Erik Anders Alfred Widenborg Chenyu “Charles” Yu Talia Nicole Zabit Amaan Zafar Haoran “Tony” Zhang

project on you, or the fact that nobody else like you has previously accomplished what you have in mind; Let that be your driver, not your barrier.” WANJI WALCOTT P’19, VICE CHAIR, GUNNERY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

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“Dream big and let nothing hold you back, not even your own self-doubt, or the doubts others may

PRIZE NIGHT

Awards for academic excellence and other honors were presented May 25 during the annual Prize Night ceremony. On these pages are just a few of the recipients. Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees.

The Teddy Awards, given in memory of Edward “Teddy” Bright Ebersol, beloved member of the Class of 2008, who died tragically in 2004, were presented to Hudson Brown ’22 and Leah Coley ’22 by Ryan Cotter, then-Director of the Freshman Program, along with Teddy Award recipients from previous years (left to right): Jean Fang ’19, Acadia Johnson ’21, Josh Novick ’21, Gianna Russilo ’20 and Jimmy Rayhill ’20.

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Paige Moffat ’19 accepted the Excellence in Mandarin Award from Mandarin teacher Tanya Nongera.

History Department Chair Bart McMann presented the Fenning Prize for Excellence in Debate to Duke Fishman ’19.

Becca Leclerc and Ryan Cotter, then-Co-chairs of the LEADS program, presented the Percy B. Wightman Prize to Julian Aviles ’19.

Head Prefect Maddie Aitken ’19 presented the Freshman of the Year Award to Edward Rayhill ’22.

The Vreeland Rogers Athletic Awards, established by Gerrit Vreeland ’61 and Andrew Y Rogers, Jr. ’61, were presented by Mike Marich P’23 to Nikolas Ioannou ’19 and Laura Wells ’19.

Elizabeth Dayton ’08, Director of Dramatic Arts, presented the Robert Mortell Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts to Katherine Nemergut ’19.

Visual Arts Chair Andrew Richards P’20 ’23 presented the Excellence in Art Award, established in memory of devoted art teacher Elizabeth Kempton, to Jean Fang ’19.

Kevin Clemente of the Math Department faculty presented the Sophomore Mathematics Department Award to Astrid von Seufert ’21.

Science Department Chair Morgen Fisher ’03 presented the Russell Sturgis Bartlett Memorial Prize for Excellence in Science to John Feng ’20.

Dean of Students Jess Matthews, Ph.D., presented the Dean’s Prize to Katrina Broccoli ’19.

Karoline Theobald P’09 ’14 of the English Department faculty presented the School Poetry Prize to Michael Kassis ’19.

Bentley University Boston University Catholic University of America Clark University Clemson University College of the Holy Cross Concordia University - Montreal Connecticut College Cornell University DePaul University Dickinson College Elon University Emmanuel College Florida State University Georgia State University Gettysburg College High Point University Hobart and William Smith Colleges Ithaca College James Madison University Kenyon College King’s College Marquette University Middlebury College Nichols College Northeastern University Ohio State University Pace University, New York City Providence College Regent’s University London Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rochester Institute of Technology Skidmore College Smith College Southern Connecticut State University St. Lawrence University St. Olaf College The New School, New York City Trinity College Tufts University University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Santa Barbara University of Colorado at Boulder University of Connecticut University of Glasgow University of Lynchburg University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of New Haven University of Vermont University of Virginia Western Connecticut State University Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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Class of 2019 Matriculation

An Amazing View

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Arts and Community Center Transforms Campus

Through the fall term, work in and around the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center was happening at a rapid pace, bringing about daily transformations as the project moved closer to completion. “So much is happening on the project,” said Michel Williams, The Gunnery’s Project Manager and Director of Safety and Security. “All around the building there are changes to what was, transforming these areas into what will be. We continue to make progress towards finishing this amazing building and the grounds that will surround it.” By the time students arrived for the start of the fall term, a new green space called the Glade (opposite, top left) had replaced the former parking lot outside Solley Dining Hall and all exterior scaffolding had been removed from the new building (above), creating a much different view of campus. The finishing touches were being put on new pedestrian walkways outside the new building and around the Glade, while work was completed on new granite steps leading from the Glade to a cedar pavilion (opposite, center) that will provide an entry point from the new parking lot next to the Gatehouse. A four-foot section of the perimeter stone wall, original to the Bourne estate, was removed over the summer to widen the Gatehouse entrance and permit two-way traffic. “The mason doing this work was so meticulous, the result appears to be the original stonework,” Williams noted.

Students, parents, faculty and visitors spent the first few weeks adjusting to new traffic patterns, which are designed to reduce vehicular traffic through the center of campus. The main gate on Kirby Road is for visitors only. Day students are now picked up and dropped off from the Gatehouse parking area and all other traffic is one way, entering from Route 47, behind Gunn Dormitory, and exiting by the Gatehouse onto Kirby Road. “We do think that after a brief adjustment period, it will feel normal

Alumni, parents and friends are invited to support the arts and education at The Gunnery by naming one of the seats in the Arts and Community Center for $1,000. In recognition of your gift, a plaque with your name or the name of the person you wish to honor or memorialize will be affixed to a chair in the Tisch Family Auditorium. For more information, visit bit.ly/ PullUpASeatInTheACC

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to all of us and that the community will be well served by the change,” said Associate Head of School Seth Low. Meanwhile, interior spaces in the new building were being painted and prepared for finishes, setting the stage for the classes, art shows and events that will take place as early as this spring. Elizabeth Dayton ’08, Director of Dramatic Arts, announced the first theatrical production in the Tisch Family Auditorium will be the spring musical, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” presented by The Gunnery Drama Society. In the auditorium, the sound system and wiring for the stage and theater lights were installed along with the sound and light mezzanine, a sound-proof booth that will give those inside a great view of the performance or production. “This is such an awesome space,” Williams observed, pointing out the two stairways patrons will soon use to take their seats, and the framing for the rows closest to the stage. Later this fall, the theater’s cherry wood paneling will be installed. The ceramics studio, photography studio, and scene shop, which will allow set work to be completed close to the stage, were painted and cabinets installed. The darkroom equipment had arrived. In the art gallery, a suspended lighting grid (top right) was being installed to support spotlights for the artwork that will be displayed in the space. In the academic hall, the accent rings of the circular skylights were installed and painted. Just outside the main entrance, a new patio was taking shape and Williams noted the stone walls, which will provide comfortable seating for students as soon as this spring. “We are getting close to the finish line,” he said. n

THE ARTS

Awards Presented at Emerging Artists Expo Two Gunnery students were honored for their accomplishments in the visual arts this spring at the 6th annual Emerging Artists High School Expo, a juried exhibition featuring original work by regional high school students. Talia Zabit ’19 received the award for Mixed Media and Jihoon An ’20 received the award for Photography. They were among 13 Gunnery students whose work was selected this year, including Ally Gerry ’21, Catie Stammen ’20, Anne Beatty ’19, Aubrey Barnes ’22, Jihoon An ’20 Daniel Wang ’20, Izzie DiGiarcomo ’20, Jasmine Tian ’19, Jean Fang ’19, Julian Lopez ’19, Linda Fan ’21, and Sophia Novoa ’20. The exhibit was held at Hunt Hill Farm in New Milford, and featured drawings, paintings, photographs, videos, mixed media and clay/ceramic pieces submitted by more than 50 student-artists from area high schools.

Call for Alumni Artists In anticipation of the opening of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center, Visual Arts Chair Andrew Richards P’20 ’23 is calling for alumni-contributed art, whether created by you or from your collection, to display in the new gallery. “I have been working here at The Gunnery for almost 15 years and in that time I have seen a number of incredible artists working in the art studio,” Richards said. “Now we want to see what you have been up to in college and beyond.” Email richardsa@gunnery.org. Left,“Dolphins” by Jean Fang ’19, one of the former student and faculty artists featured in a fall show in the Tisch Family Library

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Drama Society Wins Three Halo Awards

The Gunnery Drama Society won three 2019 Halo Awards, including the award for Best Classical Play, for its production of “You Can’t Take It With You” by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman. Students also brought home the awards for Best Special Effects and Best Comedic Male Performance for “You Can’t Take It With You,” which was presented last November in the Lemcke Theater of the Emerson Performing Arts Center. In addition, cast members Isabel Martin ’20, Joyce McFarland ’20, Max Farrar ’21, Emma Smith ’22, Drew Sutherland ’21, and Yolanda Wang ’21 performed “Join the Family Business” from the school’s winter musical, “Young Frankenstein,” on stage at

the Halo Awards ceremony, held May 28 at the Palace Theater in Waterbury. The dance number featured original choreography by McFarland. In all, The Gunnery Drama Society garnered a total of 14 nominations for its fall play and winter musical. It was the highest number of nominations the school has received in recent years. Presented by Seven Angels Theater, the Halo Awards celebrate the best in Connecticut High School theater, attracting an audience of more than 5,000 theatrical students and faculty from more than 60 independent and public high schools in the region.

This fall, The Gunnery welcomed Ron Castonguay, an innovative to build on the arts program and the new center is kind of like a music educator and accomplished musician, composer, conductor ‘Field of Dreams.’ I’m excited to see what that brings not only to and performer, as Director of the Arts. Castonguay is responsible The Gunnery but to the community and beyond,” he said. “As a school, we have been working collaboratively to for the leadership and development of the school’s Visual and develop a new, comprehensive vision for arts and community at Performing Arts programs and will champion the growth and The Gunnery,” said Emily Gum, Assistant Head of School for integration of the arts and community with the opening of the Teaching and Learning. “As Director of the Arts, Ron will ensure Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center in January. Since arriving in Washington this summer from Miami, that future development of the arts at the school is integrated along with his wife, Melissa, and their two daughters, Siena, 10, with this vision such that the program continues to grow in and Summer, 7, Castonguay has taken on his new role with great both intentionality and quality. With our new resources, we also enthusiasm. He is teaching Jazz Ensemble, Vocal Ensemble, and recognize the potential to expand our arts curriculum and our the school’s first-ever String Ensemble, and helping to prepare the institutional partnerships for the benefit of the community. Ron’s Arts and Community Center for the opening events planned in leadership will be vital to the success of this process as we usher in January and May. He is also managing concerts, recitals, private a new era for the arts at our school.” For 23 years, Castonguay served as Department Chair for music instruction and adjunct faculty, and serves as a member of the Performing Arts and Music Director for grades 9 through the administrative team, the Curriculum Committee, and as a 12 at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami, Florida, a costudent advisor. Beginning this winter, Castonguay will be responsible educational, private, college preparatory day school with an for the scheduling and use of the new Arts enrollment of more than 2,200 students and Community Center, both during the in PreK-3 through grade 12 and facilities academic year and in the summer months, that span four campuses. Castonguay “The program is already through partnerships between the school, the taught AP Music Theory, Jazz Theory and strong but I can’t wait to build community and local arts organizations. Improvisation, as well as standard level on the arts program and the Castonguay said he was impressed to and higher level music in the International new center is kind of like a learn that the school’s vision is to align the Baccalaureate (IB) program. He created arts with the mission established by Frederick and directed the school’s String Ensemble ‘Field of Dreams.’” Gunn in 1850, and make it relevant for today. and Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, “The program is already strong but I can’t wait Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo and Vocal Ensemble. His ensembles performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and other notable venues, and consistently earned top marks at district, state and national music festivals. Castonguay holds a bachelor’s degree in music theory and composition from the University of Miami (Florida) and has maintained his state certification in music education for kindergarten through grade 12 since 2004. In addition to his music education career, Castonguay is a professional saxophonist, experienced conductor and published composer. He conducted the professional run (52 shows) of “Into the Woods” at the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center in Miami in 2015, starring Tituss Burgess, Arielle Jacobs and J.J. Caruncho. n Ron Castonguay, Director of the Arts, inside the Tisch Family Auditorium in September

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Ushering in a New Era for the Arts at The Gunnery

CAMPUS LIFE

New Faces on Campus

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

In addition to a new Director of the Arts, The Gunnery is pleased to welcome the following new faculty:

MaryAnn Haverstock is leading the school’s robust STEM curriculum as Director of the IDEAS Lab. Haverstock brings to her students more than two decades of engineering experience combined with her work in academia at the high school and college levels. A Connecticut native, Haverstock holds a bachelor’s in engineering from Trinity College, a master’s in environmental engineering from the University of New Haven, and an MBA in management and finance from the University of Connecticut. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in science MaryAnn Haverstock education at Syracuse University, where she also served for a year as the Senior Academic Learning Specialist in the Center for Learning and Student Success. A former environmental engineer and supervising environmental analyst at the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Haverstock served as an adjunct instructor in environmental science and algebra at Northwestern Connecticut Community Technical College, where she was also an assistant coordinator and a master tutor in math, computer and environmental science skills in the Academic Skills Center. Since 1998, she has been an Christopher McKhann adjunct professor at the University of Hartford, where she designed a graduatelevel course in civil engineering. She served for five years as Director of Sustainability at South Kent School, where she developed a STEM curriculum and designed and implemented an engineering program focused on watershed management and sustainable design. In addition to managing and developing the IDEAS Lab and teaching IDEAS courses, she is co-teaching Mind + Body, a new co-curricular offering that combines yoga and fitness. A certified Vinyasa yoga instructor, Haverstock lives in Bethany, Connecticut, with her son, Michael.

Christopher McKhann has joined the History Department faculty as a teacher of world history and the sophomore and junior-level LEADS courses, Ethics & Responsibility and Public Speaking, respectively. A USSA-certified alpine coach with more than 20 years of experience, McKhann will also serve as head coach of the varsity ski team this winter and is co-teaching the fitness portion of the Mind + Body co-curricular. McKhann comes to The Gunnery from Middlebury College in Cornwall, Vermont, where he worked as a performance coach. He designed and implemented training programs for Middlebury’s Division I alpine and nordic ski teams, national champion field hockey team and men’s track team, and worked with the men’s and women’s tennis, crew and Division III lacrosse teams. He previously served as Dean of Students at Wasach Academy, an independent coeducational boarding school for students in grades 8-12 in Mount Pleasant, Utah, where he taught philosophy, psychology, ethics and world religion, and served as the head ski coach, strength coach and soccer coach. Prior to that, he was director of experiential education at The Morgan School in Clinton, Connecticut. He was also a head coach at Middlebury Ski Club in Vermont and head alpine ski coach at Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont. A graduate of Berkshire School, where he was Head Prefect and editor of the school newspaper, McKhann studied philosophy as a Division I varsity athlete at Harvard. He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in philosophy from the University of North Carolina, Asheville. He has worked in investment trading as Director of iVol Trading (now NeuroCrux) and founded SledRx to provide sled training to high school and college athletes. He lives on campus with his wife, Lisa, and their daughter, Ella ’21, and son, Gavin. n

Introducing the 2019-20 Gunn Scholars

2019-20 Gunn Scholars — Andrew Byrne-King ’20, Alex Zhang ’20, Erica Zhang ’20, Bonnie Bao ’20 and Gwendolyn Brown ’20 with School Archivist and Gunn Scholar Coordinator Misa Giroux at Prize Night

community. I wanted to research the roots of that, how Frederick Gunn instilled that and allowed it to blossom, and how it has endured,” he said. Alex Zhang ’20, who performed in the 2018 fall play, “You Can’t Take It With You” and 2019 winter musical, “Young Frankenstein,” is looking into the history of musical theater at the school, including how The Gunnery Drama Society has changed over time and the influence of coeducation on the theater program. Gwendolyn Brown ’20 will be looking at technology, from the first computers that were introduced on campus to how technology has changed academics and social life on campus over time. Erica Zhang ’20 will study the development and changes in The Gunnery’s curriculum, and unique academic offerings such as the LEADS program, IDEAS Lab and entrepreneurship seminar. Bonnie Bao ’20 will examine The Gunnery’s place in nature along with how The Gunnery is preserving the tradition

of sustainability and contributing to the local community. “I’ll start off by discussing how Mr. Gunn, influenced by Emerson’s belief, balanced The Gunnery among nature, social responsibility and historical activities. There are a few events I want to highlight, such as the flooding in the 1950s.” Alumni who would like to contribute to this year’s research projects may email the program at gunnscholar@gunnery.org. n

Save the Date This year’s Gunn Scholars and invited guests will present their research at the third annual Rooted Research Conference, Sunday, April 26 in the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. The public is invited and admission is free. For planning purposes, reservations are required. Please email gunnscholar@gunnery.org.

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Five new Gunn Scholars have begun their yearlong, place-based and primary-source research projects and are preparing to add to The Gunnery’s story by taking a closer look at the school’s community, the history of musical theater, changes in technology and curriculum, and its commitment to sustainability. The Gunn Scholar Program is an endowed program that provides selected students with opportunities to conduct original research on a topic of their choosing in the Paula and George Krimsky ’60 Archives and Special Collections as well as other archives outside of the campus. History Department Chair Bart McMann and School Archivist Misa Giroux started the academic year by taking this year’s scholars — Andrew ByrneKing ’20, Alex Zhang ’20, Gwendolyn Brown ’20, Erica Zhang ’20 and Bonnie Bao ’20 — on a field trip to the Gunn Historical Museum. Stephen Bartkus, the museum’s curator, led them on a tour of the new, long-term exhibit, “Washington, Connecticut — An American Story,” in which both Frederick Gunn and The Gunnery feature prominently. Longtime School Archivist and former Associate Director of Marketing & Communications Paula Krimsky was a key contributor to the project. “It provided an overview of the possibilities for their projects,” Giroux said of the students’ visit. “Now we know there is another resource they can go to.” Andrew Byrne-King ’20, who is also Head Prefect, is researching the meaning of the word “community” at The Gunnery and how it has evolved from the time of Mr. Gunn to now. “The reason I chose to come to The Gunnery was the feeling of

CAMPUS LIFE

Our 2019-2020 Prefects

Left to right, Prefects Reed Dolph ’20, Juliette Gaggini ’20, Nathaniel Ince ’20, Marley Berano ’20, Nick O’Brien ’20, Corrinne Bolding ’20, and Head Prefect Andrew Byrne-King ’20

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

More than 40 juniors were in the running for the school’s top leadership positions this year. With such a large field, including about 30 students who participated in a spring leadership seminar, the two-month election process was highly competitive. Prefect Advisor Cassandra Ruscz delivered the results of the first round of voting with this advice: “The word and title of Prefect is simply an opportunity to lead. You do not need the title to make this community a better place.” Here, we introduce the Prefects elected for the 2019-2020 academic year, with excerpts from their speeches.

Andrew Byrne-King ’20, Head Prefect, said he was inspired by Gabby Lescadre ’18 and Christian Kummer ’18, who taught him that “being a prefect is about allowing everyone to be able to make the most out of our fleeting time here ... I want to be able to allow everyone in this room, and for those to come, to be able to find who they are and what they’re meant to do here; to have the opportunity to do something new, something brave, and something bold. Because The Gunnery isn’t a place where you should have to fit in; it’s a place where you can explore and find who you are.”

Marley Berano’s ’20 parents named her for reggae rock star Bob Marley because “they wanted me to be a messenger of love and leadership … Love has a range of different meanings, but I believe it’s seen most in your interactions with others … I’ve learned that if you radiate respect and gratitude to those you interact with, then naturally that respect and gratitude are returned. I’ve learned that by seeing your peers as equals no matter what, then receiving criticism, giving direction, and having thoughtful communication is a whole lot easier and more meaningful … I can and will be a bright light for all of you.”

Corinne Bolding ’20 spoke about how much she cares about and enjoys being a Gunnery student. “My time here has helped to expand my interests even more, which is why I want to give back, in the most dedicated way possible, to a community I care so much about ... I now realize that caring too much can never be a bad thing. In fact, I now believe a good leader should be overly passionate. Leaders are people who appreciate the different interests we all have. My caring too much has made me approachable, well rounded, and eager to listen to everyone’s thoughts and opinions. I’d like to continue to motivate you as you have done for me.”

Juliette Gaggini ’20 said that as a freshman who was new to rowing, she could not have imagined she would become the first female captain of the boys crew team. “The foundation of our school is, in part, built on the enormous amount of support and acceptance we show each other ...This support is why I am now able

Student Travel Opportunities

to take pride in my ability to push myself out of my comfort zone and try new things … One of my main goals would be to help inspire other students to step out of their comfort zones, feel confident having a voice on campus, and feel safe knowing that they are constantly surrounded by our supportive second family here at The Gunnery.” Nathaniel Ince ’20 also spoke about love in his speech. “Spreading love and caring for one another is something that the school already does, but if we continue to do so, the community will be so much stronger. If the community members feel loved and supported, that’s when they are able to act as individuals with conviction. When you feel like you have support behind you, that’s when you are able to act with courage and begin to seek change, whether it’s in your beliefs or in the community … This is your high school

forever, so why not love and support your peers and create the strongest community possible? Helping to drive this goal forward and making sure that everyone here feels support and love is why I want to be a prefect.” Nick O’Brien ’20 thanked the faculty who have taught him inside and outside of the classroom. “Constantly pushing me to engage more in class and being my best self has given me the most valuable possession in life: confidence — confidence in my ideas, my actions, and myself in general. Mr. Small once told my Algebra I class how a good person is neither a taker nor a giver, but a combination of both. Becoming an advocate for the student body, who preserves a student experience that benefited me so greatly, is a great way to honor the second part of that motto.” n

Gunnery students have three different opportunities to participate in school-sponsored travel programs this year. First, Visual Arts Chair Andrew Richards P’20 ’23 will lead a tour of France, the Mediterannean and Spain with WorldStrides, the nation’s largest accredited travel organization, from March 6-15, 2020. The 10-day tour during spring vacation will take students from Paris to Provence, with a guided tour of Versailles, a ride to Avignon on board the TGV, and on to Barcelona and Madrid. Few seats remain. Sign up online at educationaltravel.com/Richards-2262. Next up, World Language Chair Jessica Lyon will lead a trip to Peru with WorldStrides from June 4-14, 2020. Students will visit Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and journey along the Inca Trail. The unique itinerary will offer students opportunities to earn college credit and community service hours (a graduation requirement), and the chance to experience cultural and language immersion through homestays with local families, private tours and excursions. For more information, email lyonj@gunnery.org. Finally, students are invited to join a Wyoming backpack and fishing trip in August led by History Department Chair Bart McMann. An experienced backpacker, McMann scouted this trip last summer and is excited to offer students the opportunity to experience the backpacker’s paradise of the Wind River Range. (Read more about his experience on page 28.) For information or to register, email mcmannb@gunnery.org. n

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Reed Dolph ’20 chose The Gunnery because of the people he encountered and had conversations with here. “I knew they were people that would make me the best version of me … At The Gunnery our motto is ‘Think Fearlessly. Act Thoughtfully.’ I have to say, I love it. This speaks to what we are as a community. We address change with no worries, we think outside of the box, and do not have the fear of being judged for it. When the time comes for us to act upon change, we act upon it thoughtfully as to not regret our decisions.”

FA C U LT Y T R AV E L

From Green River Lakes to the Windy City, Spain and Ancient Egypt, Gunnery Faculty Were on the Go! Seven faculty members had the opportunity to travel this summer with the renewed support of a faculty enrichment grant given by an anonymous board member. Here’s a look at where they visited, and how their summer travels will enrich their teaching experience on campus:

Backpacking in Paradise

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

History Department Chair Bart McMann went on a backpacking and fishing excursion in Wyoming, and now plans to lead the same trip as a post-term outdoor experience for students in August 2020. “The core of the Wind River Range, a backpacker’s paradise, runs for 80 miles along the crest of the Continental Divide in west-central Wyoming from the Green River Lakes in

the northwest to the Big Sandy Opening in the southeast. Forty peaks soar above 13,000-feet and more than 100 summits top 12,000 feet. This amazing collection of lofty granite peaks tower above breathtaking alpine meadows and forests studded with over 2,300 lakes and ponds. While there are certainly day-hiking opportunities in the range, the ‘Winds’ are best experienced on a backpack,” he said.

World Languages Department Chair Jessica Lyon visited Madrid, Seville and Salamanca, Spain, in July to learn about WorldStrides and the travel abroad programs they offer to students. “With this experience, we are hoping to build a strong travel program to offer students cultural experiences as well as language immersion opportunities. Some have never experienced certain cultures let alone traveled outside the United States. It gives students the opportunity to get out of their comfort zones and develop a sense of what the world they live in is like,” she said. One of the highlights of her trip was a visit to a culinary school, where she learned how to prepare authentic Spanish cuisine. “It was amazing to have a hands-on experience and taste new foods! This could be part of the student experience and an incredible one at that,” she said.

In the Valley of the Kings History teacher Jen Hart completed a nine-day tour of Ancient Egypt led by trained Egyptologists. Her rigorous itinerary intentionally combined the historic and the contemporary. As she explained: “I chose to visit Egypt in order to expand and enhance my understanding and personal knowledge of Ancient Egypt, including its history, culture, and religion, as well as further informing my understanding of Modern Egypt and the Islamic faith as practiced in Egypt today. In doing so, I wished to be able to enrich and enhance my curriculum for my freshman history students and share my increased topical knowledge with my colleagues.” Hart explored The Pyramids of Giza, toured the Solar Boat Museum of Cheops, visited the Great Sphinx and the Egyptian Antiquities Museum in Cairo, which houses artifacts from King Tut’s Tomb, the Narmer Palette, the Royal Mummies, and the Royal Tombs of Tanis. The next stop was a visit to the Mosque of Al-Azhar, which has been in use since the late 900s and serves as a center of Islamic scholarship. This was all on her first day, which concluded with stops at the Khan Al-Khalili Bazaar and Al Fishawy, the oldest café in Cairo! The next stage of her journey took Hart to the Upper Nile River Valley where she explored amazing sights such as the Karnak Temple Complex, the Tombs of the Valley of Kings, Hatshepsut Temple at Deir el-Bahari, Kom Ombo Temple, Edfu Temple, the Colossi of Memnon, Luxor Temple, the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk, and Abu Simbel. Then it was on to Alexandria, where she visited the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, a Roman burial site that reveals the merging of Egyptian and Roman art and architecture; Pompey’s Pillar, an 82-foot granite column built to honor Emperor Diocletian, who freed the besieged city and brought food to its starving people; the Roman Amphitheater, possibly the best preserved Roman site in Egypt; and the famous Alexandria Library.

“Each sight enriched and enhanced my understanding and knowledge of the people, culture, and religion of Ancient Egypt,” she said.

Poetry in the Heart of Chicago English teacher Tim Poole traveled to Chicago to participate in the Poetry Foundation’s annual Summer Poetry Teachers Institute in July. “The Poetry Foundation is a wonderful resource that I use often for class and for personal enjoyment. To be able to go there and talk about teaching poetry with other teachers was a lot of fun,” said Poole, who visited the Poetry Foundation library, which he noted, “is full to the brim with poetry collections and is located in the heart of downtown Chicago.” Poole plans to bring what he learned back to students in his Contemporary Poetry class. “Through various workshops and seminars, I got to see how other teachers approach the teaching of poetry. Through those experiences, I hope to be able to give my students even broader access to the poetry we read.”

Ah, Oui! French teachers Natalie Dyer and Sarah Albright both spent time in Canada, in Montreal and Quebec, respectively, where they experienced the French Canadian language and culture.

Mission: Improv Math teacher Kevin Clemente embarked on a two-week intensive improv course in New York City in June led by the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB), which he noted, “has churned out some amazing comedy writers and performers during the last two decades.” The eight classes flew by in a flash, culminating in a live show. “There are two reasons why I decided to take on this particular challenge,” Clemente explained. “First, I’m always looking for ways to become a better listener, and improv comedy requires you to listen to your scene partners and make decisions with no time for second guessing. The second reason that I have now taken two improv courses through UCB is that I am excited to share what I have learned with The Gunnery community, particularly the students. Last year, I worked with a fairly small group of interested students, so this year I hope to give more kids the opportunity to give improv a shot. Most people are scared to try it, but I can assure you that you don’t need to be funny to succeed in improv comedy. In fact, if you are willing to simply jump in without worrying about making a fool out of yourself, then it is quite a confidence builder. For me, it has been nothing but an amazing experience!” n

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A Taste of Spain

AT H L E T I C S

Highlanders Bring Home The Gunnery-Canterbury Cup It was an auspicious moment in mid-May — one celebrated with the same enthusiasm, school spirit and class that marked the 20182019 athletic season — when Director of Athletics Mike Marich P’23 and the Prefects stood before students and faculty to take possession for the first time of The Gunnery-Canterbury cup. The formal presentation of the trophy by Jim Stone, Director of Athletics at Canterbury School, represented the culmination of a yearlong effort to win it back from Canterbury through more than 25 athletic contests conducted in the fall, winter and spring. The two athletic directors collaborated to establish The Gunnery-Canterbury Cup in the fall of 2017 as a way to “tie the two schools together in a closer way, through athletics and sportsmanship,” Marich said. “It means a lot to our schools. We are only nine miles apart, but have over 100 years of history in athletic competitions.” Throughout the year, one point is awarded to the winner of each head-to-head interscholastic athletic contest, regardless of level, between Canterbury and The Gunnery. Ties are worth half a point. The school with the most points at the end of the school year is awarded the trophy — and bragging rights — until the end of the following year. After Canterbury won the cup in the first year of the competition, Marich threw down the gauntlet at a School Meeting

and challenged the Highlanders to win it back. That effort resulted in some ups and downs over the course of the year. Canterbury won the majority of the contests in the fall, and The Gunnery’s teams were better in the winter term. At the end of the spring season, with the score of the competition 20-19-1, it came down to the boys varsity lacrosse game at Canterbury on May 18. The Gunnery won the game, 9-3, and the cup. “Obviously, this rivalry means something to both of our schools, and it’s a great tradition that we will continue on for a long, long time,” Stone said. “We have two great schools that respect each other, that compete fiercely from the fields to the rink to the courts, wherever we come together.” Head of School Peter Becker acknowledged the leadership of the two athletic directors whom, he said, have demonstrated “how to compete well with class. This cup, the competitions day in and day out, and the work that goes into them really embodies the best of both schools.” n

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

60th Annual Founder’s Day Regatta

More than 1,000 student-athletes representing 23 schools and rowing clubs around the Northeast competed heartily in rain and wind at the 60th annual Founder’s Day Regatta on May 5. “It was neither sunny, nor dry, nor warm, yet everyone did their part to make the day a success,” said Lincoln Turner, Head Coach for The Gunnery’s Boys Crew Team, who expressed his appreciation for the dozens of faculty, students, parents, alumni and volunteers who turned out in support of the event. Temperatures hovered in the low 50s and wind rippled the surface of the water as spectators endured ankle-deep mud to cheer on the rowers from the shoreline of

Lake Waramaug State Park in Kent. The boys team overall points trophy was awarded to Deerfield Academy and the girls team overall points trophy went to the Connecticut Boat Club. Deerfield

won the George H. Lorenz Memorial Trophy in the boys first boat race and Connecticut Boat Club took home the Kathryn L. Conroy Cup in the girls first boat race. n

Spring Highlights 17-1. Girls Varsity Tennis won three of its first five matches and finished the season 4-2-0. Varsity Golf won its first three matches over Hopkins School, Kingswood Oxford School and Loomis Chaffee. The team beat Chase Collegiate School and The Masters School and tied South Kent School in a tri-match at Bulls Bridge in Kent, and had a respectable finish at the Kingswood Invitational Tournament (KIT). Boys Varsity Crew brought home the Beebe Cup for the first time in 19 years. The race for the cup, named in honor of teacher and coach Roderick Beebe, who founded the rowing program in 1948, has been held on Lake Waramaug every spring since 1970. Choate Rosemary Hall has won the cup every year since 2001, but on May 18, The Gunnery’s boys first boat broke that winning streak. The boys first boat also won the 2019 du Pont Cup on May 11, beating Buckingham Browne & Nichols, Taft, St. Mark’s and Pomfret at Quasset Lake in Woodstock. The boys first and second boat and the girls second boat all qualified to compete in the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association (NEIRA) Championships in May. n

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Boys Varsity Lacrosse ended the season with a record of 14-5-0, and won the first playoff game in the Colonial Tournament against Canterbury School 9-3, which secured The Gunnery-Canterbury Cup for the Highlanders for the first time in school history. There was further cause for celebration when Jared Rainville ’19 was named U.S. Lacrosse All-American for the 2019 season. He is attending and playing Division III lacrosse at Connecticut College this year. Head Coach and Director of Athletics Mike Marich P’23 was named the Mike Fuller Head Coach of the Year by the Western New England Secondary School Lacrosse Association (WNESSLA) for 2019. Varsity Baseball recorded five straight wins, including a one-hit shutout in the season opener against Millbrook, and a no-hitter and 4-1 victory over Canterbury. The team recorded a second 4-1 win against Canterbury in the last game of the regular season, securing a spot in the WNEPBL Playoffs. The Highlanders ended the regular season 8-5-0. Pitcher Garrett Coe ’19 played for the Bristol Blues this summer and will play for the University of Connecticut’s Division I Men’s Baseball Team starting this spring. Girls Varsity Lacrosse won three of its first four matches, defeating Storm King School 18-8, King School 14-4 and Westover

SUPPORTING THE GUNNERY

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

he year ending June 30, 2019, was another successful year for the Alumni & Development Office as we saw continued growth and progress thanks to a committed group of professionals, dedicated volunteers, and loyal constituents. Last year we challenged everyone to think aspirationally about our school and it’s gratifying to see how many did, both internally and externally. Looking ahead, with a new Strategic Plan on the horizon, and several exciting opportunities for the Highlander faithful to impact our people, programs, and place, we look forward to your continued commitment to the evolution of Mr. Gunn’s School. In June, one week after we welcomed The Great Class of 2019 into the Alumni Association, the classes ending in 4s and 9s took over the campus for Alumni Weekend. More than 200 alumni came back to visit during a beautiful weekend that included, among a number of other events, a celebration of the life of Hugh Caldara. Austin Smith ’07 was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame, and Peter Bergen ’84 was named the Alumnus of the Year. The classes of 2014 and 1984 set attendance records for the 5th and 35th Reunions, while the Class of 2014 set the overall attendance record for any reunion ever! As always, we had a busy summer of alumni and parent events across the northeast. In the month of August alone we had events in Martha’s Vineyard (hosted by Wanji and Clive Walcott P’19), and at baseball games at Dunkin’ Donuts Park, Fenway Park, and Yankee Stadium. We kicked off our fall events in San Francisco (September 17) and Los Angeles (September 19), and our traditional holiday event slate will take place in Washington D.C., New York City, and Boston on December 3, 4, and 5, respectively. We hope to see you there! On June 30 we closed our most successful Gunnery Fund cycle ever, setting a new record for unrestricted gifts totaling $1,425,995. The 1,343 alumni, parents, and friends who made those gifts narrowly missed the participation record of 1,491 donors, which was set in fiscal year 2017 when we reached 100% participation from both the faculty and student body. Leadership gifts to the fund — those exceeding $1,850 for alumni and $1,000 from current parents — accounted for $937,390 (66% of the total) while the vast majority of donors (1,123 donors, or 84%) gave $500 or less, totaling $135,091. As we’ve noted before, a healthy annual fund is one where a wide range of donors give consistently at the level where they’re most comfortable. To that end, 831 donors gave for at least the second consecutive year, with 307 donors increasing their gift over what they gave in fiscal year 2018. Additionally, 259 donors made gifts for the first time since fiscal year 2017 or before, and 261 donors made their first gift ever to the school.

On June 30 we closed our most successful Gunnery Fund cycle ever, setting a new record for unrestricted gifts totaling $1,425,995.

None of this would have been possible without the committed volunteer leaders who make up our Class Agent team, and of course, the 1,343 donors who gave to the fund. I extend my personal gratitude to each of you for your part in this past year’s success! Progress continues on the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center, as the building is scheduled to open to the community in January 2020. We will host a celebratory opening event on campus in May 2020. In addition to nearly 100 donors who’ve helped us raise almost $19 million, this summer we had more than 40 people participate in the project by naming a seat in the Tisch Family Auditorium. As the project wraps up this fall, there are still opportunities at various levels to name spaces in the

Faculty & Staff

Parents of Alumni & Friends

Others

$15,222

$38,055

$273,505 Current Parents

Alumni $808,245

$283,831

The Gunnery Fund FY 2018-19 18% Alumni Giving

Other $293,170

Endowment Gifts $152,126

The Gunnery Fund $1,425,995

Capital Gifts $7,243,150

All Gifts to The Gunnery FY 2018-19

building and seats in the auditorium; anyone interested should contact me directly at browns@gunnery.org. Late this summer we were honored with the Award for Excellence in the Independent Schools category from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The Educational Fundraising Awards annually recognize exemplary development programs based on a blind review of data submitted to the CASE Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) survey. Independent school chief advancement officers served as the judges for this year’s awards and recognized schools that showed not just measurable growth in dollars raised, but also breadth and depth in terms of diversity of sources from which funds were raised. This award is recognition of the great work you are all

Onward,

Sean Brown P’22 Director of Alumni & Development

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Grandparents $7,137

doing to support your school. Again, thank you for this ongoing commitment! Of course, the summer also brought bittersweet farewells for two key members of the office. At the end of June, Christine Steiner moved to Boston and took a job with Milton Academy’s annual fund and, at the end of August, Kiersten Marich P’23 took a position in the development office at Choate Rosemary Hall. Both Christine and Kiersten have done great work for the school — as many of you will attest — and will be deeply missed. We wish them both the best in their new roles. As is customary, by now we are well into planning for the 2020 fiscal year and beyond! Our goal is to increase The Gunnery Fund by at least 5% in dollars and to exceed the record of participation set in fiscal year 2017. Additionally, we will close the book on the Perakos Arts and Community Center initiative and move into the execution stages of the “next big thing.” I’d like to acknowledge that we are not setting these goals simply to surpass previous years or projects. Each of these goals is established in collaboration with senior leadership and the Board of Trustees as a means of building a fiscally sustainable financial model and ensuring the future success of our school. Capital projects are conceived and designed to fit our community, provide adequate resources for our students and faculty, and to attract prospective families; endowment growth is required to attract and retain superior faculty, to fund the programs they teach and coach, and to make an independent secondary school experience affordable to highly-capable students; and The Gunnery Fund goal is set based on the financial need to bridge the gap between tuition and other sources of revenue. We are in an extremely competitive marketplace, where we must consistently show the distinction between us and them. As we make decisions for how to prioritize the school’s objectives and deploy its resources, we do so with an eye on the competition. The senior leaders and the Board are committed to being the best. To do so we will look and act the part. I invite you to join us and welcome your partnership.

ALUMNI WEEKEND 2019

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

Classes Break Records for Attendance, Giving on Alumni Weekend

Alumni returned to campus June 7-9 for a weekend filled with opportunities to catch up with classmates and faculty, witness the progress of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center, share heartfelt memories at a memorial service for Hugh Caldara, and dance the night away under the tent on Wersebe field.

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lumni set and broke records for attendance and giving this year, starting with the Class of 2014, which not only broke the 5th reunion attendance record (previously held by the Class of 2003 with 17 attendees), but broke every reunion attendance record, with 32 alumni in attendance. “You guys were awesome when you were here, and you remain awesome,” Head of School Peter Becker told them. The enthusiasm of the Class of 2014 was rivaled by that of the Class of 1984, which broke the 35th reunion attendance record with 16 people on campus. They upstaged the Class of 1982, which previously held the record with 15 attendees, and demonstrated their class pride by displaying a 1984 banner outside Gunn Dorm. Friday night’s all-alumni gathering in Bourne Courtyard was made festive by offerings from local food trucks and a live musical performance by Misa Giroux & the Gentle Giants, featuring Jesse Perkins of the Performing Arts faculty on guitar and School Archivist Misa Giroux on guitar and lead vocals. Alumni from the Class of 1969, celebrating their 50th reunion year, were treated to an early tour of the Arts and Community Center led by Kiersten Marich P’23, then-Director of Leadership Giving, and Thomas Perakos ’69, who was looking forward to attending the 73rd annual Tony Awards at Radio City Musical Hall in New York on Sunday. “Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of The Temptations,” which is the newest Broadway musical to benefit from Perakos’s passion for the arts, was nominated for 12 Tonys, including best musical, and won the award for best choreography. Following the tour, the Class of 1969 gathered for dinner at Hopkins Inn on Lake Waramaug, while Wykeham Rise alumnae dined riverside at The White Horse in Marbledale.

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On Saturday morning, alumni were offered campus tours, a primer on planned giving presented by Paul McManus ’87 P’21 ’23, and an update on the Arts and Community Center. Peter Marshall ’69 and a good number of his classmates were among those who spent time reminiscing in the Paula and George Krimsky ’60 Archives and Special Collections. The glorious weather provided a perfect backdrop for the annual parade of alumni. Laura Eanes Martin ’90 P’20 ’23, President of the Alumni Association, welcomed alumni who gathered inside the Meeting House afterwards for the 2019 Alumni Association Open Meeting. She reflected on the fact that the purpose of processing across campus is to remind alumni of the day they traced the same path for Commencement. “Take a moment to remember that day and those who walked with you,” she said. “You all share that bond as Gunnery alumni.” In his address, Becker provided an update of campus events and encouraged alumni to share their experiences and talk about the school with friends, colleagues and acquaintances in their communities, noting that many people come to campus because they’ve had a conversation with a Gunnery alumna or alumnus.

Sean Brown P’22, Director of Alumni & Development, announced the winners of this year’s Gunnery Fund Awards, which were as follows: • Kenneth J. Browne 1911 Award (for the largest class gift) — to the Class of 1956 for their gift of $56,300 • Margaret P. Addicks H’02 Award (for the highest class participation with a minimum alumni body of 20) — to the Class of 1960 with 44% participation • Susan G. Graham H’12 Award (presented to young alumni, up to 10 years out, with highest participation) — to the Class of 2014 with 29% participation • W. Russ Elgin Award (presented to young alumni, up to 10 years out, out with largest class gift) — to the Class of 2012 for their gift of $2,026 In addition, the Class of 1954 broke the 65th reunion giving record, and the Class of 1959 broke the 60th reunion giving record this year.

As for the “unofficial awards,” the oldest alumnus in attendance this year was Don Courtney ’49 of Buffalo, New York, who was accompanied by his sons, David and Robert. The alumnus who traveled the farthest was Arnd Wehner ’84, coming from Munich, Germany. He was followed closely by John Gillman ’74, who traveled from London, England. Later that evening, Austin B. Smith ’07 became the newest alumnus to be inducted in the Athletic Hall of Fame. The Alumnus of the Year Award was presented to Peter Bergen ’84, who was credited with helping his class to achieve the record for the highest attendance at a 35-year reunion. “This is very overwhelming and totally unexpected,” Bergen said, recognizing Meg O’Brien ’84 P’20 for her instrumental role “in everything we did this year.” “The Gunnery is my family. I have the best classmates on the planet,” Bergen said. “I do it for the class and I do it for the school.” (Read more about the newest members of the Hall of Fame on page 40.) n

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For more photos, visit bit.ly/AW2019Photos

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Wykeham Rise Alumnae Association Update

What an amazing reunion Wykeham Rise Alumnae Association had this past June! Because of the support of The Gunnery, we are able to gather together each year to celebrate our unique heritage. We are grateful to the school for including us. At the reunion this year, we held our first Round Table Discussion, which was open to all Wykeham Rise alumnae. We discussed many ideas for the future of the WRAA and for future reunion activities. We look forward to bringing many of them to fruition. During our WRAA Annual Meeting, the following officers were elected to our 2019-20 Executive Committee: President — Susan Sheldon Crysler WR’69 Vice President — Enjil Harrah WR’66 Secretary — Brooke Thomson Wilford WR’72 Treasurer — Daphne Ward Cheatham WR’69 A group of our alumnae had the opportunity to tour the new Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. We were absolutely astounded by what this center will have to offer! We believe that it will put The Gunnery a cut above other schools when it comes to the education and the arts programs. Because of our Wykeham Rise arts background, we are particularly excited for the students and we look forward to seeing how we can lend our support. Also this year, we had two very successful auctions and I would like to thank all who donated to and supported both! The silent auction was held during our Annual Meeting and supports the business of the WRAA. In May, we held the online auction and the funds from this will support The Wykeham Rise Fund for the Visual and Performing Arts at The Gunnery. During this past year we have been working very actively on multiple projects. We are in the midst of creating our new Wykeham Rise website. Our association contact list is continually being updated and we would like to give a special thanks to Cheryl Kinney WR’84 for all her hard work locating many alumnae from the 1980s. She is also gathering names of alumnae who would like a copy of their yearbook. This is a work in progress. As our Wykeham Rise motto states, we are forever “The Good and The Beautiful!” Susan Sheldon Crysler, WR’69 President, Wykeham Rise Alumni Association

Alumni Weekend Tribute to Hugh Caldara Alumni Weekend provided faculty and alumni with the opportunity to honor Hugh Caldara for his 37 years of service to the school as a faculty member, coach, advisor, Athletic Director and friend. At a memorial service held in the Meeting House on the Green, alumni shared their remembrances along with Nick Benson of the English Department faculty, Craig Badger, Associate Dean of Students and Head Coach for Boys Varsity Hockey, and Ed Small, the Anne S. and Ogden D. Miller Senior Master. “Hugh Caldara believed in his kids perhaps more than any educator on the planet. He always gave his students and his players a chance. On many occasions there were second or third chances, too,” said Harry Kelleher ’86, recalling that one of those students was his teammate, Eugene Ray ’88, who went on to become captain of the Varsity Football Team and won the Gunther Award despite his stature. “Gene was four foot nothing and weighed 100 pounds when he walked into the old Field House for the first time. He may have looked like a mouse; however, I am here to tell you he was a man,” Kelleher said, recalling: “Most coaches would have sent Gene over to soccer or cross country. Cal was the football coach that gave Gene a chance to become a great football player. By showing that he believed in you and by giving you the opportunity to succeed over time, Cal taught his kids how to believe in themselves. When you believe in yourself, you can do anything. At The Gunnery, our students learn how to move mountains. For 37 years, Hugh Caldara showed an endless parade of young people how to overcome adversity and achieve success.” n

Joanne Caldara with Head of School Peter Becker

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ALUMNI WEEKEND 2019

Introducing the Newest Members of the Hall of Fame ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR Peter Bergen ’84 The “Alumnus of The Year Award” is presented by The Gunnery Alumni & Development Office to recognize alumni who honor the spirit, mission and vision of Frederick Gunn through their dedication to The Gunnery. Given in the recipient’s reunion year, this award acknowledges individuals who have made significant contributions of time, talent and treasure to the school, have been loyal Gunnery alumni, and have set an outstanding example to The Gunnery alumni community. This year’s recipient, Peter Bergen ’84, has been a loyal alumnus and supporter of The Gunnery for nearly 30 years. He has served on the Gunnery Council, as a Class Agent and Reunion Chair and is a member of our Founders Society.

Alumnus of the Year Peter Bergen ’84 with his classmates

“Peter continually rallies his classmates to attend Gunnery events and to stay connected with the school,” commented Sean Brown P’22, Director of Alumni & Development. “Whether it’s getting a record group back to Alumni

Weekend, encouraging classmates to attend regional events or asking friends to come back to campus for our annual Alumni Career Day, Peter is always up to the task and does it with a warm smile and friendly banter.” n

Austin B. Smith ’07, who served as a model student at The Gunnery, and earned MVP and Rookie of the Year honors as a varsity hockey player, has enjoyed a successful professional ice hockey career and is now coaching the next generation of players. After matriculating at Colgate University, Smith played with the Raiders in the NCAA Men’s Division I ECAC Hockey conference. Smith was recognized as ECAC Hockey’s most valuable player in his senior year and was selected to the 2011–12 ECAC Hockey First Team. He was also a Hobey Baker finalist and First Team All-American. In 2012, Austin signed with the Dallas Stars and played with the Texas Stars and the Idaho Steelheads. In the ECHL, he was the Steelheads’ leading scorer with 27 goals and 23 assists in 38 games in the 2012–13 season. Austin was loaned to the Liiga, the top professional

ice hockey league in Finland. After a successful loan period with Ässät during the latter half of the 2013–14 season as an impending free agent with the Dallas Stars, Austin decided to remain with the Porin Ässät team. Then, in December 2014, Austin signed a contract with Ravensburg Towerstars in the German second-level league DEL2. In the 2015–16 season, he scored 37 goals in 40 games, sharing the top spot in the DEL2 goal-scoring ranks. Later, Austin played in the Austrian Hockey League for the HC TWK Innsbruck and finally with Bolzano, where he led the team in points per game and helped win the league championship in dramatic fashion, after they were the last team to qualify for playoffs. Austin has since returned to Texas, where he is Head Ice Hockey Coach for the Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. n

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

THE ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

Hall of Fame inductee Austin Smith ’07 with Alumni Association President Laura Eanes Martin ’90 P’20 ’23

A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N

I always think of September as the New Year. To me, as an educator, January can often be a cold, dark month to endure. But September is bright, clear and a great time to set intention for the year and to be excited for things to come. Students usually feel this way as well. Often mixed with a bit of nerves, they look forward to new classrooms, to old and new friends, to routine (they really do, even if they think they don’t!) and to the new year of exciting challenges and learning. So, Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a restful summer and that the crispness in the air this fall is bringing you hope for a meaningful year. I can assure you from my vantage point as Gunnery alumna, spouse, and parent of two students (’20 and ’23) life at The Gunnery is off to a great start! I’m in the amazing position of having multiple perspectives on The Gunnery. And from that vantage point, I can tell you that our school continues to be a community that stretches kids to be their best selves, that allows them to make mistakes and helps them learn from them, that encourages students to try new things, that holds them accountable for their actions, and that challenges them to think and to participate. The Gunnery of today embodies all of the best parts of The Gunnery of the last 169 years — they may be dusted off and shined up a bit, made more current, but they are truly unique to The Gunnery. I tell you all this for a few reasons: One, to reassure you that the DNA of your school has not changed and that is it is great hands; and two, to reinforce how important it is to The Gunnery to have engaged alumni like yourselves. Part of what makes schools like ours so special are the connections and stories that we all share. When our current students meet alumni who are proud of The Gunnery, who reminisce with gratitude and joy, they realize they are part of something bigger than just the 300 students with whom they are sharing the campus. Continuing to evolve a school, while valuing and benefiting from its history is essential, and your part in both the history and the future of The Gunnery is equally important. Being an engaged alumnus or alumna can mean so many different things. For some of you it means rallying your classmates and friends back for a reunion. For others it means talking about The Gunnery out in the world, spreading the word about our school, and for others it means participating in the annual fund. I want you to know that I would not be as involved in today’s Gunnery if I didn’t believe that it was the best representation of our Gunnery of the past. I thank you all for the parts that you’ve played in the history of The Gunnery, and I challenge you to stay involved in the future of The Gunnery as well. If you’re looking for ways to reconnect, please never hesitate to ask.

Laura ’90 and Richard Martin P’20 ’23 at Alumni Weekend

SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR HOLIDAY RECEPTIONS Washington, D.C. — December 3 New York City — December 4 Boston — December 5 Details to follow. Visit bit.ly/GunneryAlumniEvents

Laura Eanes Martin ’90 P’20 ’23 President, Alumni Association

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Warmly,

ALUMNI NEWS

Passion and Persistence Alumni Career Day Offers Students Advice on Life and Careers

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Alumni Career Day has quickly become one of the highlights of the academic year. The annual event provides an opportunity for alumni to talk with current students about their college experiences and career paths, and how The Gunnery prepared them for life after high school. In April, the school welcomed 17 alumni from the Class of 1957 to the Class of 2014 as guest speakers. During two morning break-out sessions, small groups of 10 to 15 students met with one featured alumnus or alumna for classroom discussions that were

facilitated by Gunnery faculty. The students also were invited to attend a networking session and a luncheon with the alumni in Solley Dining Hall, where they could engage in one-on-one discussions and ask questions. “The goal was to help students find out more about the fields they’re interested in and provide opportunities for them to ask very specific questions,” said Jess Baker, Associate Director of Alumni & Parent Engagement, who envisioned and executed a new format for the event.

Featured guests at The Gunnery’s 2019 Alumni Career Day included:

Tim Gaillard ’61 – Entrepreneur and craftsman, No 2 Alike

Amanda Payne ’14 – Innovation Analyst, Fahrenheit 212

Otoja Abit ’04 – Writer, actor, producer and director

Chris Healy ’76 – Executive Director, Connecticut Catholic Conference

Andy Powers ’11 – Senior Consultant, EY

Jennie Archer ’11 – Veterinary Assistant Team Lead, Clarendon Animal Care

Aaron Levy ’12 – Co-founder, GenH

Hilary Benjamin ’08 – Associate, Credit Finance, Apollo Global Management Peter Bergen ’84 – Founder & Principal, NassauPoint Wyatt Clark ’13 – Private Wealth Manager, Merrill Lynch

Victoria Lussier ’10 – Account Executive, Direct Energy Business Francesca Moscatelli ’80 – Qualitative Research Consultant, Integral Researchers Meg O’Brien ’84 P’20 – Director of Finance and Administration, the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Yale University

Jack Reynolds ’68 – Founder/Principal, Reynolds Group, Private Investment Counselors Peter Smith ’57 – Visiting Lecturer, Political Science and International Relations, University of Colorado-Boulder Emily Wierdsma ’96 – Special Education Teacher, Eagle Hill School Trevor Ogden ’00 – Academic Dean, English faculty, Hackley School

The next Alumni Career Day will be held on April 18, 2020. Alumni who are interested in participating are asked to contact Jess Baker at bakerj@gunnery.org or call (860) 350-0145.

The Benefits of Alumni Mentoring and Networking Stephen Macary ’15 received an e-mail about The Gunnery’s Alumni Mentoring & Networking Program late in 2018. As a senior at Gettysburg College at the time, he was anxious about what he was going to do after graduation, so when he found out about the Mentoring & Networking Program, he was eager to take advantage of it. “As a senior in college it is extremely nerve-wracking thinking of what to do after graduation, and being able to talk to so many people that are in the industry I am interested in was very beneficial,” said Macary. Macary was looking for a résumé critique, mock interview practice and to speak with alumni in the industry he was interested in pursuing. “I was put in touch with Zachary Larson ’12, Kai Frankville ’13, Adam DeSanctis ’11, and John Cullen ’12,” Macary said. “The conversations went extremely well and we mostly talked about their experiences in the finance industry, as well as their advice on finding opportunities as a college senior. What I benefited Stephen Macary ’15 from most were the real world experiences and the advice of individuals in the finance industry, as well as the opportunity to improve my résumé.” Macary is now employed at Cambridge Associates working in investment reporting and analysis. He credits the conversations and advice from Gunnery alumni in helping him figure out the path he wanted to pursue in the finance industry. “It was so beneficial to be able to talk to alumni about what they did, and hear about the differences in their various positions,” noted Macary. “Because of their feedback, I was able to make my résumé look more professional as well as highlight the key areas that would help me stand out to recruiters in the finance industry.” Macary is excited about the opportunity to be a mentor one day to future Gunnery alumni. “I would love to be a mentor,” said Macary. “I think that this program is one of the most necessary and valuable opportunities for Gunnery alumni. With the number of successful Gunnery alumni across the globe, everyone should take advantage of our network.” n

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Participants represented fields including film and television, veterinary medicine, finance, business development, public relations, political consulting, technology, qualitative research, innovation consulting, commerce and education. Some were just starting their careers while others, like Tim Gaillard ’61, have enjoyed multiple careers. A graduate of Colby College, Gaillard’s first job at the age of 19 was at the Hilton Hotel in New York City, which had opened just in time to serve patrons of the 1965 World’s Fair. He went on to become a highly successful entrepreneur in hotel and restaurant consulting, and then changed course to run his own advertising and public relations firm. He has lectured on marketing and public relations trends at area universities, and advised entrepreneurs on how to start their own businesses. Now in “semi-retirement,” he has launched a new business, making furniture. Gaillard encouraged students to find their passion and use it to launch a successful business. “Know what you’re comfortable with, what you like, and don’t like,” he advised. A more recent Gunnery graduate, Victoria Lussier ’10, studied Spanish and Italian language and literature at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She lived in Florence, Italy, for eight months during her junior year of college and now lives and works in New York City, where she is an account executive for Direct Energy Business, one of the largest commercial retail energy suppliers in North America. “Sometimes what you study and what you’re passionate about isn’t your job — and that’s OK,” Lussier told the students, admitting that she hasn’t always known what she wanted to do in terms of her career. “There isn’t a right way or a wrong way to do it. It’s about what’s right for you.” Although she “planned everything” as a student at The Gunnery and in college, she said she would not have known that she would end up in her current job. She started working for Direct Energy Business, formerly known as HESS, as an intern in college. The internship not only helped get her foot in the door, it fast-tracked her career. Her advice to students: be persistent. And always send a handwritten thank-you note after an interview. n

TRUSTEE NEWS

Warm Welcomes The Gunnery Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of these new board members.

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

Patrick Dorton ’86 has been named Chairman of the Board. A Washington strategy expert with extensive experience in corporate, financial, public policy, and political strategy and messaging, Dorton has served as a Gunnery Trustee since 2008. He previously served as Vice Chairman and as Treasurer, and as a member of multiple committees of the Board focused on financial and strategic planning in support of the school’s mission and vision. “It’s time for the Gunnery community to support the leadership of our excellent Head of School and, in a determined way, build an A-class institution over the next five years. We are in the midst of an entire campus rebuild and the school has been transformed in many positive ways by Peter Becker over the last seven years. The alumni and parent community need to invest in making this school, which was started in 1850 by a man 100 years ahead of his time, into an institution that will be a gold star for every Gunnery grad,” said Dorton. “Every alumni and past parent should take the time to come to campus and reconnect with the school and its leadership team. In many ways, The Gunnery is an entirely different and more dynamic school than in the past,” he said. Dorton is the co-founder and managing partner of Rational 360, Inc., a communications and public relations firm in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, he served as the chief spokesman and Director of Media Relations at Arthur Andersen and held several senior advisory roles at The White House, including serving as a Special Assistant to President Bill Clinton, as Communications Director for the White House National Economic Council, and as a senior advisor for national economic advisor Gene Sperling. Dorton also served as Press Secretary and Deputy Press Secretary for several members of Congress and the Democratic National Committee. Dorton holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Middlebury College. Raised in Washington, Connecticut, he maintains strong ties to the community. He is a 1983 graduate of Washington Montessori School and a member of the WMS Leadership Circle. He is also the son of longtime Head of School Pat Werner P’86, and the brother of Kerry Dorton, Assistant Head of School for Education at WMS. A longtime supporter of The Gunnery, he previously served as a member of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, the Search Committee for the Headmaster, as the first Gunnery Council President and as Chair of its Fundraising Committee. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Erin, and their three children, Logan, Eliza and Lily.

Stephen W. Baird ’68, who served as a Trustee of The Gunnery from 2002 to 2014, including eight years as Chairman, was re-appointed to the Board of Directors in April. Since 2008, Baird has been the owner and managing partner of Baird Partners, LLC, a company specializing in executive coaching: leadership, management, onboarding, career and consulting. After graduating from Bucknell with a bachelor’s degree in economics, Baird earned a master’s in organizational psychology from Columbia University and went on to have a distinguished career at some of the world’s leading wealth management firms.

He was the Executive Development Officer at New York Life Insurance Company from 2009 to 2012, and from 1996 to 2009 served as Managing Director of Human Resources and Regional Head, Americas, at USB Investment Bank. Prior to that, Baird served as Human Resources Head of the Investment Banking Division at Morgan Stanley and as HR Manager for the Investment Management Division at Citicorp. Baird was also a star tennis player at Bucknell and was inducted into the Platform Tennis Hall of Fame with his brother, Chip, in 1992. During his previous tenure as a Trustee, he served on every major committee and worked tirelessly to share his talents and experiences with The Gunnery to lead it forward. Susan Frauenhofer ’88 was appointed to the Board in April. She is a Legal Operations Manager in the New York office of Ropes & Gray, a premier international law firm. Frauenhofer previously served in legal and risk management in Vice President and Executive Director roles at Fidelity Investments in Boston and JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs in New York City. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Skidmore College and received her law degree from New York Law School. A former Gunnery Council member, she lives in Stamford, Connecticut.

Robert M. Tirschwell ’86 joined the Board in April. He is a Partner and Head of Trading at Brean Capital, a New York-based bond-trading house, investment bank, and asset manager. Previously, Tirschwell was Head of Trading at Gleacher & Company and its predecessor firm, Broadpoint, and he co-founded Descap Securities, Inc. Tirschwell holds a bachelor’s degree in French language and literature from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He and his wife, Anne, a not-for-profit real estate developer and Principal of Type A Projects, live in New York City. n

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Beth W. Glynn, who served as a Gunnery Trustee from 2003 to 2016, was reappointed to the Board in July. Glynn is a former partner and managing director for the investment firm of Neuberger Berman. Since her retirement in 2002, she has dedicated her endeavors to philanthropic organizations and her godchildren, Jeniffer and Giancarlos Molina. As an undergraduate at Temple University, Glynn majored in music and later made her way to a career in finance. She received her MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1982. Glynn served as a member of Wharton’s Board of Overseers and the Wharton Women’s Task Force and was Chair of the Wharton Fund in 2004. She is a former managing director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York and a supporter of its productions and The MET Orchestra. She is a former member of the Washington National Opera Board of Trustees and former Chair of the Glimmerglass Opera, now known as the Glimmerglass Festival, a professional summer opera company in Cooperstown, New York. She and her husband of over 40 years, Gary A. Glynn, who is a Wharton alumnus, live in New York City.

TRUSTEE NEWS

Fond Farewells

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

In April, the Board of Trustees honored Gerrit Vreeland ’61, who retired from the Board, having served as a Trustee for 19 years, including the past seven years as Board Chair.

A passionate supporter of the school for more than five decades, Vreeland first served as a Trustee from 1981 to 1985 and was appointed to a second term in 2006, sitting on the Development Committee, the Advancement Committee, the Finance and Investment Committee and the Strategic Plan Steering Committee. He was appointed Board Chair in 2013. He is also a former President of the Alumni Association and a member of the Bourne Advisory Council. Following his graduation from The Gunnery, Vreeland received his bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College. He went on to become a securities analyst on Wall Street while attending business school at New York University and in 1978, joined Alex Brown & Sons. Five years later, he was named Partner. Vreeland has remained with Alex Brown Deutsche Bank, serving as managing director, throughout his career. In 2010, then-Head of School Susan Graham H’12 invited Vreeland to give the Commencement Address. He credited two of his teachers, former English Department Chair Wally Rowe III H’57 P’77 ’79, and the late Robert Bahney, who taught American history, with arming him with the confidence and interest he needed to succeed, and spoke about his passion for the school as an alumnus. “We are charged with the responsibility of acting as stewards of the school. The school depends on us to be advocates, to provide insights into the changing environment in which we compete, and, of course, financial support. With your diploma comes a sense of ownership of The Gunnery. Fulfilling the responsibility of ownership in the future will be just as rewarding as the time you have spent as a student here,” he said in his speech. “There is no person who could have been more of an exceptional Chairman of the Board of Trustees for The Gunnery over the past seven years than Gerrit Vreeland,” said Patrick Dorton ’86, who has served on the Board with Vreeland since 2008. “Open-minded, courteous, inclusive, smart, and occasionally and appropriately assertive, have been the qualities that have hallmarked Gerrit’s tenure. The Board of Trustees’

Walker and Corbin Vreeland with their parents, Gerrit and Toni, seated on the bench that Corbin designed and built in honor of his father’s retirement from the Board (See detail below.)

decision making for the school has been entirely in the wise framework that he established. With his love for The Gunnery, Gerrit transformed being Chairman into a seven-day-a-week job, and in doing so, created a fun and collegial Trustee experience, a sense of mission for the school, and a feeling of specialness of The Gunnery. While his tenure as Chairman has ended, Gerrit has a lifetime appointment as a Leader of The Gunnery.” Vreeland and his wife, Toni, reside in Bridgehampton, New York. They have three sons, Corbin, Taylor, and Walker. Corbin and Walker joined their parents at the Board Dinner in April, when the school presented Vreeland with a very special retirement gift: a modern bench built by Corbin, who is a designer and craftsman specializing in custom hardwood furniture. It was made in his shop in Portland, Maine, using wood from a tulip poplar tree felled on campus. During the evening, Gerrit shared a related story about the time he and Steve Jackson ’61, his Gunnery roommate, cut down a small pine tree on campus because they wanted to have a Christmas tree in their room. “This violated about 10 different rules,” he acknowledged, laughing, “and we were required to plant a new tree in its place.” It still stands today, next to Teddy House. The previous evening, members of the Board of Trustees joined Head of School Peter Becker and his wife, Amy Julia, at a circa 1925 faculty home owned by the school on Wykeham Road. In a brief ceremony held on the front porch, the house was officially named in honor of Vreeland in recognition of his exemplary service, commitment and dedication to the school. (Read more about the dedication on page 48.)

The Board of Trustees expressed its admiration and gratitude on behalf of the entire Gunnery family to Kirsten Peckerman upon her retirement from the Board in April.

The Board of Trustees expressed its gratitude and appreciation to Laurence D. Paredes for his two years of service as a Trustee and his leadership as a member of the Governance Committee last year. The Gunnery is grateful for Paredes’ commitment to the school and in particular, his support of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. Paredes is the Managing Director at BlackRock and General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of BlackRock Capital Investment Corporation. He is also a past parent. He and his wife, Elisabeth, live in Norwalk with their daughters, Halle and Presley, and son, Cole.

Laurence D. Paredes

Estreich has provided a steady hand, thoughtful commentary, and valuable insight serving as the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee and in matters of enrollment and development. He has been a strong member of Jonathan M. Estreich P’06 the Finance Committee, and has provided valuable input and support into countless other areas, which have been key in the establishment of the school’s longterm plan. A graduate of Trinity College, Estreich has enjoyed a successful career as a mortgage broker. The Founder and President of Estreich & Company, he has played a fundamental role in the success of numerous real estate, banking and school organizations, generously giving of his time and talents. He and his wife, Currie, live in New York. n

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Peckerman served for 16 years as a Trustee and valued member of numerous committees, including the Alumni & Development Committee, the Governance Committee, the Building & Grounds Committee and the Kirsten Peckerman (center) joined by friends from the community who attended the Board Students & Faculty Committee. Dinner in April to celebrate her contributions to the school (left to right): Rod Pleasants, Julie and Robert Bailey, Linda Allard, Charles and Susan Jackson, Steve Godwin, Ashleigh Peckerman has been a loyal Gunnery Fernandez and Peter Houldin ’92. friend, supporter and influencer of initiatives, including the construction of the Susan G. Graham House, the creation of the South Street Field Complex The Board issued a citation honoring and The Gunnery’s sesquicentennial celebration. She has provided Jonathan M. Estreich P’06, a loyal Gunnery thoughtful commentary and valuable insight, serving as a town parent and supporter of the school, upon his liaison, board member and supporter of many land preservation retirement from the Board in January. organizations, and as an advocate of The Gunnery. She has provided input and support into countless other areas that were A wise counselor and a respected voice, Estreich served as a key in the establishment of the school’s long-term plan. Trustee for 13 years and has been a valuable member of numerous A resident of Washington, Peckerman was the recipient committees, including the Head of School Search Committee, of the 2011 Friend of the Green Award. She is a tireless and the Admissions Committee, dedicated conservationist and quiet leader of community service the Committee on Trustees, in Northwest Connecticut. These experiences have enriched her the Executive Committee, and contributions to The Gunnery as a dear friend, trusted colleague, the Buildings and Grounds kindred spirit and respected voice among her fellow Trustees. Committee.

TRUSTEE NEWS

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Dedicating Vreeland House

On April 24, members of the Board of Trustees honored Gerrit Vreeland ’61 upon his retirement with the formal dedication of Vreeland House. The twostory Colonial home with the wide front porch and red door is perched on a small hill on the corner of Wykeham and Green Hill roads. The property overlooks the Meeting House on the Green and the Gunn Memorial Library, designed by noted architect Ehrick Rossiter of the Class of 1870. The house has an interesting history and several ties to the school. According to attorney and Washington history enthusiast Reginald William H. Fairbairn, the house was built on land once owned by philanthropist Edward H. Van Ingen, who in 1889 built a summer estate in Washington called “The Knoll.” We know it today as the school’s Administration building, Bourne Hall. Van Ingen, who came to Washington from Brooklyn, New York, purchased most of the land around the Washington Green in 1874. He built his estate and then sold large lots to other influential urban families, “making the Green an exclusive enclave of summer homes,” historian Paul Graney P’19 said in the “Historic and Architectural Resource Survey of Washington” published in 2000. According to the survey, the house was built circa 1925 for Miss Hattie Franklin. Town records show it had many subsequent owners and in 1961 was purchased by H. Malcolm Baldridge, a Nebraska native and U.S. Congressman whose son, Malcolm Baldridge, Jr., served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Ronald Regan, and whose daughter, Letitia Baldridge, was the social secretary to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. “Mac” Baldridge, as their father was known, was appointed Director of Development at The Gunnery in 1965, and served as a Trustee of the school. He owned the house until his death in 1985.

Jonathan M. Estreich P’06 and Gerritt Vreeland ’61 with Head of School Peter Becker on the porch of Vreeland House in April

Over time, neighboring property owners included Julia Turner, who served as The Gunnery’s head nurse from 1927 to 1964, and Elizabeth Kempton, who taught art at The Gunnery from 1903 to 1953. The Gunnery acquired the dwelling as a faculty residence in 2015. It is currently home to Sean Brown P’22, Director of Alumni & Development, his wife, Erin, who is a Learning Specialist in the Center for Academic Excellence, their children, Gavin ’22 and Bridget, and two dogs, Scout and Ru.

To mark the dedication, a plaque was installed inside the house in Vreeland’s honor. Jonathan M. Estreich P’06, who served as a Trustee from 2006 to 2019, praised Vreeland for his strategic leadership and accomplishments, noting that the school was successful in raising $40 million and built more buildings during his tenure than under any previous Board Chair. “We appreciate everything you have done and we are very proud to dedicate this building Vreeland House,” Estreich said. n

ALUMNI EVENTS

#SummerofGunn at Fenway First row: Molly McGonigle, Julie Petrillo ’18, Hope Thorn, Lauren Smith and Meredith Smith ’87. Second row: Michael Bates ’65, Mark Dibble ’79, Tom Meek ’81, Al Lussier ’81 P’10 ’13, Steve Curry ’87 P’22, Garrett Fucci ’03, Gretchen Farmer P’05, Mallory Farmer ’05 and Phil Farmer P’05.

Highlanders at Yankees Stadium Nina Healy ’90, her husband, Tadhg, and their sons, Finn, 11, and Aidan, 8, were among the Highlanders who joined us August 18 to watch the New York Yankees play at home against the Cleveland Indians.

Gunnery Gathering in the City of Angels... LA-area alumni and friends of The Gunnery gathered September 19 at Above SIXTY, one of the best rooftop venues for cocktails and conversation in Beverly Hills. It was great to see and catch up with (left to right): Gwen Squires ’05, Lb Schmidt ’08, Matteo Berloffa-Spadafora, Heather Lincoln ’06, John Gilmour ’81, Virginia “Ginger” Demke, Duke Fishman ’19, David Coburn ’68, and Salvator Xuereb ’84.

Alumni, parents and friends of The Gunnery living in or near San Francisco enjoyed beautiful views and great conversation at Mersea on Treasure Island on September 19. We were so happy to spend time in California with (left to right): Judd Murkland ’68, Allen Chang ’10, Raymond White ’63, Andrew Williams ’85, Bob Houser ’85, Galen Murkland, John Harrison ’64, Fred Fields ’57 P’85, Kalea Barger, Bonnie Harrison, Krystalynn Schlegel ’96, Walter Fuller ’64, Michael Schlegel P’96, and Erica Fuller.

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… and San Francisco!

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Investing in Emerging Markets, Spike Eggelhoefer ’78 Finds Opportunities to Give Back

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ooking back on his career and extraordinary philanthropic endeavors, Goetz Eggelhoefer ’78, who was known to all on campus as “Spike,” credits The Gunnery with nurturing his sense of curiosity about the world and different cultures, and instilling in him a certain fearlessness. What he learned about himself in his post-graduate year on campus has guided him on a path from London to Japan and Singapore, and on to India, Uganda and other developing countries, where he has become involved in charities that provide poor children with a chance for a better life. Eggelhoefer arrived on campus in the fall of 1977 as an exchange student with the English-Speaking Union’s (ESU) Secondary Schools Program. By then, he had completed his schooling at St. Edmunds School, Canterbury, an all-boys school in Kent, England, and deferred his acceptance to business school at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, for one year. “The year that followed at The Gunnery ranks as probably one of the top five years of my life in terms of experiences. For

the first time in my life, I had absolutely no academic pressure on me at all. I was a sponge, soaking up these new experiences. For example, I took Ned Swigart’s P’82 class on archaeology and learned about the Native American culture in Connecticut, which is something I never would have done ordinarily. I joined Glee Club; I was pretty hopeless, I have to say. I played soccer well, I played ice hockey badly. I tutored students in algebra. I just enjoyed everything.” In the U.K., he was limited to studying three or four courses intensely in his junior and senior years, which were selected based on the results of a set of exams and essentially predetermined his track at the university level. So when he came to The Gunnery, he loved having the opportunity to try new things. “I thrived on it. It made me braver and more willing to do the unconventional and to travel the path less well trod. It was an attitude that helped define my career and my life,” he said of his experience. Outside of school, Eggelhoefer volunteered as a swimming

“I was at a point in my life where I was able to take some risks, and that led me to the next phase of my life,” said Eggelhoefer, who set up TRG’s office in Singapore and served as a Partner and Lead Portfolio Manager of the Asia Opportunity Fund from 2004 to 2015.

The opportunity to help children in need and paragliding from Jersey’s dramatic instructor at Devereux Glenholme, cliffs as well as higher peaks in Spain and a therapeutic boarding school in — and orphaned children Washington, and traveled at every Morocco. The couple travels throughout in particular — presented Europe — his parents live in Switzerland opportunity, spending his “out-of-term” itself much later in my and hers in Edinburgh — and their sons time with John Young ’78, Chris Young ’80 and their family at their home on Lake come over to Jersey “now and again.” life. I was not looking for Kyle, 31, works in digital marketing for a Waramaug. “They became my American it, but I was able to get family away from home,” Eggelhoefer London hotel chain, and Scottie, 29, is a involved in something that said, noting that he has remained in production manager who has worked on has grown remarkably into films including “Mama Mia! Here We Go contact with the Young family, and Chris and his wife, Linda, visited him in the Again,” the James Bond film, “Spectre,” something much, Channel Islands last year. and the 2019 film version of “Cats.” much larger than we “You don’t necessarily appreciate “My other hobby is driving cars fast thought it would. or understand the experiences at the around racing circuits,” said Eggelhoefer, point at which you’re having them,” who races a Porsche Cayman GTS and he acknowledged, thinking back on his serves as a regional organizer for the carefree, 18-year-old self. “It’s only 30 or 40 years later that those Porsche Club of Great Britain. One of his responsibilities in that seeds germinate in a different fashion.” role is to encourage fellow racing enthusiasts to participate in Now 60 and semi-retired, he lives with his wife, Fiona, in track days at the 13.65-km Grand Circuit 24 Hours of Le Mans. a new house they built on Jersey in the Channel Islands. He Given the curves and one notoriously sharp corner that circuit practices yoga, enjoys target shooting as part of a local rifle league, is known for, it seems fitting then, that the advice he has shared with his sons time and again is this: “Life just is not a straight line. It is filled with turns and twists and curves. You can look back in life and probably pinpoint three or four decisions that you made that changed the course of your life, but you never know it at the time.”

Flying on the North Coast

While The Gunnery did not influence where Eggelhoefer went to college or what he chose to study, his experience did play a role in his decision to apply exclusively to American companies afterward. He graduated from Edinburgh in 1982 with honors and a bachelor’s degree in business finance, joined J.P. Morgan and was “shipped off to New York” for an intensive training program. Upon his return to London, he married Fiona, whom he had met at the university, and his career seemed to take off immediately, as he embraced the unconventional and traveled “the path less well trod.” “It was expected that I would be working in corporate banking when I returned to London. Of course, I opted for the trading floor because the trading floor looked like so much more fun, and grads never went to the trading floor,” he recalled. His timing coincided with the Big Bang, and with the sudden deregulation of the financial markets, Eggelhoefer found himself “by sheer luck in the right place at the right time.” Since it was also expected that his career would revolve around the major financial centers in London and New York,

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From London to Tokyo to Singapore

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HIGHLANDER JOURNEYS

he seized the opportunity to take a job in Tokyo. He and Fiona went straight from their honeymoon to Japan, and stayed in Tokyo for four years. They returned to London briefly, where Eggelhoefer was to run J.P. Morgan’s European trading business, but then a posting came up in Singapore, where they lived and worked for the following 22 years. During his 18-year career with J.P. Morgan, Eggelhoefer held a number of senior management positions, including Head of Fixed Income and Interest Rate Trading for Japan and Regional Head of Foreign Exchange and Eggelhoefer and his wife, Fiona Emerging Markets for Asia-Pacific. He was also a member of J.P. Morgan’s Asia Pacific Management Committee and served on the which was established to invest back into the local communities Singapore Foreign Exchange Market Committee (SFEMC) as the of the developing countries in which they were operating. While representative for the Alternative Asset Management community EMPower is now a global philanthropic organization, what TRG’s in Singapore. partners were aiming to accomplish was on a much smaller scale. Following the merger of J.P. Morgan and Chase Manhattan “At the time we did this, one of my employees, who was Corporation in 2000, Eggelhoefer decided to do something from India, brought to my attention a start-up organization called different. He became Managing Director and Head of Global Parivaar,” Eggelhoefer said. The humanitarian organization was Markets, Asia, for Bank of America from 2001 to 2004. Around conceived and founded in Calcutta, India, in 2003 by Vinayak this time, one of his former colleagues at J.P. Morgan, Nicolas Lohani, a 25-year-old graduate of the Indian Institute of Rohatyn, asked Eggelhoefer to become a founding partner for a Technology Kharagpur and the Indian Institute of Management small start-up operation, The Rohatyn Group (TRG), a macro Calcutta, who, according to Parivaar’s website, was inspired by a hedge fund specializing in investment in emerging markets, spiritual call to service and set aside the possibility of a corporate including Asia. career to pursue his vision of changing the destiny of destitute and “Nick’s father, Felix Rohatyn, is credited with rescuing New vulnerable children in India. York City from bankruptcy in the 1970s. So, Nick has a strong TRG agreed to provide funding for Parivaar for five years. pedigree in financial markets. In 2003, he set up a hedge fund that The only stipulation was that Eggelhoefer and his staff had to be was focused on emerging markets and asked me whether I would involved in some way. “At the time that I got involved, they had 11 be interested in setting up the Asian piece. I was at a point in my kids. They were street kids, orphans,” he said. “The concept was life where I was able to take some risks, and that led me to the that we would take them off the streets, we would take them under next phase of my life,” said Eggelhoefer, who set up TRG’s office our wing, we would house, clothe and, most importantly, educate in Singapore and served as a Partner and Lead Portfolio Manager them. Did we know that 15 years later, we of the Asia Opportunity Fund from 2004 would have 2,500 children? No, we didn’t to 2015. Today, TRG has a presence in have a clue about the extent of Vinayak’s 14 cities globally, including New York, The concept was ambitions … but we quickly found out. Singapore, Buenos Aires, London, São We bought swampland on the outskirts Paulo, Lima, New Delhi and Mumbai. that we would take them of Calcutta. We drained the swamp and One of the things that TRG’s off the streets, we would built some fairly basic dormitories there. founding partners agreed to from the take them under our wing, At that stage, the children were bused to start was that they would set aside two or we would house, clothe local schools for their education. Within a three percent of their annual revenues for few short years, we had enough kids — we philanthropic pursuits. It was a philosophy and, most importantly, had a couple hundred kids — and enough they carried forward from their time at J.P. educate them. Did we funding to build and support our own Morgan. Nick Rohatyn, who was at that know that 15 years school.” time the Head of the Emerging Markets The challenge was to educate those business at J.P. Morgan, was the driving later, we would have children, who were as young as 5, in a force behind the creation of EMPower, 2,500 children? concentrated way, and bring them up to a philanthropic collaboration between speed quickly, so they could find their the major financial firms on Wall Street,

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way to a mainstream high school that would potentially lead to a and sand dams, as well as water tanks for schools and medical university-level education, Eggelhoefer said, noting that the first centers. That’s what occupies my time now in my state of semichild from the program graduated from university last year. retirement,” said Eggelhoefer, who is a Trustee and plans to travel At the beginning, Parivaar was focused on boys, who were to Uganda in February. “We go back and check on the water all housed on a single campus. But within six years, it essentially wells. The focus of that charity is to get girls back into education. doubled in size when the founder of a similar organization helping Providing a water source that is close at hand means that girls, in orphaned girls became gravely ill and passed away. “There were particular, don’t have to fetch water all day and can consequently 250 girls with nowhere to go. That was an emergency call to arms. remain at school.” Sometimes girls in Uganda must walk 15 kilometers a day We scraped together enough money to buy more swampland just to carry back five liters of water, he said, attributing his and build another campus. Now we had 500 children. In the last desire to help children, and orphans in particular, to his time at 10 years, it has just grown and grown,” said Eggelhoefer, who St. Edmunds. The boys-only boarding school was established in continued to invest in Parivaar and spend time alongside his 1751 by the Clergy Orphan Society and stands in the shadows of staff in Singapore, to advise its newly created board on its future Canterbury Cathedral. Choristers from its Choir School perform development. “Really the challenge for us as founding donors was to keep every day at the cathedral and attend class with the students of pace with Vinayak’s boundless vision and energy to take in more St. Edmunds. The Clergy Orphan Foundation provides for the children,” he said, explaining that in 2017, Parivaar expanded education of orphaned boys, or ‘foundationers’ as they were its efforts to address the issue of malnutrition and how it affects known when Eggelhoefer attended the school. The children of children’s ability to learn. The organization began working in fee-paying families who attended St. Edmunds were encouraged Madhya Pradesh, with the goal of establishing 100 meal centers to bring a ‘foundationer’ home with them whenever they could. In a way, his life has come full circle, with his career evolving for children ages 4 to 14. As Parivaar noted on its website, in January 2018, The to allow for his philanthropy. Economist ran a cover story under the headline, “India’s missing “The opportunity to help children in need — and orphaned children in particular — presented itself much later in my life. I middle class.” It included “a chilling statistic. Poor diets mean was not looking for it, but I was able to get involved in something that 38% of children under the age of five are so underfed as to that has grown remarkably into something much, much larger damage their physical and mental capacity irreversibly ... India than we thought it would,” he said. “But, as I have learned, life has the largest number of stunted children in the world, at 48.2 never runs in a straight line. It takes you down paths and to places million. In the state of Madhya Pradesh more than 60% of you would never have dreamed you would go to. All you need is children are malnourished. In some impoverished tribal areas of the courage to embrace it. My short time at The Gunnery helped Madhya Pradesh, it is as high as 90%.” In response to this crisis, Parivaar has established 109 meal me to develop that courage.” n centers and is now providing nutritious meals to more than 9,000 children. Its goal is to have 150 centers open by December of this year. Sailing — and wearing his Gunnery gear! Eggelhoefer relinquished his role with Parivaar when he retired from TRG and left Singapore in 2015. Although he is still a financial donor, he has since become involved with another charitable organization called Just a Drop, which was started by a friend and contemporary student at Edinburgh University, Fiona Jeffery, OBE. Just a Drop supplies safe water and sanitation to developing countries. “We picked the six or so countries at the bottom of the UN poverty index: Cambodia, India, Kenya, Nicaragua, Uganda and Zambia. We put in water wells

HIGHLANDER JOURNEYS

Game Changer

Gunnery was a great experience for him because it allowed him to branch out and meet different types of people. “Being at The Gunnery and being around people of different perspectives and Entrepreneur Zack Dugow ’05 Reflects on backgrounds was helpful and impactful for me during such a his Start-Up Success formative time in my life. It was tremendously helpful for me to have those interactions not only from a personal standpoint, but because it’s helped me professionally as well,” he said. earbook quotes are often cliche, humorous and on the rare From The Gunnery, Dugow went on to Hofstra University occasion, give us insight into the character of the 18-year-old where he majored in psychology. “I came from a family of who selected it. The quote that Zack Dugow ’05 chose from entrepreneurs and I always knew it was a path I wanted to professional boxer and social activist Muhammad Ali seems to be explore,” said Dugow. “I thought that studying psychology would among the rare few with a deeper meaning behind it and some be helpful for me in business.” possible foreshadowing for his career trajectory: “Impossible is just After graduating from college, Dugow and a friend founded a word thrown around by small men who RedRush Entertainment, which grew into find it easier to live in the world they’ve been a successful nightlife and entertainment given than to explore the power they have “Each day is so different. I love company. They provided high-end event to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an planning and promotions as well as digital the challenges of being an opinion. Impossible is potential. Impossible marketing, product and brand integration, entrepreneur and how the dayis temporary. Impossible is nothing.” public relations and SEO optimization. We recently caught up with Dugow, to-day can vary so much.” Dugow sold the business in 2012 and who has launched two successful start-up turned his attention to founding a new companies and was named one of DMN’s company, Insticator. 40Under40 honorees. The awards, which were presented “The second time around is so different,” remarked Dugow, September 19 aboard a four-story yacht that sailed who invested his time in technical and legal research and from Chelsea Piers in New York City, recognize made 80 revisions to his business plan. extraordinary marketers for their outstanding Since its founding in 2012, Insticator has changed its achievement through creativity, innovation, focus. According to Dugow, “Successful tech companies support, leadership and company advancement in are the ones that adapt to find value in the marketplace,” marketing at an early stage in their careers. which is exactly what Insticator has done. According Dugow was inspired to come to The Gunnery to its website, Insticator’s compelling content platform as a sophomore by his older brother, Matt Dugow reaches over 350,000,000 web visitors monthly across ’04, who was already attending the school. The its vast network of partners including Ancestry, Disqus, younger Dugow excelled at tennis and wrestling and Evolve Media, All K Pop and Shmoop. They were fondly recalls The Gunnery wrestling motto put able to help The Washington Times increase forth by Rod Theobald P’09 ’14: “no quit.” their onsite engagement by 150%, while “Being involved in sports at The improving their overall page revenue. Gunnery was really great for me,” Dugow spends most of his time Dugow recalled. “I learned a lot at Insticator’s main hub in New about competition and how to York City, but the company also overcome challenges that were has offices in Canada, India and presented to me through the Philippines. In an interview athletics. Mr. Theobald really with Media in Canada, Dugow pushed me to be a better said that Insticator “began looking wrestler.” at international expansion from its Having previously New York roots after seeing 600% attended school in revenue growth in 2018 and reaching New York City, Dugow profitability.” recounted that The Asked what his average day is like, he

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Above, Dugow, far left, and the Insticator team celebrating after they were named one of Red Herring’s Top 100 Companies in North America in 2017; Left: Dugow with girlfriend Helena Romen; Below, on the set of MSNBC in August 2018

going to tell you ‘no’ no matter what you do in life. If you believe in yourself you can make it happen and create your own path forward.” Dugow says that he wasn’t necessarily a great student but it’s clear he is a great leader and he believes that if you can rally a team behind your cause, you can be successful. “Being part of a team means having others who are successful in things you may be weaker in and vice versa,” said Dugow. As an entrepreneur, Dugow believes the difference between success and failure is perseverance. “If you can stick with it through extremely difficult times, you can make it to the other side. There’s nothing I am more proud of than my business. There were times when I was working 24/7 but I had a great support system and I am so proud to say that I created something that provides for people around the globe and their families.” In 2019, Insticator was nominated for the Digiday Technology Awards as the Best Monetization Platform for Publishers. Winners will be announced this fall at the Digiday Winter Awards gala. n

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said: “Each day is so different. I love the challenges of being an entrepreneur and how the day-to-day can vary so much. The first few years were extremely challenging but I really enjoy seeing the changes we’ve made and how we’ve grown over the past seven years.” In 2017, Dugow became the youngest CEO to win the Red Herring Top 100 Companies in North America award and the Top 100 Companies in the World Award. The Red Herring award recognizes some of the most innovative and burgeoning technology start-ups in North America. Red Herring has been producing its Top 100 lists for North America, Asia, and Europe since 1996. Investors, strategists and industry executives have come to rely on the Top 100 lists for providing them with insider access to these game-changing companies. Dugow is also a member of the Forbes Technology Council and the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), which has 25,000 members worldwide. This provides Dugow with the opportunity to connect with other tech company leaders about common challenges and misconceptions in their industry. His advice for those interested in pursuing a similar career path? “Never think that there’s nothing you can’t do if you want to do it. A lot of people are

HIGHLANDER JOURNEYS

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The View from Harvard

Dwight D. Miller ’55 on College Admissions, and Growing Up at Gunnery

Above: Brothers Ogden D. Miller, Jr. ’50 P’84, David Miller ’54, and Dwight Miller ’55 in Bourne Hall on Alumni Weekend in June; Behind them are the portraits of their parents, Anne S. and Ogden D. Miller H’69, P’50 ’54 ’55, The Gunnery’s sixth Head of School.

On September 1, Dwight D. Miller ’55 did something he had been threatening for years. He retired from the Harvard Admissions Office after 52 years, having helped to usher in more than a half century of classes. Harvard Magazine paid tribute to the university’s senior admissions officer in its SeptemberOctober issue, noting the significant changes that occurred during his tenure, from Harvard’s merger with Radcliffe to the current “parental/high-schooler arms race to gain an edge [in college admissions] through private counselors, test-prep courses, and ever-more applications filed by each anxious student.” When Miller arrived at Harvard in July 1967, the university received well under 5,000 applications annually. That number has skyrocketed to more than 43,000 who applied for the same number of beds this year. “The volume of work has grown enormously. Of course, it’s all electronic now, but we still read every application at Harvard,” Miller said.

Navigating the Change and the Storm

Ogden D. Miller, Jr. ’50, David P. Miller III ’54 and Dwight D. Miller ’55 as faculty children

in search of top applicants, from New England and the Atlantic seaboard to parts of the Midwest, Southwest and Canada. “No matter what changes in admissions unfold in the next five decades, no one in sight is likely to equal Miller’s record,” the magazine concluded.

Life as a Faculty Child Born in New Haven, Miller was just eight years old when he came to The Gunnery in December 1945 with his brothers, David P. Miller III ’54 and Ogden D. Miller, Jr. ’50, P’84, and their parents, Anne S. and Ogden D. Miller H’69 P’50 ’54 ’55, who was appointed the sixth Head of School and served from 1946 to 1969. “The school had been greatly reduced in size at wartime. A big part of his challenge was how to resuscitate a school that had 85

The world has changed and they’re not going to get all the answers as if filling out a form is all it takes to get into college. Personal qualities have a lot to do with it. It’s gotten harder for everybody because colleges are looking at a much broader pool of people.

students and it’s normal capacity was 125,” Miller recalled of his father. At the time, Bourne was still a privately owned estate, and Bartlett dorm, which was designed by Ehrick Rossiter (Class of 1870) and located close to where the Emerson Performing Arts Center stands today, was essentially destroyed by a fire in the winter of 1947. “That was quite a sight. It was icy cold. They got everybody out. There was a picture of one of the students picking through his belongings and that was in The New York Times.” Miller remembers a wire fence that ran behind the Schoolhouse up to the stone wall along Kirby Road, marking the property line where campus ended and the Bourne estate, owned by Alfred Bourne, president of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, began. The fence “was supposedly an indicator that Mr. Bourne would leave his property to the school. That never got into the will so the school bought it when it was placed on the market after the Bournes died,” Miller said. That was in 1958, and the school subsequently doubled its enrollment. As a family, the Millers lived first in Whittlesey House and then moved to the 1773 house on the Washington Green, next to the Cottage. “I grew up

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“The pressure is mostly on the kids and families because there’s so much media attention and you can see what’s developing,” he said, referencing the college admissions scandal during an interview from his home in Cambridge. Less than a week earlier, Felicity Huffman was sentenced in a Boston courtroom to 14 days in prison for paying a consultant $15,000 to boost her daughter’s SAT scores. The actress was reportedly one of 30 parents charged in what has been called “the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted.” There is so much emphasis on test scores and grades but in Miller’s view, those are just a starting place. “The world has changed and they’re not going to get all the answers as if filling out a form is all it takes to get into college. Personal qualities have a lot to do with it,” Miller said. “It’s gotten harder for everybody because colleges are looking at a much broader pool of people. Many of them are qualified, but that doesn’t automatically make them interesting.” As Harvard Magazine pointed out, “experience and perspective have been especially valuable” in navigating “this change and the storm.” “No one has personified that better than Miller,” the magazine said, noting that over the course of five decades he served under three admissions deans and covered a fair amount of territory

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

mostly in that house,” said Miller. “It was always a beautiful hometown. We enjoyed it immensely, living there, all the great beauty and the activities, the athletics.” As faculty children, their lives were intertwined with the school. The Gunnery’s longtime nurse, Julia Turner, was an avid Red Sox fan. “She used to patch up Dave and me when we had bruises and banged heads from playing around campus,” he said, recalling that when the Red Sox lost the final game of the season to the Cleveland Indians in October 1948, “she was in tears.” Elizabeth Kempton taught art classes in the little shack next to the Schoolhouse. “I would go there on Saturday mornings and do art along with The Gunnery students. It had a little pot-bellied stove. It was very quaint and I’ll always remember that.” Anthony Olin, known to all as Ant, was the head groundskeeper. He worked for the school for 60 years, Miller said, recalling that when The Gunnery pine was damaged in a storm, Olin climbed up and spliced the top of it. “He was a wonderful member of The Gunnery family and a great part of my growing up.” Through the years, Miller met a few celebrities. “Helen Hayes came to school one day with her son, who was a possible applicant. She was an actress of major proportions,” he said recalling, too, that when his father left his job as Athletic Director at Yale to become The Gunnery’s Head of School, he kept his role as master of ceremonies for the New Haven Symphony and brought the boys along with him. “The concerts were conducted in the Yale Bowl, which was quite fun. They had wonderful singers and actors taking part. I remember meeting Oscar Hammerstein and Yogi Berra. That’s quite a combination. We didn’t know Oscar Hammerstein of course, but we sure knew Yogi Berra!”

An Engaged Student As a Gunnery student, Miller was elected a prefect in his senior year. He also was a member of the Student Council, the “Red and Gray,” Dance Committee, Athletic Council, Second Century Committee, Glee Club, Community Chest, Gunn Association, and The Gunnery News staff. He played football all four years, serving as captain of the varsity team in his senior year, and received the Athletic Cup at Prize Night. As a freshman in 1951, Miller played thirds, and his team and the varsity team led by Captain John F. Schereschewsky, Jr. ’52, were both undefeated. “When the varsity went undefeated, they were all given special gold footballs as a trinket that would go on a chain. The thirds team thought they should have one, too, and Rod Beebe, the head of athletics and the varsity football coach, said, ‘No, it’s for varsity only.’ So one of the kids on the thirds team was from a very wealthy family and he asked his father if he would get the gold footballs for the thirds team. He did, and I still have mine. We didn’t tell anybody.”

Miller as captain of the football team in 1955

Miller’s senior photo from the 1955 Red and Gray

In the winter, Miller played hockey all four years, skating on the woodland pond that benefactor Katherine Conroy helped develop. “It was a very short season for the lack of ice. One year they experimented and flooded the football field and froze that. That didn’t work that well. The same with the tennis courts, when it was just the four clay courts. We loved it,” he said. In the spring of his freshman year, Miller disappointed Varsity Baseball Coach Edward Buxton, who had wanted him as a catcher, by joining the Varsity Tennis Team. They went undefeated. “It was a thrill to play on the tennis team as a freshman,” he said, recalling that when the team arrived on campus late after an away game, they would be celebrated by the entire school when they walked into the dining hall on the first floor of Brinsmade. “They would just go bananas when we kept on winning,” he said. When the Dramatics Club took on “Mister Roberts,” David and their father were in the cast and it was a big hit. “The director of the show, Ollie Raymond, a faculty member, asked my father to play one of the major parts as the captain of the ship. In the story, he is a very unpopular captain and the crew would always be swearing under their breath at him. So it was a great piece of casting because the students loved it and so did Dad.”

All of his experiences as a faculty child and as a student made a lasting impact on Miller. “Watching the adult world around you of teachers and administrators, you learn what is good teaching and what isn’t, and people’s values. Just the way people treat other people in a small school, you see that every day and I think that sticks with you,” he said, noting that his friends also look back on their secondary school years as more influential than college. “Maybe not academically, but in personal terms and valuing relationships and therefore they are very loyal to the school that brought that about for them. And it starts at the top. The head of school sets the tone. Peter Becker has been a great addition to the school.” Like his father and brothers before him, Miller graduated from Yale in 1959 with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies. He went on to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps for three years. “I saw a lot of the world and had lots of responsibility,” he said, noting that when he attended his 50th reunion at Yale, he

learned that many of his classmates shared similar experiences, having graduated from college at a time when there was an active draft and the looming threat of conflict in the years leading up to Vietnam. “I had my training at Quantico, then went to Camp Pendleton in California and over to Okinawa and saw all of the Far East, Mount Fuji and Borneo for training, the Philippines.” He taught American history and literature briefly at Rumsey Hall before

“Watching the adult world around you of teachers and administrators,

Miller with Peg Addicks H’02 P’69 ’70 at Alumni Weekend. A cherished member of the community for 45 years, she taught Latin and prior to that, was Ogden D. Miller’s secretary.

you learn what is good teaching and what isn’t, and people’s values. Just the way people treat other people in a small school, you see that every day and I think that sticks with you...”

Miller, second from left, and his fellow Trustees, many of whom remain close friends

taking a job as a teacher at the American School of Madrid, where Schereschewsky was also working. Recognizing that he didn’t want to teach, Miller began looking for a job in college admissions. He found one at Harvard, where he also earned his master’s in education in 1971. Just two weeks into retirement in September, Miller seemed to be weighing his prospects. “A lot of it is downsizing. We’re all such packrats,” he quipped. His hobbies include collecting art, folk art in particular, and bird decoys. He spends time with his brothers — all three returned to campus for Alumni Weekend in June — along with his nieces and nephews and friends from all circles, the Marine Corps, Harvard and Yale. A former Trustee (he served on the Board for 29 years, from 1978 to 2007), he still has ties to The Gunnery and enjoys visiting friends who live nearby. With all that he has accomplished, he remains true to his roots. As he said, “I consider Washington home.” n FA L L 2 0 1 9

Setting the Tone

What have you been up to since NEW PHOTO TO COME

you last were in touch with us? Drop us a line and tell us your news! Submit class notes to clementj@gunnery.org or fill out

Class Notes 1948 Bob Hyde was excited about the gift he

received for his birthday this year! “Thanks to my son Matt, a scout for the New York Yankees, who was at The Gunnery recently to watch The Gunnery vs. Canterbury game, I received a Gunnery jacket for my 89th birthday!”

died early in my life. My grandparents sent me here. That’s one of the reasons I like the school,” he said, recalling that he got involved with all of the sports. He played hockey on an outdoor rink. “We could hear the ice cracking under our feet.” He was quarterback of the football team, captain of the baseball team and elected prefect his senior year. He won the Athletic Cup at Prize Night. Faculty member Dick Curtis, who had been a pilot in World War II, was a mentor. Courtney also vividly recalled the frigid January night in 1947, when he looked out the window of his dorm room in Brinsmade to see Bartlett dorm on fire. “We lived on the third floor. I looked out the window and could see the flames in the snow. All the water was freezing in the trees.” He went on to graduate from Springfield College and moved to Buffalo but didn’t know many people there. He was actually planning to move away when

Bob Hyde ’48 wearing his new Gunnery jacket, a gift from his son, Matt

1949 T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

Donald Courtney, who turned 89 in

January, was unofficially recognized as the oldest alumnus in attendance on Alumni Weekend. His sons, Robert and David, accompanied him from his home in Buffalo, New York. “He’s been talking about The Gunnery since we were little kids,” Robert said. Over lunch, Courtney shared remembrances of coming to the school as a sophomore in 1947, and of his life after Gunnery. “My mother and father

the form at Gunnery.org/notes. = Celebrating Reunion June 2020

a friend encouraged him to meet a girl who was teaching at a school nearby. “I fell right in love with her,” he said, recalling that when he went to the school, he walked right up to the door of her classroom to talk to his future wife, Ellie. After they married, Courtney worked as a physical education teacher at an elementary school and coached baseball. They had two boys and three girls, Ann, Barbara and Mary. The Gunnery, Courtney said, “completely turned me around. When I walked across the campus, everyone said ‘Hi.’ It was a very friendly school.”

1954 Michael Alderman, M.D., an emeritus

professor of epidemiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, was published in The Wall Street Journal in June about our false understanding of salt intake: “In March we published an article in the Lancet summarizing six decades of research on sodium intake in more than a million people world-wide. We found the sodium ‘sweet spot’ — the intake range associated with the lowest risk of disease and the longest life expectancy — to be between 3,000 and 5,000 milligrams a day, considerably higher than the usual recommendations. Once daily sodium consumption falls below 3,200 milligrams, all-cause mortality increases and life expectancy decreases dramatically,” he wrote. John Fisher, who worked with Mickey Alderman and David Miller on the

Donald Courtney ’49 ready to ride in the alumni parade with Christian Bianchi ’08 at the wheel

planning team for the Class of ’54’s 65th reunion in June, shared some sad news: “My lovely wife, Rita, passed away on January

someone knocked her over. I was one of two or three people who came out of the pile alive.” You can read more of his account, listen to the interview and see photographs at bit.ly/GunneryAlumHartfordCircusFire. html Special thanks to Charlie Smith ’57, who sent a note to make sure we had seen it. “I fondly remember our friendship and the many personal conversations we had while students at The Gunnery,” he said of Levasseur.

30, losing her valiant, five-month battle with cancer.” Born in Sophia, Bulgaria, she and her family survived the Holocaust and emigrated to Israel in 1949. She and Fisher met in New York City. They were married for 52 years and have two children, Rhya and David.

1955

At 81, Harvey Chess said: “I’ve managed to finally revise and self-publish my book, ‘Functional and Funded, Securing Your Nonprofit’s Assets From The Inside Out.’ Now, I’m learning how to market it, a different kettle of fish if ever there was. The book rests on my years of experience and learning conducting a well-received workshop throughout the country for people seeking financial support for nonprofits. The travel has stopped, and staying very close to the Redwoods here on the Mendocino Coast in northern California with my partner of 31 years is a joy and privilege.” Bob Levine writes: “Our love for travel

remains as does our luck in being able to take our family with us. In June, we took

Sandra and Harvey Chess ’55

three granddaughters ages 24 to 32 and their parents to London, Paris, and on a riverboat along the Seine. We’d been to London and Paris several times, but seeing it through younger eyes gave these places a whole new meaning. There were two highlights for me. First, like most I’d heard about Normandy, but I did not appreciate the difficulty the U.S. troops faced when they landed on Omaha Beach until I saw the narrow beach that led up to the hill the Germans occupied. ‘Sitting ducks’ best describes the status of our soldiers when they exited their amphibious tanks. A very emotional experience. Second, Monet; The French Impressionist painted his gardens in Giverny, France. Walking through his gardens, especially the waterlily gardens, was like walking through a Monet painting. So what’s next? British Columbia in September and Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand next February. Sure hope these aging legs hold up.”

1957 Robert Johnson has been traveling a lot in

retirement. “In 2019, I flew to Beijing, got on the Trans-Siberian Railway, and three weeks later, flew back from St. Petersburg to Boston. Each year I also spend two weeks at the Appalachian Mountain Club camp on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.” Five loyal members of The Gunnery’s fabled Class of 1957 (aka the “Bay Boys”) gathered on August 3 for lunch at Pier 23 on San Francisco’s waterfront. The group included Dave Oberweiser, Bruce Owen, Fred Fields P’85, Peter Smith, and Sev Marsted. The meet-up was a great success, although John McBride, who was “on temporary injured reserve” and unable to make the drive from San Jose, was missed. Many great stories were exchanged and a great time was had by all. Another lunch will surely follow.

1956 In July, Jerry Levasseur shared his story of surviving the catastrophic Hartford Circus Fire at age 6 in a front-page article in the Hartford Courant. Levasseur was one of several people featured in the newspaper’s extensive coverage on the 75th anniversary of the fire. “We saw the flames off to our right,” Levasseur told the Courant. “A policeman grabbed my mother’s hand and

Former Trustee John Greenwood ’71 with Wally Rowe III H’57 P’77 ’79 at Alumni Weekend in June

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David Bancroft wrote: “I still have fond memories of the school, and hope to make it back for our 65th(!) reunion. Fully retired now after 55 years of law practice (15 as a federal prosecutor), but we are still living independently in our 1922 home in San Francisco. Our world is: keeping up with our 3 ‘kids.’ James, an augmented reality computer graphics manager in LA, ran the NYC marathon last November, with me serving as his ‘coach.’ He’s now in Iceland with his family. Jenny just returned from a three-week sail with her family in the South Pacific, and Jessica is a performance center manager in the Chicago area with her husband, owner of a 200-acre corn and soybean family farm! We try to keep up with our eight grandchildren in three different cities. We are still traveling — this year to Australia, then Chicago and Washington, D.C.”

CLASS NOTES

treatments. As a result of his expertise, he was featured on national and local TV and radio programs, contributed to books and wrote book reviews. “I thank The Gunnery for masoning the foundation of my career,” he said. William Munson is on the mend following treatment for cancer. “I feel blessed and I’m looking forward to the next chapter!”

1959 The “Bay Boys” (left to right): Dave Oberweiser ’57, Bruce Owen ’57, Peter Smith ’57, Fred Fields ’57 P’85 and Sev Marsted ’57 in San Francisco this summer

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1958

Concerned with the “paucity of news” from his Class of 1958, John C. Arpels, M.D., shared an update from his home in Kennebunk, Maine. Following a long and successful career as an obstetrician/ gynecologist, he retired in 2012 having worked pro-bono in his private practice for the last 10 years. Arpels holds a bachelor’s degree in French literature from Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he also completed his premed studies. He earned his medical degree in 1969 from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, where he completed his residency training in obstetrics. He served as Chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Family Health Center at the Davis Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base in California for several years, earning his board certification in 1977. His academic career spanned nearly three decades. He was a clinical instructor at both the University of California, Davis School of Medicine and at UCSF medical school, where he also served as an assistant clinical professor and associate clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Services. He received

the Outstanding Teacher Award in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Children’s Hospital in San Francisco in 1978 and an award for Excellence in the Teaching and Practice of Medicine from the Association of the Clinical Faculty at UCSF School of Medicine in 1994. His work has been published in medical journals on subjects including hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer and he has lectured and presented papers on many timely women’s health topics and

Tim Upson was here for Alumni Weekend with his wife, Kathy, and reminisced about his career. After law school (he graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law), he was elected to the Connecticut State Senate, and represented the district that includes Waterbury, Naugatuck and Prospect for 16 years. He is a Connecticut Superior Court Judge and has been a member of the Connecticut Bar Association for 50 years.

1960 Gib Christie wrote: “Finally retired in 2018

closing my business ‘Cabinet Gallery’ after 50 years and over 1,000 kitchens/baths.”

Mother Dolores Hart, former prioress of the Abbey of Regina Laudis, with George Krimsky’s ’60 six grandchildren, Isabella Krimsky, Alexa Krimsky, Leo Fasman, Zephyr Fasman, Olivia Krimsky and Emma Krimsky, and his daughter-in-law, Stefanie, at the book launch in April

In April, the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Connecticut, celebrated the release of “The Artist Remembers: Mother Placid and the Stations of the Cross.” According to an article published in the Republican American newspaper, the book was the result of a collaboration between Mother Placid Dempsey, the artist who carved the stations of the cross out of cherry wood, and George Krimsky, who first became acquainted with the abbey and its community of cloistered Benedictine nuns after writing a 2005 newspaper article. Sadly, neither lived to see the book published. However, Krimsky read the manuscript to Dempsey before her death in 2012, at the age of 85, the paper said.

1961 Walter Blogoslawski, Ph.D., who is living

in West Haven, Connecticut, met up with classmate Alexander Auerbach in Yorba Linda, California, in late February. At the time, Blogoslawski’s wife, Maribeth Stewart Blogoslawski, was presenting a seminar as President of the National Council of Catholic Women. Blogoslawski retired from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) after 46 years of service as a marine microbiologist at the Milford, Connecticut lab. Auerbach,

after a career as a financial journalist with The Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times, currently runs a public relations firm. He lives in Sherman Oaks, California. “Retirement is great!” said Blogoslawski, who was also in Rome this year. Tim Gaillard shared a photo with us of a

cannon from the War of 1812! It clocks in at 1,100 pounds and came from the British frigate that bombed Guilford harbor. The ship got stuck on a sandbar while trying to leave and was destroyed by a very angry Guilford militia. Gaillard’s father got the cannon from the bottom of the harbor in ’63 and he fires it every Fourth of July. This year, his older brother Lee visited from Oregon to celebrate July Fourth and for the annual cannon firing. Gaillard commented, “Our reminiscing included a visit to our childhood farm in North Branford. Lee said that the house and its trees ‘looked smaller.’ I said that was because ‘he got bigger.’ I very much enjoyed Alumni Weekend, meeting staff, seeing my favorite teacher, Wally Rowe III H’57 P’77 ’79, and touring the now-fabulous campus! Go Highlanders!”

over the world. It’s a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. When I’m not teaching, Judith and I attempt to manage a small (50-acre) farm that we share with 25 sheep, a llama, two border collies, and a basket of barn cats. Classmates who find themselves in Upstate New York are most welcome to visit us and/ or fish for bass in our pond.” Norm Polk is still in Hawaii after 45

years. He has given up triathlons but is still practicing radiology in Honolulu and Hilo, and working with students who are pursuing their M.D., D.O. and nurse practitioner degrees. “No nights or weekends but still 10-12 hour days,” he wrote. His son, Todd, is a senior honor student at Vanderbilt University. “The volcano and the lava was amazing; still clean air and water; still paradise (although very expensive). Aloha nui loa.” Raymond White has retired from City College in San Francisco and is staying close to home. “I have purchased gasoline once in the first 50 days of retirement,” he wrote in July. “I’m working on increasing the butterfly species and numbers in my neighborhood. I am pleased to see that The Gunnery, Claremont McKenna College (B.A. ’67) and Stanford University (A.M. ’71, Ph.D. ’73) have each made moves to address the issue of free and civil discourse.” (Bulletin, spring 2019)

1964 Bob Brush and his wife, Karen, had lunch

1963 Classmates Walter Blogoslawski ’61 (wearing his Gunnery tie) and Alex Auerbach ’61 enjoyed a wonderful afternoon reminiscing about their friendship and years at The Gunnery over 58 years ago!

After retiring for the first time in 2011, Tom Hambury is in the last year of his teaching contract at Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. “I plan to retire again in June 2020. I teach management communications to interesting, smart, motivated MBA and MS students from all

over the summer with Frank Moore GP’13 and his partner, Bank Winsor, on

Nantucket. It provided Bob an opportunity to give Frank his alumni pin, which he obtained at his 55th class reunion. Bob was also able to give Scott McCampbell his alumni pin while visiting him and his wife, Nina, in Vermont. Don Brush was not able to make it to campus for his 55th reunion in June, but said he and his wife, Gwenna, “continue to enjoy great health, semi-retirement and

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Tim Gaillard ’61 fires this antique cannon in Connecticut every July Fourth.

CLASS NOTES

Ned W. Downing P’96 was sorry to miss

The Gunnery at Fenway in August. “I’m working hard to get my latest book, ‘The Exceptional First American Security,’ published. I have a strong show of interest from a prestigious publisher and am trying to work out the details.”

1965

Don Brush ’64 and his wife, Gwenna, kayaking in ice, in Paradise Harbor, Antarctica

about his adventures on the open seas. “In response to our kids cries for a power boat, I finally found one. I am a strong believer in the idea that ‘life is too short to own an ugly boat.’ We are now proud owners of a 1982 22-foot Sisu, which is a well-known lobster boat with a reputation for being seaworthy. We spent last year looking for a boat, but I could not pull the trigger on

the popular brands that just didn’t speak to me. The Sisu was designed by Royal Lowell, a well-recognized name on the Maine coast. His two nephews carry on the tradition building Sisu’s and other classic design hulls. They are master craftsmen. I could have had a ‘good deal’ on the boats we looked at, but have managed to exceed the original budget by a factor of about three. Oops! I keep telling Sally that it’s for the grandchildren — which is largely, but not entirely — true. Liam George is 4, and loves it. Audrey Grace is 1, and has yet to express her opinion.”

George Cookman’s ’64 boat, the Sarah Lee, at the mooring

Frank Moore ’64 got his alumni pin in Nantucket this summer, from Bob Brush ’64.

travel.” They recently traveled to Antarctica on an expedition cruise and later this year will be traveling to Egypt and Europe.

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

George Cookman sent us an update

Steve Knight updated us to say: “Remarkably, I am still going strong, teaching some college classes, traveling, gardening, bike riding, etc., and living in central Maine. Still happily married and now have a son who is going to law school. I have not had any contact with any classmates in a very long time!”

1966 Class Agent Bill Post contacted more of his classmates this year than he usually does and shared these updates: His roommate from 55 years ago, Robb Degraff, has been living in Milwaukee since

1980 and is “proud to be a cheesehead!” Degraff retired in 2003 after 23 years in marketing at Miller Brewing, where he “started out making a lot of MillerLite TV commercials.” In his last 10 years, he was Director of New Products (e.g., new beer brands) and the genius behind, “Tastes

Patty and Robb Degraff ’66 on a river cruise

Smith Noack ’04, was a varsity rower at

Gunnery and then at Northeastern.) Paul Cummings continues to practice law in Miami, with his son Andrew as one of his partners. Plus, the firm is expanding. If that isn’t proof of a successful career, what is? Paul Ferla is still in the insurance business

Ben Lyster has quit skiing and paddle tennis in winter but still plays golf and tennis and regularly beats John Quayle at pickleball. Lyster is president of his Waynesburg fraternity and he and Dianne travel extensively.

because he says he likes it too much to quit. He still skis most weekends in the winter and is addicted to film noir and TV news. Paul and LouAnn live in Avon, Connecticut. Rick Lazar runs a heavy civil engineering

Elaine and John Quayle recently became grandparents for the first time. They have gotten into the habit of caravanning around the country, exploring national parks and visiting presidential libraries (John semper discipulus est).

firm, consulting on big bridge and tunnel projects across North America. He and Debbie live aboard a 175-ton ship, the Kalliope. Richard Merrill is the President / CEO of Tyler Mountain Water, providing bottled water, coffee and water analysis services across the Midwest. Paul Nankivell continues to practice law in

Los Angeles. As for Bill Post, he said: “Winnie and I spend our summers cruising in Europe aboard our 90-year-old Dutch barge and spend our winters in San Francisco. I still row. In April my partner and I won the mixed doubles class in the 43rd annual Sausalito Open Ocean Regatta. (N.B: We

Elaine and John Quayle ’66 exploring the West

Andy Smith P’04 continues to officiate auto

races at Lime Rock Park. He and Nancy spend their summers in Maine but also visit Italy regularly. (N.B., their daughter, Mara

Bill Post ’66 and his rowing partner in Sausalito.

won on handicap-corrected time … I’m at the age where all I have to do is get out of the shell without help and they hand me a medal.) Ralph Singh’s “Changing the Story,” a

small group learning game for middle and secondary students and adults, has been recognized by the Fetzer Institute in the field of spirituality and values in education and public life. “Fetzer’s theory of change exactly parallels my work–spirituality, democratic formation, and creating a new story,” said Singh, who has also co-authored a chapter titled “Guiding Children for Virtue” in a new book, “Nurture, Care, Respect, and Trust: Transformative Pedagogy Inspired by Janusz Korczak,” published by Myers Press. “To all those who’ve been kind enough to indulge my endless chatter at school events, you can now begin to see the fruits. We are changing the dominant narrative from fear and conflict to peace!” Read his article, “Vaccinating our Children Against Hate,” at syracuse.com/opinion/2019/05/wemust-vaccinate-our-children-against-hatecommentary.html.

1967 Bruce Adams announced in June that he is

retiring as First Selectman of Kent, having served for a decade as the town’s top elected official, the Republican American reported. According to the newspaper, he announced to the Democratic Town Committee that he would not seek re-election this November, writing: “In the words of Lyndon Johnson, ‘I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my party’ as your first selectman.” Giants co-owner Steve Tisch was honored June 3 by the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) at its 36th Tribute Dinner, hosted by Al Roker of NBC’s Today Show at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. The official hospital of the New York Giants, HSS wanted to recognize Tisch, who is known worldwide for his

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Great, Less Filling.” He has served as an elected official for the last 28 years and is President of the Milwaukee Friends of Public Television and a Village Trustee in Bayside. He and his wife, Patty, a former “Miss Wisconsin” have been married for 31 years and have three sons, Robby, 29, Chris, 27, and Jamie, 24.

CLASS NOTES

Wykeham Alumnae Susan Crysler WR’69 shared some personal history related to The Gunnery. “I was

reading a group of stories that my grandmother, Marjorie Chase Feeter, wrote about her father, Irving Hall Chase, of Waterbury, Connecticut. I found out that he went to The Gunnery in what she called middle school.” (He graduated in the Class of 1874!) His father, Augustus Sabin Chase, was one of the founders of St. Margaret’s School in Waterbury, now Chase Collegiate. Crysler’s grandmother also attended St. Margaret’s “but in her last year, half the senior girls, including my grandmother, transferred and graduated Westover.”

Maria Mason, Lucy Brooke, Daphne Ward and Susan Crysler, all WR’69, and Jean Burke WR’74 toured the Arts and Community Center in June.

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

Mary Cooney WR’73 is an advanced language arts teacher in the Middle Years

Program at St. Ann Catholic School, an International Baccalaureate School in West Palm Beach, Florida. Four of her students won awards in the 2019 Essay & Creative Arts Student Competition, which is sponsored by the Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and open to all students in Palm Beach County public and private middle and high schools. The topic this year was HOPE. Cooney also was awarded a full scholarship to attend a summer seminar in Memphis on “Holocaust and Human Behavior” hosted by Facing History and Ourselves. She plans to incorporate lessons on morality, compassion and tolerance into her curriculum. “Through Holocaust literature, Mary Cooney WR’73 attended the Palm Beach students will learn how they can make Fellowship’s Annual Soiree and Competition Awards Ceremony at the Colony Hotel with the world a better place through three of her prize-winning students from empathy,” she told the Diocese of St. Ann Catholic School. Palm Beach.

Louis A. Shapiro, President and CEO of the Hospital for Special Surgery, with 2019 HSS honoree Steve Tisch ’67 and Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants

generous contributions in the arts, health and education, for all that he has done for the hospital, the Giants reported. The team quoted Louis A. Shapiro, President and CEO at HSS, as saying: “We are delighted to commemorate the extraordinary successes of Steve Tisch, who has excelled in various disciplines of business, media and entertainment. Through his entrepreneurial spirit, artful storytelling and purposeful philanthropy, Steve inspires others to meet the great challenges with courage and perseverance.” Giants running back and 2018 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Saquon Barkley was also featured at the gala as a special guest.

1968 Former Trustee Jack Reynolds and his daughter enjoyed a wilderness adventure in Alaska’s Kodiak Island, the Katmai Peninsula, Camp Denali, and Resurrection Bay this summer to celebrate his 70th and Reyn’s 35th birthdays.

1970 Peter Clarke: “I retired two years ago after

43 years in finance; 40+ years at J.P. Morgan in the public finance business. Mary and I just celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary and are living in Garden City and Remsenburg, New York. We are doing volunteer work at NYU Winthrop Hospital

Stu Levitan ’71

the University of Wisconsin’s Division of Continuing Studies.

here on Long Island, our local church, and I am on the National Development Committee of Ducks Unlimited. Can’t wait to see my classmates at our upcoming 50th reunion!”

1971 Stu Levitan was awarded first place in Best Writing for Audio from the Milwaukee Press Club for his weekly podcast, “Madison in the Sixties,” on listenersponsored community radio WORT-FM, where he is also vice president of the board of directors. This was his second Best Writing for Audio Award. The podcast is adapted from his new book of the same name, published in 2018 by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. Levitan also hosts “Access: City Hall” on the Madison CitiChannel and is music editor for a high-end auto website, Rides and Drives. In August, he stepped down after 12 years as chair of the Madison Landmarks Commission, ending 37 years in appointive and elective local government offices. A 1986 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, and former member of the NCAA board of directors, Levitan retired in 2015 after 28 years as a mediator/arbitrator for the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission. In November, he will teach a mini-course on urban renewal and civil rights through

1973 Trustee Bob Bellinger had the pleasure of spending some time in Charleston, South Carolina, this summer and had the opportunity to connect with his classmate Greg Garvan. Bellinger said, “We had not seen each other in 46 years so it was a real pleasure to catch up over dinner.” As Garvan said: “We bonded over being Grandpas, public history and enjoying good food. I hope we continue connecting... blessings be.” Jeff Bruemmer married Christine McHugh

on July 29, 2019. The ceremony was held on Stone Harbor beach in New Jersey with both families in attendance.

Christine and Jeff Bruemmer ’73 were married in July. Stuart Lindley, who previously worked as

an accountant, is starting a new career. “It’s never too late! In September 2019, I started a nine-month teacher-training course, and as of September 2020 will teach German, French and Chinese in schools in Leeds, in the United Kingdom.” The big news from Peter Weiden P’23 and Vicki Weiden is that their daughter Ioanna is now a Gunnery freshman (Class of 2023). Weiden said, “At this 50-year rate, maybe one of her future children will matriculate for Gunnery Class of 2073! Seriously, Vicki and I are so thrilled about the opportunities and experiences she will have at The Gunnery. It’s amazing how The Gunnery’s core values have stood the test of time. We’ve been in Boston for about three years now, and we recently moved to the Charlestown area of Boston where we enjoy the views of the harbor.”

1974 Greg Garvan ’73 and Bob Bellinger ’73 at the Sweetgrass Festival in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, this summer

John Gillman, who traveled from London for Alumni Weekend, has retired. “Life is wonderful. I do still work part time as a judge one to two days a week when I want to. I spend a lot of time in Greece. I’m very blessed.” He has two daughters. “One is

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Jack Reynolds ‘68 (right) and his daughter, Reyn, in Alaska

CLASS NOTES

married to an army captain and one is about to get married,” he said in June.

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After almost 15 years of living in southeast Florida, Duke Webb has finally moved back to Lexington, Kentucky. “I have been fully retired for a number of years now, and I currently live a life and lifestyle that most can’t fathom. I have been able to indulge my lifelong, night-owl tendencies, and I generally sleep from about dawn until mid-to-late afternoon. By 9 p.m., I’m busy doing whatever I might have planned for the night. Sometimes there are errands to run, but for the most part I spend the whole night watching television, listening to music, or reading. I’m 64 now, and I never married or had children, so I have zero responsibilities nor commitments to anyone else. I do exactly what I genuinely want to do at any and every given moment, and I simply say ‘no’ to anything that I don’t want to do. The freedom that I have to live that way, and to be exactly who I want to be is amazing, and I’m deeply grateful for it! My hair and beard are now longer than ever, and I haven’t worn anything other than purely comfortable clothing for years. I don’t know that I will ever get back to The Gunnery, but I maintain some great memories of my time there. The Gunnery did a whole world of good for me, because instead of making me conform, like so many other boarding schools would have, The Gunnery encouraged and supported my individual interests and traits. Mac Simms (English) and Ron Whittle P’80 (History) were my very favorite teachers, but Dean Norman Lemcke P’84 was far and away my favorite staff member. If any of you ever get near the Bluegrass state, give me a yell!”

Maynard Webb, former CEO of LiveOps and the former COO of eBay, offers candid, practical, and sometimes surprising advice to entrepreneurs online at FastCompany. com. He had this to say when asked how to find a mentor: “Before you go looking for someone to save you, save yourself first. Make sure you are in the right frame of mind to seek help and receive it. It

is up to you to decide what you do with what you learn. Always listen, process it, consider a mentor’s advice, but if it doesn’t fit with your value system and within the scope of what you want to do, reject it. As always, the key ingredients in growing in one’s career (and life) relies on having an open mind and wanting to be continually challenged and always excited about learning.”

1975 After 28 years at The Washington Post, Bruce Ewan is enjoying retirement by playing lots of blues harmonica in the Washington, D.C., region. He also planned to tour Mexico and Argentina in the summer and fall. “I have a recent release ‘Bluesero,’ which mixes blues with elements of Latin and Brazilian music,” he said. He and his wife, Barbara Everhart, live in Sterling, Virginia.

In April, Bruce Ewan ’75 visited St. Croix where he connected with Ben Gant ’76, who has lived there for 30-plus years.

1976 Roger Frank retired early and has been

traveling. “I met up with Susan (Ross) Burns WR’76. She was in NYC with her husband from Florida. I took a train from upstate to the city. We had not seen each other in 42 years. We went to Central Park and Chinatown. I have been doing

volunteer work at the Utica Rescue Mission and the Utica Zoo. I am able to be more active in the Masons and Rotary, and have been visiting old friends in Canada that I could not while working. So enjoying having a life!” Chris Healy caught up with Allen Steiger,

who always seems to have time for others who are merely trying to experience an activity many in retirement take for granted — a round of golf. Over the last several years, Steiger has volunteered his time to coach disabled athletes, including his hours of service helping those with some physical limitations, to get in a round on the links. Working with several hospitals in Connecticut during the summer and Florida in the winter, Steiger conducts clinics by offering a device he produced that allows a golfer with mobility and balance issues to literally strap themselves to the “hood” of a golf cart with a specially designed pad and buckle. This allows the golfer to literally “stand” to be square to the ball and hit it straight. “I get more out of it than they do, but when you see someone’s face when they connect, it’s great,” said Steiger. He and his wife, Diane, split their time between Niantic, Connecticut, and Sarasota, Florida. Steiger says he might get a patent on his golfing contraption but has no plans to make it a late-night “must buy” item on TV. Steiger also volunteers in Florida for Project Cure, which collects used or barely used medical equipment that cannot be resold in this country and is shipped overseas to places of need. Jonathan Simms called to let us know his

father, Clark McKercher “Mac” Simms P’76, passed away July 12 in Wells, Maine. He was 87 years old. Mac was a Gunnery faculty member and administrator from 1959 to 1978, serving as Assistant Headmaster, Director of Admissions, Dean of Faculty, and as a member of the English Department faculty. “Mac Simms was one of the finest men that I have ever known,” said Dave Meyer ’73. “A true humanist. A great teacher. He lived to pass

his knowledge on to young people. That was his great joy in life. Every time that I write a paper, even 47 years later, I think of Mac and how he patiently explained to me how to organize one’s thoughts in advance, write an introductory sentence in each paragraph stating your view, a summary paragraph at the end. In the course of my life, I had three to four teachers that really left an impression on me and Mac was one of them. I was so saddened to hear of his death. I suspect that some of his kindness and thoughtfulness was left behind in some of those that he affected. Sleep well my friend!” (Read the school’s tribute online at bit.ly/RememberingMacSimms)

1978 Scott Milas started his own franchise consulting company in June 2017. “After almost a decade with Wayback Burgers and building a great brand, it was time to eliminate commuting. This October, I will be two years married to Ewa O’Malley. We purchased a home in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. We continue to enjoy traveling and my two grandchildren, Quinn and Sadie. Ewa is expecting her first grandchild this November.”

1979

1980

Mark Dibble shared this note: “The Class of 1979 was happy to celebrate our 40th in Washington over the weekend of June 7-9. We had a great turnout with nine of us there, including George Fryer, Dan Gorman P’10 (his son, Shane Gorman ’10, is Assistant Athletic Director at The Gunnery), Ann Watson Lipham P’10, Jim McIntosh (who rode his motorcycle from Martha’s Vineyard), Sean Peoples, Heidi Rowe, Peter Strandes (with his brother, Brian ’81, too), and Scott Wynn. Heidi is moving from Delaware to New Hampshire and the large New England contingent of alumni is looking forward to seeing more of her. Our class now has a Facebook group page, ‘The Gunnery Class of 1979.’ Please consider joining and posting.”

John Frenaye reports that he got a significant raise last May, when his youngest child graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. With all kids now gainfully employed and out of the house, a call to a locksmith is in his future! Frenaye continues to live in Annapolis, Maryland, and is the founder and publisher of a community news website. He frequently stumbles across Gunnery alumnus Jeremy Parks in Annapolis and hopes to get back up to The Gunnery soon — it’s been too long!

At Alumni Weekend, George Fryer told us he lives in Hingham, Massachusetts, with his lovely wife, MaryJoan. They will be married 29 years in October and have two boys. Christopher just graduated from Colgate University with a degree in mechanical engineering and Jonas is a junior at the University of Richmond.

1981 John Gilmour wrote to let us know he and his ocean-trained Honduran wood turtles recently made the front page of the Laguna Beach Independent. You can find the article at lagunabeachindy.com/forthe-love-of-turtles/. In other news, he said: “I’m working on a refrigerator/freezer for the Frunk of Tesla cars and other electric vehicles (EVs) that does dual duty as a safe for valuables. It pulls out into a portable Yeti-like cooler, too. I am still working on my high-altitude, sustainable energy, wind-power project, and designing a new high-performance, all-terrain powder and carving snowboard for this season.”

On Alumni Weekend, we caught up with Brian Strandes, who lives in Denver, Colorado, where he coaches football and serves as the Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Committee for Greenwood Village. He has three boys, ages 11, 12 and 14, who play baseball, soccer and basketball.

1983

Scott Milas ’78 with Peter Strandes ’79 and Brian Strandes ’81 on the Washington Green during Alumni Weekend

neck of the woods. Coming up on 25 years of surviving the NYC advertising business, and like the rest of us, start to think about what the end of this ‘working’ thing might look like. Had the pleasure of two recent Gunnery alumni visits, the first

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Andrew Jeske writes: “All’s well in my

CLASS NOTES

being a long coffee when Ellen Hermanos Braunstein was in town back in June and, more recently, lunch with Rees Shad and Pamela Tensei Shad ’81 on a stop in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, on the way to see James Taylor at Tanglewood. My kids are all fine, on their respective ways to being a 6th-grader, a high school sophomore and a Lafayette College junior. Tall, Grande and Venti indeed. Making fresh pasta, bread and sawdust in my spare time. Hope all’s well with all of you!” Nell (Hardee) Nicholas continues to work

and live in Cornwall, Connecticut, where her husband, Rob, runs a successful fly fishing operation. Her eldest son, Ben, will be graduating from the Naval Academy this spring. Her younger son, James, is presently a varsity soccer player at St. Lawrence University. Doan Pendleton sent his first Class Note

in July from Salida, Colorado, where he was spending time hiking, rafting and mountain biking with his two kids, Spencer, 23, and Teddy, 18. He is now Executive Vice President of Vac-U-Max and lives in Chatham, New Jersey. Hilary (Fairburn) Sullivan wrote to us in

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July: “Scott and I just returned from a fabulous trip to Alaska. I completed my college counseling certificate program at UCLA a few years ago and I am enjoying working with young people on their college applications. Our eldest daughter, Taylor, graduated from Georgetown this spring and is now gainfully employed! Blair, our youngest, is playing volleyball at Colby and started her second year this fall. We are still in Delray Beach and would love to see classmates down this way!”

1984 Leonard Auchincloss gave us an update during Alumni Weekend. He lives north of Annapolis, Maryland, with his wife, Sophie, and their two boys, Pierre, 16, and Alexander, 14. He retired from JLL after 15

years and now works in general contracting with projects in the U.S. and Canada. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf and fishing. Warren Schiele was on campus at Alumni Weekend, reminiscing about Gunnery rowing. He was the coxswain in the boys boat with Edgar Auchincloss ’82 P’12 and Jon Waechter ’82, who were also in attendance, along with Kim Cullerton ’82 and Nell Nicholas ’83 from the girls boat. They remember riding together from campus to the boathouse, sitting on benches tucked into the back of a truck. Greg Geller wrote: “The 35th was amazing.

How the school has transformed this event and made it a must-come-to event every five years is wonderful. The campus looks stupendous. We need to ALL make the effort for our 40th. For those of you who came, it was really great connecting with you all and I look forward to growing with you over the next five years!!” Charley Kellogg had “one of the best times of my life at our 35th reunion in June. We had a great turnout and I was able to connect with a tremendous number of alumni and Gunnery staff, especially Lynn Pierotti, Missy Davis and Chris Waechter, whom we shared a rental home with right off campus. The house became the focal meeting point for our entire class, and many others. A fantastic time was had by all!” Arnd Wehner wrote to us to say: “It was really worth the trip to travel from Germany to attend ‘our’ 35th reunion! It was great to see all the guys again and catch up. I have now been working for BMW Automotive Group for the last 25 years — most recently out of Athens, Greece and Salzburg, Austria.”

1988 Retired MLB pitcher Brian Looney was the pitching coach for the Overlook Blacksox, the Waterbury, Connecticut, host team

for the Mickey Mantle World Series this summer, the Republican American reported in July. Although he made it to the big leagues, playing for the Expos and the Red Sox, he hasn’t forgotten where he got his start. “I remember the Mantle Series like it was yesterday,” he told the newspaper. Now the owner of Hamden Yards, he shared with the paper his advice for all young ballplayers: “You’re playing highend competition and, win or lose, you will have a baseball experience that you will talk about for the rest of your lives.”

1989 Peter Smith was sorry to miss his 30th

reunion this year. “Still living in Las Vegas and enjoying working in the entertainment industry. Producing some great shows like Howard Jones, Vince Neil, Whitney Cummings, Little River Band and more. My wife and I did get a chance to spend a week relaxing on the beach in Puerto Vallarta in July. (I could get used to that.)” Michael Tedesco was back on campus for reunion in June. It was his second time back since graduation. He lives in San Diego and is a family wealth director for Morgan Stanley.

1990 Tina McPherson sent us this update: “I have

two high schoolers left. My oldest of three, Vernon Holleman IV, graduated from the Landon School and will be attending Texas Christian University (TCU). My daughter, Schuyler Holleman, is a senior at National Cathedral School. My youngest son, Mason Holleman, is in the Class of 2021 at Landon School. I’m a proud mom and have wonderful memories of The Gunnery. I’m now Tina FitzGerald McPherson but I will always be a FitzGerald in The Gunnery community. I’m honored to be the daughter of Jeremy FitzGerald, who served on the Board in my time at The Gunnery. Laura Eanes Martin P’20 ’23, I’m so glad you met my brother, John, and my sister-law-in Nantucket.”

1991 Ethan Eldridge is in his 22nd year of teaching high school English and drop-out prevention in Citrus County, Florida. “I am also volunteering, with my son, at a nonprofit called FILTER Youth Development, a program that takes at-risk kids and families and teaches them skills to better fit into society. If the kids get good grades and their behavior is good that week, they earn ride time after we teach them how to ride dirt bikes. My wife, Natalie, and I recently had our 15th wedding anniversary.”

1994 Geoffrey R. Zampiello was named

to “Marquis Who’s Who®” for his achievements in engineering and telecommunications. A graduate of Trinity College, he began his career at Woodbury Telephone and SNET Internet and rose through the ranks at AT&T to become principal network planning engineer. After September 11, 2001, he was inspired to help AT&T become compliant with the federal government’s Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. He is now president of the consulting firm G-R-Z. net and has been named a senior member of the IEEE (pronounced “Eye-Triple-E”), the world’s largest technical professional association for the advancement of technology. “IEEE Senior Membership is an honor bestowed only to those who have made significant contributions to the profession. For admission or transfer to the grade of Senior Member, a candidate shall be an engineer, scientist, educator, technical executive, or originator in IEEEdesignated fields for a total of 10 years and have demonstrated five years of significant performance,” he noted.

Scotia, they went on to Maine. It was a fun trip and they celebrated Feen’s 40th birthday!

1998 Ty Finkle and his wife, Shelly, welcomed

Sean Stellato ’97, with his daughter, Gianna, at Alumni Weekend 2018

campus in June 2018 when her father was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame. “The book is a story about two things near and dear to Stellato’s heart — football and the city of Salem, where he grew up,” The Salem News reported, noting that the book has been endorsed by several prominent people in the world of sports, including Bill Belichick, Sean Payton, Jon Gruden, Andre Reid, Doug Flutie, Mike Eruzione, Vinny Testaverde and John Harbaugh. It is the first in a series of four planned by Stellato, the newspaper said. Jesse Terry wrote to tell us about a summer

adventure, sailing with Spencer Meyer ’96, Peter Feen ’98, and Josh Feil ’98, from

Cape Cod to Shelburne, Nova Scotia. After exploring the southern coast of Nova

their third little girl, Edythe, “Edy,” who was born in Buffalo, New York, on February 10. “We returned to my hometown seven years ago now after stops in Illinois, Florida, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. I am fortunate enough to have found enjoyment working in the field of historic preservation, working nationally out of Buffalo. I haven’t crossed paths with any alumni recently, however I am on the Gunnery Alumni App, should anyone be in Buffalo and have the desire for some wings!” Finkle was sorry to learn of Coach Cal’s passing and would have liked to make it to the Alumni Hockey Game for Cal’s jersey dedication. “I enjoyed his humor and tough love while playing football for him. We hope to get to campus for next year’s game and seeing old friends.”

1999 Cheryl Tafel met up with Gunnery Head

Baseball Coach Jeff Trundy and the Falmouth Commodores on the Cape in

Sean Stellato has written a children’s book,

“Football Magic: Buddy’s New Beginning,” with his daughter, Gianna, who was on

Peter Feen ’98, Spencer Meyer ’96, Jesse Terry ’97 and Josh Feil ’98 in Nova Scotia

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1997 71

CLASS NOTES

Cheryl Tafel ’99 with Jeff Trundy on the Cape this summer

Chelsea and Jed Stuart’s ’02 children, Teddy, Grady and Louisa

Andrew Hobart ’03, second from right, on the U.S. Air Force base in East Africa

July. Trundy has been manager of the ’Dores for more than 20 years and was named the Cape Cod Baseball League’s 2019 Manager of the Year.

at Fordham Law School, where I will teach Legal Research and Writing to first-year law students. I live in Brooklyn with my wife, Lindsey, and our two cats, Oscar and Felix.”

with our host nation, international partners and the other service branches to enhance stability in the region and conduct joint operations to enhance our operational and tactical capabilities.”

Andrew Hobart is an Airfield Manager

2004

2000 Steve Harris was named Head Coach

of the West Haven hockey program, the New Haven Register reported in July. He previously coached for eight years at Hamden Hall. “It is absolutely amazing,” Harris told the newspaper. “I have been part of the West Haven Youth Hockey program where I started and to see all those guys and what they have done is amazing ... It is an absolute honor to be the head coach at West Haven.”

with the U.S. Air Force in East Africa, “where I ensure a safe, efficient and effective operating environment for several different airframes. I oversee construction projects, identify hazards and mitigation’s efforts for obstructions to air navigation, which ultimately ensures pilots and aircrew can operate safely at our base. We work

Otoja Abit completed production of his

first feature film, “A New York Christmas Wedding” in August. He wrote, directed and produced the film, which stars Chris Noth, known for his role as Big in “Sex and the City.”

2002 T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

Jed Stuart and his wife, Chelsea, welcomed

a son, Grady Stuart, on April 28. “Three under five makes 5! Wish us luck!” she said via social media.

2003 JP Collins joined Kaplan Rice LLP as an associate in February after nearly five years at Sullivan & Cromwell. “I’ve also been appointed as an Adjunct Professor of Law

Otoja Abit ’04, center, holding clapboard, with members of the cast and crew from his debut feature film at the official wrap party in New York in August

Montana. His wife is a graduate of Boston University and Quinnipiac University, the newspaper said.

Ariana Feili, daughter of Kelly Barbera Feili ’04, at about 4 months Sam Bramson told us at Alumni Weekend that he is a software engineer in Keene, New Hampshire. Kelly (Barbera) Feili welcomed her first child, Ariana, on April 6, 2019. Bobby Noonan is back living and working in Boston as a firefighter. He has been married for four years to his wife, Lauren, and they have a son, Tripp. They recently became a family of five as they welcomed twins (a boy and a girl) in August!

From Nick Roy we heard: “After The Gunnery I bounced around to a few different colleges and ended up taking some time off before graduating and moving down to Maryland. Got lucky there with my first job out of college and ended up moving on to a start-up out of Silicon Valley two years ago. Spent the last two years traveling the world evangelizing our software. We were recently acquired at the start of the year and now I’m moving to Australia for the next year.”

2009 Alex Anbarcioglu checked in with Mr. Low

and had some exciting news to share. Not only did he compete for the U.S. National Team in Australian Rules Football last year, but he is off to Officer Candidates School after joining the Marines! On Alumni Weekend we met Tucker Shaw, who is a broadcast producer for Endeavor Streaming, and a supervisor in the credentials office for the U.S. Open.

2010 Craig Badger, Head Coach for The Gunnery’s Boys Varsity Hockey Team, sent congratulations via Twitter in July to Nick Luukko, who is moving “from the ice to behind the bench.” Luukko has been named an assistant coach with the Reading Royals. “The former Royals captain spent all four of his professional seasons in Reading,” the team tweeted. From J.J. Noel we heard: “I’ve been living in New York City for almost five years now, and recently started a new job in sales for a market research company. This job has already brought me to Hamburg, Germany, and Vilnius, Lithuania, for a week each.”

2011 Former faculty member David Shaffer, who retired in 2012, met up in late December with Xavier Parkmond, who was in his AP Calculus class in 2010-2011, and shared this update: Parkmond graduated from George Washington University in 2015 and has worked since then for Deloitte in Washington, D.C. “During his last semester at George Washington, he was an intern

2005 The Gunnery was well represented at the July 4, 2018, wedding of Emily Patnaude and Thomas F. Murphy III. (See photo at right.)

A wedding announcement was published in the Republican American newspaper in February for Tucker Henne, who married Katie Elizabeth Noel on September 1, 2018, at Onteora Mountain House in the Catskills. The bride was attended by six bridesmaids, including Rachael Henne ’09, and the groomsmen included Zachary Levy. Tucker holds a degree in resource conservation from the University of

Wedding guests (left to right): Nathan Patnaude ’02; Sarah Kushwara ’00 and Nicholaus Patnaude ’00 and their son, Rainer Patnaude; Thomas F. Murphy III and Emily Patnaude Murphy ‘05; Gwen (Den Breems) Squires ’05; Malachi Garff ’05; Sarah Feinman ’05; Cameron Brown ’04, Jess Abate ’05, and Mallory Farmer ’05

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2007

CLASS NOTES

in the West Wing of the White House and met Obama quite a few times — since he was working in immigration. Deloitte has offered him a chance to get an MBA degree at the college of his choice.” He was accepted at Yale, Columbia, and Stanford and started at Stanford in September.

2012 Sarah Shulman received her MFA from Pratt Institute in performance and performance studies. Her written thesis explored the Westerbork Transit Camp as being both a physical liminal space as well as a liminal entity. Her performance thesis was a one-woman comedy show that involved an inter(nal) galactic adventure, a puppet alien, and a set conceived and created with recycled material. She continues to perform and is currently working on separate performance projects that explore comedy as a way to communicate educational theories, ideas, and emotions. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is an AEA Stage Manager, training to be a history teacher.

Information Science. While pursuing my master’s, I shall continue working at Porter Memorial Library in Blandford, Massachusetts.”

2013 Justin Dunn made his Major League

Baseball debut as the starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners in a game September 12 against the Cincinnati Reds. “I really still haven’t figured out how to put it into words, other than that it’s just my childhood dream has come true,” Dunn told the MLB’s Greg Johns in an interview two days earlier. “I’m excited to get out there and finally take the mound.” Read more about Dunn’s MLB debut at bit.ly/DunnMakesMLBDebut

Justin Dunn ’13 with Kori Rimany ’14 during a visit to The Gunnery last September

Manhattanville College, skated in 30 games for the Valiants last season and set career highs in goals (6), assists (27), and points (33). This was the fourth year in a row that Bobby Hooper and Dom Rovero have raced “MGoBlue” in the annual S.S. Memorial Crocker Race off Manchester-bythe-Sea, Massachusetts. The family sailboat race was founded to celebrate the life and accomplishments of noted American Naval architect S.S. Crocker and is open to any and all sailboats. “While we had a tough start with the wind shifting out of our favor a few times, we were able to catch some boats in the last leg, finishing the day 4th in our class,” Hooper said.

Dom Rovero ’14 and Bobby Hooper ’14 racing on “MGoBlue,” a J/105, One Design boat out of Manchester-by-the-Sea in July Sarah Hughson, who joined many of

Kellen Croce headed to Australia at the end

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of October to play for the Adelaide Bite. We will all be cheering him on stateside!

2014 Sarah Shulman ’12 in her one-woman comedy show PHOTO CREDIT: ERIK MCGREGOR PHOTOGRAPHY

We heard from Joe Stevens at the end of May: “Just got accepted into Simmons University’s School of Library and

The United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) sent out congratulations in June to Oscar Arfelt, who was named one of three CoSIDA At-Large Academic All-Americans in 2019. “This is a highly exclusive honor awarded to just a handful of Student Athletes each year,” UCHC tweeted. Arfelt, who is now a senior at

her classmates on campus for Alumni Weekend in June, was named a recipient of a 2019 National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) Foundation Award. Hughson, who re-signed with the Connecticut Whale in August, along with Kayla Meneghin, was one of five players who received awards this year. “These five players have exemplified what it means to be a role model in the world of women’s hockey, going above and beyond through their tireless work in the community,” the league said. We heard from proud Gunnery parent Dan Nemergut P’14 ’19 this summer that

2015 The Albany Times Union has reported that Jake Marrello, who is now in his senior year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was “flourishing” on the men’s hockey team. “Marrello, a business and management major, has blossomed since being moved to center and has become a fixture on the Engineers’ penalty-kill unit,” the newspaper reported. According to RPI, Marrello played 34 games and ended

Jake Marrello ’15, wearing RPI’s home colors, waiting for the puck drop

the season with four goals, including two game-winning goals against Army and St. Lawrence. The Times Union noted he also has his own cheering section for home games. “It’s awesome to have your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles come out for every game. I love it,” he told the paper. Ryan Dmowski has signed an American

Hockey League contract with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Hartford Courant reported this summer. During her gap year, Jessica Xu spent five months working for a venture capital firm in China. “I never imagined such a hustling start-up scene in China,” she wrote in April. By then, she had moved to an education start-up founded by a Wellesley graduate and former investor in the venture capital firm. Her focus was to curate content for a children’s museum exhibit, but said what really intrigued her was the business side of the project: how to manage costs and make the exhibit profitable and scalable. “After a long negotiation, my boss was able to make a deal with one foundation that supports underprivileged kids. The foundation agreed to cover all costs to duplicate our exhibit to third and fourth-tier cities. The first stop they would go is the biggest orphanage in Changchun (a less developed place in China) and the orphanage has over 1,000 kids. I thought of the time when I did my Gunn Scholar speech and wished to help these kids have more education opportunities; never thought it would come so quickly. I was honestly in tears when I heard this. Since these orphans are all under 18 and do not have guardians, they spend almost all of their time in the school/ orphanage. We thought we would make this the opportunity for them to connect with the world. We would set the exhibit in the orphanage, and train these kids to be exhibit guides and invite other kids to come visit,” said Xu, who is already on to her next project: an exhibit on animals co-sponsored by National Geographic Learning.

2016 Congratulations to Tessa Mackey, who was voted captain of the Brown Women’s Crew Team for the 2019-2020 school year.

2017 Justin Bonal contacted Math Department Chair Alisa Croft in May from Germany, where he was starting a three-month stint as a research assistant. “I am currently studying in a program called Engineering Physics at Queen’s University and loving it! Currently having a blast. Thanks so much for being such a great teacher.”

Justin Bonal ’17 at the Queen’s College Engineering Competition, which his team won. They went on to win the Ontario competition and competed in the Canadian national event. Grace Herrick received the Sister Jane

Frances Award at Western Connecticut Health Network’s Global Health Conference. Herrick was recognized in June for her work towards making the world a better place in the face of hardships and adversity, her nonprofit organization, Grace’s Promise, Inc., announced on Facebook. The organization also held its first official fundraising event on June 8 at Maple Hill Farm in Redding “to benefit underprivileged preschool children living in the rural Nakaseke District in Uganda,” The Newtown Bee reported.

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his son, Nick Nemergut, was selected as Northeast Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year. Nemergut received his undergraduate degree from St. Francis College in 2018, compiling a 4.0 GPA, and enrolled in the college’s graduate program. “He was a model of consistency for the Terriers on the course and wrapped up his athletic career in great fashion as he recorded a top 15 finish at the 2019 NEC Men’s Golf Championship,” the school reported on its website, quoting Nemergut as saying: “St. Francis College holds a spot deep in my heart for giving me the opportunity to compete in golf at the collegiate level along with providing me the chance to better myself academically and earn a degree. The support of my professors, teammates, and coach were what truly helped make this possible as they all wanted me to succeed and propel myself in all that I do.”

CLASS NOTES

not have without my time at The Gunnery,” he said. “The hands-on experience has been worthwhile and I have learned so much during my time here. In addition to creating a marketing plan for Syracuse Field Hockey, I have helped my boss with his efforts related to Men’s Basketball promotions, rebranding the Syracuse student section, and more during these past few months. I am excited to see how this internship will help me down the road as I move forward.”

Lauren Feldman ’17 and Margot Gaggini ’17 in Peru Margot Gaggini and Lauren Feldman

spent two weeks in Cusco, Peru, volunteering this summer. They taught English to local Peruvians, who were trying to become tour guides or improve their English for their businesses. They also traveled to Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, and Rainbow Mountain! Lucas Prestamo shared an update via Mike

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

Marich P’23, Director of Athletics, after finishing his sophomore year at Syracuse University. He completed a marketing internship this summer with SU Athletics and a game-day internship with a local baseball team, “opportunities which I would

Lucas Prestamo ’17 with his roommate (a Holderness alumnus) after the Syracuse University Men’s ice Hockey Team defeated Liberty University in double overtime to win the ESCHL championship last March

Brendon Vejseli, who finished his second year at Wheaton College in May, shared an update with Mrs. Croft. “I can’t believe that I’m almost done and it’s just two more years before grad school for me to get my Ph.D. in bio, hopefully,” said Vejseli, who spent the summer in New Zealand and was due back November 2 from a semester at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch.

2018 Jerry Cheng wrote to Mrs. Croft from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, where he was studying multivariable calculus and linear algebra. “Working hard to be an aerospace engineer

while trying to add Computer Sci as my minor. I do have a lot more down times than when I was at The Gunn; but I am trying my best to counter them and stay happy and healthy. Still working hard!” After receiving a grant from Middlebury College, Christian Kummer spent the summer living in New York City and working for the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York. “LeGaL provides probono legal services to LGBT individuals throughout the five boroughs. The bar is comprised of LGBT lawyers who volunteer their time at weekly walk-in clinics and the lawyers in our referral network take on cases ranging from trusts/estates and insurance inquiries to discrimination and immigration issues.” He also co-wrote an article for LeGaL’s ‘LGBT Law Notes’ with legal director Brett Figlewski, which was published in July. “It has been a fantastic time celebrating Pride in New York City with this year marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which sparked the Gay Liberation Movement. I was fortunate enough to march in the Pride Parade with LeGaL in June. It was an experience I will never forget!”

Colgate’s Nemo Neubauerova ’18 in her record-setting game against Syracuse last December

Via social media we heard from Nicole Moriarity about her first year at Stevenson University. “I got to know a lot of people. My softball team got to go to Florida and my hockey team and I got to go to Europe!” Congratulations to Nemo Neubauerova, who set a record three months into her freshman year by scoring two goals in a span of 59 seconds for Colgate’s Women’s Ice Hockey Team in the December 6, 2018 game against Syracuse. It was the fastest two straight goals by an individual in Colgate history, the school said.

IN MEMORIAM The Gunnery community is saddened by the loss of many cherished sons and daughters and sends its condolences to their friends and families: Mr. Robert P. Appleton ’73

Julie Petrillo ’18 was all smiles this summer having completed her first year at Trinity College.

Julie Petrillo let us know how her first year at

Trinity College went: “Gunnery has prepared me to do amazing in college! I completed my first year at Trinity College and was also a varsity collegiate rower. The team finished 13th in the country and I got the golden oar lock at the end of the season called the Hartford Barge Club Award. I think of my Gunnery family often and all the fun times I had rowing on Lake Waramaug followed by Mr. Poole in the launch!”

Jackson Yang said his first year at George

Washington University was “truly incredible. The unique environment here has surely matured me and made me appreciate the opportunities I have and those who helped me along the way like you!” he wrote to Mrs. Croft. “I intend to major in political science and minor in international affairs (sorry there’s barely any math involved) and can’t wait for the future!”

7/29/2019

Mr. Blair W. Beach ’57

5/3/2019

Mr. William Bitzer ’52

5/10/2019

Mr. Charles B. Cady ’51

3/26/2019

Mr. William S. Fredd ’72

3/16/2001

Col. Frank A. Henning III ’45

5/30/2000

Mr. Robert Y. Naylor ’66

10/30/2009

Mr. George C. Nelson ’77

9/10/2019

Mr. Richard S. Pogonelski, Jr. ’02 3/18/2019 Mr. Joseph L. Townsend, Jr. ’63 8/29/2019 Former Faculty Christopher H. Thacher

3/24/19

Mr. Clark M. Simms P’76

7/12/2019

Mr. Joseph G. Ghering P’78

8/26/19

Mr. Kenneth Greif 8/20/19

Former Faculty

Michael Eanes H’90 P’90 GP’20 ’23 shared this lovely family photo from a New York Yankees game, including (left to right) Luke Martin ’23, Richard Martin P’20 ’23, and Chris Martin GP’20 ’23.

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David Stevens, a teacher and dorm master from 1969-1973, is semi-retired from his job as an executive search consultant in Lambertville, New Jersey. “I was very gratified and touched by the recent comments in the Bulletin about me and my Russian Program from Doug Greene ’73 [spring 2018] and John Lehr ’70 [fall 2018]. It is encouraging to know that my efforts to build a Russian language and history program affected some students positively. After leaving Gunnery in 1973, I had a career in international banking in New York at Bankers Trust and Deutsche Bank. I often look back fondly on that period in the school’s history, particularly considering the unrest from the Vietnam War. I would be happy to be in touch with any folks from that period who want to contact me.”

FA C U LT Y P R O F I L E

T H E G U N N E RY B U L L E T I N

Ten Minutes With Alisa Croft

Alisa Croft grew up in Bolton, Connecticut. It’s a small, rural town, located about 13 miles from the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs. Croft was one of about 45 in the local high school’s graduating class. “It was tiny. You knew everybody,” she said, adding, “A lot of us went into education, which was interesting. I guess we liked our schooling.” She earned a bachelor’s degree in math in 2000 from UConn, where, as luck would have it, she also met a young man named Mike Croft. He graduated a year earlier and stayed to earn his master’s in education before landing his first teaching job at Manchester High School. The couple married in 2002. When she graduated UConn, Alisa said she had “no idea what to do” in terms of her career. She knew she wasn’t driven to pursue a degree in medicine or law, but she was good at math, and she liked it, so she began applying for teaching jobs at boarding schools. The Gunnery was one of them, and it’s where she met Ed Small, who interviewed and quickly hired her. The two remain close colleagues and friends. “Alisa is humble,” Small said. “When she and I were assistant varsity girls soccer coaches together during her first year here, one of the new students asked her during our first van ride who her boss was. After a second’s pause, she thoughtfully replied, ‘everyone.’ She learns from everyone, and she values what others say. She is a good listener who processes quickly. That is why she is such a good teacher.” Croft teaches math and is the Mathematics Department Chair. She has coached the three sports she also likes to play — soccer, basketball and softball

Q: What faculty or students have influenced you? A: “Ed’s an easy choice. Ed hired me and has been a great mentor. The way he does things is very deliberate and thoughtful. He’s easy to emulate that way.” Q: Why have you stayed at The Gunnery? A: “I love the people. Many colleagues have become family. It is a phenomenal place to raise a child. I continue to like my job and I haven’t felt the need to change. We love the town of Washington. It’s a great community.”

— and is a dedicated Red Sox fan. She is also the Head Dorm Parent in Graham House, where she lives with Mike, who is now Assistant Principal at Shepaug Valley School in Washington, and their son, Jonathan, 10, who likes to play catch with his mom. Q: What courses have you taught here? A: “Everything except Algebra I and Ed’s Operations Research Class, because … it’s Ed’s.” Q: What is your favorite Gunnery tradition? A: “The holiday concert. I enjoy watching the kids perform (they are phenomenal) and the vibe at the school that night with the formal dinner and people are excited to go on holiday.” Q: What advice do you have for new faculty? A: “Regardless of what people tell you, you will learn your own lessons. As much as you plan, and as much as you organize, things are not going to go as planned and that’s OK. Year two is better than year one and year three is the best.”

Q: What would you say to Fred Gunn? A: “I would thank him for being thoughtful in his founding the school and because the principles he used in 1850 we still use today. Some schools search for what they are. I would thank him for hitting the nail on the head. And he would be proud watching our girl athletes — you should see ’em!”

Education The University of Connecticut, Storrs — BS, Mathematics Honors and Accolades The Class of 1955 Distinguished Teacher Award, 2008 The Tisch Family Chair for Excellence in Teaching, 2012-2015 Current Responsibilities Mathematics Department Chair Teaching: Advanced Placement Calculus BC, Algebra II Honors and Trigonometry, and Topics in Algebra II (a new course introduced in 2019-2020) Assistant Coach: Girls Varsity Soccer Assistant Coach: Softball Head Dorm Parent: Graham House

THE GUNNERY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

OFFICERS 2019-20

TRUSTEES EMERITI

Patrick Dorton ’86 Board Chair Neil Townsend P’18 ’20 Vice Chair Wanji Walcott P’19 Vice Chair Cynthia Urda Kassis P’19 Secretary William T. Tolley P’08 ’14 Treasurer

Steven Bent ’59 Leo D. Bretter ’52 P’88 Edsel Ford ’68 David N. Hoadley ’51 Joan Noto P’97 Jonathan Tisch ’72

Stephen W. Baird ‘68 William G. Bardel Robert Bellinger ’73 Graham Cole Sarah A. (Scheel) Cook ’82 Gretchen H. Farmer P’05 Ashleigh Fernandez Susan Frauenhofer ‘88 Beth W. Glynn Sherm Hotchkiss ’63 Peter R. Houldin ’92 Jonathan S. Linen ’62 Len Novick P’18 ’21 Roy B. Simpson, Jr. ’68 Omar Slowe ’97 Richard N. Tager ’56 Robert M. Tirschwell ’86 Dan Troiano ’77

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Doug Day Director of Marketing & Communications dayd@gunnery.org Jennifer Clement P’22 Bulletin Editor clementj@gunnery.org ALUMNI & DEVELOPMENT

Sean Brown P’22 Director of Alumni & Development browns@gunnery.org

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Laura Eanes Martin ’90 P’20 ’23 President Omar Slowe ’97 Vice President Scott A. Schwind ’89 Krystalynn M. Schlegel ’96

PARENTS FUND COMMITTEE CHAIR

Keith Gleason P’19 ’21 ’23

ADMISSIONS

Alexandra V. Ince P’20 ’23 Director of Enrollment incea@gunnery.org CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jessica Baker, Peter Becker, Robert Bellinger ’73, Sean Brown P’22, Jennifer Clement P’22, Susan Crysler WR’69, Laura Eanes Martin ’90 P’20 ’23 PHOTOGRAPHERS

Emily Abelson, Michael Benson, Sean Brown P’22, Phil Dutton ’81 P’23, Becky McGuire, Bart McMann, Michel Williams

MAKE YOUR GIFT TODAY! Annual support of The Gunnery Fund impacts every area of campus life for students and faculty. Make your gift and make a difference today! Please make your gift using the attached envelope, or in any of the following ways:

Gunnery.org/MakeAGift Call (860) 350-0184 MakeAGift-The Gunnery

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DESIGN John Johnson Art Direction, Winsted, Conn. PRINTING David Emery ’73, GHP, West Haven, Conn.

Peter Becker Head of School

Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Milford, CT Permit No. 80

99 Green Hill Road, Washington, CT 06793

Gunnery.org

Digging Into Lessons on Sustainability In April, two teams of sophomores built a pair of raised garden beds on the hillside between the Gatehouse and Solley Dining Hall as part of a school-wide Sustainability Day. In lieu of regular classroom learning, students were provided with opportunities to spend time outdoors and “learn to love and care for our planet,” said Emily Gum, Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning. Working under the careful guidance of Associate Head of School Seth Low, Steve Bailey of the Science Department, Jess Lyon, Chair of the World Languages Department, and Ed Small, the Anne S. and Ogden D. Miller Senior Master, the sophomores used power tools to assemble wood frames, line them with plastic and fill them with nutrient-rich soil. The students planted rows of herbs, vegetables and flowers, which thrived through the spring and summer months with the help of day students, who

volunteered to weed and water the new garden. In September, members of the Green Club led by faculty member Charles Lovejoy returned to harvest and clean up the garden, and this winter, MaryAnn Haverstock’s Water Systems Design class will develop a plan to collect rainwater to irrigate the garden, learning about process, mechanical, energy and control/overflow design systems along the way. “Fred Gunn believed in the power of the outdoors. If he lived in 2019, he would be all about sustainability,” Low told students last spring. “Energy, resources and sustainability are important topics for us, and the world, and we engage with them in different ways and learn in ways not typical of the confines of your classes.”