The Lawrentian - Fall/Winter 2023 by The Lawrenceville School

FALL / WINTER 2023

A Lax Love Story Wes Jackson ’91 said goodbye to lacrosse thirty years ago, but the game found its way back into his heart, and now he’s sharing that love with a new generation of city kids.

14 CAMP CLASSIC

20 TRANSFORMATIONAL

80 BEES IN THE BELFRY?

LEADING OFF

Gazing Into a Bright Future Head of School Steve Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21 surveyed progress this fall on the renovation of Tsai Arena, the historic structure that was the Lavino Field House. The arena is just part of the Tsai Field House project, whose second phase will be completed in 2024.

P HOTO BY JES S I CA WELS H

LEADING FROM OFF THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

On the Cover: Time to Re-Lax: Thirty years ago, Wes Jackson ’91 discarded lacrosse from his life before falling in love with it again. (Photo by Keith Barraclough)

ON BEING KIND

y best friend once described to me an experience she had in the fourth grade many years ago. There was a new girl who had moved into town and had joined her class mid-year. The family lived in very modest housing and were of modest means. She did not wear the right clothes or listen to the latest music. At some point in her first few days, she had to have a routine check-up with the nurse at school, who found that she had head lice. People cringe when they hear of lice, but of course it is as normal a human experience as catching the flu and can happen to anyone, regardless of their hygiene. Well, this nurse marched down to the girl’s classroom and announced that the new girl was going home because she had lice and that the rest of the class would now have to be checked. You can imagine the reaction. Worse yet, the poor girl had to stay home for a week until the problem cleared up, and then when she returned, the cruelty started. Her classmates taunted her mercilessly, called her dirty. Having not yet had the opportunity to make friends or find acceptance, she suddenly found herself all the more isolated, the butt of a thousand daily slights. What a desperately sad, lonely, humiliating experience this must have been for her. Soon enough, this friend of mine noticed what the girl was going through and decided to invite her over to her house for the afternoon. This led to another invitation, and another. They became friends. Suddenly this girl was no longer quite so vulnerable. Suddenly she was not entirely exposed socially. Like the bully who backs off when even just one person sticks up for the small kid, the crowd backed off and left her alone. Eventually, they too began inviting her to parties and outings, and the lice incident was entirely forgotten. By the way, that best friend of mine? I went on to marry her. I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend the rest of their life with such a person? While we may be inspired by stories of noble, heroic actions, it is the small, compassionate gestures in our everyday lives that make the real difference. The quality of life in a given community is directly determined by how frequently each of us takes advantage of the small, daily opportunities to follow our hearts — to show kindness. In his book, The War for Kindness, Stanford professor Jamil Zaki writes about the profound importance of showing empathy. He says, “Empathy’s most important role … is to inspire kindness: our tendency to help each other, even at a cost to ourselves.” Still, he continues, “Kindness can often feel like a luxury — the ultimate soft skill in a hard world.” And yet, Zaki maintains that kindness may in fact be “one of the animal kingdom’s

most important survival skills.” This view certainly echoes the renowned Harvard socio-biologist E.O. Wilson, often best known for his groundbreaking studies of ant colonies. In his New York Times bestseller, The Social Conquest of Earth, he reflects rather optimistically on the human condition. One of his major questions in the book is to examine, from an evolutionary perspective, how social behavior not only enhances but actually promotes survival. Ants, he had found, are highly social and, precisely because of that, highly successful. And so are humans. Our virtues, Wilson writes, are largely responsible for our success — evolution favors our better impulses. Compassion, collaboration, and cooperation give us an edge as we struggle for survival in the cutthroat competition of natural selection. Greed and self-interest offer few advantages to our species. We are slow and weak, and left alone to fend for ourselves, not much of a match for a swift, hungry predator with fangs and claws. According to Ira Byock, an American physician who writes prolifically on medical care, famed anthropologist Margaret Mead makes a similar point. She was once asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. One might have expected her response to be the making of tools, or perhaps burial rituals. “But no, Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken then healed. [She] explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink, or hunt food. […] A broken femur that has healed is proof that someone has taken time to stay with the person… has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety, and has tended the person through recovery. ‘Helping someone through difficulty is where civilization starts,’ said Mead. We are at our best when we serve others.” Given that we have the highly evolved potential to show each other kindness, and yet we do so unreliably, we clearly have to make the effort. What kind of community do we want to be a part of? What standards of civility, empathy, respect, and kindness do we aspire to live by? We have a choice, after all. — Adapted and condensed from the Convocation address, fall 2023. Lawrenceville is set to introduce a strategic plan for wellbeing, some elements of which are detailed on page 8. Sincerely,

Stephen S. Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21 The Shelby Cullom Davis ’26 Head of School

Unflagging Enthusiasm

Once the class banners were set aside, Lawrentians got down to fun at Alumni Weekend 2023. (Photo by Paloma Torres)

FEATURES 20 Lawrenceville Emerges Transformed The $475.7 million capital campaign is the most successful ever conducted by an independent school.

24 A Clear Step Forward Jacqueline Schafer ’00 and her custom-built Clearbrief platform are using artificial intelligence to create a more efficient and accurate legal process.

26 A Big Red Reunion Lawrentians reaching back 75 years returned to campus in early June, making Alumni Weekend a festive and fun reunion, with the Distinguished Alumnus Award conferred upon Darrell Fitzgerald ’68.

32 The Gift That Keeps Giving Wes Jackson ’91 thought he'd left lacrosse at Lawrenceville, but the game – and the connections it forged within – never left him. Today, he is sharing the sport with a new generation in Brooklyn.

DEPARTMENTS 4 6 10 11 12 14 16 38 80

A Thousand Words In Brief On the Arts Go Big Red! Inside the Gates Take This Job and Love It Ask the Archivist Class Notes Old School

FROM THE BASEMENT OF POP HALL

have written before in this space how occasionally, there is much more to a story than I first imagined. You may recall a year ago when The Lawrentian presented the story of U.S. Navy Capt. Dale “Snort” Snodgrass ’68, one of the most accomplished fighter pilots of all time, as well as the inspiration for Tom Cruise’s “Maverick” character in the Top Gun films. Years before, I had reached out to Capt. Snodgrass for our “Take This Job and Love It” series, but it never worked out. We were only able to detail his life after it ended in a 2021 plane crash. This time around, we are fortunate enough to bring you the story of Wes Jackson ’91 in his own words. I first contacted Wes about 18 months ago for “Take This Job and Love It," and we had a fascinating chat via Zoom about how this accomplished and influential hip-hop promoter, who is also a business executive-in-residence at an esteemed college, is most passionate about the children’s lacrosse program he runs in Brooklyn. It’s the element of his life he most wants to be remembered for. “Take This Job” installments typically run about 850 words, but I was past 600 just trying to explain the origins of this unlikely story. I wasn’t even into the story yet! I knew this narrative was too much to be contained in that space. And so, several issues of The Lawrentian after it was originally planned to run, Wes Jackson’s heartening feature is on our cover. Speaking of our cover – well, really, our entire magazine – this issue will be the last of its kind. The Lawrentian isn’t going anywhere; quite the contrary. Our spring issue will feature an intriguing new look, with updated typefaces, reconsidered editorial departments, and a greater variety of voices, including students, from our campus and beyond. Just as exciting is the arrival of a complementary digital platform for our 87-year-old periodical that will give you the option to engage with our stories on your desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone. I really do think you’ll be pleased. • • •

Finally, although Lawrenceville’s enormously successful Emerge Transformed campaign was an unqualified triumph for this School, its students, faculty, and staff, its conclusion also brings the bittersweet news that Mary Kate Barnes H’59 ’77 P’11 ’13 ’19, assistant head of school and director of advancement, and John Gore H’61 ’64 ’65, the longtime director of alumni relations and The Lawrenceville Fund, and more recently, senior philanthropic advisor, have decided to retire. In this short space, I couldn’t possibly explain how valuable their insights, guidance, endless institutional knowledge, and senses of humor have been in helping me navigate this role. I’m grateful to and will miss them both. All the best,

FALL / WINTER 2023 VOLUME 87 | NUMBER 3

Editor

Sean Ramsden

Design

Bruce Hanson

News Editor

Lisa M. Gillard H’17

Staff Photographer Paloma Torres

Contributors

Andrea Fereshteh Adam Grybowski Barbara Horn Sarah Mezzino Tonya Russell Nicole Stock

Photography by

Keith Barraclough De La Vega Fine Art & Imagery, LLC Matt Hagen Dan Z. Johnson

Illustration by

Joel Kimmel Amy Lauren Resvector Graphic

Class Notes Design Lerner Design Group

Proofreader

Rob Reinalda ’76

Head of School

Stephen S. Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21

Assistant Head of School, DIrector of Advancement

Mary Kate Barnes H’59 ’77 P’11 ’13 ’19

Director of Communications and External Relations

Jessica Welsh

The Lawrentian (USPS #306-700) is published quarterly (winter, spring, summer, and fall) by The Lawrenceville School, P.O. Box 6008, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, for alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends. Periodical postage paid at Trenton, NJ, and additional mailing offices.

Sean Ramsden Editor sramsden@lawrenceville.org

The Lawrentian welcomes letters from readers. Please send all correspondence to sramsden@lawrenceville.org or to the above address, care of The Lawrentian Editor. Letters may be edited for publication.

A THOUSAND WORDS

Lucky Leopolds A six-hour canoe and kayak trip down the Batsto River in the New Jersey Pine Barrens did not entail lolling down the stream for the Leopold Scholars this past summer. The students visited the UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve because of its unique ecological characteristics, comparing the acidity of its water against that of streams nearer to Lawrenceville.

IN BRIEF

Ray Published in The Atlantic

s a poet, English teacher Margaret Ray has now achieved something Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost sought – but were ultimately denied by editors: having a work published in The Atlantic. Ray’s poem, “Bertrande de Rols: A poem for Sunday,” appeared in the 166-year-old periodical in August. Ray’s work has been widely published, most recently in her first, full-length collection of poetry, Good Grief, the Ground, for which she was awarded the A. Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize. She is the winner of the Third Coast Poetry Prize, and her Superstitions of the Mid-Atlantic received a 2020 Chapbook Fellowship from the Poetry Society of America. n

English teacher Margaret Ray with her full-length collection of poetry, Good Grief, the Ground, winner of the A. Poulin Jr. Poetry Prize.

GAME ON!

Lawrenceville dedicated its new home for social sports behind the Crescent with a ribbon-cutting in October during Family Weekend. The Big Red Park is an attraction for the entire School community, featuring lighted courts for basketball, beach volleyball, and pickleball. “In a world that is becoming increasingly virtual, our parks remain places of visceral beauty,” said Rabbi Lauren Levy H’97 ’01 ’12 P’01 ’02 ’09 in her blessing, quoting the writer Nevada Barr. Putting a finer point on it, School president Bryce Langdon ’24 said the new park “transforms our campus by adding a new space for us to be together and shows a commitment to improving student wellness and wellbeing. It’s warming to know we have the support of all of you to help make this space possible.” The Big Red Park was supported by the generosity of Karen and Jefferson W. Kirby ’80 P’11 ’12 ’15 ’18, Matthew Sharp and Eliza Tobias Sharp ’89 P’24, Luba and Marcus Montenecourt ’87 P’26 ’26, Stephen and Joyce Chen Shueh P’23 ’27, and Xueguang Du and Dan Zheng P’26. Pictured above are the Shuehs, Sharps, Montenecourts, and Head of School Steve Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21. n 6

T H E L AW R E N T I A N

A Big Red Return Four Lawrenceville alumni came back to the classroom this fall.

or a school, it says something good when former students want to return as teachers. It speaks to the quality of their school experience and their desire to give back to a community that had a meaningful, positive impact on their lives. This fall Lawrenceville welcomed back four alumni spanning 25 years in fulltime instructional roles: Isaiah Chery ’18, Matt Schorr ’09, Ash Shah ’93, and Bri Thompson ’18. Chery, a 2022 graduate of Franklin & Marshall College with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and government, is coaching varsity and junior varsity football and will move on to winter and spring track, sports he played at Lawrenceville and F&M. He is also sitting in on math and economics classes, embracing the traditional model of teaching and coaching. Thompson, who served as student council president, returns as a Penn Teaching Fellow, pursuing a master’s degree in education while teaching science and coaching girls’ junior varsity soccer under the guidance of a Lawrenceville mentor. She’s also back on the Ropes Course as an adviser.

Both Thompson and Chery noted that Lawrenceville students have changed very little in the last five years, even after a pandemic intervened. “The students are just as curious, just as excited, just as nervous about the same things,” Thompson said. “The same little victories and joys make them happy and proud.” If the name “Schorr” sounds familiar, it’s probably because Matt’s grandfather, Col. David Schorr H’65 ’88 ’97 ’98 ’00 ’02 P’80 ’82 ’88 GP’97 ’09 ’12 ’17, preceded him in the math department and was director of the School Camp for many years. Matt Schorr’s father, uncles, siblings, and a cousin are all Lawrentians, and retired math teacher Hal Wilder H’77 ’89 ’15 P’97 is his uncle. A greatgrandfather, Arthur Peck P’58 ’60 GP’80 ’82 ’88, taught French at Lawrenceville from 1932-70. Schorr began his classroom career with Teach for America in Detroit following his graduation from the University of WisconsinMadison. He went on to teach in a public charter high school in Washington, D.C., before returning to Detroit at University Preparatory Academy. He is teaching Math 2 and Pre-Calculus, serving as assistant head in Kennedy House and coaching House football, and looking forward to coaching junior varsity baseball in the spring. Schorr has always leaned on his own Harkness training to lead his classes. “When I started teaching,” he said, “the ability to think quickly on my feet and adapt to situations was a great help. You can’t hide at the Harkness table.” Shah, who is teaching humanities/English, brings a mix of both early and recent teaching experience separated by 16-year gap during which he served as managing partner of a company that provided financing and production services to the motion picture industry, managed a family real estate trust, and represented screenwriters as an artist’s agent. Once he decided to return to teaching, Shah knew Lawrenceville was the place he wanted to be. “I was very committed to the model here – teaching, coaching, living in a House,” he said. “I have a great affinity for the school and want to see my students get what I got from it.” Shah is also teaching a Fifth Form elective called “Case Studies in International Policy,” a course he developed in coordination with the University of Virginia and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), requiring student teams to respond to a real-world security problem and present their solutions to DoD officials. An assistant head in Cleve who coaches House football, Shah earned his bachelor’s degree in English, European history, and government from Connecticut College and a Master of Liberal Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, and he is pursuing a second master’s through the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. All four new alumni faculty agree on the value of their Harkness experience in preparing them for life and their new role. “[The most valuable skill] would probably be the way I learned to figure out my argument and how to defend it,” Chery said. “I got really good at public speaking and filtering through different perspectives, balancing different ideas, and reforming my opinions based on new information. I found my voice.” The hardest thing about the transition from student to faculty member? Schorr may have said it best: “Not calling my former teachers ‘Mr.’ or ‘Ms.’” n —Barbara Horn FA L L / W I N T E R 2 0 2 3

Wellness Team is Set

Two new faces and a widely respected familiar one will key the School’s forthcoming strategic plan for wellbeing.

Bernadette Teeley P’24, dean of academics, was one of 30 education thought leaders to work on a report on “The Case for Education Transformation” for the UN General Assembly.

Teeley Joins UN Education Report

hen Salzburg Global Seminar convened educators and policy-makers from around the world in to prepare a report on “The Case for Education Transformation” for the United Nations General Assembly, Bernadette Teeley P’24, dean of academics, was there. As an invited fellow, Teeley joined approximately 30 education thought leaders, including representatives of UNESCO, the LEGO Foundation, Big Change (U.K.), and Dream India, to explore the factors that contribute to a “Quality Education,” goal No. 4 among the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Founded in 1947, Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS) works to ensure a quality, accessible, and equitable education worldwide. SGS also sponsors programs addressing social and economic inequality, racial and gender equity, good governance, and climate issues. “Salzburg was looking for people with a global view plus experience on the ground,” Teeley said. “I was invited as a classroom educator with a policy background.” The seminar resulted in TransformED: The Case for Education Transformation, published by Diplomatic Courier, with 16 essays focused broadly on the global crisis in education. Teeley and six other fellows contributed a chapter titled, “Educators Are Also Key to Transforming Education Policy and Systems,” which presents what she says is “a simple but effective tool” for combatting the universal issue of teacher burnout. “When we started to untangle teacher burnout, we realized that teachers don’t generally have a structured opportunity to express their own needs,” Teeley explained. “Often when institutions ask faculty to self-assess, that exercise is based on student outcomes. Here we offer a tool that layers in teacher experience in a way that can lead to action, with the knowledge that faculty wellbeing and student wellbeing are intertwined.” Teeley has been complementing her classroom teaching with education policy work since 2000. In connection with the Educational Testing Service (ETS), she has worked on projects for the Children’s Defense Fund, the Department of Education, and several student success initiatives. She began her appointment as Lawrenceville’s dean of academics in July. n

T H E L AW R E N T I A N

C I T I N G L AW R E N C E V I L L E ’ S C O M M I T M E N T to learning and improving in the way a great school should, Head of School Stephen S. Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21 announced the institution’s new Wellness Team in June: Rae Chresfield, the inaugural dean of campus wellbeing; Chris Renjilian, medical director; and Blake Eldridge ’96 H’78 ’12 P’25, dean of students, all senior staff positions that will work together to support and strengthen community wellbeing. Chresfield and Renjilian are newcomers to Lawrenceville, while Eldridge is a longtime School administrator and teacher returning to the dean of students post. The Wellness Team is overseen by Marquis Scott, assistant head of school for strategic initiatives, who will lead ongoing collaboration and bring a proactive, holistic approach to campus wellbeing across myriad facets of school life. “Over the course of the past year, we have more closely examined Lawrenceville’s priority of wellbeing. We have gathered in town halls and in small groups, as Houses and as teams, as an administration and as a community, to better understand our collective definition of wellbeing and how this has evolved over time,” Murray said. “Dr. Chresfield, Dr. Renjilian, and Dean Eldridge are dynamic, ambitious, and talented, and I trust their collaboration will result in positive, forward-thinking outcomes for our community.” Key priorities for the student-centered Wellness Team include: • Creating a campus environment that prioritizes student social-emotional health; • Fostering a residential culture of care and inclusion; and • Providing leadership and support for student organizations that promote health and wellness. “The past three years have presented unprecedented challenges for us at Lawrenceville, and indeed for many schools and communities across the country,” Murray explained. “But they have also spurred new ways of thinking, collaborating, and engaging that will benefit our school now, and for generations to come.” n

Rae Chresfield

Dean of Campus Wellbeing

hresfield is charged with developing a public health approach to promote student and community wellbeing, including collaborating with campus partners to create a holistic and inclusive approach to student mental health. She will also have teaching and House responsibilities, living as a highly visible presence in the School community. PROFESSIONAL: • Assistant Vice President of Student Life and Wellness, the University of Delaware • Associate Dean of Health and Wellness, Whitman College • Associate Dean of Health and Wellness, Harvey Mudd College • Private practice in therapy, Portland, Ore. EDUCATION: • Doctor of Philosophy, Counselor Education/ School Counseling and Guidance Services, the University at Buffalo • Master of Arts, Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, New York University • Bachelor of Science, Behavioral Sciences, the University of Maryland Quotable: “My approach to student wellbeing is rooted in collaboration, empowerment, and assisting human beings in building skills to make healthy choices in the context. I am moving into the role with a learning stance. I want to learn how students, faculty, and staff define and envision wellbeing. I will take what I learn to create layered, sustainable education efforts that help community members apply a wellbeing lens to real-life situations.”

Chris Renjilian Medical Director

Blake Eldridge ’96 H’78 ’12 P’25 Dean of Students

enjilian will focus on the overall care of our students while being a resource to faculty in their support of student health. He will oversee the medical staff and counseling team, and work alongside our athletic trainers.

ldridge is noted in the School community as being strongly committed to student wellbeing, and balancing high expectations for student conduct, behavior, and accountability, while demonstrating his characteristic deep compassion and empathy.

PROFESSIONAL: • Assistant Director of Clinical Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania • Specialist in Adolescent Medicine and Sports Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia • Attending Physician; Fellowship, Adolescent Medicine; Fellowship, Primary Care Sports Medicine; Pediatric Resident; Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia EDUCATION: • Doctor of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine • Master of Bioethics, Bioethics/Medical Ethics, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine • Bachelor of Science, Political Science and Government, the University of William & Mary Quotable: “Young people are often capable of coming up with some of the best solutions for challenges that affect their wellness. When problems arise, we do our best work when we stay present and stick with them, reflect back to them who they really are, empower them to spot their weaknesses and learn to trust in their existing capabilities, and model or guide them to a range of strategies they can use to find solutions they can take with them moving forward.”

AT LAWRENCEVILLE: • Associate Dean of Students for discipline and development • Dean of Students • Chair of the Religion and Philosophy Department • English teacher, Level Director, and Head of House EDUCATION: • Master of Arts, English, Middlebury College • Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy, University of Chicago Quotable: "House life is most successful when students’ eagerness for social interaction, their desire to explore different aspects of their identity, and their willingness to balance their own desires with respect for others’ needs all complement each other in a supportive environment. That combination for House life closely mirrors the recipe for personal wellbeing."

FA L L / W I N T E R 2 0 2 3

Amélie Brings Joy with a French Twist “THE STORY SEEMED TO BE AT THE HEART OF A YOUNG, inquisitive mind who wants to better the world around her,” said Matt Campbell, director of theatre, who was also the stage director for this year’s Periwig fall production, Amélie: The Musical, which played Kirby Arts Center in October. Campbell wanted to present “something new” to audiences this year, and Amélie, which made its Broadway debut in 2017, fit the bill. “We haven’t done something on our stage that has such a small window between the time it came to Broadway and now,” he said. Without stage interpretations of Amélie having yet calcified into standard, the cast felt empowered to make the roles their own. “I think especially with this one, it’s kind of wherever we want to take the characters,” said Sameer Menghani ’24, who played Nino, “and learning to step out of the box and take the characters in a new direction.” Claire Jiang ’24, who starred in the title role, took her part somewhat literally; Amélie Poulain decides to make it her mission to bring happiness to the people around her in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris. For two nights, Jiang and her castmates brought joy to audiences. “I think the big word is storytelling,” she said. “It’s so fun to watch a story, but it’s even more fun to be a part of that.” n — From a report by L10 News

T H E L AW R E N T I A N

C U LT U R E S I N M OT I O N

ON THE ARTS

Elements of cultures and styles, both traditional and contemporary, were brought to life through the Fall Dance Series in November.

GO BIG RED

HILL DAY THREE-PEAT

Big Red took care of business at Hill in November, bringing the Meigs-Green cup home for the third year in a row. School President Bryce Langdon ’24 and Head of School Steve Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21 savored the sunset moment with the cup.

QUITE A RUN

Net Advantage Rayce Welborne ’24 capped a stellar career on the pitch for boys’ soccer, setting new Big Red single-season records for goals (21), assists (14), and points (56). Rayce finished his time at Lawrenceville with 38 total goals, second in Big Red history, 25 assists, and 101 points. He was also three-time selection to the All-M.A.P.L., All-State (N.J.I.S.A.A.), All-State (Prep) and All-Area teams.

FALL SPORTS ROUNDUP Boys’ Cross Country Record: 0-2 First Team All-M.A.P.L.: Arunav Sarkar ’27 Coach: Jeff Streeter Captains: Taksh Gupta ’25, Luke Pometti ’25

Girls’ Cross Country Record: 2-1 M.A.P.L. Champions First Team All-M.A.P.L.: Keira Lehmann ’24, Megan Kumar ’24 Coach: Melissa Clore H’02 Captains: Keira Lehmann ’24, Nishka Malik ’24

Field Hockey Record: 6-8-1 First Team All-M.A.P.L.: Taylor Hill ’25 Coach: Lisa Ewanchyna P’23 Captains: Chloe Babich ’24, Anna Hoover ’24

Under the tutelage of head coach Melissa Clore H’02, the girls’ cross country captured its sixth consecutive Mid-Atlantic Prep League title this fall. The championship was sparked by First-Team All-M.A.P.L. performances by Megan Kumar ’24 (pictured) and Keira Lehmann ’24, who co-captained the squad with Nishka Malik ’24.

Football

Girls’ Tennis

Record: 6-3 Coach: Napoleon Sykes Captains: Aidan Cassidy ’24, Raphael Dunn ’24, Jack Rice ’24

Record: 11-2 First Team All-M.A.P.L.: Sophie Bilanin ’26, Katelyn Ni ’26 Coach: Kim McMenamin Captains: Grace Chu ’24, Fangyao N. Jin ’24

Boys’ Soccer Record: 9-13-1 First Team All-M.A.P.L.: Rayce Welborne ’24, Brady Le ’25 First Team N.J.I.S.A.A. All-Prep: Rayce Welborne’24 First Team N.J.I.S.A.A. All-State: Rayce Welborne’24 First Team Mercer County All-Area: Rayce Welborne ’24 Coach: Chris Whalen Captains: Adrian Carlisi ’24, Rayce Welborne ’24

Girls’ Soccer Record: 6-9-2 First Team All-M.A.P.L.: Cameron Gabrielson ’24, Kingsley Hughes ’24, Amelia Jerge ’24 Coach: Jessica Magnuson Captains: Alaina Crichton ’24, Cameron Gabrielson ’24, Amelia Jerge ’24

Girls’ Volleyball Record: 13-6 Coach: Katey O’Malley H’07, Karla Cosgriff Captains: Aleyna Aksu ’24, Jalia Dublin ’25

Boys’ Water Polo Record: 12-8 Garden State Tournament Champions Coach: Julio Alcantara-Martin, Misha Klochkov Captains: Toby Richmond ’24, Charles Vachris ’24, Henrique Coelho ’25

Girls’ Water Polo Record: 10-5 Coach: Stefanie Harrison, Misha Klochkov Captains: Sneha Kumar ’24, Vivian Teeley ’24

FA L L / W I N T E R 2 0 2 3

INSIDE THE GATES we 3 Things learned

producing this issue of The Lawrentian

1. Emily Dickinson

and Robert Frost were both denied publication of their poems in The Atlantic, but English teacher Maggie Ray’s work was included in August.

2. Neurosurgeon John Y.K. Lee ’90 P’24, who

already helped pioneer interoperative molecular imaging, also has the gumption to install his own solar panels on the roof of his home.

3. During a 1973 restoration of the Pop

Hall cupola, workers encountered a colony of bees large enough to have produced a deposit of honey weighing a couple hundred pounds.

T H E L AW R E N T I A N

CLUB HOPPING: BIG RED BIKE SHOP Founded: 2023 Purpose: Teaching students practical bicycle repair and maintenance skills while providing bike repair services for the campus. It’s a common sight outside any building at Lawrenceville: bicycles propped up on their kickstands. It’s the quickest and cleanest way to get to class on time, but all that pedaling takes a toll on these cycles, so Lawrentians can turn to the Big Red Bike Shop to keep them speeding along. Former science teacher Sean Dory started the Big Red Bike Shop in spring 2022 and soon, “it was clear that BRBS served a crucial role in the Lawrenceville community,” says president Alyssa Roberts ’24, who managed to earn official club status for Big Red Bike Shop this year. “I loved the club and knew Lawrenceville would greatly benefit from it,” says Roberts, who wanted to maintain the resource for everyone, “whether they wanted to learn or get their bike repaired.” BRBS meets weekly on Tuesday evenings, available to repair any bikes brought in by students, faculty, and staff, which is not only practical, but has a social component, too. “At every meeting,” Roberts explains, “I see a new face and meet a new person.” n

I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y A M Y L A U R E N

THEY SAID IT

questions for Christopher Trucano ’25, a Pinstripes Partisan who steps up to the plate to reveal his dream vacation and what cool treat he’d like to eat upon his return home.

What is your favorite sports team? The New York Yankees. I watch every Yankees game, and I try to go to as many games as I can. [Last] year, I went to twelve. I love this team, and I love following them.

Which fictional character from a book or movie would you most like to meet? The fictional characters I would most like to meet would be Tom and Jerry. I loved watching their shows when I was younger, and I watched all of the episodes.

If you could have an all-expenses paid trip anywhere, where would you go? I would go to Africa. I love animals and seeing animals in person would be awesome. I would go with my family, and it would be a lot of fun.

What never fails to make you laugh? My friends. I love talking to my friends, and whenever they make a joke, I always laugh.

What is your favorite snack food? I would say chocolate ice cream. I could eat it every day.

“School spirit would mean more than coming to pep rallies – it would mean a feeling of trust and amiability even with Lawrentians one doesn’t know. […] In my opinion, true school spirit is compassion – it is an investment in the well-being of others because everyone here needs to thrive for the school to flourish. It’s possible to experience this motivation towards collective success at sports games where people cheer Lawrentian teams for sports they don’t play, or the raucous applause at the end of every Periwig production. Passion is scoring a game-winning goal or bringing an audience to tears; spirit is feeling a personal win while watching your friends do the same. Spirit is approaching someone in Tsai [Field House] who’s struggling or sitting alone, or offering to study with someone in your French class you don’t know but would like to. It is the broadening of who we care about to the school at large.” — Arya Vishwakarma ’25 in “How to Combat Simmering School Spirit,” which

appeared in the May 12, 2023, issue of The Lawrence.

TO WATCH Changing the Healthcare Game: Megan Kumar ’24  Working with Dr. Andrew Storm, director of Mayo Clinic Rochester’s Endoscopy Clinic, Megan created an AI program to help doctors effectively triage patients with gastrointestinal bleeding.

 It enables medical professionals to collect and input patient data to predict location of gastrointestinal bleeding, its severity, patient disposition, and other critical information to triage patients more accurately.

 Megan trains the model to calculate and predict outcomes using the Mayo Clinic data set, and tests how well the program predicts against the findings of actual Mayo Clinic physicians.

 To date, Megan’s model is 100 percent accurate in predicting the sources of G.I. bleeds and around 95 percent predicting other conditions.

 “It’s really a global health project,” says Megan. “Use of the model improves quality of care in poor neighborhoods, and it can be deployed by anyone at any time.” FA L L / W I N T E R 2 0 2 3

TAKE THIS JOB AND LOVE IT

By ADAM GRYBOWSKI • PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN Z. JOHNSON

DREA MI N G U N D E R THE

A campfire chat compelled Ali Rasmussen ’03 and her husband, Eric, to establish a collection of East Coast campgrounds. 14

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OOD THINGS HAPPEN WHILE SITTING AROUND a campfire. First, the flames draw us together before they urge us to reflect and ponder ourselves and our place under the heavens. It was around a campfire one night that Ali (Rulle) Rasmussen ’03 and her husband, Eric, began pondering a new vision for their future. A few months after the pandemic shut down society in early 2020, the Rasmussens packed up their three kids (8 months, 2 and 5, at the time) into an RV they had purchased on a whim and hit the road. Passionate about the outdoors and with rugged camping experience under their belts, they saw an RV as a way for their young children to experience nature in a less intense way than tent camping. They drove to a different campground every night, choosing each next destination along the way. By the time they returned to their home in New Jersey, Ali estimates they had visited more than two dozen campgrounds, experiencing the wide variety of options available to campers, from small mom-and-pop operations to corporate-owned entities, state parks to national parks, witnessing grounds with meticulously sanitized amenities to those surviving on bare-bones maintenance. “It was an unintentional crash course in this lifestyle,” Ali says. After putting the kids to bed one night during their RV trip, Ali and Eric sat around the campfire, stoked the flames in front of them, and began discussing their entrepreneurial dreams. The couple had met while each was pursuing an MBA – Ali at Duke and Eric at the University of North Carolina. With Eric working remotely in real estate acquisition and Ali, the primary caregiver to their young children, having put her marketing career on pause, they were searching for an idea that would allow them to strike out on their own in business. “After having seen as many campgrounds as we had,” Ali says, “we came up with the idea that we could put our skills together and create what would be our family’s ideal campground.” By early 2021, the co-founders launched their Spacious Skies Campgrounds, using a moniker inspired by the lyrics of “America the Beautiful.” Today, Spacious Skies consists of fifteen campgrounds in ten states along the East Coast, from Savannah, Georgia, to Abbot, Maine. The company’s goal is to offer consistency in quality and experience while preserving and highlighting the uniqueness and natural beauty of each location and its surrounding area. From transitioning newly acquired campgrounds to the Spacious

Night Sky

Skies brand to managing day-to-day operations, Ali and Eric are very hands-on. That’s not the way they originally envisioned the company’s operation. Capitalizing on Eric’s experience as a real estate developer, the couple initially wanted to strategically invest in a few campgrounds and hire third parties to manage the properties. After purchasing their first site in Alfred, Maine, in May 2021, the major flaw of that plan – relying on an unknown third party – became apparent. On the day of the closing, the management company failed to send any staff, forcing Ali to grab the reins. While she was thrown headlong into learning the ABCs of campground management, Eric was left on his own at home with the kids for what would be two weeks. “From that point on,” Ali says, “we knew we couldn’t trust someone else to do this.” As the company’s chief executive officer and creative director, Ali has been running Spacious Skies’ operations from that day forward, overseeing the teams that manage each campground’s staff while also drawing on her career in marketing to execute the company’s brand vision. Eric, the president and director of acquisitions, drives the growth of their portfolio and oversees property improvement. “And when it comes to our grand direction, those are decisions we both make together,” Ali says. Part of that grand vision is to use their company as a lever to expand what Ali says has traditionally been a homogenous community of campers. Spacious Skies is the first private campground company to complete the Unity Blaze Certification, a program offered through the North Carolina-based organization Black Folks Camp Too, which is working to make the camping community more inclusive and to unite all campers regardless of race, age, gender, or other identity. Training through the program is required of every member of the staff at Spacious Skies. “I feel like we have a responsibility to drive that movement to continue transforming the industry and bring more diversity, equity, and inclusion within this space,” says Ali, who was recently invited to join the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds’ new committee focused on increasing diversity on a large scale. “We are trying to make it obvious that everyone is welcome into our campgrounds.” While up to this point Spacious Skies has limited itself to the East Coast, Ali and Eric have national ambitions. They are exploring the option to offer franchising opportunities and are eager to find the right people who want to join their growing 150-person team. Perhaps inspiration for their next big move will emanate from around the campfire once again – this time in a campground they own and offer to others for their own inspiration and enjoyment. “We take the responsibility and honor of touching people’s lives in this way very seriously,” Ali says. “We help people make memories, and it’s all in the outdoors, which is a good, positive thing. It’s good for your health and your relationships and helps you pay attention to and appreciate the environment. We want to make our mark in making the world a better place.” n

[ Adam Grybowski is a freelance writer based in Lawrence Township, New Jersey.

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Following the removal of the Tiffany windows, temporary replicas made of high-resolution photographs were installed. Art Femenella Jr. gifted the School new clear glazing to enhance their appearance. (Photo: De La Vega Fine Art & Imagery, LLC)

T H E L AW R E N T I A N

ASK THE ARCHIVIST

By SARAH MEZZINO

Windows to the W

SOUL

HEN IT WAS COMPLETED in 1895, Edith Memorial Chapel became the last structure built on Frederick Law Olmsted’s famous asymmetrical Circle. The Chapel, constructed during America’s Religious Building Boom (1877-1900), epitomizes the Auditorium Protestant Church style with tiered theatrical seating and leaded-glass windows showcasing biblical scenes and ornate patterns. Fourteen of the windows girdling Edith Memorial Chapel were created by Tiffany Glass and Decorating Co., founded by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Six of these are exceptionally rare and large Medieval Medallion-style windows featuring biblical scenes and vast swaths of opalescent glass. The remaining eight windows are small Ornamental-style works filled with Christian symbolism and jeweltoned colored glass. They are historically significant and beautiful. They are also, as one might expect given their age, in need of repair. On a visit to Lawrenceville in early 2017, Lindsy Parrott, the executive director and curator of the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass in New York, and Morgan Albahary ’10, then the Neustadt’s curatorial and collections associate, spotted a phenomenon known as “deflection” in the Medieval Medallion windows. Deflection is the bowing and bending of lead lines from unregulated temperatures. The surface of the windows rippled like ocean waves, cresting and receding. If left untreated, deflection can result in window collapse, because lead

After nearly 130 years, the historic and beautiful Tiffany windows of Edith Memorial Chapel are in need of conservation.

Femenella & Associates founder Art Femenella Sr., who guided Lawrenceville on the difficult and delicate conservation process, died unexpectedly in July 2022. In 2019, Femenella delivered a lecture to the School community explaining the windows’ dire condition, need for restoration, and future protection.

lines expand beyond their ability to support individual pieces of glass. Parrott recommended I reach out to Femenella & Associates, one of the nation’s foremost experts in the care and restoration of historic glass. That spring, we received a visit from its founder, Art Femenella Sr., who had just signed a deal to work on the leaded glass in the U.S. Capitol, to introduce him to the Chapel and its glass. “What’s the verdict, Art?” I asked Femenella, who towered above me in the Chapel’s crossing as he examined the antique glasswork. “Will we be able to repair the windows?” His expression suggested concern. “Deflection can be repaired,” he advised me afterward, “but we spotted more underlying issues.” Femenella returned to campus in March 2019 to conduct a closer, detailed assessment of the windows’ condition. Generously funded by Leslie P’09 ’11 ’14 and Bob Doll P’09 ’11 ’14 and family, this essential assessment was to determine the state of the

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Workers from Femenella & Associates extracted the failing Tiffany leaded windows in March 2023. After their removal, the Tiffany windows were carefully packed away for transport to the facility where they are being conserved.

T H E L AW R E N T I A N

Chapel’s windows after nearly one-hundred thirty years, and potential treatments. Soon, it became evident that although periodic efforts to maintain them had extended the natural life of the Tiffany windows, the continuous effects of time and the irresistible dynamics of separating the indoors from the outdoors had also pushed them to a point that now required a more dramatic intervention. My research informed me that the windows had been previously releaded and reinforced with metal bars in 1950, according to an account in The Lawrence, though I have been unable to locate any additional records of that work. Glazing had been added as a protective layer in the late 1970s or early 1980s, but again, the associated paperwork is sparse. Femenella believed that the Medieval Medallion windows may have evinced deflection in the past and that part of the prior restoration attempt consisted of flattening the windows. “Doing so often causes glass to crack,” he told me, “and you have numerous areas of cracked glass.” In his estimation, workers tried to cover some breakage with “Dutchman lines,” or faux lead lines, which altered the window’s original appearance. Femenella also found that the 1968 reconfiguration of the Chapel’s apse to accommodate the new organ and pipes had necessitated the flattening of the Ornamental windows in order to fit them into their new space. Some of the windows were also slightly askew within their frames, and with forty-plus years of unvented glazing, Femenella said, there was a high probability that the windows’ wooden frames were rotting due to moisture trapped between the glazing and the windows. “Unvented glazing would also account for the obvious deflection,” he explained. “That space between the windows and glazing has become a super-heated microclimate.” Leaded glass is designed to flex with wind loads. However, over long periods, the metal fatigues from constant movement and eventually breaks. The Chapel windows had broken solder joints and cracks in the lead cames – the joints that connect pieces of stained glass – throughout the windows. Femenella also noticed the cames had corroded, and that the windows would need to be completely releaded. What’s more, typical of depictions of human figures in Tiffany’s portfolio, the faces, hands, and feet painted on the glass in the Chapel’s windows

had flaked off from those areas, diminishing the original images. “It can all be conserved, Sarah,” Femenella reassured me. “And I’m here to help.” Lawrenceville’s development officers began working with School administration and trustees to formulate a plan to fund conservation. But with the sudden onset of the pandemic in March 2020, applicable budgets were diverted to cope with COVID-19, including the pivot to distance learning, and the project was paused for a time. In November 2021, I began discussing emergency stabilization options with Femenella and his son, Art Femenella Jr., whose knowledge of welding expanded the family business to include the restoration and conservation of steel and metal windows. We determined that our best course of action would be to remove the windows, place them into climate-controlled storage, and temporarily replace them with highquality replicas until the originals were conserved. Removal and treatment would occur in two stages: The Medieval Medallion windows would be addressed first and the Ornamental windows second. The Tiffany windows were professionally photographed, appraised, and insured for their removal, storage, and conservation. Femenella & Associates extracted the Medieval Medallion windows this past March, removing the glazing and Tiffany’s original work in small rectangular sections. Each section of Tiffany’s windows was secured between thick foam sheets, placed in custommade wooden crates, and transported to a climate-controlled storage space. Once the original windows were removed, temporary replicas – with a lifespan of three years – were installed. Over the span of three weeks, the Tiffany Medieval Medallion windows were protected from further deterioration. I, along with my colleagues, look forward to the project’s next phases. If you are interested in learning more about this project, please contact Sean Grieve, director of planned giving and leadership gifts officer, at 215-2373899 or sgrieve@lawrenceville.org. n

[ Sarah Mezzino is the curator of decorative arts and design for the Stephan Archives. Her article, "Whither the Missing Window?,” detailing a commissioned-but-never-completed memorial window by Tiffany for Edith Memorial Chapel, appeared in the spring 2017 issue of The Lawrentian.

Did you know? n The Lawrenceville Fund is the School’s top philanthropic priority. n The Lawrenceville Fund benefits every student on campus.

n You can designate your gift to TLF to one of 10 areas of support, including Arts, Athletics, Faculty Support, Scholarship Aid, and Sustainability.

n TLF provides 10% of the School’s yearly operating budget.

n In Fiscal Year 2023 (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023), over 2,000 donors made gifts of $250 or less.

n A gift of $25 can help provide a student receiving Scholarship Aid with a weekly allowance.

n 96% of donors to Emerge Transformed: The Campaign for Lawrenceville gave to TLF and The Parents Fund.

To learn more or make a gift, scan QR or visit giving.lawrenceville.org

Lawrenceville Emerges

TRANSFORMED The $475.7 million capital campaign is the most successful ever conducted by an independent school.

he School community celebrated the unprecedented success of its Emerge Transformed: The Campaign for Lawrenceville with a festive finale that included an evening of dining and dancing in Tsai Commons on October 27. Emerge Transformed, which

concluded on June 30, raised $475.7 million for School programs and priorities, making it the most successful fundraising campaign ever conducted by an independent school. The Campaign prioritized Scholarship Aid, Faculty and Academic Support, Campus and Community, and Financial Sustainability.

T H E L AW R E N T I A N

Highlights of the Campaign include: • $117.8 million for Scholarship Aid • $69.8 million for Faculty and Academic Support • $43.6 million raised for The Lawrenceville Fund • $211.9 million raised in endowed funds, including $97.4 million in planned gifts and realized bequests • Campus improvements, including the new Tsai Field House, Getz Sports Complex (includes Howard and Violich Fields), Dishner Track & Field Complex, and Big Red Park • A 15,000-square-foot makerspace – the Gruss Center for Art and Design, or GCAD – that puts the emphasis on collaboration, problem-solving, and state-of-the-art technology

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“The fundamental and enduring values of a Lawrenceville education remain relevant and are now further strengthened by our increased focus on new technologies and strategies to meet the challenges of the modern world,“ Head of School Stephen S. Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21 said. “Thanks to the overwhelming support of our School community, Lawrenceville graduates will be well-equipped to lead in the 21st century and beyond.” Jonathan Weiss ’75, president of the Board of Trustees, expressed his gratitude to all, particularly campaign co-chairs Michael Chae ’86, Glenn Hutchins ’73, Joe Tsai ’82, and Alex Buckley Voris ’96, and vice chairs Jean Fang ’90 P’27 and Joe Frumkin ’76 P’11, who steered the success of Emerge Transformed despite its launch amid uncertain times. “We announced Emerge Transformed in May 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic,” Weiss said, “but our community demonstrated once again its willingness to invest in Lawrenceville and its future despite unprecedented circumstances.” n

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‘The Best in the Business’ After setting a new independent school fundraising standard, Barnes is retiring on top.

he resounding success of the School’s Emerge Transformed campaign will also serve as a memorable and triumphant coda to the career of Mary Kate Barnes H’59 ’77 P’11 ’13 ’19, assistant head of school and director of advancement, who is retiring from Lawrenceville after 32 years that were, well … transformative. Barnes, who came to Lawrenceville in 1991 as the associate director of capital programs, was elevated to director of alumni and development in 1997 following the completion of the Lawrenceville Leadership Campaign. In welcoming her to the top spot in the School’s fund- and “friend-raising” functions, then-Head Master Michael Cary H’47 ’01 ’03 P’01 noted that, “In choosing Mary Kate […] Lawrenceville has selected a leader who can sustain the School’s success in this critical function for the long term.”

Mary Kate Barnes H’59 ’77 P’11 Cary’s words proved prophetic. ’13 ’19, assistant head of school and Barnes’ 26 years heading director of advancement, is retiring development included the 2010 from Lawrenceville after 32 years. Bicentennial Campaign, which raised over $200 million for Lawrenceville – at the time the largest in the School’s history – and, of course, Emerge Transformed, which brought in $475.7 million for the School. In 2017, she was recognized by CASE, the Council for the Support and Advancement of Education, with the coveted Robert Bell Crow Award for distinguished service to the profession. That same year, Head of School Stephen S. Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21 appointed Barnes an assistant head of school, a title she added to her current role as director of advancement. “Mary Kate is the best in the business,” Murray said in announcing his choice. “Over the course of her successful tenure, she has shown herself to be a tremendously effective fundraiser, developed an unparalleled network of relationships at the Board level and throughout the alumni body, and she is driven by a deep love of the institution, which is apparent to all of us who work with her.” n

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LTHOUGH 2020 WAS A YEAR of dramatic upheaval, for Jacqueline Schafer ’00, it was a year of opportunity. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, she launched Clearbrief, an artificial intelligence platform that reviews legal documents and acts as another set of eyes for legal professionals. The platform enables judges and litigants to locate, view, and evaluate the evidence in support of every statement in a document filed with the court. Clearbrief also uses natural language processing to show counsel where their opponents are stretching the truth in their writing, compared with what the evidence actually says. While paperwork is the most timeconsuming part of being an attorney, Schafer’s Microsoft Word extension enables legal professionals to shave off non-billable

possible to send password-protected charts to colleagues. A graduate of Boston University’s School of Law, Schafer has practiced with private law firms and as an assistant attorney general for the Alaska Department of Law and the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, and knew all too well the time demands of the profession. “I spent most of my career in government, where you’re just writing and drafting so many documents,” she explains, “and there’s always the same sort of scramble to check everything over for accuracy, and sure, everything looks perfect before you file.” Schafer was aware early on that her idea could be useful, even if she had no way of predicting the AI boom and the possibility that legal professionals would be letting computers write and research. But AI can also be a double-edged sword, and law isn’t

Forward A CLEAR STEP

Jacqueline Schafer ’00 and her Clearbrief platform are using artificial intelligence to create a more efficient and accurate legal process.

B Y TO N YA R U S S E L L • P H OTO G R A P H Y B Y M AT T H A G E N hours by simplifying the location and evaluation of evidence for documents to be filed in courts. Users can select text and quickly add a citation, as well as see suggested supporting information and view any discrepancies – which applies to opposing discovery, too. Three years later, the verdict is in: Clearbrief was named the Litigation Technology Product of the Year for 2023 in March by Legalweek, the largest national legal conference, beating out more established companies such as LexisNexis and Everlaw. Since then, the platform has only improved, with users now able to streamline searches by dates mentioned and quickly scan the document for key points using AI’s quick summary chart. It’s also 24

T H E L AW R E N T I A N

immune to the downsides. Earlier this year, an attorney using AI cited fake cases in a court filing. Schafer says that Clearbrief is able spot these errors, and lawyers and magistrates alike now use the product. Clearbrief benefited from being born right before a pandemic, as COVID quarantines gave Schafer access to people who would otherwise not be home to take her phone calls or emails. “I was able to sort of network my way into meetings because a lot of people were just stranded at home,” she says. It wasn’t until she interned with a nonprofit in New York City a decade and a half ago that Schafer became curious about how technology could help shape the legal profession.

“I was advising the data science team,” she says. I started to learn about data science, and I ended up writing an academic article about AI and how I thought it could apply to the legal world.” Schafer knew she was on to something. “As I was digging in, I realized: Oh, my god, this really is going to change the world.” From that realization, she began to familiarize herself with the tech startup world, which was already omnipresent in Seattle, where she now lives. Schafer surrounded herself with mentors, including Mark Britton, the founder of Avvo, an online marketplace for legal services. Former schoolmate Laura Kornhauser ’99 also launched her own financial technology startup, Stratyfy, just a few years before Clearbrief, and she and Schafer have offered each other support in a male-dominated industry. After immersing herself in all things startup, Schafer acquired funding from numerous venture capital firms – no mean feat, considering that only 2 percent of venture capital funding goes to women. Schaefer raised over $3.5 million from Reign Ventures, as well as Court Lorenzini, the co-founder and CEO of DocuSign, and entrepreneurial tech expert Brian Gardner. She also assembled a team of veterans, such as chief technology officer Jose Saura, who was previously with Microsoft. Lawrenceville classmate Nur-e Rahman Freedman ’00 is also a part of Clearbrief’s customer success team. Schafer has always had a winning mentality, and she hopes that her two daughters are motivated and inspired by seeing the limitless potential that women can have. Her extensive legal career and nonprofit work have shaped her knowledge base and curiosity, but she credits her time at Lawrenceville for making her the leader that she is today. “I had the opportunity to take on different leadership roles, like in theater, and being the president of my dorm during senior year,” she says. “I think that really shaped my ability to think creatively and to be an innovative thinker.” n [ Based in New Jersey, Tonya Russell is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Atlantic, among other publications.

“

As I was digging in, I realized: Oh, my god, this really is going to change the world.

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A BIG RED REUNION ALUMNI WEEKEND 2023 26

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EARLY 1,400 LAWRENTIANS REACHING back seventy-five years and their guests returned to campus in early June, making Alumni Weekend a festive and fun reunion. The Big Red Food Truck Picnic and Festival made the Circle the place to be on Saturday afternoon on a weekend highlighted

by dinners for the classes of the 3s and 8s, the Alumni Awards presentation, and a Big Red Farm Tour.

The Class of 1973 celebrated their 50th reunion, and they did not arrive empty-handed. The class presented The Lawrenceville Fund a check for more than $7 million as their reunion gift. Glenn H. Hutchins ’73 also lent an exhibition of more than seventy original, signed Ansel Adams prints at the Hutchins Galleries to mark the class’s landmark reunion, and hosted a talk about the collection on Saturday. Twenty-three new honorary class memberships were conferred, and

the Alumni Association bestowed its prestigious Distinguished Alumnus Award upon Darrell Fitzgerald ’68 for his longtime commitment and service to the School. The robust program also saw Harkness Awards presented to a pair of cherished former teachers, Tim Brown H’84 ’04 ’20 P’04 ’08 ’08 and Jack Devlin H’66. The Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony made its Alumni Weekend debut, welcoming longtime tennis coach Dave Cantlay H’89 ’91 ’93 ’94 ’15 P’07 ’09 ’11 and three-sport standout Becket Wolf ’93.

Join us for Alumni Reunion Weekend 2024 on May 31 to June 2.

FA L L

2023

NEW HONORARY ALUMNI/AE

HARKNESS AWARDS

THE CLASS OF 1963

Tim Brown H’84 ’04 ’20 P’04 ’08 ’08 Science and Mathematics Teacher • Taught for 38 years at Lawrenceville after arriving in 1982, having earned a bachelor’s degree from Hampshire College and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina. • Along with wife Barbara Elkins P’04 ’08, was appointed co-headmaster of Griswold House in 1985, the first husband-and-wife housemaster pairing. • They also served as housemasters of Stanley House. • Served as league director for Ultimate Disc. • Retired from Lawrenceville in 2020 and now resides in Florence, Mass. • Father of Jennifer Brown ’04, Gabriel Brown ’08, and Nathaniel Brown ’08.

Stephen S. Murray H’54 ’55 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21

THE CLASS OF 1968 Peter C. Candler H’63 ’67 ’76 Virginia Chambers H’54 ’58 ’59 ’60 ’61 ’62 ’66 ’67 ’71 ’73 ’78 ’80 ’89 P’77

THE CLASS OF 1973 Herman Besselink H’88 ’94 Ross Arthur “Doc” Harrison Doug James Kenneth W. Keuffel H’59 ’61 ’89 ’90 P’79 H. Carty Lynch H’71 ’81 ’84

THE CLASS OF 1978 Virginia Chambers H’54 ’58 ’59 ’60 ’61 ’62 ’66 ’67 ’68 ’71 ’73 ’80 ’89 P’77 G. Blake Eldridge ’96 H’12 P’25 Derrick Wilder

THE CLASS OF 1983 James C. Waugh H’67 ’68 ’72 ’74 ’81 ’85 ’88 P’68 ’70 ’72 ’74 ’76 GP’12 ’14 ’16

Tim Brown H’84 ’04 ’20 P’04 ’08, with wife Barbara Elkins P’04 ’08 and children Jennifer Brown ’04, Gabriel Brown ’08, and Nathaniel Brown ’08, received the Harkness Award from the Alumni Association. Jack Devlin H’66 was honored posthumously.

Jack Devlin H’66 Science Teacher Director of Lower School Posthumously • Taught at Lawrenceville from 1953-87, having earned his bachelor’s degree from Saint Peter’s College and having attended Fordham University as a postgraduate student. • Served as director of the Lower School from 1962-84, a science teacher, assistant housemaster of Hamill, housemaster of Thomas. • Was a member of the Steering Committee and the adviser to the Lower School newspaper, The Recorder, as well as the coach of several Thomas House teams, and was active with Periwig. • Collegiate studies were interrupted by World War II, when he spent four years in the U.S. Air Force before teaching at Saint Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, N.J. • Was married to Jo Brewster Devlin H’56 58 ’59 ’60 ’66 ’67 P’71 and a stepfather to Christopher Brewster ’71 and Punky Brewster before his January 1993 passing.

THE CLASS OF 1988 James T. Adams ’65 H’80 ’82 ’93 ’96 ’01 P’03 Max A. Maxwell H’72 ’74 ’79 ’80 ’81 ’91 ’93 ’00 ’01

THE CLASS OF 1993 Diana Bunting H’37 ’59 ’88 P’88 ’97 Josiah Bunting III H’37 ’59 ’88 ’91 ’95 P’88 ’97 Max A. Maxwell H’72 ’74 ’79 ’80 ’81 ’88 ’91 ’00 ’01

THE CLASS OF 1998 David E. Schorr H’65 ’88 ’97 ’00 ’02 P’80 ’82 ’88 GP’97 ’09 ’12 ’17

THE CLASS OF 2003 Cindy M. Ehret ’95 S’94 Stephen A. Laubach P’23

THE CLASS OF 2008 José L. Marti H’84 ’87 ’95 P’91 ’95 ’01

THE CLASS OF 2013 Augustin “Gus” Hedberg H’03 P’96 ’00

THE CLASS OF 2018 Wilburn Williams H’02 ’06 28

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NEW ALUMNI TRUSTEE ELIZABETH GREENBERG WILKINSON ’02 NEW ALUMNI TRUSTEE SELECTORS RYANN GALLOWAY TACHA ’03 FREDERIC “FRITZ” W. THOMAS JR. ’83 P’18 ’19

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2023

Jacqueline Haun, archivist in the Stephan Archives in Bunn Library, received the Big Red Award from outgoing Alumni Association President Charlie Keller ’95. (Not pictured: fellow recipient Kelly Zochowski ’13).

BIG RED AWARDS Jacqueline Haun Kelly C. Zochowski ’13

ART HAILAND ADMIRABLE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Mark Offerman

New Alumni Association President Heather Elliott Hoover ’91 P’20 ’23 ’24 and her predecessor, Charlie Keller ’95. Tony Bryant ’48 P’91, with wife Andrea, was the oldest alumnus in attendance at Alumni Weekend 2023. Tony’s father, Henry Bryant, graduated from Lawrenceville in 1900.

Longtime tennis coach Dave Cantlay H’89 ’91 ’93 ’94 ’15 P’07 ’09 ’11, with wife Rachel Cantlay P’07 ’09 ’11 and son John Cantlay ’09, was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

Dave Cantlay H’89 ’91 ’93 ’94 ’15 P’07 ’09 ’11 Boys and Girls Tennis Coach • Arrived at Lawrenceville in 1988 as an English teacher, housemaster, and assistant girls’ tennis coach to Fred Gerstell H’68 ’77, and began coaching boys’ thirds tennis in 1989. • Became head boys’ coach in 2000, and of the girls in 2014, leading both to the tops of their respective leagues. • His girls’ varsity teams won four Mid-Atlantic Prep League and three N.J.I.S.A.A. titles in seven years, and his boys’ teams claimed 11 M.A.P.L. and 13 N.J.I.S.A.A. championships. • Earned several All-Prep Coach of the Year Awards for his work with both programs. Becket Wolf ’93 Soccer, Squash, and Lacrosse • Entered Lawrenceville in 1989 and soon made his mark as a standout threesport athlete, competing in soccer, squash, and lacrosse. • Named to the N.J.I.S.A.A. All-State soccer team as a Fourth Former in 1991; an injury prevented him from competing as a Fifth Former. • A four-year letter winner in squash who rose as high as No. 15 in the U.S. National Junior Squash rankings; team captain in 1992-93 as Three-sport standout Becket Wolf ’93 a Fifth Former. was inducted into the Athletic Hall of • Named to N.J.I.S.A.A. AllFame following an introduction by Mike Goldenberg H’96 ’97 P’05 ’10. State and Mercer County All-Area lacrosse teams in 1992 and 1993; team captain in 1993. • Propelled lacrosse team to two N.J.I.S.A.A. State Prep A championships, backed by a team-leading 39 goals and 30 assists in 1993; led Princeton to three national titles in 1994, 1996, and 1997.

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‘A Labor of Love’ In volunteering his service to the School, Darrell Fitzgerald ’68 seeks to repay Lawrenceville for ‘changing the trajectory’ of his life. BY SEAN RAMSDEN • PHOTO BY PALOMA TORRES Darrell Fitzgerald ’68 was never looking to be a pioneer. He just wanted to be a 14-year-old kid and a student. But in the fall of 1964, he found himself at Lawrenceville with Lyals Battle ’67, “two African American boys out of a school of 641, many of affluence,” Fitzgerald recalled. “The owner of the Dallas Cowboys’ son was in Woodhull.” For a young boy who just a few years prior had lived in a public housing project in nearby Trenton, it was “daunting, to say the least.” Fitzgerald shared his recollections during Alumni Weekend 2023 when he was honored with the School’s Distinguished Alumnus Award at a ceremony inside Kirby Arts Center. The prestigious accolade is conferred annually by the Lawrenceville School Alumni Association to a Lawrentian in recognition of exceptional efforts to promote the best interests of the School. “I walked through the Lower School and I realized that out of 141 boys in the four Houses, I was by myself, and that was a revelation,” Fitzgerald recalled of his belief that he was the sole Black student at Lawrenceville. “Three days later I meet Lyals Battle coming across the Circle.” The two were both on their way to what was then mandatory chapel, when their paths crossed. Fitzgerald recalls their meeting this way: “Hey, man. I’m Darrell.” “‘My name is Lyals.’ He was 15 and I was 14.” “Have you seen anybody else?” “‘You are anybody else, man.” “And at that moment, we realized there were just two of us at the school,” Fitzgerald said. His humor in recounting the exchange belied the weight of responsibility Fitzgerald bore on his teenage shoulders. “I remember my dad saying, ‘Son, you’re representing.’” “Representing what?” “He said, ‘You’re representing your race.” “I’m not Martin Luther King. I’m 14 years old. What am I representing?” “He said, ‘If you do well, then there will be others. If you don’t, there may not be.’” Sixty years later, Lawrenceville remains an integral part of Fitzgerald’s life, and it remains deep within him, too. He remains grateful for the support he received at the School, mentioning the kindness and concern of people like Richard Gaines ’43 H’68 ’69, his housemaster in Cromwell, who would check in on the youngster he knew was, in a way, alone on an island. Fitzgerald also noted how Henry C. Woods, Class of 1914, paid his tuition for the four years he attended Lawrenceville, though he never met the man himself. “He made an investment in me, and I’d like to tell him that I think

I did OK on what he did,” he said. “Changed the trajectory of my life. My life is like a Disney movie. To go from a public housing project to Edgewood [Junior High School] to here, then on to Ivy League schools. That just doesn’t happen to kids like me. By the grace of God, and two parents that wanted a better life for me than they had. So, I’m eternally very grateful.” Fitzgerald, who today is the managing director of the Fitzgerald Collaborative Group, an Atlanta-based architectural, urban design, and interiors firm, has returned the School’s efforts to Lawrenceville. He has served on the Board of Trustees, as a reunion committee member, an admission interviewer, and with the Lawrenceville Black Alumni Association. For Fitzgerald, the chance to serve on the Board also gave him the opportunity to say ‘thank you.’ “When I got sworn in, I said, ‘This is going to be a labor of love, because I can never give back to Lawrenceville what it gave to me,’” he said. “I mean it really was one of the most remarkable things to have ever happened to a kid like me.” n Darrell Fitzgerald ’68, who was honored with Lawrenceville’s Distinguished Alumnus Award, with his wife, Joy Fitzgerald and his 97-year-old mother, Marjorie Fitzgerald P’68, at Alumni Weekend 2023.

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Wes Jackson ’91

thought he had left lacrosse at Lawrenceville, but the game – and the connections it forged – never left him. Today, he is sharing the sport with a new generation in Brooklyn.

The Gift That Keeps Giving BY SEAN RAMSDEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEITH BARRACLOUGH 32

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HE EXERCISE FOR WES JACKSON ’91 WAS SIMPLE enough: Picture yourself in the fall of 1991, just graduated from Lawrenceville and heading down to Charlottesville to begin your studies at the University of Virginia with dreams – no, make that goals – of becoming a kingmaker in the world of hip-hop music. Sure, you played a little bit of lacrosse in school, but only because of the way you respected the coach. Really, it was nothing. Now picture someone telling that young man that someday, you’ll be 50 years old and lacrosse will be about the most important thing in your life outside of your family. What would young Wes Jackson say to that person? “I’d be like, ‘You don’t know me. Leave me alone,’” Jackson answers. “‘I’m going to become the next Russell Simmons or Puffy.’ I don’t want to do that anymore.’” That’s not even the strangest part. You see, Jackson did become an influential music promoter. Two years after graduating from Virginia in 1995, he launched Seven Heads Entertainment, boosting the nascent careers of young rappers Common and Mos Def, who would become icons of hip-hop. The company expanded into an independent record label and management outfit that composed music for the HBO drama The Wire. He’s worked with Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar. He founded the prestigious Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, which has drawn more than 20,000 fans in a year. Jackson did what he said he was going to do. Lacrosse? To him, those days were over.

But something else happened to Jackson not long after he arrived at UVa. “Penn came to play Virginia in a scrimmage, and Vic had an extra stick,” Jackson says. Vic is Victor Hsu ’91, a star of the 1991 Big Red lacrosse team Jackson recalls as “so stacked,” mentioning standouts such as James Heavey ’92, Matt Ogelsby ’91, and Billy Granville ’92. Hsu, who played for a powerhouse Penn program, used to encourage Jackson’s involvement in the sport at Lawrenceville, where they quickly became close friends. “I played long pole,” says Jackson of the longer stick favored by defensive players, “and Vic said, ‘I’ve got this extra shorty here.’” Jackson accepted Hsu’s offering, a shorter stick used by attack and midfielders. “And I was like, ‘Cool,’” he recalls. “And then I thought, ‘You know what? Maybe,’ and I went to the club tryouts.” But along the Eastern Seaboard's top universities, lacrosse is religion and varsity competitors are quasi-celebrities. Club players? Even they were better than just about anyone Jackson had even shared a field with. “My time at club was very, very short-lived,” recalls Jackson, who wasn’t receptive to the seriousness of the club level. “I was also doing a lot of things like radio that are [now] my other career, so it was fine.” And that was it for Wes Jackson and lacrosse. Again, the sport was gone from his life. “I loved it, and then it just disappeared,” he says. “And then I just fell back in love.”

“I’ve done some things I’m proud of in my job-job, but I hope that what I do with lacrosse is what will be on my tombstone.” — Wes Jackson ’91 34

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OR JACKSON, PART OF HIS DESIRE TO LEAVE lacrosse behind has to do with the way the sport had fit his life awkwardly. Though he played for a year at the Buckley School on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, lacrosse was essentially alien to his childhood neighborhood in the Bronx. Seeing a teenager with a lacrosse stick spurred confusion: Are you catching butterflies? Others knew exactly what they were looking at and insidiously questioned why a Black kid wanted to play “a White boy’s sport.” Even at Lawrenceville, Jackson came to associate the game with a world in which he often felt estranged. He was eager to make a clean break. “Being a Black kid at Lawrenceville back in those days was not the easiest thing,” he recalls. College represented a chance to solidify his identity. “There was also a part of me that was trying to get away from many things ‘Lawrenceville’ by making new friends, new experiences,” he says. Lacrosse was emblematic of what he sought to leave behind, which is why it wasn’t hard for Jackson to lay it down and become, in his words, “a new person.” Now, thirty years later, he is that man he believed he would become, and maybe more: a renowned hip-hop entrepreneur and expert whose professional acumen led him to a role as the director of the Business Creative Enterprises Program and executive-inresidence at Emerson College in Boston. He is a frequent panelist on television shows such as ABC News’ Hip-Hop @ 50: Rhythms, Rhymes & Reflections, which ran over several nights in prime time in June, and he is also the president of BRIC, the Brooklyn cultural and media arts incubator. And yet Jackson says his role as the co-founder and board of the Brooklyn Crescents Lacrosse Club is the one that truly moves him most today. Primarily a volunteer-run, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the Crescents work hard to make lacrosse accessible to kids in New York City, from neophytes to seasoned players in kindergarten through high school – players and coaches who reflect the diverse neighborhoods of New York. “I’ve done some things I’m proud of in my job-job,” he says, “but I hope that what I do with lacrosse is what will be on my tombstone.”

HE STICK GIVEN TO HIM BY HSU IS THE ARTIFACT through which Jackson’s rekindled love affair with lacrosse can be traced. It traveled from apartment to apartment with him and Dr. Ebonie Jackson, the college sweetheart who became his wife in 2000, but it was largely forgotten for several years. Jackson used to fill his idle time playing “wall ball” – flinging the ball at a wall and catching it in the stick’s basket – in the back of their little yard in Brooklyn, “knocking little pieces of brick off the wall,” he says. “My wife was like, “We need to get you [involved]. We can’t do this,” he recalls of his assault on their exterior brickwork. “I think what she saw was me aching to find a way to get back in.” Through Ebonie, Jackson linked up with some men who played for a local team, the Rhinos. One of them, L’Quentus “Q” Thomas, was also the head coach and boys’ director for a children’s rec team, the Brooklyn Admirals. Before long, it occurred to Jackson

that playing lacrosse wasn’t necessarily the spirit moving him back toward the game. On the way home from a weekend tournament, Thomas asked Jackson if he had ever considered taking on a role with children. “I was so, so excited,” he recalls, “because playing was fine but I always thought I would love to coach young kids and spread the game.” Coaching with the Admirals beginning in 2004, Jackson met Kevin Graham, who he calls the “godfather of all city lacrosse” in New York. It was Graham who recast for him the racially and culturally tinged perceptions of lacrosse that Jackson was raised with, enduring even as he entered coaching. “Why are you acting White? If you were a Black kid [playing lacrosse], that’s what you were getting when we started coaching,” Jackson says. “And Mr. Graham really went right into that and was like, ‘Stop it. Stop these words. Stop these characteristics. It’s an indigenous people’s sport. We’re going to recreate that narrative.’” Graham died in 2006, and with him, the Admirals did, too. However, the staff wanted not only to continue coaching, but to honor Graham’s legacy, as well, and so the Brooklyn Crescents were born. Lacrosse was still years from gaining a foothold in New York’s outer boroughs, but the Crescents were determined to make the sport part of Brooklyn’s cultural landscape. “For years, it was very weird. We were like the oddballs, and we couldn’t get field space because soccer and baseball had it all, so we struggled back then,” Jackson recalls of the early days. “The growth and the perception have jumped by leaps and bounds since then.” One early problem was the lack of dedicated space to play. “It’s New York City. You’ve got 200-square-foot apartments [renting] for three grand,” he laments. “You think a developer’s going to say, ‘Let’s not put a high-rise here, let’s turn this into a turf field'? It’s something that’s just not happening.” Perhaps looming even larger is the lack of what Jackson calls “a legacy.” He tells the story of a recording artist from London he signed to his label, who on his first trip here noted that “Everybody must play basketball in New York City.” Puzzled, Jackson asked what he meant. “I just see basketball courts everywhere,” the performer answered. “Every city, every neighborhood – White, Black, Latino – everywhere we go, there’s basketball courts.” The dearth of lacrosse fields stands in stark contrast. “So, it’s hard for the kids to naturally gravitate,” Jackson explains. “And they don’t have an older brother or a parent who played it – someone who, like all my coaches, put sticks in all three of my kids’ hands on their first birthday as is the tradition in indigenous culture.” The final fundamental barrier to access is the price of participation. Jackson says that the price for a three-day lacrosse camp – including the registration, camp, and equipment fees – might exceed $400, and that says nothing of personal gear. “I’ve got working-class people in Flatbush, Bed-Stuy, Staten Island, Bay Ridge,” Jackson says, “and they’re like, ‘Listen, I’m a public-school teacher and my wife sells real estate or does insurance. Every dollar is accounted for.’” Jackson says the divide is more class-based than racial, a reality that even manifests itself in scheduling. The sport’s calendar is based largely upon the academic year at many independent schools, with

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camps beginning almost a month before public high schools end their year. He points toward the example of a talented Crescents defenseman with what Jackson believes is the size and skill for an NCAA Division I program – and, notably, a scholarship. “But every year he misses a month and then another month, and then he can only afford two tournaments,” he says, underscoring the importance of the exposure players receive at tournaments. So, while a child from an affluent background benefits from personal training, multiple tournaments, and top equipment, “this kid from Flatbush just doesn’t have it. It’s almost like a weird treatise on the pay gap in a way.” Through the Crescents, Jackson and the staff aim to bridge those divides in any way he can. Jen Nardi, the program’s executive director, has also been a collegiate head coach for years, and Jackson says she is not shy about letting camps know what they need for their kids. “She’s pretty gangster. She’ll be like, ‘I need four scholarships [to the camp]. I need four full rides. I need four waivers. Let’s talk,’” he explains, adding that he and Nardi and not shy about holding organizations accountable to the promises of their diversity, equity, and inclusion statements. “And the directors also will say, ‘You’re right, you need four waivers. Done.” The Crescents, who make Poly Prep Country Day School in Bay Ridge their home for practice, earned an indoor space at the new Major R. Owens Health & Wellness Community Center in Crown Heights. “They opened up that thing and they called us,” Jackson says of the former Bedford Union Armory recently renovated and converted to a community field house. Jackson is very clear that lacrosse is its own reason to play the game, but he also understands the opportunities it provides his players. It starts with entrée to the sport, and what the Crescents believe are the values that animate their program – commitment, teamwork, integrity, passion, and community pride – but extends to options his kids might otherwise not see or even be aware of. His community in Brooklyn is picking up on this, too. “What we’re doing is really bringing that to everyone’s attention and saying, ‘Help me specifically do this.’” Jackson explains. “People are understanding it on all levels, but we’ve just got to keep pushing.” Jackson says that when parents turn on ESPN over Memorial Day weekend and see the NCAA lacrosse championships, it’s hard not to notice which institutions are participating: Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Michigan, and other top schools. “They’re like, Yeah, OK, I get it,” he says. “And I am not shy about telling them, either.” Another aspect of the game and its far-reaching sphere is the idea of life long after college. “I went to talk to Hampton, which is the first HBCU to have a Division I men’s lacrosse program,” Jackson says.

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“I said, ‘Listen, love lacrosse. I want to see you all win games, ground balls, all of that. But at the end of the day, it’s all irrelevant because eventually you’re going get fat, the knees are going to give out, and you’ve got to think about that.” When Jackson underscores the importance of relationships developed on the lacrosse field, he isn’t speaking in hypotheticals. He has now seen and felt the long reach of those friendships he forged at Lawrenceville, a place he admits he left with little affection. His teammates and friends didn’t just share the sport together. They broadened each other’s perspectives and formed a lifelong linkage in ways Jackson never imagined at the time. “I think about my first business, my record label, and do you know who gave me some of that seed money?” Jackson asks. “Dr. Victor Hsu. My other big venture, the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, when I came up with the idea and I needed space, who did I go to? The guy on that defensive line, Robin Ottaway ’91 P’24, co-founder and president of Brooklyn Brewery]. He said, ‘Here, take my space. Don’t worry about the money.’” Jackson is clear that he’s not talking about “what can you do for me” but rather, the trust and shared accountability that results naturally from “being in those trenches with those cats.” “For a Black kid from the Bronx to be brothers with a Taiwanese cat from the suburbs of Philly and an Italian kid from D.C.,” he says, “lacrosse did that for me, and now we can look at each other eye to eye. Having people like Robin and Vic who just didn’t grow up like me; they make my life better when I talk to them.” Jackson pauses to think about Ottaway and Hsu, the stick, and what it all means. He’s not sure what, if anything, Hsu intended by giving him the spare shorty. Did he want his friend to keep participating? Was it just a means of keeping the connection, not only to lacrosse, but also to his friends and their time at Lawrenceville? “He is three steps ahead of the rest of us where he might have done that,” Jackson admits with delight. “Little did I know then my best friend gives me this piece that says, Not quite. Don’t let us all go in your anger.” He ponders it for another moment as a smile spreads across his face: He only realized years after it happened how lacrosse had infiltrated all aspects of his life. “And it is passing through my other businesses, through the education or the entertainment business stuff,” he says. “Those are the three parts of my life, and they feed each other.” He then widens his view to consider “the creator” the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, or Iroquois, believe gave humankind lacrosse. “Maybe it was The Creator’s Game,” he says, invoking the name often applied colloquially to this ancient sport. “Maybe it was the Creator saying, Don’t leave us just yet.” n

Leave a Lawrenceville Legacy

“My gift deliberately recognizes teamwork, sportsmanship, and cultural enrichment – Lawrenceville hallmarks. When you’ve been blessed with success, you have

Out of gratitude for the Lawrenceville education of his three older children,

an obligation to give

Morgan ’14, Jake ’16, and Taylor ’17, Grant Pothast P14 ’16 ’17 established a

something back. I’m

life insurance policy with the School as the beneficiary and with proceeds split

proud to be able to

equally between endowments for Big Red Athletics and scholarship aid. The

support the School,

siblings benefited from Lawrenceville’s rigorous academics, excellent athletic

and a planned gift

and co-curricular programs, and the diverse voices of classmates, teammates,

is the perfect family legacy.”

and friends, and their experiences continue to inspire them as adults.

— Grant Pothast P’14 ’16 ’17

For more information on leaving a bequest to Lawrenceville or for other planned giving opportunities, or if you have included Lawrenceville in your will but have not yet informed the School, please contact Sean Grieve at the Lawrenceville Office of Planned Giving at 215-237-3899 or sgrieve@lawrenceville.org, or go to lawrenceville.giftplans.org.

OLD SCHOOL

85 years ago in

The Lawrentian OCTOBER 1937

OUR NEW BUILDING The Administrative officers and their staffs are now all happily set in our new Administration Building, but they will probably remember September, 1937, with little affection. Unavoidable delays on construction made it impossible to move into the new offices until the 18th, so that the Registrar’s staff, the accounting offices, and the others were performing their many complicated opening-day tasks at the same time they were moving. That they succeeded is a tribute to their efficiency and their good nature. — From a news item detailing the nascent days of the James Cameron Mackenzie Administration Building. The migration of administrators freed up valuable space in Pop Hall for classrooms, a biology lab, art studio, and headquarters for the Photography Club.

50 years ago in

The Lawrentian DECEMBER 1973

BEES IN THE BELFRY ... Last spring it was determined that the ornamental scrollwork which decorates the cupola on Pop Hall had begun to rot out and needed replacement. Scaffolding was erected and the repair crew went to work, only to be driven off by angry bees who apparently lived in the cupola in substantial numbers. The repair crew retreated and called up the artillery – in the form of insecticidal gas. The gas dispatched the bees but had also gassed a deposit of honey in one corner of the cupola, estimates of whose size ranged as high as “a coupla hundred pounds.” — From an “Echoes of the Campus” news item by Thomas J. Johnston H’65 P’74. Wasting that sizable horde of honey was such sweet sorrow.

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ROAD READY? Students in science teacher Nicki Selan’s Introduction to Mechanical and Structural Engineering made full use of the Gruss Center for Art and Design, from design software to manufacturing, to get these crude carts ready to test on Noyes Quad and the Bowl.

usps no. 306-700 the Lawrenceville School Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648 Parents of alumni: If this magazine is addressed to a son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please email us at contactupdates@lawrenceville.org with his or her new address. Thank you!

It’s coming...

our next issue of The Lawrentian will feature an intriguing new look, with updated typefaces, reconsidered editorial departments, and a greater variety of voices from our campus and beyond. We’re also launching a totally new digital platform for our 87-year-old periodical that will give you the option to keep up with Lawrenceville on any desktop or mobile device, or even share your Big Red pride on social media channels! It’s all coming this spring.