Spring 2021 Avonian

SPRING 2021

AV O N G I V E S T H A N K S F O R YEARS OF LEADERSHIP

Marty Cole Retires from Board of Directors

SPRING 2021

contents COVER STORY

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Honoring Avon’s Ninth Chairman of the Board

FEATURES

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MLK Day Leadership Program

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2021 Begins With a Celebration of the Arts

SPOTLIGHTS

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FEATURED ARTIST:

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT:

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT:

Jonathan Luo ’21

Saagar Motupally ’21

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FEATURED ATHLETE:

FACULTY FOCUS:

Robbie Stewart ’21

Rob Dowling ’91, P’22

Stephen Lash ’58

The Avonian // SPRING 2021

DEPARTMENTS

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Head of School

Village Green

Athletics

Class Notes

The Elephant

Remembers

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The Last Word

Parting Shot

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from the EDITOR We made it!

With the steadfast leadership of the administration and the academic team and the dedication of all faculty and staff, Avon turned a school year defined by Zoom, social distancing, and face masks into a success. We welcomed all students back to campus in the fall and stuck to strict protocols to ensure our small community did not fall victim to COVID-19. Yes, there were pieces that Avonians knew were missing. We did not celebrate the winter Boar’s Head Festival. Morning Meetings for which the entire school community filled the Brown Auditorium did not occur. But as Head of School Jim Detora has shared countless times, at Avon, we do not focus on what we cannot do; we focus on what we can do.

What we could do this year was hold Morning Meetings outside in the Quadrangle and around the Village Green. We scrimmaged with a few other teams that felt comfortable doing so after both squads tested negative. We celebrated athletes who made college commitments. We competed in class poetry competitions. We performed a concert for senior parents able to attend in person and livestreamed it to the rest of the community via the school website.

We enjoyed Founder’s Day. Finally, we held Avon’s 87th Commencement Exercises on Sunday, May 30, in person and on campus.

It was a year of learning and transition. For our students, we ensured it was not a year of insignificance. In this publication, we honor Avon’s ninth chairman of the board, Marty Cole, who stepped away from the role this April. During my conversation with him, he shared that a colleague’s son enrolled at Avon in the fall of 2020 as a postgraduate. The student is a football player, but Avon did not have a competitive football season in 2020. Despite that missing element, this colleague told Marty his son was loving Avon—the brotherhood, the community, the support. This parent saw the impact of an Avon education, despite all the restrictions in place; the essence of Avon proved to be alive and well. These small stories—the many emails of thanks and praise—tell us that in 2020–21, we accomplished what we always set out to do: be the best school for boys.

Aspirando et perseverando, JACQUELINE KELLER, EDITOR

kellerj@avonoldfarms.com (860) 404-4381

Established 1927

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Jim Detora P’12 ASSOCIATE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Robert J. Whitty ’87, P’16 EDITOR

Jacqueline Keller ALUMNI NOTES

Kaitlyn Pratt The Avonian is published for the alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends of Avon Old Farms School. It is distributed to approximately 7,000 readers. All rights reserved.

AVON OLD FARMS SCHOOL

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The Avonian // SPRING 2021

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FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Greetings!

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his time last year, my letter in The Avonian was filled with news of our campus closing because of COVID-19, shifts to virtual learning, and missed graduations.

What a year it has been! This spring—though not a full return to normal— brought back the energy and campus life we love and sorely missed. Seeing the students end a difficult year with smiles and excitement has been wonderful.

The success of our 2020–21 school year would not have been possible without the dedication of our exceptional faculty and staff. This year tested our strength in ways we’ve never experienced, but, in true Avon fashion, each member of our community displayed inner grit and rose to this challenge to give our students a truly impactful experience. What better way to show our students how to rise in the face of adversity?

From holding our Morning Meetings outside or via Zoom to meeting for socially distanced meals in the Refectory and embracing a nontraditional athletic schedule, Avon persevered.

On May 29 and 30, we held Avon’s 87th awards ceremony and commencement on the Village Green for seniors and their families. It was incredibly exciting celebrating the class of 2021 as head of school for the first time after an extraordinary year.

Marty Cole, until recently chair of our Board of Directors, was an integral member of the board since 2005 and a dedicated advocate for Avon Old Farms. His leadership and support during my transition to head of school and throughout an unprecedented year of difficult COVID-19 decisions has been invaluable. We dedicate this issue to his service to the school as the ninth chairman of the board, which ended in April, and his unwavering support leading the charge during our Inspiring Boys, Building Men capital campaign. He will be missed at the helm, but I look forward to celebrating Marty and his wife, Terri, during the fall board meeting and Family Weekend.

Avon Old Farms has another reason to be excited: the return of Hall of Fame Coach Kevin Driscoll ’72 to lead our varsity football team this fall. I am beyond thrilled.

Having coached with Kevin for many years, I know he will give the boys a memorable season and set the stage for another New England Championship run.

I look forward to a return to normal this fall, and I hope you will come see some football games!

Aspirando et perseverando!

JIM DETORA P’12

Head of School

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village green

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AVON LAUNCHES SECOND SEMESTER WITH MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

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o commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Avon Old Farms started the second semester with a virtual program featuring Dr. Omékongo Dibinga, founder of UPstander International. Dr. Dibinga is a multitalented performer and a professor of intercultural communication at American University who speaks regularly around the world. To partake in the program, students gathered with their advisor groups around campus and Zoomed in to the meeting.

Dr. Dibinga’s message centered around how Avonians can learn to be leaders who make change. He shared thoughts about the political climate and how, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter where on the political spectrum a person is—together, today’s youth will inherit this society.

Dr. Dibinga suggested that everyone hears about trying to get people to talk across the political aisle and asked how often people in the Avon community crossed the aisle or hallway here at school.

“There is a lot of talk about moving toward healing but little talk about how to actually do that ... what steps to take,” he said.

Dr. Dibinga was prepared with some specific steps students and faculty can take: LEAD. • Listen. “We have two ears and one mouth for a reason; we should use them proportionately,” he said. “Not until we are ready to listen to others and ask why they believe certain things can we do better.”

• Educate yourselves. If we surround ourselves only with opinions we agree with, we will never learn. Dr. Dibinga shared a lesson with Avonians that he teaches his students at American University: get news from a variety of sources from all sides of the matter, and then think for yourself.

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• Advocate. Dr. Dibinga asked students what they do in the dorms, on the fields, and in the classrooms when they see injustice. Do they challenge it? Or are they bystanders? He encouraged students to be upstanders: to help others and make a difference in the lives of those who need support.

• Decide whom to be in this world— leaders or bystanders? He admitted that those who lead may lose some friends but promised they would gain a global community.

To tie it all together, Dr. Dibinga shared a quote from Dr. King: "Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." By following the mantra to LEAD, Avonians can educate themselves and seek answers to the questions they have about the world in which they are living.

Dr. Dibinga ended with a call to action: what one thing will you do today to become a leader?

POETRY RECITATION

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or decades, the annual poetry contest has been a special experience the Avon brotherhood shares. Begun by former English Department Chair John Haile in the 1980s, the practice of reciting poems in front of an audience of peers has grown from a friendly competition into an Avon tradition.

Throughout the third quarter, all students at Avon Old Farms work through a poetry unit in their English course. As a cornerstone of the unit, each boy is required to memorize and recite a poem in front of his class.

English faculty then choose one student from each course section to continue on to grade-level competition by reciting his poem on stage in the Brown Auditorium.

This year, the tradition of reciting poetry persevered. Section-level competition continued, and in-person, grade-level competition proceeded as well. In fact, the gatherings in the

auditorium to watch the grade-level competition were among the very few occasions when entire classes came together in one space this year. The experience of hearing a poem live is just that important to the Old Farms community.

For years, the competition has culminated with faculty choosing one boy from each grade to represent his class in a competition during Morning Meeting in front of the entire school community. Having recited a poem in class, all students in the audience know the challenges of working with a poem, making the words their own, making the words authentic, and sharing those discoveries with peers.

Students appreciate the courage, skill, and heart required to win the competition. This year, the winners of each grade who went on to the final round of competition were • Senior Saagar Motupally reciting “From Which I Flew,” by Tyree Day

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• Junior Xander Ratledge reciting “How It Is,” by Maxine Kumin • Sophomore Kieran Davey reciting “Bluebird,” by Charles Bukowski • Freshman Atis Watt reciting “Sonnet 23: Methought I saw my late espoused saint,” by John Milton.

Though social distancing did not allow for the entire school to gather in the Brown Auditorium, these four students recited their poems in a Zoom event for the community to enjoy. Afterward, the student body and the English faculty cast their votes, and sophomore Kieran Davey emerged as the 2021 poetry recitation competition winner.

The contest is one of many Avon traditions designed to help young men flourish and become well-rounded, outstanding citizens. We congratulate all the young men who participated on a job well done. To view a recording of the final competition, visit www.avonoldfarms.com/poetry2021.

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I 2021 BEGINS WITH a Celebration of the Arts

Michael Xie ’22

n January, even before students repopulated campus after a long winter break, Avon Old Farms began receiving word from a variety of art competitions. Here we celebrate the artists recognized for their creativity across three competitions: the 2021 National Art Honor Society’s Juried Exhibition, the 2021 Emerging Young Artists Juried Exhibition hosted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and the 2021 Scholastic Art Awards.

2021 NAHS/NJAHS JURIED EXHIBITION

Matthew “Hobie” Jamison ’21 and Michael Xie ’22 were selected for the sixth annual National Art Honor Society/National Junior Art Honor Society (NAHS/NJAHS) Juried Exhibition of artwork, which took place from January 11 to April 30, 2021. The exhibition showcased the work of talented student artists who are members of the National Art Education Association’s NAHS/ NJAHS programs. From 1,187 submissions, 93 works representing 49 schools and 20 states were exhibited in an online virtual gallery.

Matthew “Hobie” Jamison ’21

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EMERGING YOUNG ARTISTS 2021 JURIED EXHIBITION

The Emerging Young Artists (EYA) 2021 Juried Exhibition received submissions from 431 students. The juror, A. Lawrence Jenkens, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), UMass Dartmouth, selected 88 works for the exhibition.

Congratulations to the seven Avon Old Farms students whose artwork was included in this highly competitive New England exhibition: Leo He ’23—Profile (received honorable mention) Linhao Jiang ’22—Untitled Alex Kwak ’23—K Life Derrick Li ’24—Self Portrait in Shadow Aidan Radtke ’21—Portrait of JT Ben Reznik ’21—Untitled Michael Xie ’22—Claudine The EYA exhibit is held annually at the CVPA Campus Gallery. The exhibition was featured online earlier this year on the college’s website.

We are very proud of these boys and their willingness to experiment, be courageous in their creativity and strong in voice/vision.

CR ISTIN A PIN TON , V I SUA L A RTS CHA IR P ERSON

Alex Kwak ’23

Aidan Radtke ’21

Linhao Jiang ’22

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Ben Reznik ’21

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2021 SCHOLASTIC ART AWARDS

Congratulations to the 13 Avon Old Farms artists whose work was honored by the 2021 Scholastic Art Awards. The Connecticut Regional Scholastic Awards is a professionally juried event that recognizes only the best Connecticut student artwork. All Connecticut art students in public, parochial, and private schools are encouraged to participate and submit artwork.

In addition to the honor of being selected for this high-quality exhibit, students may be awarded gold or silver keys and win honorable mention awards. The show announced winners in February during a virtual exhibition: Avonians took home 18 awards: six gold keys, six silver keys, and six honorable mentions.

Sean Desjardins ’21 Gold Key

Francis Hagood ’23 Silver Key

QUENTIN CUTLER ’22 —Old School (Honorable Mention,

digital art); Waiting to Apologize (Honorable Mention, photography) SEAN DESJARDINS ’21 —A Man and His Shadow (Gold Key, photography) FRANCIS HAGOOD ’23 —Self Portrait—New School, New Me (Silver Key, painting) LEO HE ’23 —Confidence (Gold Key, drawing and illustration); Four Gods (Silver Key, design) TOMMY HIGGINS ’22 —Grime (Honorable Mention, painting) MATTHEW “HOBIE” JAMISON ’21 —Old Man (Gold Key, digital art) VAN LIOTT ’23 —Ex-Triangulis (Gold Key, sculpture; Connecticut Art Education Association Best in Sculpture) AIDAN RADTKE ’21 —Persistence (Honorable Mention, photography) XANDER RATLEDGE ’22 —Brother Watching TV (Gold Key, photography); Ephemeral (Silver Key, photography) ADRIAN REED ’21 —Minotaur's Story (Silver Key, sculpture) PRESTON RUNK ’21 —Variations on a Cube (Honorable Mention, sculpture) PETER SIANA ’22 —Dreamstate (Honorable Mention, drawing and illustration) MICHAEL XIE ’22 —Descending the Depths (Silver Key, painting); Rapture (Gold Key, painting); Self as Depicted

by Broken Still Life (Silver Key, drawing and illustration)

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AWARDS

GOLD KEYS

SILVER KEYS

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The Avonian // SPRING 2021

Above: Leo He ’23, Gold Key Left: Aidan Radtke ’21, Honorable Mention Below: Van Liott ’23, Gold Key Right, middle: Matthew “Hobie” Jamison '21, Gold Key Lower right: Michael Xie ’22, Gold Key

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FEATURED ARTIST

JONATHAN LUO ’21 Future Venture Capitalist by Day, Guitar Shredder by Night

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With piano, I can feel the instrument in my hand ... the vibrations running up through my fingertips. It’s exhilarating.

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hen Music Department Chair Dave Raposo describes someone as “devastatingly good,” it catches the Avon community’s attention. After chatting with Johnathan Luo ’21, it is easy to see why Mr. Raposo is so impressed. He is a musician who doesn’t feel the pressure to conform but instead creates music as an extension of his mood.

A four-year senior, Jonathan came to the Village of Old Farms from Fremont, Calif. Though he began playing piano at the age of four when he first found a discarded keyboard in the basement, his love for the instrument didn't immediately take off. “My parents signed me up for piano lessons soon after that,” he shares. “I wasn’t crazy about learning to read music and playing classical pieces, and I didn’t enjoy

repeating the same thing in order to commit it to muscle memory. I eventually put the piano aside and picked up the clarinet instead.”

When Jonathan enrolled at Avon Old Farms School after a hiatus from piano during his middle-school years, our band director sensed that Jonathan might be hiding behind his clarinet. Destined for something more, he was encouraged to go back to piano, where he would be seen and heard. “It was good advice because I admit that I was hiding by playing the clarinet,” Jonathan says. “I wasn’t very good, and I didn’t have the passion to get better. With piano, I can feel the instrument in my hand ... the vibrations running up through my fingertips. It’s exhilarating.”

At Avon, his instructors watched as he connected with the music and understood it for what it is: a

musician’s message to the world.

“Over the summer between my sophomore and junior years, I began to really find inspiration in movie instrumentals from my childhood.

There was a nostalgia there that called to me, and I wanted to be able to play the songs that were speaking to me. Ordering sheet music would take too much time, so instead I set out to learn the notes by ear.”

Once more, Jonathan leaned on his early piano lessons, particularly his music theory courses, which helped him build his auditory skills.

He began piecing chords and melodies together. Along the way, he found room to improvise—adding his own flair to the tunes coming alive in his hands.

“Playing by ear instead of sheet music was a richer experience that allowed me to embrace the mood of

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Music is something you have to pursue yourself, and when I decided to do that, I began to have a lot of fun with it.

the music and do it my own way. I began to see how I could be myself in the music I played. That’s actually what really got me to pursue jazz outside the elite jazz band: I found that jazz allowed me to express myself in ways other genres didn’t.”

Jonathan also explains that for him, music is truly a universal language. As someone born in the

United States who moved between his home country and China for most of his childhood, he certainly understands bridging gaps between two cultures. Music became a place where it didn’t matter how he identified himself: American or Chinese, he could express exactly who he feels he is. “My strong technical foundation that I built when I was

young allowed me to eventually put my own spin on things. My childhood lessons taught me the language, and Avon has given me the space and support to put my voice into the music I play.”

As Jonathan’s creativity began to soar, the pandemic began to shut things down globally. Last spring and summer, he decided to take on

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another instrument: the guitar. “I told my mom I was buying a guitar, and it was the best way I could have spent my time. Music is something you have to pursue yourself, and when I decided to do that, I began to have a lot of fun with it.”

Now at the end of his Avon career, Jonathan is described as a blossoming, creative, talented musician.

This spring semester, he used the Advanced Independent Project (AIP) program at Avon to investigate his passion even further, composing and recording an EP of six to eight tracks, all original works and each very different from the next.

“Ideas come so quickly, and I just have to catch them before they’re gone,” Jonathan explains. “Luckily, at Avon, there is always a piano around.

That’s the best thing about Avon: the spaces are just given to students. We can use the music rooms whenever there isn’t a class going on, which means there’s always an open piano nearby.”

The compilation will feature not only Jonathan’s piano skills but also thoughts and ideas from classmate collaborators who have popped in on his recording sessions. “I came to a boarding school so I could learn to live independently, but the collection of musicians I found here and befriended has been awesome. There are so many people here who share my passion for music, who want to share ideas, who want to create. This environment has allowed me to pursue this passion, and it

has grown in so many directions because of that. I guess the downside could be that a listener might only connect with one of the songs on the EP because they’re all so different,” he says, adding in a true musician’s spirit, “but it’s really for me anyway, and exploring music in different ways and trying new things makes me happy.”

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As to what the future holds, Jonathan doesn’t dwell too much on it. He’s applied to several colleges and hopes to be accepted into one at which he will be able to pursue both a career and his love for music. “A venture capitalist by day, guitar shredder by night type of thing would be nice,” he says. Not a bad dream to have.

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athletics

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FEATURED ATHLETE

ROBBIE STEWART ’21

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On the field, I always knew what I was working toward. In the classroom, I didn’t have that clear direction.

[Avon’s] smaller class size gave me a one-onone feel that helped me focus on why I was there.

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obbie Stewart ’21 loves baseball.

His late father, Rick, played baseball, and his older brother, Dan, plays too. Robbie picked up a bat early, when he was just three. His family’s passion for the sport runs deep, whether someone is practicing on the field or talking about the game around the dinner table.

“The funny thing is, I didn’t really love T-ball, partly because there’s a rule you can swing only once and can run only to first base,” begins Robbie, a monitor in Jennings Dormitory and an Eagle Scout raised in Darien, Conn. “As I got older, I absolutely loved baseball and always aimed to hit the ball over the 15-foot outfield fence at Darien High School.

I never did, but I tried every time.”

That aspiration to achieve more carried him all the way to his current position: Division 1 pitching recruit headed to Fordham University, where he will begin classes this fall.

It’s been quite a journey for the 18-year-old. Along the way, Robbie lost family members but gained mentors, many who inspired him to find success on the baseball diamond.

In Darien, Robbie’s dad was not just a lover of the sport; he was also a cornerstone of the Darien Little League.

Rick loved the game and enjoyed coaching. As coach, commissioner, and advocate for his players, he was memorialized by the Darien Little League after his passing in 2012. The Little League board members designed a patch that was sewn onto the sleeve of every player’s uniform—T-ball through Babe Ruth. The league also

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created a matching banner to hang at the town’s Little League field. A duplicate design has a place of honor in Robbie’s room at home.

“As time went on, my brother continued to teach me to love the game of baseball,” shares Robbie.

“Dan is devoted to the sport and studies every aspect of the game.

Whenever Dan was out playing ball with his friends, he invited me to play too. The boys were much older and better, but that didn’t matter.

Dan’s passion for the sport and willingness to support my interest always kept me coming back.”

Like most kids, Robbie played every position over the years, but somewhere along the way, he realized the pitcher’s mound was where he needed to be. When asked why he gravitated toward that position, he replies, “I wanted the ball in my hand and a chance to control the game.”

In high school, one of his friends transferred to a prep school, which inspired Robbie to begin thinking about a similar path. “While no one in my immediate family had attended boarding school, my mom supported my interest and eventually we visited Avon.” Robbie’s grandfather was another strong influence.

He used one word to describe how he felt about Robbie’s making the switch to Avon: “Gamechanger.”

Robbie elaborates that although he was interested in boarding school and challenging himself on a whole new level, he didn’t actually believe he would ever really make the move from his public high school. When

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Avon’s Revisit Day approached in the spring of 2018, he told his mom he had decided against the idea.

“She encouraged me to go and visit the school again anyway,” says Robbie. “I have two vivid memories from that day. The first is attending Mr. Symes's science class. Something clicked, and I began to envision myself at Avon. My second memory is of meeting Mr. Doyle at the Field House. We talked about Avon, the structure, the culture, and, of course, baseball. At the end of my visit, I told my mom I wanted to go to Avon. I didn’t need to visit any other schools. Avon was the place.”

That fall, Robbie joined the Avon community as a repeat sophomore. Though he initially repeated to gain a competitive edge, he is now thankful for the extra time in the classroom preparing for college.

“Avon helped me mature academically,” he says, crediting his advisor, Mr. Rice, with setting him on a path toward success. “On the field, I always knew what I was working toward. In the classroom, I didn’t have that clear direction. Avon’s structure, paired with teachers who love their students, got me to

push myself more. The smaller class size gave me a one-on-one feel that helped me focus on why I was there.”

That spring, Robbie started out on Avon’s junior varsity baseball team. Disappointed at not making varsity his first year as a Winged Beaver, Robbie says that he is grateful for his time with coaches Art Mehos and Rob Werner. The team won every game that season, and Robbie had a great experience.

“Playing on JV was important,” he says. “I thought I was good, but I learned I had to be much better. There were times we made mistakes, and I learned how a good team could capitalize on small errors. I began to see that stronger players focused on small details and how those contribute to overall success.”

As a junior, Robbie was excited to play varsity, but COVID-19 eliminated the spring 2020 season. However, Robbie used the time at home to his advantage: he built on the structure Avon provided to perfect his craft. He attended classes online during the day and dedicated his afternoons to lifting, throwing, and getting into shape for the summer season.

With the help of Avon’s coaches, Robbie

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focused on small things that needed attention. He refined his form and made strides in his velocity.

“Coach Dowling set up a Google Classroom for the team and used it to message us, assign drills, and keep track of workouts,” he explains. “I also took videos and sent them to Coach Callaghan, who sent feedback: ‘Tweak this with your glove arm, tweak this with your front leg, get more out in front on your release.’ I’m not sure if my dreams of playing Division 1 ball would have happened without their guidance and instruction.”

Over the summer, Robbie participated in a livestreamed showcase for college recruiters. Afterward, he got a call from Coach Dowling, who told him that a few schools had reached out and asked whether any schools had contacted Robbie directly.

“I told him about the schools I had heard from, one of which was Fordham. He said, ‘Fordham! Wow. If you can get an offer from Fordham, that would be a great fit for you. I can see you there in a heartbeat.’ I really value his opinion—he’s one of the best high school coaches in New England baseball history—so I began taking Fordham seriously.”

As Robbie looked more closely at Fordham, he realized it checked all the boxes on his list: it was close to home, so his family could come and watch him play; it was a city environment, which was something he wanted; and it was a top-notch academic university where he could continue to develop academically as well as athletically. When the offer came, Robbie says, it was a no-brainer.

Neither Robbie's father nor his brother got to play past their high

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I plan to take this as far as I can, and hopefully the coaches at Fordham can help me get to the next level.

school years, but they remained passionate about the game. Taking his game to the collegiate level carries a lot of significance for Robbie.

“I put pressure on myself because I want to do well. I’m not playing just for myself; I’m playing in memory of my dad and for my brother too,” he

says. “I plan to take this as far as I can, and hopefully the coaches at Fordham can help me get to the next level.

It’s really my own personal challenge to succeed. I want to succeed at Fordham both in the classroom and as a pitcher. I want to succeed at baseball.”

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COACHES CORNER

MATT MIHALIC “If you want to be a coach, first you must refer to yourself as a teacher. That will guide everything you do.”

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hese words come from Morgan Wootten, a Naismith Hall of Fame inductee who is often referred to as “the Godfather of Basketball.” He amassed 1,274 victories over 46 years, all at one high school. He declined many, many offers to go beyond DeMatha Catholic High School but insisted on remaining true to his calling, teaching history and coaching basketball at the high school level.

His philosophy always came back to the real reason he got into coaching in the first place, which was to touch peoples’ lives. I was fortunate enough to know Coach Wootten and his son, Joe, whose camps I worked every summer.

Wootten’s career is an inspiration to anyone who wants to make a career out of coaching and played a large part in bringing me to Avon Old Farms. The coaching profession is often warped by immediate gratification. Too often coaches begin compromising principles to win and climb the ranks. But at Avon, we are teachers. We coach so young men can learn life lessons through sports. We can measure success by how much we grow as a team and how willing we are to work every single day. When teams can work hard and learn each day, winning takes care of itself.

My love and passion for coaching began the day I was born. My father has been a college basketball coach for my entire life, and I learned the game from him. His first job was

as an assistant coach for Morgan Wootten, who contributed so much to how my dad approached the game. I watched him simplify, then teach, and repeat. Above all, I watched how much he cared for his players and how hard he worked to be successful. He lived each day with tremendous enthusiasm and passion for his craft. That was the kind of career I wanted.

My dad’s type of enthusiasm is essential for success. Nothing great is ever achieved without enthusiasm. I am sure all professions can inspire enthusiasm in some form, but each day gives members of this program the chance to feel such great emotion.

Reaching for goals presents tough times and adversity, and those experiences fuel the desire to persevere. Furthermore, achieving a goal brings about such a well-deserved sense of accomplishment and joy. These young high school basketball players will feel each of these incredible experiences, and I am honored to be a part of that.

These core values shaped my philosophy: be a teacher first, make the game simple, and bring enthusiasm to each thing we do. At Avon, those ideas are second nature. I am so grateful to be here adding to the amazing culture that has been established over so many years, and I am very excited for what is to come. Go Winged Beavers!

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Millan Jain '21 interviews Sean Desjardins '21

ATHLETES ADD TO LIST OF COLLEGE-LEVEL COMMITS

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von Old Farms School has always been proud to celebrate the athletic commitments of graduating seniors on their way to playing college-level sports. On February 17, four Winged Beavers gathered with their coaches to celebrate the next step in their athletic careers: • Christian Boudreau, Avon, Conn., will play baseball at Occidental College.

• Ben Boyd, West Hartford, Conn., will play golf at Trinity College.

• Sean Desjardins, Watertown, Conn., will play baseball at St. Lawrence University.

• Will Smalley, Fairfield, Conn., will play football at Lehigh University.

These young men are joining a group of nine seniors who announced their college plans last fall: • Michael Callahan, Darien, Conn., will play lacrosse at Loyola University.

• Ryan Cohen, Boca Raton, Fla., will play lacrosse at the University of Michigan.

• Jack Fine, Roslyn, N.Y., will play lacrosse at Syracuse University.

• Leo Johnson, Greenwich, Conn., will play lacrosse at Yale University.

• Tyler Phommachanh, Stratford, Conn., will play football at the University of Connecticut.

• Sean Scanlon, New York, N.Y., will play baseball at the College of the Holy Cross.

• Robbie Stewart, Darien, Conn., will play baseball at Fordham University.

• Josh Tracey, Shelton, Conn., will play football at the University of Connecticut.

• James Wilborn, Mount Morris, Mich., will play football at Boise State University.

“We’re proud of all of our athletes, and to have these players continue in college is incredible,” says Athletic Director Geoff Barlow ’98. “The number of students we are able to recognize each year who will be playing at the next level is really impressive because that’s not the norm in high schools our size.”

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This year, Barlow has been developing these events into more than just photo ops.

Typically, Barlow announces each player, presents him with an athletic hat from his college, and invites him to take a seat in front of a custom-made Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers backdrop to pose for photos with family and coaches. Because COVID-19 restrictions kept parents from visiting campus, Barlow enlisted the help of the WAOF team to livestream the events, allowing parents to tune in virtually and witness their sons being celebrated by the Avon Old Farms community.

“We know our students appreciate being recognized and that it is a proud moment for their parents,” says Barlow. “We’re excited to continue growing these events into something special for our families. This year, we began livestreaming for parents, but then we heard that families were sharing the livestream link with other family members and friends too. The extended Avon community rallied around the events, and because of that we plan to continue livestreaming in the future.”

Also on the scene to elevate the event were members of Avon's WAOF Digital Media group. Students studying broadcasting interviewed each athlete after he posed for a couple of pictures. The quick Q&A was reminiscent of the sideline interviews so popular in professional sports and gave both the athletes and the media team some practice in quick sound bites. Moving forward, Barlow plans to include commentary from each player’s head coach to provide stronger insight about who each athlete is on and off the playing field.

In a year during which athletic happenings felt pretty muted, these celebrations allowed students a chance to be recognized for their hard work and determination. Even without beaming moms, dads, and teammates in the room, Avon was able to preserve these moments of pride for our students.

Christian Boudreau ’21

Ben Boyd ’21

Will Smalley ’21

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Given everything that I have going for me and the countless people who only want to see me succeed, being average is simply unacceptable.

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Saagar Motupally ’21

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hen senior Saagar Motupally shared his Chapel Talk with the Avon Old Farms community during the winter, he let everyone in on a secret: he fears being average.

He began his talk with some beautiful imagery: waking up on a late summer morning, padding down the stairs to his kitchen to prepare a quick breakfast, and then taking his laptop and dog out to the back patio to sit and read the news while breathing in the aroma of freshly cut grass and listening to the gently gurgling spillway of the pool. “At this point, you’re probably asking, ‘Where is the adversity? Where is the challenge?’ It never comes,” he said.

“To this point in my life, I have been extremely fortunate.”

Therein lies his challenge: given all that he has, being anything but excellent will not do justice to the life his parents made for him. In fact, the lack of adversity pushes him to be extraordinary in everything he sets his mind to, and he believes the culture at Avon has helped him do that.

“The thing is, I don’t want to let anyone down,” he says. “Given everything that I have going for me and the countless people who only want to see me succeed, being average is simply unacceptable.”

However, when talking with

Saagar, one gets the sense that it’s not just a fear of letting people down that drives him but also a deep-seated curiosity about the world that keeps him asking questions, seeking knowledge, and striving for more.

He recalls sitting in the back seat of his parents’ car as a young child and musing about the world as he passed through it. What causes those smokestacks to smoke? What exactly goes on inside a car that causes exhaust to escape through the tailpipe?

That inquisitiveness doesn’t stop with questions. Saagar uses his resources to find answers, whether through his own research or appeals to the people around him.

“At Avon, I’ve taken note of how the faculty play to my nature,” he comments. “They know I am always hungry for knowledge, and they find a way to challenge me each day.

Something much larger than studying has happened here over the past four years. The culture the faculty has created of raising good men of strong moral character has shown me what my true passions are and how to fulfill them. It’s something uniquely Avon that I am indebted to for allowing me to grow— not because of my fear of being average but in spite of it.”

Unlike many of his classmates who grew up with a knowledge of

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

boarding schools, or even Avon Old Farms specifically, Saagar had no long-term plans to attend private school. But six years ago, his family moved from Milford, Conn., to Avon.

Enrolled at the local middle school, Saagar befriended a boy named Brian Dowling ’22 and began to hear about our small, village-like high school tucked away in the woods.

“Brian and I became great friends, and I knew how excited he was for the opportunity to attend Avon. Then his dad started speaking with my parents about what an Avon Old Farms education looks like, and we decided to give private schools a closer look.”

Saagar shares that although most middle-school boys in Avon knew exactly what AOF was about, for him it was an unknown. Being from the shoreline, he hadn’t ever played sports on the AOF fields or attended summer camps on the school grounds. Driving by on Old Farms Road, nothing was visible except a few stone walls through the trees.

“When we visited for an admissions tour, walking through Diogenes Archway and entering the Quadrangle was like being transported to another world. It was almost therapeutic the way the place exudes a sense of wonder.”

Months later, when Saagar’s acceptance letter arrived in the mail, his jaw dropped when he learned he had not only been invited to attend the school but also would receive the Gordon Family Scholarship to help him do so.

“That I had not only been accepted but that the school trusted in me enough to sponsor my education heightened the sense that I had been given a special opportunity. I needed to prove that I was not only worthy but would excel.”

Excel he has. As a senior, Saagar’s list of accolades is long: he is an elite

scholar with a GPA routinely above a 4.1 in the most rigorous courses Avon offers, has won eight book prizes recognizing the top student, was recognized with the Yale Book Prize, and shared the Academic Excellence class honor last year. He is making indispensable contributions to the Avon community life outside academia as a varsity soccer player and captain of the swim team, a president of Avon Outreach, a head monitor, an admission ambassador, a Diversity Council member, a Riddler, a tutor, and more.

Put simply, Saagar is a young man with extraordinary talent who directs those talents toward achievement not only for himself but also in service to others. That is the mark of a good man, a good leader. People like Saagar are what make Avon such a special place.

ROB DOWLING ’91, P’22, SAAGAR’S ADVISOR FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS

When Saagar was a freshman, his classmates also recognized his leadership potential and elected him to the Student Council as a class representative. He has served all four of his years at Avon, an honor he does not take lightly.

“As a freshman attending Chapel, playing JV soccer, or training with

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I put my heart into Avon, and it has given me so much in return.

the swim team, I listened to the seniors—only three years older than me—and saw how they commanded such respect from their peers. They became strong role models for me, and I set a goal that first fall to run for Student Council so I, too, could become such a leader on campus.”

Saagar also shares that it was his unique class he was eager to represent: Avon Old Farms opened the 2017–18 academic year with 408 students from 28 states and 24 countries, 307 boarding and 101 day students, 149 new students, 74 legacies, and 21 sets of brothers. Seeing such a diverse group come together in meaningful ways was inspiring.

“I put my heart into Avon, and it has given me so much in return,” he says. “That’s the sentiment I find so hard to share with prospective students as an admission ambassador: it’s hard, but it’s the most rewarding

experience if you apply yourself and are willing to try new things. Instead of vocalizing it, I’ve learned to demonstrate the values of an Avonian through my interaction: I showcase Avon’s openness, kindness, and empathy and hope that our approach says more about Avon than I could put into words.”

In December of 2020, Saagar’s accomplishments earned him admission into yet another dream school: Yale University. “Growing up in Milford, New Haven wasn’t far away. We’d take an afternoon drive and have dinner in New Haven sometimes, and I always noticed the students walking around campus. It was so close physically but so far away tangibly. It was a dream school that I never knew I could reach.”

Returning to his innate curiosity, Saagar plans to study chemistry at Yale. “Once I got into a high school

chemistry class, I began to see that everything I’ve ever questioned leads back to chemistry. It answers all of the mysteries of the world, and it’s most exciting because there are no limits to what I can learn. Chemistry is unending, so whether I choose to become a doctor or an engineer, I know that chemistry is a good place to start.”

As he sets his sights on the next big thing, Saagar leaves Avon with four years of memories. From his orientation tubing excursion on the Farmington River to his final year at Avon being governed by a global pandemic, from the night he struggled with the varsity soccer team’s loss to Northfield Mount Hermon in the NEPSAC Class A quarterfinal to winning Avon’s stickball tournament, he says there are life lessons in each experience that he’ll carry forever.

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HONORING AVON’S NINTH CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD:

Martin I. Cole H’16, P’04, Retires M

BY JACQUELINE KELLER

arty and Terri Cole have been integral parts of the Avon Old Farms School community since 1999, when their youngest son, Sam, became an Avonian. More than two decades later, they are ready to embrace the next stage in their lives and step away from formal titles tying them to Avon but with assurances that the school will always remain in their hearts.

“We knew from the very beginning that Avon was a special place,” Marty Cole recalls. “Certainly Mrs. Riddle’s campus had physical beauty, but as we toured campus for the first time with Sam, we learned how special it was through the community and family-friendly environment, the caring and nurturing faculty, the great staff, and, really, the brotherhood.”

When Sam decided to join the Avon Old Farms community, Marty and Terri did too.

Residents of Farmington, Conn., at the time, they were regulars at school functions. They watched as their son matured in the Avon environment, academically and athletically, and grew to be a team player and leader.

Welcomed by the Avon Old Farms community, Terri joined the Avon Parents Association and served as the group’s president for two years. She recalls how wonderful it felt to bond with fellow Avon parents and to be a part of something that was doing such good for her son—and for the sons of so many others.

“Avon was a wonderful place for Sam,” she recalls. “It is a place where boys can be

boys. We knew that Sam was safe, looked after, and being mentored by the best. Avon is a warm and cozy village for a boy to grow up in, a place where someone always has your back.”

Born and raised in Chicago, Marty was the product of the city’s public school system all the way until he attended Dartmouth College with scholarship support. Though he did well in the public school system, he knows there were things he did not have access to. Reflecting on that, he was driven to offer opportunities to those who would welcome the chance to earn a private secondary school education but could not afford one.

Over the years, the Coles have been extremely generous to and supportive of Avon Old Farms, both with their time and their donations. They’ve contributed to various fund-raising initiatives to create the Cole Family Scholarship and support the building of Cole Court. Inspired by the impact of an Avon education, Terri put her heart and soul into the Parents of Avon’s Blue Blazer Ball, which raised thousands of dollars through its live and silent auctions. She did such a wonderful job as part of the association that Avon honored her in 2004 with the Paul and Louise Adams Medal for extraordinary contributions to Avon Old Farms School by a parent. After Sam graduated in 2004, she was invited to continue her work through a role in the Office of Alumni & Development leading the Parents Annual Fund.

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Certainly Mrs. Riddle’s campus had physical beauty, but as we toured campus for the first time with Sam, we learned how special it was through the community and family-friendly environment, the caring and nurturing faculty, the great staff, and, really, the brotherhood.

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MARTIN I. COLE H’16, P’04 RETIRES

I had seen firsthand how effective Avon’s notion of a single-sex program is at helping young men develop and mature through the combination of strong academic, artistic, and athletic programs.

“Terri Cole has been a friend and supporter of Avon Old Farms,” comments former Headmaster Ken LaRocque H’19, P’01, ’10. “Since the time Sam became an Avonian, she has advocated strongly for Avon and has contributed generously to our school with her time and treasure. Terri stands tall among the women of Avon who have shaped our school over the years.”

“I had worked so closely with the office over the previous years that it was an easy transition for me,” she says. “I was able to focus on the parent engagement side of things, which kept me connected to the school and the parent community. It felt wonderful knowing that our goal was to support fund-raising activities to help give the gift of an Avon education to deserving young men.”

In early 2005, Ken approached Marty with the idea of joining Avon’s Board of Directors.

It was an exciting time for Avon but also a bit scary: it was the era of erecting new buildings all over campus, from the Ordway Science Center to the Brown Student Center to the Beatson Performing Arts Center. It was the first time that Avon had borrowed money for construction projects, and Marty’s background in business and finance was a valuable perspective to have during such pivotal years.

“I said yes, of course,” says Marty. “I had been impressed with Ken’s leadership of the school and extremely impressed with Avon’s mission, even if it wasn’t as well defined in the 2000s as it is now. I had seen firsthand how effective Avon’s notion of a single-sex program is at helping young men develop and mature through the combination of strong academic, artistic, and athletic programs. It was absolutely something I wanted to contribute to.”

During his tenure on the board, Marty served as chair of the finance committee and as treasurer of the board. He also served as a vice-chairman of the board, a member of the executive committee, and chairman of the development committee. In the fall of 2014, he stepped in as the acting chairman when Brian Conroy '82 needed to step back from those duties as he took on a new international role at Fidelity.

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“In the beginning, I was so grateful for Terri’s insight,” Marty says. “She knew the faculty and staff, was familiar with the culture, and knew things about Avon that would take a while to uncover otherwise.

Throughout my time as a member of the board, she has remained a strong partner— we attended board meeting weekends together and other special events, and it was always great to have someone at home who understood the work I was doing and a partner whom I could talk with. Her support through the years has been great.”

Terri enjoyed Marty's time on the board because she connected with faculty and friends at Avon Old Farms, and she and Marty enjoyed getting back for sporting events and experiencing the changing seasons on campus.

They also loved hosting two weddings on campus, including the marriage of their daughter, Elizabeth, to Jake Bourgault ’09.

In 2015, Marty was elected chairman of the Board of Directors and has led Avon Old Farms in a positive direction the entire time.

“As board chair, Marty led our governance team ethically, always maintaining a laser focus on its fiduciary responsibility and never crossing into the operations of our school,” says Ken LaRocque. “He generously shared his time and counsel whenever I reached out in need of assistance as headmaster.”

At the time, Marty promised to lead from the front with energy and passion to enable Avon to be the best. He sought to generate greater engagement from the board, the National Council, alumni, and parents—both past and present. He knew he had a full agenda for the next three to five years but was excited about the opportunity to help Avon move forward.

“I was fortunate to start with a very solid foundation, built by the great chairmen who had just preceded me, including Dean Graham ’84 and Brian Conroy ’82, P’20, and the wonderful work of Mr. LaRocque. It was our ambition to go from great to greater,” he says. “We wanted to go from an environment where we were doing many things well to a position of really becoming and sustaining our position as the best college preparatory school for boys in the nation.”

Mission accomplished. Looking back on all the things Avon Old Farms achieved in the last six years gives Marty much to be proud of, including two very significant milestones in our school’s history: the successful completion of the Inspiring Boys, Building Men capital campaign and the seamless transition in leadership from Ken LaRocque to Jim Detora.

In January of 2020, Avon Old Farms School, with great joy and gratitude, shared the close of its record-breaking fund-raising

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MARTIN I. COLE H’16, P’04 RETIRES

My focus as chairman of the board was to let all Avonians know that what they can contribute matters, whether that is financial, time, or in-kind donations. We needed everyone’s help to make this campaign a success, and our community answered the call.

campaign Inspiring Boys, Building Men. The campaign surpassed the target of $50 million announced at its public launch in September 2018. It featured gifts from more than 4,200 donors, including alumni, parents, grandparents, friends, directors, faculty and staff, foundations, and students. Forty-eight percent of campaign gifts were made by Avonians. Twenty-three individuals made gifts of $500,000 or more. The Cole family was the largest contributor of all. In addition to providing physical upgrades to Mrs. Riddle’s nearly 100-year-old campus, many gifts to the campaign supported less-visible initiatives, such as scholarships, faculty compensation, and the school’s endowment.

“Every gift matters—$1.00 or $1,000,000—participation has always been what counts at Avon,” says Marty. “Money is important, but it’s not the end game; it’s a means to an end. And my focus as chairman of the board was to let all Avonians know that what they can contribute matters, whether that is financial, time, or in-kind donations.

We needed everyone’s help to make this campaign a success, and our community answered the call.”

Through the final years of the campaign and its success, Marty was able to focus his attention on ensuring that Jim Detora had all the support he needed as he prepared to lead the school beginning July 1, 2019. Marty explains that the primary role of the board is not to meddle in day-to-day operations but to

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hire and support the head of school. With Jim appointed, it was time to help ensure he would be able do the job well.

“Before Jim officially began his role as head of school, I talked with him about the unique challenges he would no doubt face in the coming years,” Marty shares. “I said, ‘As qualified as you are, as successful as you have been, there will be things you’ve never prepared for, but you have to trust in your ability to keep a level head and find the best solution.’ I was thinking of financial problems, infrastructure issues, even lawsuits.

What did we get only five months after Jim’s investiture? COVID. But, with Jim at the helm, armed with his experience in building an online summer program, previous roles as provost and director of development, and years of experience with Avonians, he had a clear and direct approach to ensuring Avon was prepared to offer a hybrid environment that offered the best opportunity to each of our students. We’ve gotten through it, and we’ve done exceptionally well. There can’t be

a school out there that has done a better job of managing this pandemic than Avon.”

And with that, Marty feels confident that he is stepping away from the board at an optimal time. His goal was to leave Avon Old Farms a better institution of learning than when he first encountered it, and all signs point to that being true. The culture is strong.

The brotherhood is unshakable. Enrollment is high. The faculty is best-in-class. We have a market-relevant curriculum and experience with diverse offerings. Athletics are highly competitive. Our endowment has grown.

From all angles, Avon is aspiring, persevering, and excelling.

As to what comes next, Marty will let the next chairman decide. “I give my full blessing to my successor,” he says. “I am around if he or she needs me, but I will let the next chairman take the lead and have space to set forth next steps for Avon Old Farms, markedly the next five-year strategic plan. If they want my opinion or feedback, they know where to find me, and I’ll answer the call.”

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FACULTY FOCUS

Rob Dowling ’91, P’22 During my time at Avon as a student, I met some incredible people who became lifelong friends and role models.

I learned a lot about myself and how to interact with people from all over the world and left Avon fully equipped for what was next.

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1995 Returned to Avon and Began Teaching 1997 Started AOF’s Summer Baseball Camp

2000 Founded Avon’s Athletic Hall of Fame

1996 Started Coaching Winged Beavers Baseball

1999–2007 Director of Annual Fund and Major Gifts Officer 2001 Named Head Coach of Varsity Baseball

2005 Began as Batting Practice Pitcher for the Boston Red Sox

2008–2012 Academic Dean

2012–2016 Dean of Faculty 2015–2017 2016 Became Provost Started “Avon Advantage,” which evolved into Prep4Ward

New England Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation Coordinator

S

ince 1989, Rob Dowling has been a fixture on the Avon Old Farms campus. He arrived as a junior from Holyoke, Mass., to begin what he says was a transformative experience. It was so beneficial, in fact, that he has dedicated his career to providing that same experience to generations of Avonians. “During my time at Avon as a student, I met some incredible people who became lifelong friends and role models,” Rob explains. “I learned a lot about myself and how to interact with people from all over the world and left Avon fully equipped for what was next.”

That next step was Trinity College, where Rob studied history. He had it in his mind that he would love to teach, so he enrolled in several education classes and completed an internship at Kingswood-Oxford.

Along the way, he reflected on the people and lifestyle of the faculty members at Avon—guys such as George Trautman H’98, P’82, GP’03, Ken LaRocque H’19, P’01, ’10, Peter Evans H’18, P’98, Kevin Driscoll ’72, P’08, Art Mehos, and John Gardner.

“I really admired those men as humans and professionals. They were great people and were making a difference in the lives of others. They also looked like they really enjoyed it,” he recalls. “These teachers established

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At Avon, learning has always been experiential, and that’s because of the exceptional faculty. I wanted to be like those guys.

an environment inside their classrooms that was engaging for a young boy. They knew everything about their subjects, but the fun they brought to the classroom got me, and other students, excited for class.

They were effective motivators because they knew boys and were clearly here for the betterment of the students. At Avon, learning has always been experiential, and that’s because of the exceptional faculty.

I wanted to be like those guys.”

As a college senior, Rob interviewed at a few banks in New York as well as some schools, including Avon. He really wanted to be an educator and figured there was no better place to do that than in a place where he knew the mission, culture, and impact. “I thought I could help students find the promise in themselves and earn the opportunities and fulfillment that I experienced while at Avon. So when George Trautman offered me a job, I happily

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I thought I could help students find the promise in themselves and earn the opportunities and fulfillment that I experienced while at Avon.

accepted and have not looked back since.”

Rob started out teaching U.S. history, thanks to the influence of both Peter Evans and Art Mehos.

“Because of them and others, I became a history major at Trinity, studied history at the London School of Economics, and eventually earned a master's degree. History is about people and ideas, and facilitating student interest in those things is most fulfilling. On the first day of class each year, I mention that my goal for each student is that he likes and is more curious about history after taking my class and that his academic skills develop. I ask questions like ‘How do we know where we are going if we do not study where we have been?’”

This is Rob’s 26th year teaching at Avon. He has filled various roles— although he’s always taught and coached. He ran a dorm for many years, headed duty crew weekends, was an academic dean, a development officer, and a dean of faculty, and now is Avon’s provost. The baseball team has always been really important to Rob as well. “It is so much fun coaching the guys, seeing them grow as athletes and people and then go

on to do great things,” he says. “I started working with Peter Evans in 1996, who was a mentor of mine, and the baseball program has always been central to my experience at Avon.”

Rob has insight into Avon’s history as an alumnus and a faculty member, and students appreciate that. They love hearing stories about how things have changed, how they’ve remained the same, and how the Avon brotherhood truly extends beyond a single class or generation. They know that when they graduate from Avon, they’ll be able to come back and find not only a teacher in Rob but also a brother—and a mentor. “Students love to ask me what Avon used to be like, and it’s always fun to share stories with them. There’s a nostalgia there that they pick up on and want to learn about,” Rob says. “I leverage that very real relationship and curiosity in the classroom to inspire them to ask big questions.”

Although much has changed over the years, Rob says, what makes Avon unique has not. Yes, when he interviewed with Peter Evans as a prospective student and asked about how to get to town, Evans suggested hitchhiking. So that’s changed. He also had to schedule time to call home on the hall payphone—no cell phone in his pocket back then—so that’s changed too. But the fundamental mission that Rob experienced three decades ago is alive and well: Avon is dedicated to cultivating young men of integrity who honor wisdom, justice, inclusion, service, and the pursuit of truth.

Rob also shares that his perspective as an alumnus at the front of the class provides important insight when it comes to his role as provost.

He is able to help Avon’s program evolve without sacrificing the traditions that the students know and love. He also always tries to see

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FACULTY FOCUS

what is best for the students and how that impacts the teachers. “If you don’t get them both right, it's not going to be successful long term,” he suggests.

That thoughtfulness helped Avon do something this fall that not many other institutions dared try: inviting the entire student body back to campus for in-person learning. Rob says the biggest challenge to this school year was figuring out a way to comply with protocols yet still deliver on the school mission, but the administration was determined. “We have such a powerful responsibility to educate our students and be faithful to our traditional school culture that has historically emphasized the importance of relationships in a community,” he says. “Finding ways to get people together while staying apart required some creative thinking and programming, but I am confident that we have done a responsible job under circumstances that previously were simply unimaginable.”

From an academic standpoint, Avon ran toward the challenge of creating both in-person and online learning environments, which required special efforts by teachers, special scheduling, adjustments to the physical space, and other meaningful changes. The school focused on what was possible, not on what wasn’t. Rob says that longstanding Avon attitude allowed it to persevere through the pandemic.

We have such a powerful responsibility to educate our students and be faithful to our traditional school culture that has historically emphasized the importance of relationships in a community.

“We did that all on the fly, with a team approach, and learned a lot from the experience,” he says. “I know that we will be better educators and a better school when this is all over. … I recognize and understand the importance of tradition. I also recognize that many schools either change or die. I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of Avon’s evolution as we grew and also ensured our traditions were not lost.”

The pandemic gave Rob another opportunity to lean on his own Avon experience and encourage students to make the most of their time at Avon. “What I remember most about my time here as a student was having a good time with the people who were on campus, and that was amplified back then because we truly were here. We weren’t thinking about getting away, going home, texting our off-campus friends, or hearing about what we were missing out on.

But I never felt stuck. If you describe that to a kid now, it is recognizable, and the experience is the same.

Reminiscing about that with today’s

students helps as they work through this and still push to be their best.”

Avon educators have a responsibility to teach boys about things outside the curriculum and how to respond to real-world problems.

Although today's students endured their share of challenges and adjustments, Rob is sure that they learned the value of teamwork and the essential role everyone plays in a community atmosphere. “We took in information from recognizable leaders in science, partnered with Hartford HealthCare, and worked really hard to deliver on the promise of the Avon experience,” he shares.

“Students joined us in our COVID-19 responses and learned much from the way Avon boldly dealt with the circumstance. I am sure when they reflect on being here at this time, they will recognize the teamwork and collective efforts that were required. They learned they each have a role in community success and health, and I expect that will leave a lasting impression.”

Rob is a person both in and of Avon Old Farms. The school played a central role in his development, and he says it has been a great place to be as an adult. He loves the work, the students, and the community. “We’re all in the futures business. When we deal with the kids one day at a time, we all realize that we’re giving them the tools to confront an adult life.

Usually, it’s a few years down the line

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We’re all in the futures business. When we deal with the kids one day at a time, we all realize that we’re giving them the tools to confront an adult life.

Usually, it’s a few years down the line that they appreciate what Avon did for them…. As the years pass, respect and affection for the Avon experience grows.

that they appreciate what Avon did for them. I hear it from alumni all the time, from George Springer to an alum I just spoke with, Crayke Winsor ’91. As the years pass, respect and affection for the Avon experience grows.”

In the fall of 2018, when it was time for his son to enroll, Rob says he could only hope the process would

still prove effective. Having raised a family on campus, watching Brian ’22 excel over the years as an Avonian is all the proof he needs that the Avon Rob knew as a student still exists for his son today. “I trusted my colleagues, and I trusted him. I just stayed out of the way. I’ve watched as Brian bought into the academic program and the community and

benefited from having Jim Detora as his advisor. Witnessing the experience Brian is having reinforces my appreciation for the power of the Avon experience and validates what I’ve been saying for the last 26 years: Avon’s program helps young men become the best versions of themselves. I am just grateful to be a part of it.”

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Stephen Lash ’58 S

tephen Lash, Class of 1958, is driven by two passions: art and relationships.

If his own advice to follow one’s passion is any sign of living a happy and successful life, he seems to be doing quite well.

Growing up in Brookline, Mass., a suburb of Boston, Stephen was raised in a world of art. The son of modest collectors, he has happy childhood memories of visiting historical monuments, museums, galleries, and even auctions. Art led Stephen to begin thinking about a larger world beyond Boston, waiting to be explored.

“I had the thought of attending a boarding school as my first foray into the world, and I interviewed at Andover, where I was encouraged to reapply the following year,” he says.

“I never did. Instead, I enrolled in a local day school. Two years later, a man from Avon Old Farms School, Bernard Hammons, visited my school to talk about Avon.”

Stephen was intrigued enough after that meeting to visit Avon at an inauspicious moment during a blizzard in 1956. He mentions that his parents took credit for the decision in response to Stephen’s social distractions in Brookline. But Stephen’s account is slightly different; he says the scale of Theodate Pope Riddle’s architecture made a deep and immediate impression.

“I decided to give it a try,” he says. “I had a good life. I was blessed with extraordinary parents. But I wanted something more than what my life in suburbia could afford.

The Avonian // SPRING 2021

Breaking away wasn’t an entirely conscious decision, but looking back, I believe that gaining independence played a role.”

Stephen also shares that Avon had an air of welcoming eccentricity that appealed to him.

“Avon enjoys a more prestigious reputation today than it did in 1956, but there was a chemistry between me and the school,” he says. “Theodate’s words ‘the ways in which we differ are more important than the ways in which we are alike’ were lived on that campus, which helped arm me with a sense of confidence, an important building block for life.”

At Avon, Stephen became involved in many aspects of campus life. Though not a natural athlete, he played tennis and soccer and competed for the swim team. He joined several campus organizations, including the Gold Key Society, the Glee Club (which he describes as an accomplishment for someone who is “tone deaf”), the Dining Room Committee, the History Club, and the Library Committee. He was a lawyer and a judge in the Village Court and associate editor of the Winged Beaver yearbook, and he worked on the Avonian student newspaper. At the end of his first year at Avon, he received the Harvard Book Prize. His class prediction was that he would become an ambassador to France, an aspiration he admits to harboring even today.

His yearbook page says, “Steve’s friendliness and willingness to help are traits appreciated by those who knew him. His contributions to Avon were many, for what he gained in knowledge and practical experience was balanced by his enthusiastic participation in the life of the school.”

The above illustrates Stephen’s passion for building relationships, even at an early age.

He recalls being drawn to supportive mentors.

Dean Winston Johnson, for example, encouraged Stephen to go to Harvard, Johnson’s alma mater. Another mentor, Dean George Kinkade, was a graduate of Yale and encouraged Stephen to apply there. He also remembers Richard Davis, an outstanding teacher

and a historian, who made it clear that learning could be fun and not drudgery. Davis later became head of Miss Porter’s School.

“When it came time to write a history paper, I didn’t want to write about the Founding Fathers. I asked Mr. Davis, ‘Can I write my paper on the history of the Ringling Bros.

Barnum and Bailey Circus?’ He said ‘sure,’ and with that paper, a world opened for me that encouraged original thought and even humor.”

At Avon, Stephen took a liking to French— a language he had struggled with at his previous school. Following one summer course, he found himself ahead of the curve.

As the result of a small French III class at Avon, he found himself becoming proficient in the language.

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Learning French coincided with my lifetime interest in travel,” he shares. “After my first year at Avon, I traveled to France to study at the University for Foreigners in Grenoble. To this day, at least pre-pandemic, I have lived a very international life, and I use my French constantly.

“Learning French coincided with my lifetime interest in travel,” he shares. “After my first year at Avon, I traveled to France to study at the University for Foreigners in Grenoble. To this day, at least pre-pandemic, I have lived a very international life, and I use my French constantly. I even lecture in French from time to time.”

That love for French carried through to Yale, where Stephen earned his undergraduate degree. Though he believes he might have pursued a degree in French literature for the wrong reason, it all worked out in the end.

He gained access to some of Yale’s greatest minds but in tiny classes, echoing the Avon experience in which he had thrived. The

choice of the French major was serendipitous, connecting Stephen personally with one of the country’s most distinguished faculties.

“An interesting point about my time at Yale is that one of the most important lessons I learned from French literature had less to do with the discipline of reading great books and more with learning about myself through those tomes and thanks to those professors.

Life lessons are based less on what one does and more on with whom one does it. Once again, this time at Yale, I learned the importance of sticking with people who will teach you, whom you can trust, who are real friends.

Like George Kinkade and Richard Davis, mentors are not teaching a trade but teaching about life.”

Immediately following Yale, Stephen joined the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves for six months. During that time, he met the love of his life, Wendy Lehman, his wife of 53 years, then a Connecticut College undergraduate.

After finishing his military duty in Groton, Conn., he enrolled in the Columbia (University) Business School, where he earned his MBA. “I was still under the impression that higher education was essentially trade education and that I needed to do something practical, like finance, in order to be successful,” he says. “I didn’t enjoy business school much except for my new friends. I learned a great deal, but my day was filled with non-sexy subjects like operations research, statistics, and marketing.”

Along the way, Stephen’s love for art resurfaced. At Yale, he had taken several art history courses with heavy emphasis on architecture, which he attributes to Mrs. Riddle’s influence. At Columbia, he discovered a fellowship opportunity in Latin America. He applied on a whim and forgot about it. Months later, in the summer of 1966, a wire came requesting him to report to work in Bogotá, Colombia, the following week to begin the fellowship.

“That was a turning point for me,” he says.

The Avonian // SPRING 2021

“While there, I looked up a guy from Avon, Enrique Garces ’61, P’87, and he welcomed me into his home for a weekend and even included me as a guest at his upcoming wedding. We remain in touch today. I spent three months in Bogotá and devoted my spare time to foraging in antique shops and art galleries.

My enthusiasm for art and antiques and, particularly, the art market gave me the footing to write a letter to my (now) competitors.”

Around that time, Stephen read an article about an English auction house, Sotheby's, that had acquired an American auction house, Parke Bernet, in New York. Something inside him sparked, and he did something bold: he wrote a letter to the president of the auction house, applying for a job. An offer was extended.

“I turned it down,” he says, “because I had been taught back home in Boston that anything that one considers too much fun must be evil. I thought that this would be too much fun for me to be considered serious work.”

Once more, what came out of his time at Columbia were relationships: this time with a group of people who were truly global and could help him with his goal of expanding his horizons. A friendship with a fellow Columbia student led Stephen to the London merchant bank S. G. Warburg.

“Warburg’s was an unlikely destination, as I hadn’t set my sights on banking, but it turned out to be an inspired move where I worked with extraordinary individuals. For me, it goes back to the importance of relationships and surrounding yourself with supportive people who encourage the pursuit of passions. One particular mentor, Geoffrey Seligman of the distinguished banking family, did just that.”

Stephen remained at Warburg’s for a decade before Seligman said to him, “You don’t seem very happy. How can we help you get where you want to be?” It was then that Stephen shared with his trusted friend his thoughts about the legendary London auction house Christie’s opening in New York.

Until that time, Parke Bernet, soon to become Sotheby’s Parke Bernet, was the only choice.

“I explained that Christie’s should open in New York and that working on such a venture would marry my love for art and my business training,” Stephen says. “Geoffrey then introduced me to John Floyd, the chairman of Christie’s, and I was able to explain my idea directly to him. He hired me.”

What Stephen didn’t share with his mentor was that, just a few months earlier, he had written a letter to that same chairman expressing his idea, but the letter had gone unanswered. “It was a commentary on how you get things done: you need someone to introduce you; a cold letter, particularly in the U.K., wasn’t going to get the job done.”

In 1976, Stephen’s first responsibility at Christie’s was to find space in New York City where the company could hold auctions.

What he found was space in a hotel on Park Avenue that was being converted to an apartment building and had no need for the grand ballroom or dining room. Stephen and a team of architects converted the hotel spaces into exhibition spaces that lasted 20 years before Christie’s moved to its current home in Rockefeller Center.

During his tenure, Stephen has been involved with virtually every major historic and record-setting auction at Christie's, including the sale of Vincent van Gogh’s

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Build your life around your passions, aspirations, and people.

That inspired me to write those letters to Sotheby's and Christie’s. It was the people I trusted who got me in the door.

Portrait of Dr. Gachet for $82.5 million in 1990 (for decades the most expensive object ever sold at auction) and the Doris Duke Collection, sold to benefit the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in 2004.

Stephen says that through his friendship with the late millionaire Maria Altmann, he lived the creation of the 2015 film Woman in Gold.

The movie is based on the 2006 landmark sale of Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II for $130 million and the subsequent record-breaking auction of Birch Forest, Apple Tree I, and Houses at Unterach on the Atersee. The total for the combined private sale and subsequent public auction was approximately $330,000,000. Stephen’s relationship with Elizabeth Taylor led to Christie’s conducting the auction of her collection in New York in December 2012, one of the most anticipated sales in international auction history, which fetched $156,756,576.

Most recently, Stephen's long-standing relationship with the Rockefeller family led to Christie's sale of the Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller in May 2018, the most significant charity auction to date. The sale fetched $835,000,000 with 100 percent of the lots sold, the highest total for a private collection in history.

To readers who have not yet caught on, the importance of relationships is paramount in the auction business. “It’s a business underpinned by trust,” he says. “Business decisions

should often be based not on ‘what is the deal’ but ‘who is the deal.’ The ‘who’ is hugely important. And how does a person develop the skill to focus on the who? For me, I think it was my parents and my years at Avon that were relevant. Mrs. Riddle said it’s OK to be different, and the lesson that flows out of that is to follow your passion. Build your life around your passions, aspirations, and people. That inspired me to write those letters to Sotheby's and Christie’s. It was the people I trusted who got me in the door.”

Even though he works globally, chance encounters with the Avon community occur.

“Two years ago, in Lima, Peru, I was sitting at lunch with a Peruvian art collector. He was a very polished man, and his English was impeccable. I said to him, ‘Your English is flawless.’ He replied that he had learned to speak English when he attended a small boarding school in Connecticut as a high schooler. You know where the story goes from there. He and I have been in close touch ever since.”

Stephen recently celebrated his 44th anniversary as chair emeritus of Christie’s Americas after serving as chair for nearly a decade. He is also a member of the Board of Overseers of the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University and was a trustee of the Museum of the City of New York and chair of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, where he was named a Living Landmark in 2019. He is co-chair of the American Friends of the Israel Museum, which he served as president

The Avonian // SPRING 2021

for six years. He serves on the Board of Overseers for and co-chairs the Maritime Visiting Committee at the Peabody Essex Museum. An avid collector of transatlantic passenger steamship memorabilia, Stephen was the founder and first president of the Ocean Liner Museum, now part of the South Street Seaport.

Stephen lives in New York and Stonington, Conn., with his wife and their three Jack Russell terriers. They have two adult children and two granddaughters who provide endless entertainment.

This spring, Stephen extended his support to others looking to explore the world of art through Avon Old Farms School's Virtual Networking Series for alumni, juniors, and seniors. On May 6, he joined a docket of special and accomplished alumni and parents who lead in their respective areas to share advice, discuss industry trends, and guide fellow Avonians in pursuing their passions.

“Success isn't all about who you know, but everyone agrees that having an extensive network of contacts can be an asset,” comments Director of Institutional Advancement Chris Webb. “Through our networking series, we invited alumni and current upperclass-

men to attend any of 10 special evenings of learning and networking on Zoom. These events provided our alumni an opportunity to learn from their brothers, expand their contacts, join Avon’s professional network, and establish professional connections within the Avon family.”

As an example, Stephen cites the wisdom in the title of a children’s book: Do What You Love; the Money Will Come Later. “In another way, when you’re making life decisions, follow your passions as long as they are responsible,” he says with a wink. “If your passion is in aerospace, follow it. Even if there’s no obvious career path you see in front of you right now, it will come. And second, build your life around relationships. People are all important … far more important than the deals. Think about the people with whom you want to work. They should feel like friends who are loyal, honest, and intelligent—not only in the good times but in the bad times as well.”

For Stephen, that’s why Avon has proved so important: we are a school that endorses these ideas and lives them every day.

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2003.021.0152.

Courtesy of South Street Seaport Museum, New York

48

class notes

Mike Ashe P’86, ’91, ’92, GP’15, ’17; John Ashe ’86, P’15, ’17; Tom Ashe ’92; Rick Braccia ’85; Mike Mullin IV ’91; Peter Fish ’84; Coach John Gardner; Rob Dowling ’91, P'22; John Hartnett ’95; Brian Leetch ’86; Patrick Harper ’16; Mike Fish ’95; Luke Archambault ’04; Dave Jorgensen ’97; and host Russ Lallier ’03

50s ’50 HARVEY S. RUBIN

Head Class Ambassador HARVO2516@VERIZON.NET ’51 WARREN T. FORD SR.

Head Class Ambassador jodir@aol.com ’52 SETH F. MENDELL

Head Class Ambassador sethalicemendell@gmail.com ’54 DOUGLAS H. MACPHERSON

Head Class Ambassador dhmacpherson@verizon.net

’55 EDWARD J. HAWIE

Co-Head Class Ambassador ehawie@bellsouth.net ’55 CLEON M. SHUTT JR.

Co-Head Class Ambassador chipsamerica@hotmail.com ’56 CHARLES R. SCAGLIONE

Head Class Ambassador scag3328@gmail.com ’59 CHARLES W. DAVIS

Co-Head Class Ambassador cwdavis@waretec.com ’59 DOUGLAS B. MARSHALL

Co-Head Class Ambassador douglas.marshall@raveis.com

60s ’60 RICHARD L. WILLIAMS

Head Class Ambassador rclumberclan@aol.com ’61 GEORGE F. HENSCHEL JR.

Head Class Ambassador gfhjr@aol.com ’62 ALAN D. ROZINSKY

Head Class Ambassador alroz@lycos.com ’63 JACK R. STOKVIS

Head Class Ambassador smarts@galaxy.net

’64 W. BRADFORD HARWOOD III

Head Class Ambassador wbhtcc@aol.com ’65 PERRY BENSON JR.

Head Class Ambassador pbenson@jacobswyper.com ’66 MICHAEL D. BARKER

Head Class Ambassador barkermike@aol.com ’67 JAMES W. CORRIGAN

Co-Head Class Ambassador cecorrigan86@gmail.com

The Avonian // SPRING 2021

49

RICK BOEBEL ’68 practiced social distancing last summer by going on a 16-day rafting trip and taking a nine-mile day hike above the Grand Canyon. This picture was taken at Thunder River Falls. Rick is enjoying living in Durango, Colo., and skiing as much as he can.

A golf outing with John T. Gardner was won with stellar drives by Jeff Hamilton ’96 and the world-class putting ability of Coach Gardner. From left to right: Danny New ’08, Crager Boardman ’99, Coach Gardner, Luke Archambault ’04, Al Winslow P’16, Jeff Hamilton ’96, Peter Ferraro ’03, and host John McAuliffe ’95.

JAY GOLDSTEIN ’68 was in Gulfstream, Fla., recently to see his son and new grandson and caught up with DAVID COLEMAN ’69 and his wife. “We had a blast ... it’s amazing we haven’t lost a beat!”

70s ’70 HARRIS H. BUCKLIN III

From left to right: Patrick Harper ’16, Coach John Gardner, and Brian Leetch ’86

’67 WILLIAM F. ROBERTS JR.

JAY GOLDSTEIN ’68 retired in

Co-Head Class Ambassador wfroberts@fast.net

2011, decided to pursue his songwriting and music career, and finally has a backer in country folk rock. Things are looking up for 2021!

’68 CHASE F. DONALDSON

Head Class Ambassador cfdifly@gmail.com

’69 DAVID F. COLEMAN

Head Class Ambassador davidcoleman1150@gmail.com

Head Class Ambassador hbucklin3@gmail.com HARRIS BUCKLIN ’70 and classmates Scott Vickrey ’70, Pete Winner ’70, John Burr ’70, Steve Wendler ’70, Stuart Harper ’70, and Casey McKee ’70—along with a few others—did their best to make their 50th reunion successful. The reality of how many classmates had passed on (17) saddened attendees, and the passing of George Trautman heightened their mourning. They had been his first class, a class

that recognized the nation faced many challenges, including social changes, the war in Vietnam, and the draft. They all now say how gifted and lucky they were to have great teachers and coaches.

Harris would like to think the diverse class helped Avon meet the future.

NICK WELLS ’70 reports that his company, GFA International, Inc., invited an equity investor, and the earnings of the new company, Universal Engineering Sciences, grew to $300-plus million nationwide. Nick looks forward to retiring and focusing his efforts on fishing and hanging out with his grandchildren.

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CLASS NOTES

MICHAEL LANCASTER ’74 is approaching the 40th anniversary of his

Christina Coons, Casey Coons ’07, Brittany Noble, Marie Coons, and Henry Coons ’71 gather for a family wedding in Burbank, Calif., in March 2020.

marriage to Barbara Harnack. He continues to make art and operate their gallery in Madrid, N.M. They have shared a studio since 1980. Michael has had a great deal of downtime and been able to finalize a screenplay, INK, and develop it for a potential production date in 2021. He is also the creative producer on the project. The script, a science fiction horror story based on a human-caused environmental disaster, follows on the heels of his first novel, Ringling: The Last Laugh, and his collaborative children's book, The Boys from Baraboo, illustrated by Barbara. Michael has kept in touch with a few of his classmates through Facebook and occasional meetings near his home in the desert Southwest.

’71 TIMOTHY B. BEEBLE

’73 ROBERT H. MORAN JR.

Co-Head Class Ambassador tbeeble@aol.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador bobbymo@cox.net

’71 HENRY R. COONS

’74 GEORGE J. GIANNONI

Co-Head Class Ambassador henrycoons29@yahoo.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador ggiannoni@cox.net

HENRY COONS ’71 has been

’74 EDWARD P. MOLLOY

living in southern Maine, where the COVID-19 pandemic has been manageable. He has new hiking, tennis, and social friends and is able to spend time with his grandchildren. Henry misses his Avon colleagues and the boys and hopes that by next school year, he can get back to Avon to say hello and watch some Winged Beaver sports.

Co-Head Class Ambassador Tmolloy@ArraySoftware.com

’72 KEVIN J. DRISCOLL

Ron Protasewich ’73, Rob Protasewich ’73, and Duncan Broatch ’73 took a ski trip to Breckinridge, Colo., to celebrate Ron and Rob’s 65th birthdays on February 4, 2020. The men enjoyed four great days of skiing.

’75 THOMAS B. BYRNE III

Co-Head Class Ambassador tbyrne@thomasbyrne.com ’75 GORDON F. LINKE

Co-Head Class Ambassador gflinke@gmail.com ’76 ALEXANDER N. WORLEY

Head Class Ambassador alexworley@sbcglobal.net

Head Class Ambassador driscollk@avonoldfarms.com

’77 JORGE E. CONSUEGRA JR.

’73 CHRISTOPHER L. ATKINS

Co-Head Class Ambassador jconsuegra29@gmail.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador catkins702@gmail.com

’77 FREDERICK M. MICHEL

Co-Head Class Ambassador frederickoffrederick@comcast.net

The Avonian // SPRING 2021

from Ithaca College in 1983. Today, more than 37 years later, Pfizer is a household name because of its development of the first COVID-19 vaccine. Jeff is not on the research side; he works with a talented corporate communications team managing studio/video production functions at Pfizer’s New York headquarters and lives in Stamford, Conn. His children are Emily, Luke, and Matthew. Emily (Colgate) and Luke (Boston College) are out of school and working in Boston.

Matthew did a PG year at AOF, which set him up well for Elon University, where he is in his freshman year. It was amazing to experience the Avon campus life through the eyes of Matthew.

GEORGE DIAZ ’79 has worked RICHARD THOMPSON ’75 visited the 9/11 memorial to honor his

classmate Richard “Woody” Woodwell ’75.

FRED MICHEL ’77 is enjoying

life and winding down the family apartment business with the hope of new ventures and/or retirement.

Currently, he is a local officer in both the Knights of Columbus and Sons of the American Revolution in mid-Maryland. He also enjoys being a member of a family heritage–related group, the Union of Alsatians of New York; he has family ties to the far northeastern region of France. Fred frequently visits his classmate Cortright Oliphant ’77 and looks to launch an online antiques and collectibles business in spring 2021. ’78 JOHN M. GARVEY

Head Class Ambassador jmgarvey@garvspace.com RANDY PIKE ’78 is volunteering at Methodist Hospital in the Houston Medical Center in his retirement. It is the largest, most awarded general hospital in Houston. Volunteer opportunities dried up when the pandemic began, but volunteers are now in

high demand, helping hospital staff and eligible patients get COVID-19 vaccinations. ’79 ANTHONY M. GRAY

Co-Head Class Ambassador tgray@tonygray.net ’79 SCOTT B. LINKE

Co-Head Class Ambassador scottblinke@comcast.net GLENN ALLSOPP ’79 has had

a crazy year but is looking forward with two kids in college and one, a junior in high school, who is a promising attackman for Basking Ridge High School. Glenn is still in the insurance business, selling commercial, homeowners, auto, etc. and incredibly had one of his best years during COVID. He is still on the drums with two new bands this spring, playing classic rock with Fuey and Breathe, a New Jersey Pink Floyd tribute band.

JEFF BRAND ’79 started

working for a little-known pharmaceutical company in New York City soon after graduating

throughout the pandemic.

Fortunately, all is good with his family. His father contracted COVID-19 at the age of 87 after having a bypass and valve surgery but made an incredible recovery, so the family is very grateful.

Many of George’s COVID-19 patients have neurological complications, so he’s been quite busy on the inpatient and outpatient service and is training a new generation of neurologists to handle this deadly virus.

PETER DOLAT ’79 married his wife, Sydney, in 1983. They met at St. Anselm College. Sydney has been a nurse ever since and currently manages a team of 28 visiting nurses with Care Dimensions, based in Danvers, Mass. The couple have a daughter and son, have lived on Cape Cod and in Maine, and are now settled in Newbury, Mass. After college, their daughter worked in South Korea for two years and now works for Wellesley College in the International Exchange Student Division. Upon graduation from Norwich University, their son received his commission and is currently a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, a navigator/naval flight

51

officer based in Oak Harbor, Wash.

After 23 years of working in the build/design industry, Peter switched to the appliance side of the business, working for Middleby Residential as the northeast representative for AGA Range, Viking Range, La Cornue, Lynx Grills, Marvel Refrigeration, Trade-Wind, and EVO. TONY GRAY ’79 has been work-

ing from home but had done that for 15-plus years anyway. His two sons are out and working, and his daughter is finishing her senior year at Indiana University Bloomington. No COVID, but he does have a bionic knee now and is still living in Bethesda, Md., right outside Washington, D.C. ANDY HAMBLETT ’79 has been

living in East Boothbay, Maine, for the past 20 years, working at a Y. He wanted to be a teacher/coach/ dorm parent (Joe Driscoll was his mentor) but needed to build his résumé, and the Y stuck. Andy and Meagan have four children: Peter, who lives in Portsmouth, N.H.; Lincoln, a junior at Emmanuel College in Boston; Helen, a sophomore at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston; and Christopher, a senior at North Yarmouth Academy in Maine.

CHRIS HAMPTON ’79 has worked in education for more than 26 years. He was at Miss Porter’s School for 20 of those years, then in the Avon Development Office for two years. He also taught a class and had the pleasure of teaching Tony Gray’s sons as well as Scott Linke’s (talk about déjà vu). From there, Chris became head of a small Catholic school in Amelia Island, Fla., and moved south for three years. He loved the school and his job but missed the Northeast and his four kids. He came back last year and now works at Notre Dame, a private high school in Manhattan.

Chris and his wife of 31 years, Rene, live in Roselle, N.J. They

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CLASS NOTES

have four kids—three sons who were Avonians and one daughter—all in the area, which has been great!

BRETT LUNDGREN ’79 has been living north of Los Angeles since 1978. He has two kids—a son and a daughter—and a few bionic parts, but life is good.

CURT PANDISCIO ’79 reports

that all things are good in New Hampshire with a big-snow winter. He participated in a fat bike race up Mount Washington on February 28, 2021.

BRAD PIERCE ’79 has been

living in Maui since August 1986.

When he first arrived, he kicked around doing odd jobs, even living and working on a sailboat in Lahaina Harbor for a while; worked for a nonprofit for several years; and put in 20 years working for the County of Maui before retiring.

Now he is self-employed doing pool maintenance/services. Brad married in 1993 and has a son (24) studying animation at GNOMON in Los Angeles and a daughter (22) completing online prerequisite classes for a nursing program. He turned 60 in August 2020 and is also in the “bad knee club,” currently waiting for interisland travel restrictions to calm so he can fly to Oahu and get a new right knee.

PETER RANDRUP ’79 started a new job managing the treasury function for a health system in January 2020 and has been in the office a handful of days since March 2020. His work is very busy, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel—retirement—in a couple of years. Peter has four kids in a blended family, two in central Vermont, one in North Carolina, and one—his only son— in the basement (of course) but about to blast off. Peter will join the big 6-0 Club in June 2021. He had a great time seeing those who came to the 40th reunion. He

still aims to get into long-distance backpacking when retirement comes on; until then, he plans to enjoy many weekends and longer trips with college buddies.

DAVE SCHICK ’79 migrated

from New Jersey to Pennsylvania in 1985 and has worked in the electrical industry for 37 years. He started in the industrial automation field selling programmable logic controllers, drives, NEMA/ IEC controls, visual sensors, and MRO supplies to food processing; steel, pulp, and paper; health care; panel builder; integrator; and OEM accounts. He was also a FIFA soccer referee for 15 years until he blew out his right knee. Almost 10 years ago, he joined Eaton Corporation as a user specialist for the wiring device division. Dave has two sons, Jake and “Fast” Eddy. Jake is starting his fourth year of medical school at Penn State, and Fast Eddy is working on his master’s degree at Shippensburg University.

TOM SCHIMOLER ’79 lives in

Peapack Gladstone, N.J., not far from Glenn Allsopp—he wants to put those gig dates on his calendar! Tom has been married for 31 years and has two sons—the oldest runs online operations for universallacrosse.com in New Jersey, and the youngest is a software architect living in Burlington, Vt. Tom runs marketing for an apparel company located in New Jersey with manufacturing in New York City. For stress relief, Tom is an active sporting clays shooter, competing regularly (all things relative) on the East Coast and is going on 25 years as a volunteer firefighter. He reflects that it has been a strange and challenging year with the lockdown and is looking forward to the light at the end of this long tunnel.

RON VERNIER ’79 and his family are well. His children are grown and out on their own; his

youngest is 31. Crazy how time flies. Ron and his wife may be empty nesters, but they have a grandson, Ronnie IV, and their children all live nearby. Ron often thinks back to the AOF days. He retired from a 30-year career and ended up jumping right back in as a CIO for a really great company located in the New York City area.

Ron works remotely now but will return to the office; however, work will never be like it was pre-COVID.

80s ’80 THOMAS E. DAVEY JR.

Head Class Ambassador thomasdaveyjr@gmail.com LORING HINDS ’80 and his

wife relocated to Peachtree City, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta. They are now empty nesters; their youngest is a freshman at the University of North Florida, and their three older children are very involved in their professional careers and families. Loring has been with Porsche Cars North America for 19 years and looks

forward to closing out his automotive career in the same city as its headquarters (no more corporate relocations!). ’81 SAMUEL C. BOOKBINDER IV

Head Class Ambassador samuel.bookbinder@wfadvisors. com CRAIG “RUBY” RUBINSTEIN ’81 lives in Westchester County,

N.Y., with his wife and 11-year-old son. He has two older sons (21 and 25) who are on their own. ’82 BRIAN B. CONROY

Co-Head Class Ambassador brianconroy1@mac.com ’82 GREGORY T. FISH

Co-Head Class Ambassador greg@gregorytfishllc.com ’83 WILLIAM E. ESCHERT

Co-Head Class Ambassador Billeschert@gmail.com ’83 RICHARD C. GREGORY

Co-Head Class Ambassador rick@rcgregory.com ’84 JOHN S. GORDON

Head Class Ambassador falconatlfan@gmail.com

MATT PASKUS ’80 recently moved to Indiana. His daughter Ali

graduated from the University of Idaho, and Liz now works for the Margaritaville Resort in Jacksonville, Fla. Matt will be getting married in July 2021 and is currently writing a children’s book with an accompanying screenplay.

The Avonian // SPRING 2021

HENRY ALLEN (GEFTER) ’84

JIM ANGELUS ’87 lives in San

currently lives in Spain, working as a life-skills mentor, podcasting, singing, and founding a professional international theater company.

Francisco with his wife and two daughters. He is very excited that in the fall, one of his restaurants, Bacon, will open at San Francisco International Airport. If you’re flying through, Jim invites you to come say hi!

’85 SAM L. RUBENSTEIN

Head Class Ambassador SRubenstein127@gmail.com ANDY LEBUHN ’85 moved from Jupiter, Fla., to Juno Beach, Fla., and lives with his longtime girlfriend and partner, Jamie, raising four kids (attending Rollins College, the University of Central Florida, Jupiter High School, and Palm Beach Day Academy). His work life, 10 years of selling yachts for Monaco-based Camper & Nicholsons, has been fantastic. He has been the No. 2 producer in the United States and recently listed the 49th-largest yacht in the world, the 344-foot Lady Moura. ’86 STEPHEN R. GORMAN

Head Class Ambassador stephen.r.gorman@gmail.com ’87 HAROLD R. BEACHAM JR.

Head Class Ambassador hal.beacham44@comcast.net

PETER MAHLER ’87 continues his career in documentaries and was the archival producer on HBO's Breslin & Hamill: Deadline Artists, which won Outstanding Historical Documentary at the 2020 Emmy Awards. ’88 SHAWN E. ATKINSON

Co-Head Class Ambassador shawnatki@gmail.com ’88 PETER D. REED

Co-Head Class Ambassador pdreed18@gmail.com RAVI DASWANI ’88 lives between Miami and Jamaica and sells diamonds and luxury watches at duty-free and tax-free prices with delivery to the United States. ’89 ROBERT M. WILEMAN

Head Class Ambassador rmw@wilemanagency.com

90s ’90 PETER J. DECKERS

Head Class Ambassador deckersp@avonoldfarms.com

’94 PAUL M. GOZZO

Co-Head Class Ambassador 11pgoz@gmail.com CHAD DLUGOLECKI ’94 was

Co-Head Class Ambassador degan2@hotmail.com

hired by Black Bear Sports Group to serve in the newly created role of hockey director for the Philadelphia Flyers Elite Tier I Youth Hockey Club. In this role, Chad will serve as head coach of the organization’s 16U and 18U teams—beginning with the 2021–22 season—while directing all aspects of the club, including coach and player personnel.

’93 LANCE A. CASHION

’95 JOHN P. MCAULIFFE

’91 ROBERT A. DOWLING JR.

Head Class Ambassador dowlingr@avonoldfarms.com ’92 WILLIAM P. AUSTIN

Co-Head Class Ambassador wpaustin55@gmail.com ’92 DAMIEN J. EGAN

Co-Head Class Ambassador lancec@christchapelbc.org

Co-Head Class Ambassador john.mcauliffe@sig.com

’93 ADAM K. CLINE

’95 ANTHONY D. SILVESTRO

Co-Head Class Ambassador adamcline50@gmail.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador tony.silvestro@insperity.com

JUSTIN FITGERALD ’93

STEPHEN CLOSE ’95 got

opened his own commercial financing company last year and presently resides in Walpole, Mass.

He is a huge Boston sports fan, is the father of two, and has two Cane Corso dogs that he spoils as if they are his children! ’94 GRAHAM C. FULLER

Co-Head Class Ambassador grahamcraigfuller@gmail.com

COVID-19 prompted a group of Class of 1989 friends to get in touch.

They’ve had a group text going and several Zoom calls reminiscing about their time at Avon. Jeff Drinkwater ’89, Doug Miller ’89, Rob Wileman ’89, and Mike Cristofer ’89 met in Folly Beach, S.C.

53

married on August 3, 2019, to his wife, Colleen, in Portland, Ore., and welcomed their daughter, Parker James Close, on December 4, 2020. The family still lives in New York City. ’96 MARK A. CARUSO

Head Class Ambassador mcaruso@gmail.com

Scott Payne ’92, Brian Dowling ’22, Rob Dowling ’91, and Bill Austin ’92 met in Jupiter, Fla., in March 2021. Bill and his wife, Becky, hosted a boat trip and gave a tour of their new home in Jupiter.

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CLASS NOTES

KEVIN LAWRENCE ’98 is director of admissions at Madeira, an all-girls school in McLean, Va., with a population of 320 students. ’99 DAVID R. GRYBOSKI

Co-Head Class Ambassador david@ghgdevelopment.com ’99 STEPHEN A. ZAPPONE

Co-Head Class Ambassador zappones@yahoo.com AMEEN HUSSAIN ’96 lives in Daytona Beach, Fla., with his wife and three children: Ayaan (9), Ayesha (6), and Arham (3). Ameen is executive vice president for Volusia Medical, a medical equipment company. He and his family had the opportunity to travel to Dubai, New York and New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., before the pandemic hit in 2020. Then he started working with emergency management and the National Guard at the State Logistics Response Center to train and provide equipment to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. He provided logistical support and equipment for the setup of two makeshift hospitals in Brooklyn and Flushing, N.Y., when local hospitals ran out of beds. Ameen recalls 2020 as the year for the Avon motto, aspirando et perseverando.

JESSE MCGREEVY ’96 lives in

Naples, Fla. He just sold a home to Keith Lee, former lacrosse coach for Avon. Jesse loves his Old Farms roots and is working with a client from Avon, Conn., who is looking for a Naples vacation home. Jesse owns a brokerage named Domain Realty and has been in the area since 2003. He has been with his wife, Holly, since 1998 and has two little girls: Madison (10) and Caroline (8). His real estate team finished second in the state of Florida but was first in his area/region. ’97 TIMOTHY B. STAY

Co-Head Class Ambassador timothystay@gmail.com ’97 KYLE R. YOUNGQUIST

Co-Head Class Ambassador bigkyleyoungquist@gmail.com

DAVE AYERS ’98 and his wife own Little Dog Paper Company and have

a brick-and-mortar store in Meredith, N.H., where they create greeting cards available in 50 stores nationwide and growing. This year, their company is sending postcards to health care workers on behalf of anyone that requests one to help make sure that these tired, overworked heroes know that they are not forgotten. Little Dog has sent nearly 2,000 postcards so far and doesn’t plan on stopping until this pandemic is managed. Send the name and address of a person you wish to thank along with a message and the name of who it is from to hero@littledogpaperco.com, and Dave will take care of the rest, 100 percent free.

JEFF DEACON ’97 is based in Toronto. He left his corporate job in 2020 to start his own firm, Private Debt Partners (privatedebt.com), and has had a successful launch.

His three sons, Jace (10), Palmer (8), and C.K. (7), all play competitive hockey and have spent most of the winter on the pond this year because of the pandemic. ’98 J. ANDREW CORRIGAN

Head Class Ambassador jamesandrewcorrigan@gmail.com

WILL BLANCHARD ’99 got

married and welcomed the birth of a daughter, Avalyn. With all the craziness going around with the pandemic, Will feels very blessed.

RON KERN ’99 is working as an advanced coatings cell leader at the Pratt & Whitney turbine module center in East Hartford, Conn. The Farm prepared him to be a leader, and he uses those skills every day to lead a highproducing team making the finest military and commercial turbine engines on the planet.

DJ KNECHT ’99 and his wife are awaiting the birth of twin boys, potential class of 2039.

ALEX ROGERS ’99 has had two

children, Liam (6) and Libby (4), since marrying his wife, Katie, in 2011. They currently live in Verona, N.J. Alex is a vice president at Bank of New York Mellon.

00s ’00 MICHAEL J. O’NEILL

Co-Head Class Ambassador michaeloneill27@yahoo.com ’00 DANIEL J. SEIDEN

Co-Head Class Ambassador seidend@gmail.com ERIC HILL ’00 launched his own mortgage brokerage in Madison, Conn.

THOMAS VILLECCO ’00 had

the wonderful opportunity to speak to Doc Doyle’s AP Government class about his experience as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney. It felt so good to give back to the school that gave him so much.

The Avonian // SPRING 2021

55

’01 CHRISTOPHER D. COLEMAN

Co-Head Class Ambassador christopherdcoleman@gmail.com ’01 NICHOLAS H. LAROCQUE

Co-Head Class Ambassador larocque.nicholas@gmail.com GEORGE BIKAKIS ’01 got

married on February 13, 2021.

DANIEL SEIDEN ’00 welcomed

his son, Benjamin Coach Seiden, into the world in September 2020.

He is the headmaster at a K–12 day school outside of Charleston, S.C., and is always up to hosting a round of golf for fellow Avonians heading to the Lowcountry. He is impressed with Avon’s commitment to professional networking, and participating on Avon’s education career panel in December alongside other distinguished Avonians as a part of the Alumni Virtual Networking Series was a pleasure for him.

ALEXANDER DEAN ’01 was

pinned on the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army in August 2020. He and his family currently reside in upstate New York.

WILLIAM "TOM" DEAN ’01 is

a project manager for a software company. He, his wife, Laura, and two girls now live in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina.

PETER FORD ’03 welcomed his second son, Lucas Ford, on July 10, 2020. This is Peter’s ninth year working in the United States Naval Academy Athletic Department and his third year working directly with the football team. Peter lives with his wife, Maggie, and their two sons.

SAMEER KAZMI ’01 and his wife, Maryiam, are celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary and their son Ali’s first birthday in April 2021.

BRANDON MORROCCO ’01

and his wife, Elizabeth, welcomed their second child, James, on January 12, 2021. James joins his two-year-old sister, Annie. ’02 WILLIAM N. PALMER

Head Class Ambassador wnpalmer@gmail.com L. DYLAN M. GOULD ’02 and his wife welcomed a baby boy, Peter Skylar, in March 2021. Their son joined his sister, Penelope Skye (4). Aside from practicing his ballet skills and tea party etiquette, Dylan runs a design/ build firm in New York City (www.cargoworkshop.com) and has finally applied to begin taking his architecture licensure exams.

MIKE FINNEGAN ’04, and his wife, Nicole, visit Stonehenge with their three sons and future Winged Beavers: Carter (7), Jack (5), and Liam (3).

RICK STEVENS ’02 is the vice president and managing partner of a contract snack food manufacturer in Hartford, Conn. The company supplies products to multiple brands and private labels, including Aldi and Wegmans, that are distributed nationwide. He is happily settled in West Hartford, Conn., with his wife, Jennifer, an

56

CLASS NOTES

attorney at a local children’s hospital, and their two children, Eleanor (5) and Harrison (2). ’03 JAMES T. TANG

Head Class Ambassador jamesttang@gmail.com CHRIS KLEIN ’03 and his wife, Jenny, welcomed Marlena Elise to their family on February 17, 2021.

She was 7 pounds, 10 ounces, and 20 inches long at birth. Everyone is home, doing well, and loving their new addition. The best was seeing how elated Hadley was about having her baby sister.

ALEXANDRE TSIHLAS ’03

returned to Europe after graduation and earned bachelor’s degrees in engineering and in international relations. Alexandre worked for Airbus for 10 years, mainly in turbofan engine development for long-range aircraft (A350). ’04 LUKE R. ARCHAMBAULT

Co-Head Class Ambassador archambaultl@avonoldfarms.com ’04 MATTHEW H. MORAN

Co-Head Class Ambassador matthew.h.moran@gmail.com TIM CARTLAND ’04 and Rory

welcomed Liam Daniel Cartland on September 22, 2020; he joined his older brother, Jake, at home. ’05 ANDREW B. LAWRENCE

Co-Head Class Ambassador mooklawrence@gmail.com ’05 DANE G. LEMERIS

Co-Head Class Ambassador dlemeris@gmail.com QUINN BANNON ’05 and his wife, Lauren, welcomed baby boy John “Jack” Whitney Bannon in November 2020. They also have a three-year-old daughter, Natalie.

JOHN DUCCI ’05 and his wife,

Amy, welcomed Noah William on November 18, 2020. Noah joined older sister, Chloe, and brother, Cody.

STEFAN SEITLER ’05 enjoyed the adjustment to working from home starting in March 2020 because he was able to work out during his lunch break. During the summer of 2020, Stefan started biking 60 miles every Friday with his friend from Denmark, a national team rower. He spent most of his weekends wake surfing out on the lake and in the fall, shortly after his class reunion, stopped drinking alcohol, which has been a big, positive change in his life.

He traveled to Turkey in October, which was his first trip and vacation overseas. He went paragliding and toured ancient Roman ruins and natural wonders, such as Saklıkent Gorge and Butterfly Bay. While there, he was laid off from his job designing sensors for power plants, which allowed him to pursue another opportunity at Vespoli, designing rowing boats for crew. That meant moving from Minneapolis to New Haven, Conn. Shortly thereafter, he traveled to Arizona, saw the Grand Canyon for the first time, and did some epic hiking in Scottsdale.

When Stefan got back, he bought his first house and second-ever vehicle, a truck he has wanted since middle school. He also learned how to run a CNC machine at work. In March 2021, Stefan went back to Minnesota to ski in a 50 km cross-country race.

GRAHAM KLEHR-KEYES ’04 and his wife, Katie, welcomed a daughter, Zoe, on September 28, 2020. They moved to northern San Diego County last year and have enjoyed the weather despite the pandemic. Graham has a fine-furniture and woodworking business after working in finance for more than a decade. Graham and Katie look forward to raising their family in So-Cal, and Graham hopes to play some golf with alumni soon.

ROBERT TESAR ’05 was featured in Flylords magazine’s article “Tailwater Tales: Your Guide to Exploring the Yampa River” in October 2020. ’06 KEVIN T. DRISCOLL

Co-Head Class Ambassador kevin.t.driscoll@gmail.com ’06 JOSHUA P. PAVANO

Co-Head Class Ambassador jpavano@gmail.com SAM LASORSA ’06 works in

corrections as a processing officer and a member of a tactical team dealing with hostage rescue,

NICK PACQUEE ’04 and Maria welcomed Bryce into the world on

August 27, 2020. Bryce joined his big brother, Caden, at home in Boynton Beach, Fla.

The Avonian // SPRING 2021

GEORGE SPRINGER ’08

active shooters, riot control, disturbances, etc. Sam copes with a part of society that is a whole different world and sees and manages things that will forever be embedded behind his eyes.

His work behind the walls is a totally different experience from anything imaginable.

signed a six-year, $150 million deal to join the Toronto Blue Jays this past winter, taking his substantial baseball talents and World Series MVP experience to Canada.

PRESTON THOMPSON ’08

and Danielle welcomed daughter Madison to the world in the summer of 2020.

’07 CASEY R. COONS

Co-Head Class Ambassador caseycoons4@gmail.com

’09 JOHN B. BEATH

Co-Head Class Ambassador beathj@gmail.com

’07 TYLER C. HADDAD

Co-Head Class Ambassador tyler.c.haddad@gmail.com

’09 JAKE R. BOURGAULT

Co-Head Class Ambassador jake.bourgault@gmail.com

TYLER CREED ’07 got married

on May 31, 2020, in his front yard with only close family in attendance. The rest of his guests were able to join on Zoom.

MIKE RECCHIA ’07 joined Two Robbers Hard Seltzer just prior to the pandemic in 2020. They rolled out in New York City and Connecticut during the pandemic and now have a Philly-based brand available in most markets in the Northeast, which Mike manages. Ask your local retailer for Two Robbers Hard Seltzer.

Mike was also scheduled to get married in August 2020 but has since rescheduled to August 2021, when he will marry his fiancée, Gabby Schiraldi, in Youngstown, Ohio.

JP ROTCHFORD ’09 proposed

to Lauren Hiznay in May 2020—wedding date TBD.

10s ’10 PATRICK D. HAMPTON DANE LEMERIS '05 married Matt McConnell on August 8, 2020, in a

small New York City wedding that observed all pandemic protocols.

Head Class Ambassador pdavishampton@gmail.com ’11 HARRISON M. LYONS

Co-Head Class Ambassador hlyons@suffolk.com ’11 OLIVER K. ROTHMANN

Co-Head Class Ambassador ollie.rothmann33@gmail.com PJ MCINNIS ’11 proposed to his fiancée on September 7, 2019.

They are planning to marry on June 11, 2021, with Dan Gauvin ’11 and Harrison Lyons ’11 as groomsmen.

SAM WARD ’07 currently serves

as the department head on the USS Connecticut, a Seawolf-class, nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine.

’12 CONNOR P. DOYLE

Co-Head Class Ambassador doyle12187@gmail.com

’08 DOUGLAS J. BEYER

’12 JOHN D. SHAMBURGER

Co-Head Class Ambassador dbeyer11789@gmail.com

Co-Head Class Ambassador shamburgerd@gmail.com

’08 WILL H. HENDRICKS

DAN MENARD ’12 proposed to his fiancée, whom he has been dating since he was at Avon. She attended the Ethel Walker School, and the date is set for 2022.

Co-Head Class Ambassador willheatonhendricks@gmail.com CAM ATKINSON ’08 scored his 200th National Hockey League goal for the Columbus Blue Jackets in a game against the Dallas Stars on February 5, 2021.

57

WILL HENDRICKS ’08 eloped with his fiancée, Corrine. They married

at Dos Pueblos Orchid Farm in Santa Barbara, Calif., overlooking the Pacific Ocean, on December 12, 2020.

ANDREW WILDISH ’12 started

a new job in 2021 as a senior analyst for the Jamaica-based company Delta Capital Partners.

58

CLASS NOTES

JONAS NISSLEY ’10 got married on September 5, 2020.

NICO RAGAINI ’18 and CASEY ROGERS ’18 were PG classmates at

Avon. After, Nico matriculated to Iowa and Casey matriculated to Nebraska. The two teams met during their regular season, and Iowa edged out Nebraska. Both played and posed for a photo after the game.

Its aim is to raise money and launch companies to develop the post COVID-19 Jamaican economy. ’13 WILSON P. MEYER

Co-Head Class Ambassador wilsonpmeyer@gmail.com ’13 JOHN VAN ALLEN III

Co-Head Class Ambassador jjghyu@gmail.com ’14 MICKOY R. NICHOL

Co-Head Class Ambassador nicholm@avonoldfarms.com ’14 RYAN D. PHILLIPS

Co-Head Class Ambassador rydphillips@gmail.com RYAN PHILLIPS ’14 lives in San Francisco and recently took a job as a brand strategist at Brex. He loves his new gig and has spent the last couple of months virtually onboarding and getting to know his brilliant new co-workers.

JOHNATHAN RHYNE ’14 is a

newlywed and, because of a promotion, moved from North Carolina to Minnesota. He currently sells steel for Nucor Steel and is involved in everything from military ships and tanks to

bridges and construction machinery. He has no doubt that the skills he learned at Avon have helped him in his career and personal life.

BRAD SEEBER ’14 left his old job to join the Salesforce Ohana, leaving New York City to move back home to Charlotte, N.C., and ran the virtual New York City Marathon in October 2020. ’15 WILLIAM C. DAVIS

Co-Head Class Ambassador cdavis7@me.com ’15 CHRISTIAN E. DI ANTONIO

Co-Head Class Ambassador diantoniochristian@gmail.com ’16 MATTHEW T. HORTON

Co-Head Class Ambassador mhorton@hortongroupllc.com ’16 ALESSO R. MARCOGLIESE

Co-Head Class Ambassador alessio.marcogliese@gmail.com ETHAN CASE ’16 works in an elementary school. He couldn’t have done it without his Avon education, saying it helped him grow as a person and a student.

JACK ESCHERT ’19, with the help of RYAN ASHE ’17, ran a canned

and non-perishable food drive at Middlebury College to offset the gap in food security the COVID-19 pandemic created in the Addison County, Vt., community. Before Jack graduated from Avon, he talked about how he wanted to continue the work he did through Helping Hands at Avon in Middlebury. This drive marked the first of a series of donation drives Jack is planning on running at the college during his undergraduate studies.

The Avonian // SPRING 2021

IN MEMORIAM

From left to right: Feng Lu ’19, Dennis Wang ’18, Peter Du ’19, Victor Sun ’18, Jason Gong ’18

Trevor Zegras ’19, Patrick Harper ’16, and Jamie Armstrong ’16 played hockey for Boston University in 2020. Patrick and Trevor have signed NHL deals, and Jamie still plays for BU.

The school has learned of the following deaths: RUSSELL HUNTER ’42 ARTHUR R. KEIM ’50 MICHAEL J. ROSS ’52 RICHARD K. THORNDIKE III ’57 STEPHEN R. HOLT ’58 EDWARD S. VAN WINKLE ’61 ARCHIE J. COCHRANE ’65 QUENTIN F. FEITNER ’67 CAPTAIN HOWARD M. FRY III ’81

MICHAEL GIAMALIS ’16

’17 KEVIN A. SIEBER

graduated from the University of Richmond in May of 2020 with a degree in business administration with concentrations in finance and economics and a history minor.

He began working as an investment analyst at Hamilton Lane Advisors, a private markets investment manager based in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Head Class Ambassador ksieber@friars.providence.edu

PATRICK HARPER ’16 joined

the Nashville Predators for training camp and currently plays with their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

’18 KEVIN E. HUVELDT

CHARLES M. PETERSON III ’86 JOSEPH B. CHAHO ’90

Head Class Ambassador kevinhuveldt4@gmail.com

BRETT M. SMITH ’92

’19 MAXWELL A. MILLER

RICHARD W. PENDLETON JR. H’96

Head Class Ambassador mmiller20413@gmail.com

20s ’20 AUGUSTUS G. SHAMBURGER

Head Class Ambassador shammyg12@gmail.com

STEWART M. MATHER ’97 DOMINIC J. TORRETTI ’99 BARBARA DREW P’85, ’87, GP’17, ’18, ’24

59

the

60

elephant remembers In a school brochure from 1935–36, it is written that “Avon emphasizes recreations that a boy may continue throughout life. Such sports as fishing, shooting, riding, which the modern father is frequently too occupied to teach his son, may be learned by the boys at Avon under experienced guidance.”

Here’s a look at those activities over the years:

The streams on the school’s 3,000-acre estate abound in trout.

Stocking the streams and licensing the fishermen are controlled by the ordinances of the “Village of Old Farms.”

As part of community service, the older boys receive instruction in the proper care and use of the ax and help an experienced woodsman care for the school’s forest.

The Avonian // SPRING 2021

Avonians execute drills to improve posture.

61

Golf is played on a nearby course.

The school estate provides duck, pheasant, woodcock, and quail shooting—all under proper supervision.

62

The Last Word

by Henry Watson ’24 GIVEN DECEMBER 9, 2020

G

ood morning, Avon Old Farms students, faculty, and administrators. My name is Henry Watson.

I am a freshman day student. Most of you know me as Ham’s brother. Ham is a junior here. Some of you have been calling me “Cowboy” because of the hat I wear around campus, so let me tell you why I wear that hat.

While most of you were spending your last month of the summer outside playing sports or inside playing video games, I had just finished my last club lacrosse tournament and went to the lake with my brother and some friends. To make a long story short, I was in a boating accident and was thrown from the boat we were on. I passed under the boat and was hit by the prop four times. Once in the upper left leg, twice in the left arm, and once in the top of my head. Ham jumped in the water and held my head wound closed while treading water until he could get help.

The first hospital I went to was not equipped to handle my wounds, so I was airlifted to another trauma

The Avonian // SPRING 2021

center in Springfield, Mass. I had two initial surgeries to close my wounds while I was still trying to process just what had happened. A week later, I was transferred to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center to undergo brain surgery.

I had to have a fist-size piece of my skull removed and bone fragments removed from my brain. Those fragments were pushing down on one of the veins surrounding my brain. The surgery was successful, and I ended up with five titanium plates placed in my head. As I was in the hospital recovering, all my doctors were telling me I should have died.

My parents notified Mr. Detora and Mr. Whitty of what had happened, and Mr. Detora asked if he could send a note to the students and faculty about the accident. After that note reached the Avon Old Farms community, that is when I first felt the brotherhood experience.

I had heard Ham talk about the brotherhood at AOF and how much it meant to him, but until then, I did not truly understand. My parents and brother were overwhelmed with calls, texts, and emails from so many people who are a part of the Avon Old Farms brotherhood.

And I don’t mean just students. There were families who did not know us and teachers who just wanted to say they were thinking of us and wished us well. The messages all read similar to this: “I can’t imagine what your family is going through. I don’t know you guys, but I’m going to pass my prayers to your family.”

Ham read all of these messages to me while I was recovering in the hospital. The worst part of the accident was the downtime. You have to lie in a hospital bed hoping you are going to be alright and wondering what your life is going to be like if you aren’t the same. You can get depressed and get inside your head. I spent most of the first grading period attending classes online and visiting campus just a few times for orientation, Field Day, and Nimrod Club meetings.

I returned a couple of weeks ago as a full-time day student. My scars are still healing, and my hair is starting to grow back. I wear the cowboy hat to protect the incision while it is healing. I am going to have to recover physically for some time and mentally for even longer. Starting full-time back to school, and a new school at that, made me very anxious and nervous.

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Henry Watson ’24 and brother Hamilton “Ham” Watson ’22

The brotherhood here has once again surpassed my expectations. The level of acceptance here at AOF is incredible. This place allows students to be themselves, and respect is given to all. To my fellow students: focus on the positive in people and not the negative.

Most of us freshmen are just beginning to learn about the brotherhood here. I was fortunate enough to get an early lesson. I found a quote by Peter Terzick, who was a firefighter and knew a thing or two about brotherhood, which I think is appropriate.

“You cannot see brotherhood: neither can you hear it nor taste it.

But you can feel it a hundred times a day.

It is the pat on the back when things look gloomy.

It is the smile of encouragement when the way seems hard.

It is the helping hand when the burden becomes unbearable.

Our Brotherhood is like the air we breathe.

We can’t see it, but we know when we’ve got the good stuff going on.”

Gentlemen, the brotherhood is real, and we do have the good stuff going on. Keep the brotherhood alive. It matters, and it separates us from others.

Thank you.

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ANNUAL FUND APPEAL Avonians, A well-rounded and balanced core is fundamental to the Avon experience. Avon has always provided young men with an academic regimen and extracurricular activities—athletics, the arts, and more— in a manner that strengthens the bond of our brotherhood.

The world is changing rapidly, which draws us to this notion of balance: of traditions and innovations at Avon. Our traditions connect us to our past, maintain our cultural identity, affirm our educational promise, and promote the core values at the heart of an Avon education—scholarship, brotherhood, integrity, and sportsmanship.

Today, the richness of these familiar beliefs helps us meet the challenges of our changing world while remaining meaningful to every student—and every Avonian.

Your gift to the Annual Fund will give Avon the flexibility to honor our traditions and persevere through these uniquely challenging times. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Honor what has been and show faith in what will come by making your gift to support Avon today.

Aspirando et perseverando, Chris Webb Director of Institutional Advancement

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE

PAID PERMIT # 130 SPRINGFIELD, MA

500 Old Farms Road Avon, Connecticut 06001 www.avonoldfarms.com

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Parents If this issue is addressed to your son or to your family, but your son no longer maintains an address at your home, please reach out to us with the correct address.

Email us at: alumni@avonoldfarms.com or use our form online at: www.avonoldfarms.com/UpdateAddress