In Memoriam The School has learned of the deaths of the following alumni: ROCKWELL H. POTTER JR. ’32
Former faculty members Ian “Jock” Gracey, John Haile, and Bob Low reunited at a Groton School vs. Brooks School football game.
Faculty Notes
DONALD R. “PETE” HART JR. ’36 PAUL KURTZ NEWHALL ’37 DAVIS HOWES ’40 CHARLES FRANCIS CLEMENT ’41 SCOTT HALE REINIGER ’41 LEWIS HAMILTON CLARK ’43 JOHN CHANDLER EILBECK ’45 ALONZO W. HENDERSON ’52 FRANZ ULMER HAYES ’53
Benjamin Schloat, a member of the foreign language department, married Jennifer Lawton on June 9, 2001, in a private ceremony in Middletown, Connecticut.
Dan and Caitlin Cooper were married on August 13th, at the Chapel at the Holderness School in New Hampshire, where the bride attended high school. Dan is a member of the mathematics department at Avon, while Caitlin works at nearby Miss Porter’s School.
PETER A. ADAMS ’54 SIDNEY H. GREER ’56 JOHN L. MCBRIDE ‘58 PHILIP S. STERN ’62 R. ALLAN RUEZ ’63 JEFFREY DONALD SEWARD ’67 WILLIAM A. BLACKMON III ’75 LEWIS DU PONT SMITH ’75 GARRETT T. FITZGERALD ’88 JONATHAN “ALEX” STORY ’10
IN MEMORIAM
Lewis du Pont Smith ’75
Lewis du Pont Smith ’75, 54, of Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, a teacher, political organizer, and philanthropist who sat on the boards of Vox Ama Deus and the Waldorf School of Philadelphia, and was an active member of the National Council of Avon Old Farms School, died August 12, 2011, in Jefferson Hospital after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. It was at Avon Old Farms where Lew distinguished himself as a leader, a monitor, and as an athlete, particularly in wrestling. He was a two-time Connecticut state champion, two-time New England state champion, and the 1975 national prep heavyweight champion, the only national champion in Avon’s history. In 2007, Avon created the Lew Smith Leadership Award in his honor, granting recognition to a wrestler who has shown exemplary grit and persistence in the face of hardship. Throughout his life, Lew fondly recalled stories of his days at Avon, regaling friends and family with tales of athleticism and adventure. “Big Lew,” as he was known at Avon, went on to the University of Michigan, graduating in 1979. “The world is a lesser place without Lewis,” said George Trautman, former headmaster at Avon Old Farms. A founding member of the Philadelphia Forum of Anthroposophy, Lew was also a lover of opera and classical music. Additionally, a consummate competitor, he trained daily as a cyclist, riding his bike up to 50 miles a day. His dream was to shadow the Tour de France. A devoted father, Lew was fiercely proud of his three daughters, Martha, Claire, and Sarah. He encouraged his daughters’ love of music and art, having recently taken them to Europe to experience the beauty and ancient culture of Rome, where he and his wife, Andrea, had been married, and also renewed their vows this past summer. In addition to his wife and daughters, Lew is survived by his father, E. Newbold Smith; a sister, Eleuthera Grassi; and brothers Stockton and Henry. Smith’s mother, Margaret du Pont Smith, preceded him in death. A funeral mass was held Aug. 17 at St. Katherine of Siena Church in Wayne and about a dozen Avonians and Avon administrators were present. Please contact the alumni and development office if you would like to send condolences to his family. [Excerpts from obituary by Valerie Lynch; photo by Ron Petrou]
The Avonian Fall 2011
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