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Former Faculty
Dana and Baker Currier, former faculty, with their son Ben Franke.
Dana Currier writes: “My husband Baker Franke, and I welcomed a son, Ben Franke, who was born on March 18. My connections to Berkshire are many and varied: I taught English and worked with James Harris from 20022004, while Baker taught computer science from 2002-2005. Also, my father was Class of ’62 and my brother was Class of ’01. My dad in particular loved Berkshire and served on the Advisory Board for several years. He passed away in 2007 but his birthday was March 26, so I have been thinking about Berkshire a lot lately.” After a forty-year career in education, which included teaching at Berkshire from September 1978 to June 1992, Liz and Les Clifford retired in June 2014. As the reality of their retirement settled in, they both have reflected, with gratitude, on the rewards of a very fulfilling lifetime spent teaching English and Math to so many students. Additionally, Les looks back on his time spent coaching basketball and baseball at Berkshire – working with Bill Duryee and Tom Young – as having been important parts of his career, while Liz, who founded Berkshire’s first Writing 68
Berkshire Bulletin
Center, counts many experiences with her literary magazine and yearbook staffs among her positive memories. They will continue to reside in their current home at 140 Partridge Road, Pittsfield, MA. Their only specific plans to date are to remove the alarm clock from their bedroom and go on a vacation for the middle two weeks of September. Bart Elsbach writes: “The Great Barrington Fairgrounds has an exciting
couple of projects this year including: rebuilding the long building at the entrance as a beautiful timber framed barn, building a dog park, bringing the circus to town, and building a gazebo by the river. There are interesting ways for Berkshire and its students to be involved, and we look forward to working with you again this year.” Norman Rioux, faculty from 1954 to 1958, and founder of what is now known as Sterling College retired from an Adjunct Professorship at Norwich University in December 2013. He has returned to his home town of Newport, VT for retirement years and would be pleased to hear from any former students in his Berkshire days, Nerioux@aol.com The Tatnall School Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Charles A. Tierney III as the new Head of School, beginning on July 1, 2014. Tatnall is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school in Greenville, DE, enrolling students from age 3 through grade 12. Tierney is currently the assistant head of school at Northfield Mount Hermon in Mount Hermon, MA. During his 16-year tenure, he has been responsible for curriculum development, fundraising initiatives, faculty oversight, and management of a STEM building task force. In addition, he recently served as Interim Head of School.
Marianne Stein Hubert is shown here with the turret of a U.S. WW2 B-17 that was safely crash-landed in a pasture near her native village in the south of Belgium in 1944. After 69 years in a chicken coop, the turret was returned to the United States and presented to the family of James Dimel, the U.S. pilot who saved his crew and the villagers.