BULLETIN | FALL 2016 55
“Randi Brandt’s dedicated service to supporting the arts at Choate has been a gift to the community, to the many students whose lives she touched, to the arts department, and to all the directors of the arts that she worked with, including me. In numerous ways her strong spirit made our lives brighter and better. She will be greatly missed by us all.” –KALYA YANNATOS, DIRECTOR OF THE ARTS ’74 C Jeffrey J. Jackson, 59, a law professor, died April 26, 2016 in Jackson, Miss. Born in Waynesburg, Pa., Jeff came to Choate in 1971. He was in the Spanish Club, winning a School award in Spanish; was Assistant Editor of the Political Forum; and was in the Cum Laude Society. He then earned degrees from Haverford College and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Jeff worked for a law firm in West Virginia before beginning a teaching career at the Mississippi College School of Law. He was a former Supreme Court Fellow and a senior research analyst with the Administrative Office of United States Courts, winning many teaching awards and other honors. He wrote numerous treatises on Mississippi law as well as law review articles. He leaves his wife, Melinda Jackson, 4641 Maurey Rd., Jackson, MS 39211; two daughters; and three brothers, including Timothy Jackson ’72. ’81 Tracy Wythe Nyswonger, 52, a teacher, died May 14, 2016, in Salinas, Calif., following a fall in her home. Born in Binghamton, N.Y., Tracy spent her adolescence in Saudi Arabia, then came to Choate Rosemary Hall in 1979; she played varsity lacrosse and was in the Festival Chorus and the Pep Club. After graduating from Indiana University, Bloomington, she was in the Army Reserves for 20 years, attaining the rank of Captain. She was then a special education teacher in Monterey County, Calif. Tracy enjoyed walking, especially with her dogs. She leaves her husband, Russell Nyswonger, 46084 Meadowbrook Dr., King City, CA 93930; three stepchildren; a grandmother; a sister; and a brother.
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Karacabey Levni Sinanoglu, 49, an artist, died June 1, 2016 in New Haven, Conn. Born in New Haven, Lev came to Choate Rosemary Hall in 1978. He was in the Film Society and the Chess Club, was on the masthead of the News and the board of the Brief, and won the Benjamin Franklin Medal for history. He graduated from Hampshire College and the Yale School of Art, then was awarded a traveling fellowship that allowed him to visit the Middle East, which influenced the subject matter of his painting. Lev was also a visiting or adjunct professor at Yale, Hampshire, Quinnipiac University and Gateway Community College. He leaves his mother, Paula Armbruster, 294 Lawrence St., New Haven CT 06511; his former wife, in Abu Dhabi; a son; a brother; and a sister.
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Gordon R. Borek, 22, a student at the University of New Hampshire, died May 28, 2016 in an automobile accident in Durham, N.H. Born in Waterville, Maine, Gordie was at Choate for one year; he lettered in ice hockey. He had just completed his sophomore year at UNH, and he had planned to be a hockey coach intern at Exeter. Gordie enjoyed reading, politics, and all sports. He leaves his parents, Cheryl Stahl Borek ’80 and Scott Borek, 29 Pinecrest Ln., Durham, NH 03824; three siblings, including Charley Borek ’15; and his grandparents.
Staff & Trustees Randi J. Brandt, Assistant to the Director of the Arts at Choate Rosemary Hall for 20 years, died May 12, 2016 in Branford, Conn. She was 59. Born in New Haven, Randi was hired as Administrative Secretary to Terry
Ortwein, former Director of the Paul Mellon Arts Center, in 1996. She had previously been an exhibition assistant for Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum and curatorial assistant for the Yale Center for British Art. Paul Tines, who succeeded Terry at the PMAC, commented, “Randi was talented, committed, and knowledgeable about her job. She had an absolutely wonderful relationship with our students and had an excellent professional manner with the public.” She leaves her husband, Tom Brandt, 65 Byron Pl., New Haven, CT 06515; and her daughter, Dani. William E. Forson Jr., a locksmith at Choate Rosemary Hall for a decade, died April 2, 2016. He was 72. Born in New Orleans, Bill was a Vietnam veteran. He was a bonded Master Locksmith for 25 years in Louisiana, before coming to Choate in 1999. He retired in 2009. In his spare time, Bill was a scoutmaster; he also enjoyed camping. He leaves his wife, Rose Forson; a daughter; a stepdaughter; several grandchildren; two sisters; and his mother. Theresa B. Malchodi, former head nurse at Choate Rosemary Hall’s Infirmary, died April 1, 2016 in Providence, R.I. She was 92. Born in Wallingford, Terry graduated at the top of her class from St. Raphael’s School of Nursing in New Haven, then worked for several years as a visiting nurse and a hospital nurse. She came to Choate in 1966, and was the Infirmary’s head nurse from 1972 until she retired in 1984. She and her staff saw an average of 60 to 70 students and faculty in a day – and more in winter. She often gave presentations at meetings of the Connecticut Residential School Nurses Association. At her retirement, it was said that hers “is a name forever linked to those things that are good
about Choate.” Terry was an active parishioner in churches wherever she lived; for many years, those were Most Holy Trinity Church in Wallingford and St. Mark Church in Cranston, R.I. She leaves five children, including Paul Malchodi ’74, 2 Shady Ln., Acton, MA 01720; Eric Malchodi ’78; and Marie Malchodi ’81; 11 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
’41 RH Cherry Grafton Taylor, a retired teacher who was a Rosemary Hall Trustee for six years, died May 8, 2016 in Exeter, N.H., from complications of a stroke. She was 92. Cherry came to Rosemary Hall in 1936; she earned six bars on the Committee, was a Prize Day Marshal and business manager of the Answer Book; was on the first hockey team and was in the Kindly Club. After teaching for a year at Greenwich Academy, she taught elementary school at Greenwich Country Day School for 17 years. She later was a manager with World Book Educational Products. Cherry enjoyed sailing, foreign travel, painting in watercolors, skiing, tennis, and outdoor life. She was a naturalist guide at the Greenwich Audubon Center, conducting weekly guided nature walks for children. She leaves four children, including Holly Taylor Young ’66, 126 Limerock St., Rockland, ME 04841; nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Our sympathy to the families of the following alumni, whose deaths are reported with sorrow: Diana Dent ’46 Spring 2016 Maggie M. Fenney ’11 June 28, 2016