Maroon and Grey 2011

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The TheMaroon Maroon& &Grey Grey The The Official Official CFS CFS Alumni Alumni Connection Connection

Summer Summer2011 2011

CFS History Month

Director’s Corner

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he 2010-2011 school year has been one of transition. Although some things have changed, a constant force has remained in my life – the kindness and friendship of the CFS alumni. Your care and concern for CFS are important and deeply appreciated. Working with members of the Alumni Association and various alumni volunteers has brought me great pleasure. Chimdi Mbonu ’87 and I worked closely together Director of Alumni Relations Lori on the first-ever Alumni Service McDermott catches up with Chimdi Day held this past September. Mbonu ’87 during Pageant Weekend. You can read more about this joint venture on page 5. Chim also worked with Athletic Director Greg Thompson to resurrect the alumni basketball game which was held during the Spring Alumni Weekend. Both of these are fabulous activities to build on in the coming years. In fact, David Zimmerman ’88 has already agreed to co-chair the next Alumni Service Day project currently scheduled for September 17. I strongly encourage each and every one of you to become more actively involved in the CFS Alumni Association. We currently meet on the third Thursday of every month from 7 P.M. to 9 P.M. in the Griffin Board Room. If you are unable to attend in person, you are welcome to join us via teleconference. Details are available on page 12. We are working to have Skype available this fall. If distance from CFS is an obstacle, perhaps you may be willing to serve as a host for a regional alumni gathering. Please see where events have been hosted on pages 9-10. Catching up with fellow alums is a great way to reconnect. Either way, your involvement is a way to “Look Back…Come Back…Give Back.” Or, you may consider organizing a class reunion for the upcoming spring. Walt Smith ’86 was successful in bringing back a total of nine classmates for their 25th reunion this past April. We are most appreciative of the generous class gift they presented to the School at the Alumni Dinner. Paul Spear ’81 and his classmates are planning to return to CFS this August to celebrate their 30th reunion. If you are interested in returning next spring to celebrate a reunion, please contact me soon so we can begin the planning process. This coming August, the executive committee and members of the Alumni Association take part in an alumni strategic planning exercise at CFS. The committee will develop the best vision of what the Alumni Association will look like in the next two or three years and determine how it will move to that desired future. This is exciting! We look to improve performance, stimulate thinking and clarify future direction. Most importantly, we hope to build real teamwork. If you have an idea for the committee to consider, please contact me at lmcdermott@gocfs.net or via phone at 610.363.5338. In closing, I would like to thank everyone for their continued generosity in remembering my mother through support of the Janet C. Hartzell Angel Fund. Your contributions are helping to bridge an existing financial gap in tuition fees for deserving CFS families. Additional contributions to the fund are most welcome and made possible by your indication in a note or by writing “Angel Fund” in the memo section of your check. Or, perhaps consider making a donation to the Annual Fund in memory of your beloved and fun-loving brother and my friend, Karl Gabosch ’48. Karl dearly loved Church Farm School and appreciated the opportunities it provided him. He was a true lover of life, his School and his wife and soul mate, Priscilla. However you choose to give back, GIVE! Let your gift to the Annual Fund build a legacy of strong and broad-based alumni support for CFS. It is also a great way to show your support for Don Burt’s leadership. The need is great and, for the students, the opportunity priceless. Kind regards, Lori McDermott

Director of Alumni Relations

Celebrating a Strong Tradition of Service to the Community

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ach April CFS celebrates History Month to honor the founding of the School in April 1918. The theme chosen for this year’s celebration was “Service to the Community.” As part of the month-long commemoration, CFS alumni were asked to share their community service, public service and other volunteer service experiences with CFS students, faculty and staff. The remarkable response served as evidence that the spirit of giving back doesn’t end with graduation from CFS, but is carried forward and becomes an integral part of our alumni’s lives. The following are some of the accounts our alumni shared.

Combining Business with a Passion for Service

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Matthew Weber ’07

or the past two years at Pepperdine I’ve been president of the local chapter of SIFE, Students In Free Enterprise, which is an international nonprofit that encourages students to combine the skills they learn in their business classes with their passion for service. SIFE members create economic outreach projects to empower people in their communities. The experience has opened a lot of doors for me in terms of building relationships with local business leaders in Southern California and has allowed me to positively affect the lives of people disadvantaged by social and economic hindrances through the application of innovative business solutions. Just to give you an update of where I am in terms of school and a career, I recently attained an internship at First Republic Bank at one of its corporate offices in Los Angeles and will be (continued on page 3)

Matthew Weber ’07 works with a SIFE client.

2011 Tyler Award Presented Dr. Rob Teti, founder and executive director of Chenoa Manor, a local animal sanctuary, was this year’s recipient of the J. Tyler Griffin Award for Excellence in Ambassadorship. Alumni Association President Don Burt ’77 and CFS Board Member Sally Graham, both former recipients of this prestigious award, made the presentation at a recent CFS chapel ceremony. “Dr. Rob,” a local veterinarian, cares for more than 200 abused and neglected farm and exotic animals at Chenoa Manor, with the help of volunteers and private donations. Through a unique, seven-year relationship between the School and Chenoa Manor, CFS student volunteers care for the animals, administer vaccinations and participate in sheep shearing. In all these encounters, the boys are working and learning at the same time. This school year Don Burt ’77 and Sally Graham, both alone, students provided more than former Tyler Award winners, presented 1200 volunteer hours of service to the 2011 award to Dr. Rob Teti. (C) the animal sanctuary. In turn, Dr. Teti mentors these students, exposing them to a variety of cultures and even using his own financial resources to help them. He has influenced at least one CFS graduate to become a veterinarian. The entire CFS community was proud to present “Dr. Rob” with the 2011 Tyler Award. You can also learn more about CFS’s involvement with Chenoa Manor by viewing a video CBS news produced last year (http://www. cbsnews.com/2718-18563_162-298.html). The Tyler Award is named for former CFS Chairman of the Board and current Honorary Board Member, J. Tyler Griffin of Bryn Mawr, who has been instrumental in the School’s growth and development for more than 50 years.


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