In Memoriam

David Newman

David Newman

Drama Teacher, 1979-1983

David Newman died on June 4, 2021, at his home in Cape Neddick, Maine. Teaching was his lifelong career. In addition to teaching at Colorado Academy, David was a professor at Oberlin College for eight years. He spent the majority of his time at St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H., where he taught for another 20-plus years. David’s principal area of expertise was the theater, building on graduate work he had done at Yale, where he earned his MFA in Play-writing. He was a Master Teacher of drama, acting, and stagecraft; however, he was mostly teaching about living an authentic life. David was an honest, courageous, persistent, and generous person. The Secret Books of the Medici was David’s lifelong passion/project. He spent several decades immersing himself in the culture, history, and arts of Renaissance Florence. Although Book I of this three-part series and most of Book II were finished before his death, only a synopsis of Book III was completed.

David is survived by his husband Matt McTighe.

Remembrance from Mark Mueller ’82

David Newman was a teacher at Colorado Academy for part of my years at CA. One summer, I went to Maine with David, Frank Wallace, and Peter King ’75 to build a cabin in the woods on land that Frank was leasing. After that experience, I started traveling to Boston and Maine to spend time with Frank, David, and friends of theirs, and I ended up developing a much closer friendship with David. It was very sad to see him dealing with cancer and eventually die, but his memory lives on, and his lifelong ambition of publishing his Medici book has finally happened.

Steve Underwood as pictured in the 1967 Telesis

Steven Kimball Underwood ’67

Steve died July 26, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colo., after a brief illness. He was born November 7, 1948, to Arthur Kennard Underwood Jr. and Suzanne Kassler.

Steve loved traveling and hiking and had many adventures throughout the world and in his home state of Colorado. He had a passion for animals and wildlands and a keen sense of humor, for which he will be fondly remembered. Steve was generous of spirit and a dutiful family historian, with a quick wit and a forgiving sense, for which he will be truly missed. The 1967 Colorado Academy Telesis yearbook tribute to Steve spoke highly of him. “Colorado Academy was lucky to have Steve Underwood in its student ranks, for among his many achievements this year was the fringing of a little sunshine into the hearts of everyone he met. Although he labored under the nickname ‘The Crusher’ for a long time in his Samaritan duties, he still managed to keep smiling, and in fact, another nickname for him might be ‘The Twenty-Four Hour Smile.’ Whatever his nickname, Steve managed to be a hard worker all around. He worked all year on perfecting the card game Hearts and there was hardly a free period when he wasn’t in the Senior Lounge immersed in its complexities. With all kidding aside, though it can be thankfully said of Steve Underwood, that CA would really have been pretty dull without him and that the sunshine he brought was of the right kind.” Steve is survived by his loving best friend and longtime partner Annie Munch, brothers Michael Underwood ’63 and Edward (Buzz) Frost, nephew Amos Underwood, nieces Sarah Moyer and Leah Underwood, along with multiple great nephews and great nieces. Condolences may be sent to: Michael Underwood 1136 Juniper Rd. Taos, NM 87571

Edwin Dwight Webber ’63

Ed Webber died on July 31, 2022. While at Colorado Academy, Ed was on the original Mountain Rescue Team at CA formed by Earnest “Tap” Tapley. Alumnus Bill Mackay, Jr. ’64 met Ed on the Rescue Team and always maintained a close friendship

Ed Webber ’63 as pictured in the 1963 Telesis

with him. In addition, Ed was a member of CA’s Gun Club. After graduating from Montana State University, he moved to his family ranch near Big Timber, Mont. There Ed established a successful gun manufacturing business, which he ran for his entire life. Ed is survived by his wife Cindy and two sons. Condolences may be sent to: Mrs. Cindy Webber & Family HC 89 Box 4325 Big Timber, MT 59011

William Montgomery Ungar ’20

8/13/2001 – 9/2/2022

On September 2, 2022, William “Will” Montgomery Ungar, son of Jennifer Hines Loud and Scott William Ungar, and brother of Caroline Pierpont Ungar ’22, died in a rock climbing accident on Mt. Slesse in British Columbia, Canada. Born and raised in Denver, Will was in his second year of study at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver School of Economics.

In his short 21 years of life, Will traveled extensively to Chile, Cuba, Europe, and many of the most beautiful areas of Canada. Selected from over 2,000 applicants, Will was chosen, along with 17 other students, as a U.S. Student Ambassador for Paraguay. In classic William fashion, he not only learned about the culture of Paraguay, he grew very close to local students and other American students with vastly different backgrounds than he had. He had an excitement for life that drew people like moths to a flame, and he was able to share his vision for the future while getting other people excited about their own lives.

Will saw himself as an outlier whose mission was to make everyone feel included. He was always the first person to strike up a conversation and welcome any newcomer to any environment he was a part of. He saw it as part of his mission in life to bring happiness to people when they were in his presence. A common theme among those who knew Will was his ability to allow everyone around him to genuinely be themselves. Gone far too soon, Will packed more lifetimes into his 21 years than most ever will in a century. He truly lived life to the fullest, never missing an opportunity to climb a mountain, ski the steeps, or make someone laugh uncontrollably. He also would debate just about anything, from politics to privatized water. Will had a love for knowledge that he nurtured throughout the course of his life—as a kid he memorized the maps of mountains he had never skied, and as an adult he could recite the inner workings of old growth reforestation. Will was funny, kind, intelligent, adventurous, and unapologetically himself. With big hair and an even bigger heart, no one could argue, not even Will, that anyone had a bigger zest for life than he did. And he never let his impeccable academic career interfere with a powder day. Will achieved his mission of making others feel seen, loved, and accepted. If Will were here today, he would tell you to “share more of yourself with the world.” He followed his own advice by sharing his enthusiasm for outdoor adventure and the magic of the mountains with everyone he met, while bringing passion, pure happiness, and hilarious antics to every situation. Everyone’s light shined brighter when Will was around. Adventure was Will’s art, and nature was his canvas. He inspired countless friends with his love of the great outdoors, his inclusive personality, and his general silliness. Although we are grateful for the short time we had with Will, no time on Earth could have ever been enough. As one of his friends so adeptly put it, “He was the most individual individual I ever met.”

He leaves behind his loving parents, Jennifer Loud and Scott Ungar; his sister, Caroline Ungar; grandparents, Gerda Ungar and Monty and Paula Loud; aunts and uncles, Christopher and Terri Coughlin and Matt and Lizzie Larock; and five cousins, and was preceded in death by his grandfather, Thomas Ungar. He will be missed by legions of friends and family who adored him.

Will Ungar ’20

Excerpts from remarks by Dr. Mike Davis at Will’s Celebration of Life

Will emerged into adulthood as one of the most authentic and kind people I have ever seen.... Will charted a course for his life that was full of curiosity, adventure, and joy. I vividly recall Will coming back to campus after graduating. He had this outrageous hair and a dangling Kokopelli earring. I loved it and told him so. I lived for a spell in Austin, Texas, a town whose slogan is “Keep Austin Weird.” Will was his true self,

and we all loved him for the uniqueness that was Will Ungar. And, what an amazing thing for someone in their late teens and early 20s, when so many others seek to conform? When once asked by a teacher if kids teased him for being in the first tap dancing class at CA, he said. “I really don’t care.” He had ambition and drive, but was up for exploring—both intellectually and experientially. He understood how to be himself and be self-assured, while being gracious. What a lesson for all of us. A friend said, “I’d call Will a dreamer, but that would imply that’s all he does; it ignores that he will and does turn his dreams into reality. People who love learning for the sake of learning and personal growth as much as Will are hard to find.”

Excerpts from remarks by best friend Kole Hicks ’20 at Will’s Celebration of Life

When I met Will, I would have never guessed that we would have been such good friends…. As he tells it, the inflection point was Sophomore year chemistry. I had the pleasure of being his lab partner, which meant that our teacher, Ms. Jekel, had the pleasure of staying after nearly every day. Normally I took the bus, but Will was older, and one day he offered to drive me home. In all honesty, I have no idea what we talked about, but it must have been something good because after only a few weeks, we had become inseparable. At the start, our relationship revolved around film. We both took video and considered ourselves auteurs. Back then, some company was dumb enough to give out unlimited passes for $9.99 a month. We would watch one or two movies a week. Afterward he would drive me home, talking the whole way about the merits of the sound design and cinematography. I’m sure we agreed on most stuff, but my fondest memories were passionate debate. At the end of that year, we were placed on the same Interim.... Will and I got to rock climb all around the Front Range. I had never rock climbed before, but had some intuition that I would be amazing at it. Needless to say, I found myself near tears on day one. By the end of the week, I was still crying, but my tears were no longer fear driven. Rather, I cried because I had worn down all my skin and it now hurt to wash my hands. From that week on, Will was my other half. –––––––––In this past summer especially, I felt we were the same person.... For example, I had gotten into the Grateful Dead this past year and was excited to invite Will into the cult. Imagine my surprise when I step into his car, only to be greeted by who other than Jerry Garcia? I mean, come on, man; can I have my own life? Now I make it sound bad, but the truth is that it actually rocked. It meant I got to share all myself with him. It meant we got to share all kinds of music, all kinds of opinions, and most importantly, all kinds of adventures. With him, I got to share a sliver of the beauty this world has to offer. There are moments, like our days in Squamish or Eldo, that I can proudly recall in vivid detail. Will and I talked a lot about this, how despite all our memories, life is really about, for lack of a better word, the vibe. –––––––––And here, I arrive at my story of what may be the least forgettable day of my life…. Finally, an hour later than planned, we started in on what was most definitely the trail. The next two hours went by in silence.... However, as my teachers can attest, there’s only so much time I can shut up for. The words just came out of me. “Hey Will,” I called out. “This is a seminal day in our lives.” “I have no idea what that means,” he responded. “You know, a seminal day. As in, this is a day we’ll never forget. Like we’ll remember it for the rest of our lives.” He laughed, knowing that I was probably right, and I smiled at the thought, having no clue how right I would be. –––––––––

“Hey Will,” I said. “I think it’s sunrise.” And indeed it was. We looked up to find ourselves surrounded by stunning peaks and adorned by the first rays of an even more stunning sunrise.... In that pink light we crossed over to the base of Mt. Slesse. At this point, I asked Will if we could take a break, just to soak up the surroundings. I played “Fire on the Mountain” to commemorate the alpenglow. There we sat looking out to the sunrise, and Will to my left...trying to take as many pictures as he could. We rested there for the reminder of the 15-minute song. Will eventually put his phone down and we talked about how epic life is and how blessed we were to know that. That conversation we had was my last moment in the light.

CA Alumni Association

Important Dates 2022-2023

Friday, December 2, 2022 Alumni Ice Skating Party, DCC Skate House, 5:30-9 p.m. 1700 E. First Ave., Denver

Thursday, January 5, 2023 College Alumni Lunch, Campus Center, 12:30 p.m. Thursday, February 2, 2023 Alumni Back-to-School Night, CA Campus Dinner at 5:30 p.m., Classes begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 7, 2023 Happy Hour at Five Points, Spangalang Brewery. 6-8:30 p.m. 2736 Welton St., Denver

Friday, May 19, 2023 Giant Relay Day BBQ Lunch, Tour of Campus, The Race, Alumni-Faculty Party, Alumni-Varsity-Faculty Ultimate Saturday & Sunday, Reunion Weekend

May 20-21, 2023 1963, 1973, 1983, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2013, 2018

Friday & Saturday, May 19-20, 2023 Glee Club Reunion with Dr. David Woods

Please check the Alumni Home Page at coloradoacademy.org/alumni for updates and new events.

Dr. David Woods, far right, with the 1971-1972 Glee Club

3800 South Pierce Street Denver, CO 80235

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Printed by a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified Printer

The Spirit of the Mustang

For generations, the wild Mustang has symbolized the adventurous and resilient spirit of Colorado Academy. Horses have figured in the life of the school since its earliest days, when students of the Colorado Military School, as CA was once known, practiced horseback riding from First through Twelfth Grade, and members of sports teams were already called “Mustangs.” Later, the CA tradition of the Giant Relay Race—a cross-campus competition between Seniors, parents, faculty, and alumni—for a time included a segment on horseback alongside kayaking, running, and swimming components. Through the years, CA’s Mustang mascot became a beloved part of allschool celebrations and sporting events—but he was never given a name. “Gus” was born in 2011, and today he continues channeling the untamed energy of the wild horses of the American West.