MAGAZINE

There’s a commotion in the hallway as I sit down to write this letter; the annual spring “Gotcha!” game is well underway—it officially began Tuesday evening after sit-down—and apparently someone has just been got. Shrieks, laughter, and then quiet as sixth period gets underway.

In the hierarchy of Deerfield traditions, playing Gotcha is relatively new, and I would be surprised if any classes prior to 2013 would recall participating. What is timeless, however, are the feelings it engenders —not, of course, the paranoia of expecting a tap on the shoulder and a whispered, “Gotcha!” on the path to the Dining Hall, but the feelings that come from being a part of something—a unifying moment, a little fun in the midst of schoolwork, a renewed appreciation for Deerfield’s longtime heads-up culture.

This issue of Deerfield Magazine, our Winter 2023 edition, in spite of the fact it’s clearly springtime here on campus, includes many highlights from Winter Term, such as our 100 Years of Hockey celebration both on the cover and in the “Albany Road” section. Postponed in 2022, I think everyone who attended the celebration would agree that it was worth the wait. Please be sure to scan the QR code or go to biggreen. photos for additional pictures from that event and many others, including athletic contests and arts performances.

Our features section begins on page 18 with an article about perhaps the pinnacle of Deerfield traditions: sit-down meals in the Dining Hall. As they have for decades, students from different grades and backgrounds gather for lunch and dinner seven times a week, take turns waiting on their table, and sit and eat together along with a faculty member, which, as Head of School John Austin recently said, “creates a shared sense of community and closeness as a school.” While other schools may capitulate to busy schedules and eating “on the go,” Deerfield’s commitment to this community structure remains strong.

As promised, in this issue you will also find the return of our Class Notes section. Thank you for your patience, and please remember that the most recent notes—including obituaries—may be found online at Deerfield.edu/alumni, along with information about upcoming events and “the latest” in campus and alumni news on the Pulse. The deadline for notes for our Spring/Summer ’23 issue is May 20, and you may submit them online or via email to ClassNotes@deerfield.edu or alumnirecords@deerfield.edu

I hope you enjoy this issue of Deerfield Magazine. Please feel free to write—your thoughts and suggestions for future content are welcome, and in our next issue, we hope to reinstate the “Letters to the Editor” section. Until then, enjoy this season, and hopefully nobody sneaks up behind you and whispers, “Gotcha!”

Jessica Day Director of Communications/ Editor-in-Chief

ALBANY p.10

PERFORMING ARTS

YOUR p.30

NEHA JAMPALA ’23

COMMON ROOM p.34

COMMON ROOM p.44

FIRST PERSON: STEREO TYPES/ DA RADIO

FEATURES p.18 FOR FOOD, FOR FRIENDSHIP: The Enduring Value of Sit-Down Meals p.94 IN MEMORIAM WORK p.78 HUSSAIN AGA KHAN ’92 (The man behind these ocean photos!) p.24 TÊTE-À-TÊTE WITH JOHN McPHEE ’49

On January 27 and 28, more than 250 alumni, parents, and friends came together to celebrate 100 Years of Hockey at Deerfield. The much-anticipated event, which was originally scheduled for January of 2022, started with two alumni games: “veterans” played on the outdoor rink, while “aces” faced off on the ice in the Class of 1993 indoor rink. Alumni enjoyed a meet-andgreet with the current boys and girls varsity teams, followed by an alumni panel featuring Katie Guay ’01, Jim Lindsay ’70 P ’96, Ben Lovejoy ’03, Jamie Hagerman Phinney ’99, Marty Reasoner ’96, and Molly Schaus ’06. The day wrapped up with both girls and boys varsity games.

>>> INTRAMURAL HOCKEY LEAGUE “Stanley Cans”

>> The first girls varsity hockey goal was scored with this puck, December 8, 1990, by Sarah Drake ’93.

>> Current students enjoyed seeing their math teacher, Sean Keller ’86, as a life-size cardboard “standup.”

Scan to discover more of Deerfield’s rich history in the Academy Archives!

Rachel Portesi

Artist Rachel Portesi’s new exhibition, Looking Glass, was shown in the von Auersperg Gallery from January 15 through March 1. Drawn to early photography and its particularly Victorian interest in loss and death, and the peculiar fixation of the era with hair as mementos, Ms. Portesi discovered a fertile new direction to explore in her artwork. Her photographs are part of an ongoing series of “hair portraits,” and she used wet plate collodion tintype, Polaroids, film, and 3D imagery to explore the nuanced transitions in female identity related to motherhood, aging, and choice, as well as the intersection of identity and femininity with the physical world. //

Daniela Holt Voith

VOITH & MACTAVISH ARCHITECTS )

On Wednesday, February 8, at School Meeting, Deerfield welcomed Ms. Daniela Holt Voith as the 2023 Huffard Architect. Ms. Voith is a founding partner of Voith & Mactavish Architects, where she also serves as the director of design. Holding degrees from Yale University School of Architecture and Bryn Mawr College, Ms. Voith has dedicated her career to promoting the advancement of design for educational environments. Thanks to the generosity of the Huffard family, each year a Huffard Architect is named, and they visit Deerfield to share their work with students, faculty, and staff. The program was established in 2005 in memory of Wick Huffard ’03, who had hoped to pursue a career in architecture after college.