Bulletin Fall 2017

ST. GEORGE’S T H E B U L L E T I N O F S T . G E O R G E ’ S S C H O O L // F A L L 2 0 1 7

Welcoming

Alixe Callen O U R 12 T H H E A D O F S C H O O L

B

st. george’s school

//

WINTER 2015

ST. GEORGE’S FA L L 2 0 1 7

T HE B U L L E T I N OF ST. G E OR G E ’ S SC H OOL

F E AT U R E S

D E PA R T M E N T S

14 Things to Do

02 Letter from the Editor

What’s on your bucket list?

16 Geronimo Expands Horizons A two-year trip across the Atlantic, and back

20 Resume add: “Playwright” A life-absorbing theatrical challenge

24 Milestones to Remember A look back on two events for the history books

40 Welcoming Alixe Callen St. George’s 12th Head of School

03 Campus News 12 Faculty Essay 47 Alumni News 54 Class Notes 96 Student Essay 97 From the Archives

ON THE COVER 12th Head of School Alixe Callen

PHOTO BY KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

The St. George’s Bulletin is published biannually. It’s printed on 8pt Sterling Matte Cover and 70# Sterling Matte text by Lane Press, South Burlington, Vermont. Typefaces used are Antwerp, Brix Sans and Brix Slab. Please send correspondence to bulletin_editor@stgeorges.edu. © 2017 St. George’s School

OUR MISSION In 1896, the Rev. John Byron Diman, founder of St. George’s School, wrote in his “Purposes of the School” that: “the specific objectives of St. George’s are to give its students the opportunity of developing to the fullest extent possible the particular gifts that are theirs and to encourage in them the desire to do so. Their immediate job after leaving school is to handle successfully the demands of college; later it is hoped that their lives will be ones of constructive service to the world and to God.” As we begin the 21st century, we continue to teach young women and men the value of learning and achievement, service to others and respect for the individual. We believe that these goals can best be accomplished by exposing students to a wide range of ideas and choices in the context of a rigorous curriculum and a supportive residential community. Therefore, we welcome students and teachers of various talents and backgrounds, and we encourage their dedication to a multiplicity of pursuits — intellectual, spiritual and physical — that will enable them to succeed in and contribute to a complex, changing world.

A D R AG O N A LO F T Ted Bjerregaard ’18 ascends the mast of Geronimo.

stgeorges.edu

The Bulletin of ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL Robert Weston Associate Head of School for External Affairs Cindy Martin Associate Director of Advancement Suzanne McGrady Director of Communications & Marketing Quentin Warren Advancement Editor Susie Keller Director of Alumni Relations Jeremy Moreau Web Manager Dianne Reed Communications Associate Aldeia Design

02

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

BY SUZANNE MCGRADY

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

An Ever-Evolving Hilltop How wonderful it is to bear witness to this remarkable year at St. George’s. Our 12th Head of School, Alixe Callen, begins her first academic year on the Hilltop this fall and we are honored to have such a talented and engaging leader at the helm.

Board Chair Leslie B. Heaney ’92 welcomes Alixe to our community in her letter on p. 41 and you’ll learn more about Alixe and her family connections to St. George’s in our Q&A and story on p. 42. You may wish to keep an eye out for our upcoming events calendar as we plan a series of receptions across the country offering several chances to meet Alixe.

However, even if you cannot meet her in person, we plan to keep you all in the loop and look forward to writing about Alixe’s journey through her inaugural year at SG. Indeed today’s Hilltop is awash with compelling news that speaks to the vibrancy of our academic and afterschool programs — and to the talents and achievements of our students, faculty and alumni.

This past spring Geronimo wrapped up a blockbuster trip across the Atlantic and back that took students into ports throughout the Azores, Spain, Italy, Greece, the Canary Islands and the Caribbean. Opportunities for study off the Hilltop expanded with a new Technology and Innovation program in the Bay Area, offering both

students and alumni an opportunity to connect and exchange ideas. And a new program in Costa Rica had several of our students conducting scientific research in the rainforest this summer. Our ongoing global offerings also continue to thrive: Five St. George’s girls took part in our internship program at the famed Curie Institute in Paris in June (p. 34) and the Global Studies class traveled to Vietnam in March (p. 32).

All of these programs remind us of our students’ continuing desire to learn about and lend their talents to communities outside our own — and of the compelling value our students bring to businesses and nonprofits beyond our campus. They also remind us how our dedicated faculty, often with the support and encouragement of our Merck-Horton Center, continue to evolve their curriculum and teaching — and how teachers’ passions often compel students to discover their own.

Because of Chair of the Department of Theater, Speech and Dance Sarah Ploskina’s belief in the power of theater, our spring play, for the second time in three years, was written by two students (p. 20).

We also include in this issue a few memorable moments in our recent history we won’t soon forget.

This past year we watched with much admiration the rise to national notoriety of BJ Miller ’89, who gave a thoughtful and moving address during Dedication Weekend for the SG Academic Center (p. 28). And we also take a look back at the 2015–2016 history-making run of the Dragons football team (p. 24). Because the photo of Coach John Mackay on p. 27 says it all: It’s fun to celebrate St. George’s.

st. george’s school

//

Campus News

P H OTO S BY N A M E N A M E , N A M E N A M E

03

FA L L 2 0 1 7

IN 04 05 07 09

THIS SECTION Rios Conservatory Day of Giving Saying Goodbye Faculty Q&A

04 st. george’s school

Rios Conservatory brings life, inspiration to the Academic Center

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

The greenery is striking. Walk up to the second floor of the SG Academic Center, enter the glass-enclosed room on the south-facing side and you’re in a space remarkably different than the mostly earth-toned classrooms and atrium. The Rios Conservatory, formally dedicated on Feb. 17, 2017, contains a thriving plethora of plants, among them orchids, begonias, a bonsai, even a citronella plant from Lebanon donated by Elie Karam, father of Naji Karam ’20. An indoor koi tank bubbles with fresh water near the entrance.

Construction of the 325-square-foot conservatory was made possible by the generous donation of Victoria and Julio Rios, parents of Catherine Rios ’16 and Caroline Rios ’19.

“For our family the conservatory represents growth and growth brings life,” said Mrs. Rios, an artist. “Science was never my forte, however … the natural sciences are my inspiration in every piece of work I produce. I don’t have a green thumb unless paint is on it, but what I have is the ability to create and reflect the beauty of nature in my art.

What I find fascinating about this is the connection of it all — nature, science, art and imagination.”

Since its inception, the conservatory has offered a host of teaching and

learning opportunities, according to Head of the Science Department Bob Wein. “Students are in the conservatory all the time,” added science teacher Holly Williams.

“Some come to do homework in the peaceful atmosphere, others to rest, others to chat. Some come to work with plants.”

The Rioses, of Dallas, Texas, said they donated the conservatory to inspire others to give to St. George’s, as well as to serve as a source of inspiration. “Our hope is that the St. George’s community will take advantage of this great space and it will inspire knowledge, creativity and growth,” Mrs. Rios said.

Margaret Todd ’17 said she felt at home in the plant room. “Since last fall, it has become a place I know I can always go,” she said earlier this year, “whether to study for a test or to take a study break.”

The space, she said, has become a sanctuary — and a place for imagining possibilities. “I am very grateful, along with many others, that we now have a place like this easily accessible. I have always loved nature and the environment, and this room has provided me with the opportunity to explore what I want to do in the future.”

The Rios family: Catherine ’16 and Caroline ’19, and their parents, Julio and Victoria.

Gift made in memory of 2012 graduate A water station donated in loving memory of Kendra Bowers, Class of 2012, was installed in the main hall this spring.

The gift was given by Kendra’s parents, Katherine and Michael Bowers, along with Kendra’s sisters, Katiana and Kayla, “in memory of Kendra and in honor of the support that St. George’s and the Petersons have provided our family,” said Mr. and Mrs. Bowers.

Ever the optimist, Kendra was an ardent and enthusiastic champion of the environment, as well as a cheerful and inclusive classmate who shined as a member of the Snapdragons female a cappella group.

Kendra died in a skiing accident in February 2014. At the time she was a sophomore at the University of Vermont.

She was 19.

11th Head of School Eric Peterson, Katherine Bowers P’12, former Senior Associate Director of Admission Krista Peterson and Michael Bowers P’12

CAMPUS NEWS

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

St. George’s Day of Giving in April represented a remarkable display of loyalty and dedication to our school. More than 1,300 donors contributed to the effort, which raised more than $500,000. The totals well exceeded our goals, and the display of generosity and support from every segment of our community was both aweinspiring and affirming of the school we are today. From the school prefects gathering student donations in King Hall to the many people whom donors said they were honoring with their gifts, it was a special event that galvanized us all. Because, even more than the dollars raised, the widespread participation of the whole St. George’s community — alumni, parents, trustees, faculty, staff and students — showed a united front of Dragon Pride. We are deeply grateful for your gifts, your time and your love of SG.

st. george’s school

All In for St. George’s

05

“We were so pleased with the level of engagement and positive feedback we received over the course of the day. There is a lot of SG spirit out there!”

BOB WESTON, A S S O C I AT E H E A D O F S C H O O L F O R E X T E R N A L A F FA I R S

06

CAMPUS NEWS

SNAPSH O TS

Farm to (King Hall) Table

SGX PROGRAM Our SGx design-thinking program moved from pilot phase to full academic phase in December.

PREFECTS We welcome the 2017-18 school prefects to their new leadership roles! From left to right: sixth-formers Maddy Tregenza, Hannah Drechsel, Senior Prefect Hopie Carlson, Stuart Randall and Ben White.

From the coffee at the St. George’s Campus Grill to the baked fish in King Hall, St. George’s food service provider is embracing the “go local” culinary food movement. SAGE Dining Services uses local growers and producers whenever possible. Here are some examples of food items and where they’re arriving from …

Seafood: Foley Fish, New Bedford, Mass.

Breads and rolls: Calise Bakery, Cranston, R.I. Some yogurts and cheeses: Narragansett Creamery, Providence, R.I. Meats: T.F. Kinnealey, Brockton, Mass.

Milk: Garelick Farms, Lynn, Mass.

Coffee at the Campus Grill: Jim’s Organic Coffee, West Wareham, Mass.

Fruits and vegetables (via the Farm Fresh RI Cooperative): • Barden Family Orchard, North Scituate, R.I. • Schartner Farms, Exeter, R.I. • Confreda Farms, Hope, R.I. • Fresh Meadows Farm, Carver, Mass.

• Maplewood Farm, Portsmouth, R.I. • Steere Orchard, Greenville, R.I. • Wishing Stone Farm, Little Compton, R.I. • Wards Berry Farm, Sharon, Mass.

V E T E R A N FA C U LT Y S AY G O O D BY E

07

Dr. Wallace ends a long, illustrious career

“And now, it is time to show him our appreciation for his tireless and selfless dedication to the balance of our bodies, our minds and our spirits.”

MARIE DOUGHERTY HINMAN ’75

Following a 43-year career providing medical care and compassion to hundreds of St. George’s students, School Physician Dr. Robin Wallace retired at the end of the 2016–17 school year. Former Head of School Eric Peterson called Robin “one of the giants” of the faculty who has devoted his life to caring for others.

Born and educated in England, a Vietnam veteran and a longtime pediatrician at the Aquidneck Medical Center in Newport, Dr. Wallace was integral in establishing the modern health center we have today and elevating the importance of preventing, not just treating, illness.

Throughout his tenure on the Hilltop Dr. Wallace has also shown that his dedication to St. George’s and the care of its students extended beyond the Health Center walls. He was a dedicated supporter of St. George’s athletics, an enthusiastic

helper with the Christmas Festival, and a near fixture at music, theater and chapel events. In 1995 he was awarded the Helen Porter Dyke Chair for the Support of Students, presented to “a faculty member whose special care and concern for the health and well-being of students transcends daily labors and helps make St. George’s a nurturing community in which to grow and learn.” In 2010, Robin was inducted into the SG Sports Hall of Fame for his dedicated support of SG athletics as both a school physician and fan.

Dr. Wallace also holds nearcelebrity status among the local sailing community. A longtime race manager for some of the region’s most preeminent regattas, his passion for the sport drove him to co-found Sail Newport, one of the largest public sailing programs in New England.

FA L L 2 0 1 7

FORMER HEAD OF SCHOOL ERIC PETERSON

challenging students to reach their highest potential and for holding the line on St. George’s rigorous academic standards. A longtime champion of women’s rights, she was a stalwart advocate for female empowerment among both the faculty and students.

In 2010 Pat co-authored with Dr. Judith Owens a landmark study on adolescent sleep behaviors. The research, published by the American Medical Association in 2010, helped many schools across the country better understand how teenagers’ sleep patterns can impact their academic performance. The study resulted in St. George’s moving the start time of the school day from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Citing the convincing results of the study — students reported being more alert in class and eating and sleeping better — many schools followed suit.

//

“We all know that St. George’s wouldn’t be the place it is today without the work of Pat Moss.”

Following an extraordinary 29-year tenure at St. George’s, Dr. Patricia Moss, a dedicated steward of the school’s academic program, closed her final chapter on the Hilltop at the end of the 2016–17 school year.

Pat arrived at St. George’s in 1988. First hired as dean of academics and chair of the Latin Department, she rose to the highest ranks of the administration, serving as interim Head of School in the fall of 1998 when former headmaster Charles A. Hamblet and his wife, Carol, were on sabbatical. She was named assistant head of school for academic affairs upon the Hamblets’ return, and for two years served as director of academic research.

A scholar with a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Pat became known for

st. george’s school

Dr. Moss concludes her tenure

08

CAMPUS NEWS

st. george’s school

Dean Blanchard 1929-2017

OBITUARY

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

This spring we learned of the passing of one of St. George’s longest-serving faculty members, math teacher Dean Blanchard. Mr. Blanchard died on Thursday, June 8, 2017. He was 87.

Science Department Ted Hersey wrote of his friend’s remarkRecalled as “quiet and understated,” able 32-year-career, calling him both a “traditionalist and a as well as “thoughtful and kind,” Mr. visionary.” “While he had a … great awareness of the roots of Blanchard devoted his life to the St. George’s School, he was never negative about the changes school from 1962-1994. During his that times required of the place,” wrote Mr. Hersey, who died in 32-year tenure at St. George’s Mr. January 2016. Mr. Blanchard oversaw the dramatic expansion Blanchard was Head of the Math of the computer science curriculum at St. George’s, he added.

Department and held administraEnglish teacher Jeff Simpson, who joined the faculty in tive posts as Head of Scheduling, 1982, recalled that Mr. Blanchard, then Director of Studies, put Director of Testing and Director of him at ease when he was “a nervous young teacher with zero Studies. He also sat on several comexperience.” He had a “calm and kind manner,” Mr. Simpson mittees, including the Curriculum said. “I worked with Dean for 12 years and never saw him lose and Admissions committees and was an advisor to dozens of his temper, even when dealing with anger from others. He was students. His favorite sport was baseball, which he coached firm, conscientious, and principled, always for many years, along with several seasons the consummate professional.” of JV football. For 11 years, he also worked In his free time, Mr. Blanchard was a in the St. George’s Summer Program. Upon “passionate and talented cyclist,” according retirement, Mr. Blanchard was named the to Assistant Head of School for External C.P. Beauchamp Jefferys Chair and Head of Affairs Bob Weston, who worked as an the Mathematics Department emeritus.

English teacher across the hall from Mr. On the Hilltop Mr. Blanchard lived for Blanchard in the early 1990s. The two were many years in the Class of 1929 House on both Amherst College grads and someFaculty Drive with his wife Janet, who died times went on early morning rides together in 2011. The couple had two daughters: — Mr. Blanchard on a deep green bicycle Linda Blanchard Brandao, who passed he’d made by hand. On one 50-mile ride away in 1998, and Sandy Blanchard Joyal, ENGLISH TEACHER Mr. Blanchard talked about a few summers who now lives in Brooklyn, Connecticut. A JEFF SIMPSON he’d spent riding his bike from St. George’s graveside service for Mr. Blanchard will be to Martha’s Vineyard, where his wife, held at Wildwood Cemetery in Winchester, Janet, had a summer job. “He would get up Massachusetts, on Sept. 9, 2017, at 11 a.m. early on a Friday morning and ride his bike to New Bedford and The Rev. John Rogers, who served on the St. George’s factake the ferry; then he would do the trip in reverse on Monday ulty from 1976-1999, said Mr. Blanchard “personified patience, morning,” Mr. Weston said. discipline, and high standards in the classroom and on the ball Both Mr. Weston and Mr. Leslie noted Mr. Blanchard’s field.” Indeed, Mr. Blanchard was known for his quiet reserve, not-widely-known skills as “a meticulous craftsman” and “a though those closest to him say he had a self-deprecating fine woodworker and cabinetmaker.” “Whether with wood or sense of humor. Many envied his close friendship with fellow metal, Dean had a talent for making things,” Mr. Weston said. math teacher and famed football coach Alan “Porky” Clark. The Mr. Leslie reported that Mr. Blanchard crafted exquisite pieces two were known to meet in King Hall for breakfast, and “hold of furniture out of the discarded wooden organ pipes left over forth and discuss the pros and cons and ‘ought-to-be’s’ of life following the rebuilding of the St. George’s Chapel organ. in our school community,” according to longtime colleague Math teacher Julie Butler shared a mutual love of math Steve Leslie, Director of Marine Affairs and Head of the Science and Maine with Mr. Blanchard, which were catalysts for a Department emeritus, who retired in 2011.

28-year friendship. “He was a wonderful teacher and loyal In an article published in St. George’s alumni magazine friend,” she said. upon Mr. Blanchard’s retirement in 1994, former Head of the

“He was firm, conscientious, and principled, always the consummate professional.”

09

Learned Perspectives

You both taught four classes: two sections each of fourthand fifth-form English. Sounds like a lot!

BW: It was intimidating. Both used massive anthologies.

Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Chaucer — all great, but not works kids would curl up with!

BB: It took some creativity to really engage kids, so I learned a lot from others, especially Bob. We kept each other grounded.

How have students changed over the years?

BW: No matter the generation, students are adolescents.

They still have the same aspirations, fears and insecurities.

It seems to me that the now-constant presence of technology and 24/7 access to social media have heightened anxieties.

BB: I agree. The students have not changed really, but the complexities of the world around them seem more intense and immediate because of technology.

Q: How has the school changed over the years?

BB: We have many more females in leadership positions today. Academically, there is more room for collaborative teaching and student-centered learning.

BW: The school has evolved tremendously in a way in which I am proud to have played a part. We have been very intentional in creating new traditions (and eliminating old ones) with the goal of making the culture healthier and safer for our students. Our facilities have also come a long way in promoting a supportive and enriching environment — our students now live and learn in places that are more conducive to oversight, interaction and success.

Which leadership position at SG has been the most challenging? Rewarding?

BW: My role as Dean of Faculty was the most challenging, perhaps because I did it the longest (12 years), but it was an honor to serve my colleagues and to help the culture to be the best possible for teaching and learning. Today, as the school’s chief fundraiser, it is truly satisfying to

Each other’s greatest strength?

BB: Bob is devoted, committed, funny, moral, empathic, selfless. He’s a teacher at heart and to the core.

BW: Empathy and generosity are Beezie’s greatest strengths. She has a way of always putting others first and her capacity for empathy is truly remarkable.

Advice for new students and teachers?

BW: Students: Be patient, particularly socially. I know it seems like everyone has a best friend on the first day.

Take time to figure it out. Teachers: Listen carefully.

We often rush to provide answers and can miss important cues from our students.

BB: Students: Remember that everyone has a story.

Climb the chapel tower. Watch the full moon rise over the water. Teachers: Take a deep breath. You don’t have to know everything. Roll with adversity. Ask for help.

When graduates come back to campus, what do you ask them first?

BW: What they value most about their time at SG. BB: How and what they are doing. The best part of teaching is that your students move on and do really cool things.

Describe each other in a Tweet.

BB: Bob is an extraordinary human. Devoted and kind.

Witty and patient.

BW: Beezie’s secret talent is a killer lip-sync version of Aretha’s “Respect,” but she’s known by all as selfless, empathetic, generous of spirit.

Favorite book read this year? To teach?

BW: “The Financial Lives of Poets” by Jess Walter.

Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man.” BB: Ron Chernow’s “Alexander Hamilton.” Toni Morrison’s “Beloved.”

What would you most like to be known for?

BW: Helping kids to discover their best selves by being engaged, patient and thoughtful in my interactions.

BB: Helping students find their own kind of success in school.

FA L L 2 0 1 7

When did you meet?

BB: We were both new in the English department and felt an instant camaraderie. Bob has always been kind, friendly, and very quick-witted. We laughed a lot in the first year, which saved me.

BW: Beezie sensed I was overwhelmed in our first department meeting. She caught my eye with an empathetic (maybe sympathetic!) smile, and we were fast friends

//

Bob Weston (BW) and Beezie Bickford (BB) arrived on the Hilltop in 1990. They’ve remained loyal members of our faculty — and close friends — ever since. Here they share their thoughts on St. George’s today, along with some fond memories.

help someone understand the power of their generosity and the lives they can influence by sharing their philanthropy.

BB: Dean of Students was my first administrative position and the most challenging for sure, but I learned the most. I gained a great appreciation for the complexities of residential life.

st. george’s school

Q &A

10

CAMPUS NEWS

Prize Day 2017 st. george’s school

Graduates of the class of 2017 celebrate at Prize Day on May 29. Rozie Moylan ’17 was honored with the St. George’s Medal. Read the full story and list of prizes on our website.

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

11

PHOTO CONTEST

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

I

View more entries at woobox.com/ 5afwd5

12

FA C U LT Y E S S AY

BY D E A N O F AC A D E M I C S C H R I STO P H E R S H AW

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Homework at SG An ongoing conversation across the Hilltop in the last two years has centered on homework.

How much is right? Measured how — Time spent, number of problems or pages, or some other criterion?

W

ith seven applicants for every place, we enroll students with strong ability and demonstrated classroom success. Nonetheless, stressed students describe homework expectations as unrealistic, and teachers feel required to fit more content into fewer hours. In 2015-16, two committees — our Department Chairs and Teaching and Learning Committee — committed themselves to learn how the faculty views the purpose and process of homework and what the latest research tells us about the role of homework in intellectual development.

We know that during adolescence, which brain scientists say extends now from age 10 to 25, the prefrontal cortex (cognition, planning and executive function) develops well after the amygdala and nucleus accumbens (emotions, pleasure-seeking). A typical 15-year-old is physically predisposed to rank sensory gratification far above the delayed rewards of focused thought and book learning. What we blithely ask students to do in the evening, by themselves, presupposes their ability to create a study space conducive to solving quadratics, decoding Shakespeare and understanding the War of 1812. Consider, too, that students often begin these tasks at 8 p.m., after a full day of classes, sports, meetings, rehearsals and (hopefully) some time spent with friends. The neurological deck is stacked against them.

Like most schools, St. George’s had traditionally expressed homework expectations in terms of time.

Our academic guidelines stated that students should expect to spend 40 to 60 minutes preparing for each class meeting — more for honors and advanced courses.

Duke University Neuropsychologist Harris Cooper

has proffered a 10-minute rule: 10th graders can aim for about 100 minutes of homework per night, 12th graders about 120 minutes. He posits that any more time yields sharply declining effects. Stanford’s Denise Pope estimates that public high schools assign students, on average, one hour of homework per night, while collegeoriented, wealthier high schools assign 3.5 hours.

What if we were to define our expectations differently?

Reviews of the research literature by SG faculty Drs. Pat Moss and Tom Callahan indicated that high-school homework proves most effective when: • Students understand the reason for, and relevance of, a given assignment; • Students are strong self-regulators, that is, they can (and do) set themselves up for success relative to the hour, location and space in which they tackle assignments; • Teachers design homework to practice skills and recall knowledge already learned; • Teachers assess homework and use it as the foundation for the subsequent class; • Teachers explain the metacognitive context for work assigned — goals in skills and knowledge that the work is designed to support; • Students are given some choice about which homework tasks to complete.

These common-sense reminders are easier to understand than to implement, especially as students shift from middle-school worksheets and reports to college-level analysis and interpretation. Still, as a boarding school, we have latitude to challenge students differently, to focus on the content they find hardest, to learn how to work in teams. Last year, department chairs drafted guidelines by discipline to illustrate a fresh statement of “Why Homework?” specific to St. George’s.

We then reframed our expectations less in terms of

13 st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

quantity than in the quality and depth of how each of us best becomes an independent, collaborative, life-long learner.

Our revised homework expectations focus on what works, rather than time spent. They stress comprehension over coverage, and quality of preparation over quantity of pages read or problems solved. In a concluding note to students, the expectations state; “Focus on one task at a time, and plan regular breaks.

Devote the energy and concentration that your best work deserves; you place your name on it every day. In your notes, list specific questions to pose in class. Finally, protect your time for sleep!”

We look forward to seeing the results of this new guidance in the years ahead.

“Our revised homework

expectations ... stress comprehension over coverage, and quality of preparation over quantity of pages read or problems solved.”

DEAN OF ACADEMICS CHRISTOPHER SHAW

14

What’s on your bucket list?

When Yvette Zhu ’17 said in a chapel talk in April that she had a “bucket list for long- and short-term goals,” it made us wonder whether other students had similar lists of things they wished to accomplish or experience.

They sure do. Some were centered on experiences at St. George’s and others were focused further into the future. In fact one student we asked said he’d already crossed a few items off!

Tim Pozhitkov ’19 Vladivostok, Russia

• Grab a car and travel around the EU with close friends, stopping at cities that interest us

• Rent an apartment for a month in Paris, Tokyo and Nigeria to

fully immerse myself in the atmosphere of the different cultures

• Direct a film with Wes Anderson and Tim Burton, my childhood inspirations

• Write a TV series based on Slavic folklore

Isabel Meyer ’17

Maia Lineberry ’18

Locust Valley, New York

Lebanon, Connecticut

• Watch the sunrise on Cliff Field • Drive the small go-carts in Newport • Go surfing at Second Beach

• Give a chapel talk • Be in the Christmas pageant • Be in a club game

Krysten Palmer ’18 East Orange, New Jersey

• See the St. George’s Archives • Write an article for The Red & White • Start my own club here at SG. (“In my mind, it would be focused on body image appreciation. I think it is important for everyone to love the person they see when they look in the mirror. If I can contribute to someone’s happiness, confidence, and self-love, then I would feel accomplished when I graduate.”)

• Sing at an Open Mic night or karaoke night, just for the fun of it • Go into Purgatory Chasm (“I think in order to truly live I should do all the things that I am afraid of — and going into the chasm would be one of them.”)

Pa ris

15 st. george’s school

// SUMMER 2017

T he Nort

hern Lig

hts

Shivam Patel ’17 Towaco, New Jersey

• Visit every continent • Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro • Climb a mountain (Pyrenees) • Play live music to an audience • See the Northern Lights • Go bungee Jumping • Get published • Visit the White House* • Visit the Pentagon* • Learn a new musical instrument • Attend La Tomatina in Spain • Run with the bulls in Pamplona • Meet someone famous** • Fly in a hot-air balloon

* During St. George’s Rogers Scholars Program in Washington, D.C. ** Secretary Of Defense Ashton B. Carter; Dillon Danis, professional UFC fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu trainer for Conor McGregor; Idris Elba, actor and musician; Michael Strahan, media personality and former pro football player

st. george’s school

//

FA L L 2 0 1 7

17 st. george’s school

//

voyage Landmark Transatlantic

FA L L 2 0 1 7

comes to a

In home waters for the first time since 2015, crewmembers look back on adventures of a lifetime

close for

IT’S BEEN TWO YEARS SINCE Geronimo first sailed out of Goat Island on a 15,000 nautical mile journey across the Atlantic, throughout Europe, back to the Caribbean and up the East Coast to Newport. On Saturday, May 13, friends and family gathered on the docks at Fort Adams to welcome the boat and the final crew of the landmark trip back home. Close to 140 members of the St. George's community, from students and professional crew to faculty, staff and alums, participated in one of the legs of the trip — and it was a transformative experience for many.

18 st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

O

nce the journey began I felt fearless,” said Julia Ludwig ’18, took part in the 2016 spring trip, then again in the second transatlantic leg west from the Canary Islands to Grenada. “I was so happy that I made the decision to go. It was an experience of a lifetime and made me feel as though I could — and still can — do anything.”

Julie said the night watches were some of her most cherished experiences. “During this time we would all either have long conversations about our lives back home, gaze at the stars discussing constellations or play games and laugh so hard that it made the time go by in seconds,” she said. “I will never forget those long nights that I spent in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, whether they were calm, cold, or rainy. They were some of the most amazing moments of the entire trip.”

Fourth-formers Colin and Oscar MacGillivray have been dingy sailing and racing for about nine years here on Aquidneck Island and are members of the SG sailing team and a summer sailing team, but their trip on the second transatlantic leg on Geronimo was clearly an adventure of a lifetime. Both of their fondest memories involved swimming, which they only got to do twice. The first time was about halfway through the trip, when the boat was dead center in the middle of the Atlantic and the crew had a day with very little wind, recalled Colin.

“We were all so excited to finally jump in the water we had seen all around us for 10 days,” he said. “I jumped off close to the bow and it felt amazing to be completely submerged in salt water again. …

There was close to three miles of water beneath us and it was a little overwhelming to imagine. I jumped in four times.”

Oscar says he’ll never forget the first night they arrived in Grenada.

Everyone onboard was extremely excited, he said, and the mood overall was very high. “After dropping the sails and anchoring after 20 days at sea, our first priority was to go swimming,” he said. “I just remember going down to the bunkroom and getting our bathing suits and it had just hit me that we crossed an ocean! We all started freaking out and hugging …”

The next priority was eating.

“After [our swim], we had the best dinner I think we had that entire trip,” said Oscar, recalling a mahi curry made with a prize fish the crew had caught a couple days before. “I remember just staring at Grenada and anticipating going on land. But that night was probably the best moment on the trip for me.”

Overall, Captain Mike Dawson said this two-year journey marked many milestones for the Geronimo program. Most of all, it helped the school reach its longtime goal of giving the opportunity to sail and study aboard the boat to more students. Fourteen student crews were able to participate and well

Clockwise from top left: Aboard Geronimo on the 2015 fall trip from Spain to Greece; sailing into the Saronic Gulf en route to the Greek city of Corinth; cheering on the Salernitana soccer team in the Italian city of Salerno; Geronimo crew trekking high above the fortress town of Monemvasia in Laconia, Greece. Opposite: Geronimo anchored off Monemvasia on the eastern edge of the Peloponnese.

“I was so happy that I made the decision to go. It was an experience of a lifetime and made me feel as though I could — and still can — do anything.”

19 st. george’s school

JULIA LUDWIG ’18

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

FALL 2016: Spain to Canary Islands, Sept. 16–Oct. 21 LATE FALL 2016: Canary Islands to Eastern Caribbean, Nov. 18–Dec. 8 WINTER 2017: Eastern Caribbean to Puerto Rico, Jan. 3–25; Jan. 31–Feb. 23 SPRING 2017: Puerto Rico to Rhode Island, April 1–May 13

over 100 students sailed on at least one leg of the voyage, according to Captain Dawson. In the 40-year history of the program, Geronimo had sailed across the Atlantic twice (in 1987 and in 2000) — to Spain and Portugal in the summer and then back to this side of the Atlantic that same fall. “However, she never passed into the Mediterranean and only spent about two months in mainland Europe,” he noted.

In planning the recent transatlantic trip, Mike and former Head of School Eric Peterson had several

goals in mind: “The route was chosen based on weather and the time of year,” Mike said. “On that route, the ports were chosen to maximize the cultural and historical exposure to our students. When in port, our focus became immersing ourselves in the culture of the countries we visited, making genuine connections with locals, learning about the history and exploring the natural world.”

Among the many highlights of the epic journey, Mike said the energy of the crew closing in on

Grenada and traveling throughout Greece stand out in his mind.

“Four of our student crews were really able to dive deep into the culture there, meet lots of interesting people and experience the history as we traveled around the country,” he said.

But when it comes to “epic,” sailing out of the Strait of Gibraltar “off the wind making 10-plus knots, with Europe to our north and Africa to the south,” also was high on his list. “It was a surreal moment,” he said.

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Script The Other Side of the

For students with strong acting skills, an assignment:

Now write a play

The query came in the winter of 2016. Daisy Mayer ’17, then starring in the school’s production of “The Wiz,” was approached by Chair of the Department of Theater and Dance Sarah Ploskina and asked if she would like to write a play.

With some trepidation Daisy decided to say yes — and so began a journey that took Daisy and her chosen collaborator and close friend

Anna Rittenhouse ’17 into the complex and heady world of writing for the theater.

Titled “Exodus,” Daisy and Anna’s play was performed May 17-20 with a cast that included the playwrights as well as Bochu Ding ’17, Nurzhan Jandosov ’17, Eva Killenberg ’17, Timofey Pozhitkov ’19, Naya Ramtahal ’18 and Avis Zane ’17 — all of whom are credited with helping to devise the final script.

21 st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Daisy Mayer ’17 (top) and Anna Rittenhouse ’17 co-wrote and acted in the spring play, “Exodus.”

22 st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

t

he work writing the play began last fall.

Though Anna and Daisy had taken some time researching different topics, eventually they were inspired by a book suggested by a former faculty member called “Boy Erased” by Garrard Conley, which recounts Mr. Conley’s boyhood in Arkansas as the son of fundamentalists who enroll him in gay conversion therapy. The book has gained major attention both inside and outside the LGBTQ community for its honest and thought provoking look at homophobia, religion and familial love. (In fact, The Hollywood Reporter reported on June 21 that Focus Features has acquired the rights to “Boy Erased” and that writer-director Joel Edgerton will adapt the memoir into a feature film starring Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman.)

T H E SUBJECTS IN THE BOOK were things both Anna and Daisy became passionate about exploring. Daisy spent the fall after-school program season researching and writing. She watched TED talks and reached out to those speakers, authors and scholars. She interviewed several of them, including Mr. Conley, researched biblical stories, talked to clergy members and basically “took a long time developing the characters.” She and Anna would meet on Monday nights, she said, to discuss ideas and the plot line.

During that time, Daisy said she also kept what she called “an imagination journal,” a huge collection of notes — from the book, from the interviews — and drawings of possible sets. “With a lot of colors,” she added. “I’m a colorful person.”

By the end of the fall, Daisy had written 20 pages of the script.

“Then Ms. Ploskina told me to put it down,” she admitted. “I needed to come back to it with a fresh mind.”

So Anna, coming off a busy season of varsity field hockey, took the winter to work on writing scenes while Daisy rehearsed for another leading role, this time as Harry in “A Very Potter Musical.”

FOR T H E PL AY W R IGH T S , the project was “a roller coaster” of emotion, but also a remarkable evolution of their talents, interests — and outlooks on the future and society. Both said they “took risks.” Daisy took her first stab at directing and Anna eventually decided to play a lead role in the play, Deborah. “She’s a very adventurous character and I kind of wanted to try something sort of wild at the end of my senior year,” said Anna, a trained dancer who took part in many theatrical productions while at St. George’s, but who never played a character in such a central role.

A native of Ellenwood, Georgia, Anna came to SG from the Dekalb School of the Arts outside Atlanta. She’d gone there for dancing and percussion and found she also enjoyed acting. When she arrived on the Hilltop, she imagined she would change things up.

“When I came to SG I wasn’t really planning on doing much in the arts because I wanted to try a bunch of new things,” Anna said. “But the arts community here is just so welcoming and unique. I really wanted to be a part of it.”

She tried out for “West Side Story” in her sophomore year. “And that was such an amazing experience,” she said. Afterwards she continued to stay involved in the theater program.

DAISY HAD NEVER TAKEN AN ACTING class before she arrived on the Hilltop from Greenwich, Connecticut, though she started singing and doing recitals and shows in the second grade. “I remember my first audition here for ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show.’ I told Ms. Ploskina I hadn’t acted before, but she was like, ‘OK, Daisy …’ I ended up taking a bunch of acting classes and doing as much as I could: all of the musicals and two of the plays.”

When she was applying to colleges last year Daisy said she was auditioning to act. “But I think this project has really broadened my view of theater. I realized doing this that I really like directing and writing plays.”

ANNA RITTENHOUSE ’17

FA L L 2 0 1 7

“The arts community here is just so welcoming and unique. I really wanted to be a part of it.”

23

//

A S T HEY LOOK BACK on their experiences as playwrights, the two are grateful they took on the challenge. Anna said she got the response from the audience that she wanted because she just wanted to make people think. “I didn’t want to make people think a certain way or react a certain way,” she said, “I just wanted them to think about it and react to it. Essentially for me that’s what theater is supposed to do — just draw some emotion out of the audience. I think we definitely did that with a lot of people.”

Anna enters Washington University in St. Louis this fall as a biomedical engineering major, but also will take some acting classes. “I definitely think the play process has given me the courage to explore that side of me,” she said, “rather than just sticking to what I want to do as a career.”

Daisy will take a gap year and begin classes at Barnard College in 2018.

In the end the two said they each took an emotional journey of their own.

“I think I’ll remember this because I pushed through a lot of things that I thought I wouldn’t be able to push through,” Anna said, “and I’m really proud of myself for that, honestly. And I had help from Daisy and Ms. P and the whole cast. That’s just such a touching experience to be able to push through a huge barrier with the help of friends.”

Daisy said: “I learned a lot. I came into this process really angry with the people who had done these things, but I’ve learned that they were doing it out of love and that was their way of showing their love.

“I learned to sort of honor them for their way of doing it,” she said, “but I won’t allow them to do it. I can’t just be angry at them.”

st. george’s school

Her curriculum choices also allowed her to expand her talents. “In my Dramatic Lit class we were also writing plays and I’ve discovered I like that a lot more than acting.

I would have never discovered that if hadn’t [taken that class],” she said. “You know, it’s like you need someone to push you into that — and support you in that.”

The debut of “Exodus” came two years after the groundbreaking presentation of “Behind the Hills,” an original play about the Rwandan genocide by Catherine Farmer ’15 and Laurie Germain ’15. Anna was a member of the cast and both Daisy and Anna said they were inspired by their predecessors’ accomplishments.

As with “Behind the Hills,” when “Exodus” was finally staged, a few key choices the playwrights had made — in crafting the whole experience, even the set — turned out to be even more powerful than they’d expected.

In “Exodus,” actors periodically delivered their lines from atop a tall box in the center of the stage.

“Because it was more exposing to have them stand up above everyone in full view. Kind of vulnerable and intrusive,” Daisy said.

Secondly, Anna suggested having the audience members sit right up on the stage during the productions. “We just kind of grew to love the idea because [in the real-life story], everyone who is in the program is living there.

They’re submersed in it 24 hours and we wanted the audience to experience some of that as well.”

Lastly, they also did a Q&A between the actors and the audience following each performance. The experience was jarring — and satisfying.

“The Q&A is what I remember most,” Daisy said.

“You’d see people crying or distraught. And some of the questions they were asking … It was obvious they were really paying attention.”

24

MILESTONES

T O

R E M E M B E R

st. george’s school

A Historic Run

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Revered 20-year coach John Mackay pulled together a group of boys in 2015 that ranged in height from 5-foot-2 to 6-foot-3 to become the winningest team in Dragon history

“Because you only play once a week, there’s nothing better than a football game because of the excitement and the buildup to it — and the euphoria when you are successful.”

F O OT B A L L C OA C H J O H N M A C K AY

25

FA L L 2 0 1 7

days before the game, everyone seemed on edge. That is until Dave LaMountain ’17 stepped in at QB to help the team win the contest 40-12.

Kody and Dave had been teammates in their middle school years in West Warwick, Rhode Island, and the duo were a boon to the team all season.

And there have been many stars to note in the past two years, not the least among them Isaac McCray ’17, who graduated this spring as the football team’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards (5,051), rushing yards (3,361), total touchdowns (58), return yards (1,351) and scoring (358 points). Isaac heads to Bryant University this fall to play for the NCAA Division I Bulldogs.

//

In 2016, the team lost only one game and earned yet another trip to a bowl game. And while they lost that game, there was no doubt the team had struck gold in those years.

The Newport Daily News emblazoned one of the front pages in its sports section in 2015 “The Year of the Dragon.”

The depth of the teams was significant, noted coach Mackay.

It seemed as though if a player was down, there was another player who could step in and get the job done. Witness that 2015 bowl game against Pingree. When word spread through the community that star quarterback Kody Greenhalgh ’16 had been injured in a practice just

st. george’s school

When the St. George’s football team takes the field this fall, it will be following an historic two-yearrun of unprecedented success: The team went undefeated in 2015, winning the ISL championship, then outpacing Pingree to earn the Kevin Fleming Bowl on Nov. 20, 2015, at a fan-packed Gaudet Field in Middletown, R.I. In addition more than 800 Dragon fans from across the country listened in to the radio broadcast of the game. (An archived recording is available at localsportsproductions.com/ondemand).

It was the first time a St. George’s football team had ever won a bowl game and the winning season electrified the campus.

26

MILESTONES

T O

R E M E M B E R

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Following the 2015 season Coach John Mackay, who joined the faculty in 1997 and who has seen his share of losses, was modest about the team’s success. “We didn’t do anything differently,” he said.

“I think it was just a bunch of things that came together. First of all, the kids — and the fact that we stayed relatively healthy, and this group of seniors who have been in the program and really bought in from day one.”

Early on in that year, he added, “They really started to believe they could do this.”

Coach Mackay, who came to SG following a 13-year stint as head football and lacrosse coach at Peddie School in New Jersey, has earned high praise from his players, who say they know he loves football, but he never puts the game highest in his priorities.

“Coach Mackay puts the players first,” Isaac said. “And a coach’s support is major.”

Isaac, who’d already earned attention as a football player at Middletown High School, was compelled to attend St. George’s because of the academic and leadership opportunities (he later became a school prefect). He joined the football team, undiscouraged by the fact that the team hadn’t won a game in years.

“One of the most memorable times here was my freshman year when we played Brooks,” he said, noting it was the third game of the season. “It was the first win in three years for a lot of the players. I saw tears of joy, and I just felt proud to be part of that.”

Kody said his favorite game of the 2015 season was the Friday Night Lights game against Roxbury Latin on Oct. 23. In particular, right before half time. “There was one second left in the half,” he recalled. “I pitched it to Isaac; Isaac pitched it to Jim Stevens, and Jim pitched it to me in the end zone.”

Dave LaMountain said the emotion in the locker room at the half was overwhelming — and indicative of what the team was really all about. Rox-Latin had scored two quick touchdowns to start that game. “Most teams would’ve just folded over,” he said. “It was really different for us. We all knew that we were a good team. We all looked at each other and we trusted each other and we just knew we could come back.”

Remembering a great friend and coach

Coach Ron Miller 1941–2017

The ever-friendly and devoted member of the Dragons coaching staff for 11 years, football coach Ronald Miller, died on June 24, 2017.

Coach Miller helped lead the varsity team to an ISL championship and undefeated season in 2015 and the junior varsity team to an undefeated season in 2014.

He will be remembered as a great friend of the school and a loyal and passionate supporter of our student-athletes.

St. George’s will dedicate the 2017 football season to Coach Miller.

27

“They really started to believe they could do this.”

F O OT B A L L C OAC H J O H N M AC K AY

28

MILESTONES

T O

R E M E M B E R

st. george’s school

Academic Center Dedication Alum delivers captivating talk

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

DR. BJ MI LLER ’8 9 , was the featured speaker during a milestone weekend for the school in late February 2016, which also included the formal dedication of our impressive new Academic Center.

BJ, a palliative care specialist in San Francisco who sustained devastating injuries during his sophomore year at Princeton, captivated the audience Friday night, Feb. 26, with his intellectual and creative ruminations on human suffering and end-of-life health care.

“It was one of the best [talks] I have attended — both in and out of St. George’s,” said Toreali Kurmanov ’16. “In addition, Dr. Miller proves that SG alumni are some of the most motivated and inspirational people out there.”

More recently, BJ was a guest on Oprah Winfrey’s “Super Soul Sunday” program, and he was featured in a New York Times Magazine article, “One Man’s Quest to Change the Way We Die,” on Jan. 3, 2017.

At the dedication ceremony of the Academic Center on Feb. 27, 2016, two standout students were asked to speak. Dean of Academics Christopher Shaw called Jiwoo Seo ’16, now at Carnegie Mellon, and Dejania Cotton-Samuel ’16, now at the University of Pennsylvania, students who “truly mined the depths of our curriculum in both math and science.”

Dee said she and her fellow calculus classmates spent evenings “taking up entire walls solving antiderivatives and preparing for tests.” She and other students in Microbiology recharged panels for their solar-powered microscopes in the building’s east-facing windows — and in her Honors Bio class she learned about photosynthesis firsthand in the AC’s Rios Conservatory.

“Being here in the Academic Center has really proved to me that there is no limit to curiosity,” she said.

BJ’s talk, our annual Dent Lecture, is available on our Vimeo channel: vimeo.com/stgeorgesschool

29

TO R E A L I K U R M A N OV ’16

st. george’s school

“It was one of the best [talks] I have attended — both in and out of St. George’s.

In addition, Dr. Miller proves that SG alumni are some of the most motivated and inspirational people out there.”

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

st. george’s school

LEARNING

outside

//

CLASSRO FA L L 2 0 1 7

Rush hour in Hanoi, Vietnam

OFF-CAMPUS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS ARE EVER EVOLVING

As the school continues to nurture relationships with alumni and businesses across the globe, students benefit from dozens of opportunities to travel and learn outside the classroom from experts in a variety of industries — from political communication to scientific research.

During the March break, the Global Studies class traveled to Vietnam; our Rogers Scholars got an insider’s view of professional life in Washington, D.C.; a group of students participated in our ongoing exchange program with VERSLO in Iceland, and 10 students took part in a new tech and innovation program in San Francisco.

Earlier this summer two groups of students traveled to Europe, one group to Paris and the other to Madrid, to participate in our global cultural internship program, GCIP, while other science-minded students journeyed into the Costa Rican rain forest to study the habits and habitats of leafcutter ants.

Add to that a Geronimo program that over the last two years crossed the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and returned through the Caribbean and you have a truly global and forward-looking curriculum.

FA L L 2 0 1 7

OOM

//

the

31 st. george’s school

G

32 st. george’s school

“More than half of the world’s population lives in Southeast Asia. Within that region, Vietnam represents a rapidly developing nation that features elements of a rich ancient heritage, a lingering colonial past, and modern international partnerships, all the while remaining socioeconomically divided, particularly between urban and rural communities. Students who took the Global Studies Senior Seminar had a tremendous opportunity to examine the processes of globalization through numerous lenses when they traveled to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in 2017.”

GLOBAL STUDIES TEACHER JAKE WESTERMANN

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Why

Vietnam?

Sixth-formers Ramsay Everitt, Caroline Billyard and Hayley Doneghey meet a local family who live on a vegetable farm in Vietnam.

GLOBAL STUDIES

H OT TO P I C S Sixth-form Global Studies students researched a number of topics for their academic year-end reports.

Some examples: • Mia Del Rosso ’17 researched and analyzed the negative impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and saltwater intrusion, on the Mekong River Delta; • Avis Zane ’17 authored a report titled, “Vietnam's Mercurial History with the LGBTQ Community, and the Effects on the Country's Legal, Social and Economic Status”; • Isaac McCray ’17 wrote his report on “Vietnamese Labor Regulations: On Paper and in Practice”; and • Nicole Temple ’17 researched the historical influence and cultural implications of the Vietnamese education system.

Tunnels, where they experience firsthand how the Viet Cong were able to so effectively evade and withstand French and American forces throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s. Later they visit a local family who raise crickets and own an organic vegetable farm. While trying some fried crickets, the students hear the family’s personal story. Later in the day they tour the Reunification Palace.

• The group receives a special tour

of the Phu My Hung Development Corp. and their award-winning Saigon South District of Ho Chi Minh City, spend the morning at the Lawrence S. Ting School to discuss global issues with Vietnamese students, visit a factory that produces speakers, and eat dinner with a Vietnamese journalist who covers international affairs.

• The group travels southwest toward

the Mekong River Delta, where they spend the day in the Ben Tre province. They visit a factory for the production of bricks before getting on the water and making their way past fish farms, other forms of aquaculture and coconut processing plants. Later on, they visit the

• The group visits the War Remnants

Museum and a Taoist Temple, and then heads out on a cyclo tour through the city. Later in the day, they travel to the art studio of Lee Minh Chau, an Agent Orange victim who is the subject of the popular documentary, “Chau, Beyond the Lines.” After sharing his inspiring story, Mr. Chau fields questions and presents the students with one of his paintings. In the evening at dinner, a group of 20 Vietnamese teens, who all recently gained acceptance to an American boarding school, are eager to chat with our students.

• A final leg of the trip in Hanoi

includes a visit to the Viet Duc Hospital, the largest surgical center in Vietnam, which teacher Jake Westermann calls “an eye-opening experience.” The students meet the hospital’s chief of septic surgery, the hospital director, the chief nurse and five others from various clinics within the hospital. Later, dinner is a guided food tour along the streets of Hanoi's Old Quarter.

• At the end of their trip, the St.

George’s group is hosted by officials at the U.S. Embassy and later visits the community center at the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, an Australian charity working in Vietnam with children in crisis.

FA L L 2 0 1 7

• The students visit the Cu Chi

home of a traditional Mekong River Delta family and take a trip to a rice processing facility, where they observe how the grain goes from its plant form to white rice.

//

T R AV E L H I G H L I G H T S • On March 11, after a 5 a.m. departure and approximately 20 hours in the air, with a pit stop in Dubai, the students arrive Vietnam, meet their guide, Tin, and check in to their hotel. Afterwards, they have a group dinner, family style, at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant.

st. george’s school

The 16 St. George’s students who took part in Jake Westermann’s Global Studies Senior Seminar in 2016-17 traveled to Vietnam in March to visit the country and meet the people they’d been learning about all year. Throughout the trip, Jake shared highlights of their experience with those of us back home.

33

34

GLOBAL STUDIES

st. george’s school

//

In Paris,

FA L L 2 0 1 7

learning beyond expectations St. George’s relationship with the world-famous Curie Institute is a major boon for students interested in science SIX OF OUR TALENTED female science students were just the latest to benefit from St. George’s association with the world-renowned Curie Institute, the cancer research center established in 1909 by the noted physicist and chemist Marie Curie.

Since 2011, more than 30 SG students have studied in the labs at the Parisbased Curie as part of our Global Cultural Initiatives Program (GCIP), developed and overseen by Director of Signature Programs Allison de Horsey.

This year rising sixth-formers Lila Burns, Rose Cheng, Sophie Coolidge, Beste Engin, Maia Lineberry and Irem Tural each had the chance to work in Curie’s research facilities.

St. George’s is the only U.S. high school with such a relationship with the Curie and our program puts students side-by-side with professionals working on the cutting edge of cancer studies. “Our students are immersed in the world of research — using techniques and performing experiments they’ve learned about in their science courses,” Ms. de Horsey said.

For Beste, the program provided invaluable learning opportunities. “This two-week internship has been one of the most amazing experiences in my life,” she said. “The Curie Institute has provided me with substantial and beneficial skills for my future in the medical world.”

Irem said she learned not only new information, but also new skills at the Curie.

“The researchers are not going to explain everything because they are so busy,” she said. “In order to understand the material in depth, you have to learn to not be afraid to ask questions. It is an important skill to have and I would not have learned so much if I hadn’t asked about as much as I did.”

Several of the girls also said the

experience was a good test of their interest level in the field. “I’ve been able to see the complexities of neuroscience up close,” Maia said. “I’ve always been interested in neurology and being able to see the building blocks of the field, as well as the research that goes into the neuroscience, has solidified my passion.”

In turn, having American students in their labs has offered unique opportunities to the Curie’s researchers. “Working with our students gives them the opportunity to explain their work in English, share their passion and inspire the next generation of scientists,” Ms. de Horsey said.

Jacqueline Legras, the Curie’s program coordinator of the training unit and hospital training group, said our students have earned her respect and admiration. “Once more it was a pleasure to welcome these six students motivated by science,” Ms. Legras said. “We are glad to hear that they learned a lot … and that they lived a new experience in our labs.”

This year SG’s relationship with the Curie continued to grow and expand. Our first graduate returned to the Curie for further study. Lilly Scheibe ’15, now a student at Yale University, spent two months working in the labs at the Curie this past summer.

And on June 27, more than 20 Young Principal Investigators from the institute arrived on the Hilltop from Paris for a retreat at St. George’s.

Plans are to continue this valuable program with the Curie, which our student interns say has been a highlight of their St. George’s experience.

“This opportunity has allowed me to deepen my love for science and my passion to learn more about the biology world,” Lila said.

Top: Lila Burns ’18, along with classmates Maia Lineberry, Beste Engin, Rose Cheng, Irem Tural and Sophie Coolidge, in front of the Curie Institute. Right: Lila Burns ’18 and her lab mentor, David, conduct a DNA purification lab at the Curie Institute in Paris this summer.

35 st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

36

GLOBAL STUDIES

Research in the

st. george’s school st. george’s school

Rainforest

// // FA L L 2 0 1 7 FA L L 2 0 1 7

THE RESEARCH expedition was offered through Seeds for Change Inc., a Minnesota nonprofit whose mission is to enhance bioscience education for high school students and to create more sciencerelated careers. The program is affiliated with the leafcutter ant research being undertaken by Dr. Cameron Currie at the University of Wisconsin and tropical field research being conducted by Dr. Adrian Pinto of the University of Costa Rica.

SG alumna Beth Hunt ’83, now a chemistry teacher at St. Paul Academy and Summit School in St. Paul, Minnesota, helped to connect SG to the project. She joined the students in Costa Rica on one of their last days to lead a discussion at Horizontes Research Station.

Delving into their research, the students learned how to identify different types of ants, how to find their colonies, how to collect their colonies, and how to keep them in the lab in order to run experiments,

the teachers reported. Working in groups of four, the students then came up with a research question related to the leafcutter ant, and created a hypothesis and experiment based on that question.

In addition to reports they made in Costa Rica, they’ll present their research when they return to St. George’s in the fall.

“This opportunity was really exciting because the students had the opportunity to create and run an experiment of their choosing,” Dr. Wein said. “They had some initial research and practice with structured directions, but then were left to pick something that interested their group.”

The students then had to design the experiment and execute it according to their own design.

“This design-based format is something our students see in the labs at SG,” said Ms. Ducharme, “but it was really impressive to see them apply those skills to real life questions in the field in Costa Rica.”

Participating students were: Caroline Benson ’19, Michael Bergdolt ’18, Caroline Billyard ’17, Victoria Boatwright ’17, Clayton Carter ’19, Spencer Dellenbaugh ’19, Christopher Elwell ’19, Wyatt Fogg ’19, Liliana Froehner ’20, Lana Gaige ’20, Isabelle Kitchel ’19, Vivian Li ’19, Hutch Myers ’17, Anna Rittenhouse ’17, Madison Tregenza ’18 and Zach Villamin ’18.

37 st. george’s school st. george’s school

Sixteen science-minded students got to conduct some high-level scientific research in the Costa Rican rainforest June 6-17, thanks to a new global studies offering supervised by science teachers Bob Wein and Devon Ducharme.

// // FA L L 2 0 1 7 FA L L 2 0 1 7

Students kept a blog at stgeorgescostarica. blogspot.com

38 st. george’s school

Washington, D.C.

// FA L L 2 0 1 7 Read more about this signature program, designed and organized by a number of our loyal alumni in honor of former history teacher and faculty emeritus William S.R. “Robin” Rogers ’44, on our website: stgeorges.edu

Ten students got an insider’s view of Washington, D.C., during our bipartisan Rogers Scholars Program in March. It was a packed itinerary that included meetings with political strategists, lobbyists, fundraisers, campaign organizers, politicians, journalists and top military personnel, along with visits to the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon.

D.C.: Students participating this year were: Nicholas Browne ’17, Will Rogers ’18, Nico Menconi ’19, Stephen Thompson ’18, Shane Conlon ’17, Morgan Sailer ’18, Rose Cheng ’18, Haley Baldwin ’18, Mary Winters ’18 and Chloe Li ’17.

San Francisco

39

GLOBAL STUDIES st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Iceland

During one part of our new Tech and Innovation Program in San Francisco, students met with Tom Wang ’89, now the chief product officer at Turo, an internetbased car-sharing service. They also visited Google headquarters and took part in a design-thinking workshop at Stanford.

San Francisco: From left to right, Angel Yang ’18, Tom Wang, Charlotte Maerov ’19, Director of the Merck-Horton Center Tom Callahan, Eva Killenberg ’17, Sophie Coolidge ’18, Oasis Zhen ’17, Margaret Todd ’17, Max Thompson ’18, Yvette Zhu ’17, Mark Niu ’17 and Director of Signature Programs Allison de Horsey.

Iceland: Michael Martin ’20, Sam Klyver ’20, Maia Lineberry ’18, Rachel Lu ’19, Ainsley Weber ’18, Kasamba Amiri ’20, Sean Krupa ’20, Madeline Colbert-Muetterties ’19 and Lekha Sapers ’20 in Iceland in March.

Welcome

A LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIR

41

I am so pleased to welcome our 12th Head of School, Alixe Callen, to the

T

he Search Committee had three criteria: an innovative and visionary academic leader who would inspire our talented faculty, administrators and staff; someone who would empathize and connect with our varied constituencies and continue to foster a healthy, vibrant and safe community at St. George’s; and a leader who would be a strategic steward of our great school’s many assets.

In the end, there was a singular candidate who met those criteria in abundance: Alixe Callen.

Alixe is a brilliant educator who has devoted her career to fostering the academic success and personal wellbeing of her students. In addition to a personal record of academic excellence, she has a rich and impressive background in both public and private school leadership.

Alixe comes to us from Lakeside School in Seattle, where she was the Upper School Director.

Alixe is a graduate of Milton Academy, and holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brown University, where she was mentored by education visionary Ted Sizer. She also earned a master’s degree and a doctorate from Harvard, where she assisted with graduate-level courses in secondary school design, school reform and school leadership.

Earlier in her career, Alixe was based in Massachusetts, serving as the principal of ActonBoxborough Regional High School and assistant principal at Needham High School. Before that, she and her husband, Ace, and their sons, Zander and Miles,

lived on campus at Middlesex while Ace served as assistant director of admission.

Since the announcement of Alixe as our 12th Head of School last December, Alixe has been working closely with Eric Peterson and our school administrators and Board to assure a smooth transition on July 1. I know that Alixe is looking forward to getting to know all members of our St. George’s family as soon as possible.

St. George’s is a school that is both steeped in tradition and committed to innovation and preparing our students for the future. We have much to be thankful for from the foundational work of Eric and Krista Peterson — engaged and motivated students, state-of-the-art facilities and programs, such as the new Academic Center and SGx, and remarkable and dedicated faculty members. This issue highlights two such faculty members — beloved, long-time administrators Bob Weston and Beezie Bickford (see page 9). Bob and Beezie have both dedicated their lives to the school for a combined 51 years. We are so very grateful to them for their incredible work and unwavering service and devotion to our school.

In short, in this issue we celebrate the St. George’s of today while looking forward to a future ripe with possibility. I am thrilled that Alixe will lead us during our exciting next chapter.

Sincerely,

Lesl ie B. Hean ey ’9 2 Chair of the St. George’s Board of Trustees

FA L L 2 0 1 7

and her tenure has begun.

//

Hilltop! We are delighted that Alixe and her family are now on campus

st. george’s school

Dear St. George’s Community,

42

st. george’s school

//

FA L L 2 0 1 7

ALIXE CALLEN HEAD OF SCHOOL

43

Tell us about your path to and in school leadership. Which jobs have you held previously that best helped you learn about students and the ways schools work?

Which ones helped you build your philosophy on leadership? I have known literally since I was in nursery school that I would be a teacher.

I love everything about school — learning new things, the connection between teacher and student, the rhythm of the year. I often tell students that I have two favorite days each year — the first day of school and the last. It has always been a given that I would spend my life in schools.

I was given an amazing opportunity right out of college to help start a high school in Sedona, Arizona. I was part of the team that helped design and open the community’s first public high school.

Through that experience I learned that while I really liked being a classroom teacher, what excited me most was school leadership.

Having the chance to help plan the

curriculum and develop the school’s culture made me realize that what I really wanted to do with my life was to lead schools.

In keeping with my love of all things school related, I then applied to the doctoral program at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, and subsequently spent seven years there. I learned a ton about school leadership, completed meaningful scholarship, served as a Teaching Fellow for a number of different professors and programs, and was an editor of the Harvard Educational Review. Those seven years were a gift to myself, a chance to spend time thinking about leadership in rigorous and exciting ways. My husband and I also started our family while I was in grad school.

Both of our boys were born during those seven years. As a woman trying to balance the needs of work and family, this turned out to be an excellent decision. Once my course work was finished, my schedule was quite flexible. As a result, I was able to spend lots of time each day with

my boys when they were little. My older son, Zander, who was four and a half when I finished, referred to my dissertation as my “invitation.”

After completing my doctorate, I spent another year at home with my boys, working part-time as a consultant. But I really had the urge to return to schools. In 2004, I was named assistant principal at Needham High School outside of Boston. I spent four years at Needham, doing all of the traditional work of an assistant principal — discipline, student support, teacher

FA L L 2 0 1 7

A Q&A WITH OUR 12TH HEAD OF SCHOOL

//

Alixe Callen

st. george’s school

Welcoming

44 st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

“I am honored and humbled to be asked to serve as St. George’s next Head of School. Throughout the search process I have been impressed by each and every person I have met. The chance to lead this highly professional faculty is a tremendous opportunity. To do so with the endorsement of a dedicated and supportive board is icing on the cake.

Honestly, I am just excited to get going!”

1 2 T H H E A D O F S C H O O L A L I X E C A L L E N , I N H E R A C C E P TA N C E L E T T E R TO T H E S T. G E O R G E ’ S B O A R D O F T R U S T E E S

evaluation. After that, I was named principal at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School. The five years I spent at AB were incredibly rewarding. I learned a ton, and thought I would be there forever.

However, over the course of the nine years that I worked in public school administration, I saw the number of federal and state mandates increase multifold. I found that I was spending most of my time responding to the outside demands of testing and reporting, as opposed to enacting my own vision. I became increasingly disillusioned. When a head-hunter called and encouraged me to apply for the position of Upper School Director at Lakeside School in Seattle, my husband and I decided that it was time for a family adventure. With that, I made the leap from public to independent school education.

Much of my philosophy, however, is derived from my time in public schools. I originally became a public school teacher because of my commitment to equity, to the belief that every child should have access to the kind of high-quality teaching and learning that I had experienced. That commitment remains. And in fact, I find that as an independent school leader, I have lots of opportunity to advance equity. In addition, throughout all of my experiences, I have tried to offer students the kinds of connections with adults that I have benefited from over the years.

Tell us about working with Ted Sizer … In what way(s) did he influence your thoughts on education? Can you share an anecdote about witnessing the power he had as a communicator of ideas and vision? Most of my work with Ted Sizer was at Brown, though once he retired from Brown, he returned to Harvard (where he had been the Dean of the Graduate School of Education many years earlier). I had the opportunity to work with him again as a teaching fellow there.

In 1984, Ted Sizer started The Coalition of Essential Schools, a school reform organization that was based at Brown. He laid out nine Common Principles that he believed should drive the work of schools and teachers (a 10th Common Principle was added about 15 years later). As an undergraduate, I worked for the Coalition, initially making copies, typing envelopes, and greeting visitors. Over the years, however, I was granted access to more highlevel conversations about schools and education. I was also lucky enough to be able to enroll in, and ultimately serve as a teaching assistant for, Ted’s courses. What was amazing about Ted was that he practiced what he preached. I was simultaneously given the opportunity to hear about the ideas he promulgated, while regularly seeing them in action.

I gave a eulogy for Ted during a small service that was held at Brown

after he died in October 2009. One of the anecdotes I related was that in an email to me shortly before his passing, his wife Nancy referred to Ted as “this humble man.” That captured him perfectly. Humility was his essence. It was what made Ted, Ted. And through this innate trait, he demonstrated to all of us whom he taught to teach that humility is what makes a great teacher. Because it’s not about teaching, it’s about learning. It’s not about the teacher; it’s about the student. No matter how inconvenient. And when he tilted his head just so, silently prodding us to think — I think that’s what he was telling us.

In terms of coursework, programs and/or campus life, what opportunities do you see — or hope to see — opening up for independent-school students in the years ahead? I think education is in a period of huge flux. No longer can schools and teachers simply parlay knowledge. With every fact now available at students’ fingertips, our job is to teach students what to do with that content, how to use it, how to think. As a result, classrooms need to be student-centered, with kids engaged in actual work. This requires a fundamental rethinking of what it means to be a teacher. Instead of simply sharing what we know, we need to provide kids with various tasks and projects that allow them

45 st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

to build their skills in the areas of problem-solving, critical thinking, and communicating. In addition, we know that the so-called “soft skills” will be very necessary for success in the upcoming decades. Accordingly, students need to learn to work together, to communicate across cultures, to self-regulate, to be creative, and to make decisions.

In the past, these skills have been taught indirectly, if at all. That must change. We have to model, teach and assess those skills, just as we do academic ones.

I love the fact that St. George’s recognizes that learning is not confined to the classroom. Oftentimes, the best way to develop all of the skills discussed above is through experiential learning.

Whether it be spending time on Geronimo, or doing an internship in another city, or engaging with people from other cultures, our students need opportunities to extend their learning beyond the Hilltop. One challenge over the coming years will be to ensure that all of those

experiences are available to every SG student, regardless of their ability to pay. We cannot offer a two-tiered program, where students with more means have more opportunities than those with fewer means.

Where did you grow up and what were some of your passions as a girl/teenager/college student?

Which ones endure? I grew up in Bedford, New York, a small town in northern Westchester County. I have a wonderfully tight-knit immediate family, as well as extended family.

My grandparents lived down the street, and were very involved in my life. Those familial connections have endured throughout my life.

My sons are very connected to their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, just as I was and am connected to mine.

While I had lots of opportunities available to me, I spent much of my childhood with my nose in a book. I began volunteering at the local public library in third grade. And really, beyond my family, reading has been

the most prominent through-line across every period of my life.

Even today, I always have at least two books going — one fiction and one nonfiction — which I read before falling asleep each night. In all, I usually read about 70-80 books a year. One of my favorite questions to ask of people is what they are reading, a question my husband hates because it usually leads to more books stacked on my bedside table. And if you’re curious, I am currently reading “Swing Time”

by Zadie Smith, and “The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton” by Jerome Karabel.

Imagine your husband and sons are away and you have no obligations, no pressing work and nowhere you have to be for an entire afternoon.

Where would we find you? Curled up with a book. If it’s wintertime, it’s in front of a blazing fire. Summer — out in the sunshine. A new habit is to listen to books on tape while going for long walks. (Addicted, I know!)

46 st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Head of School Alixe Callen has

Dragons in her family Alixe Callen arrived on campus July 1 she became just the latest in her family to enter the Main Drive to a new home. In fact, four of Alixe’s relatives on her mother’s side of the family lived at and graduated from St. George’s: her great-grandfather, Johns H. Congdon ’03 (above); her grandfather, James B. Congdon ’41; her great uncle, Charles B. Congdon ’40 (inset); and her uncle, James B. Congdon Jr. ’66.

By all accounts Johns H. Congdon ’03 was a charismatic student and talented athlete. He played third base on the St. George’s baseball team and fullback on the football team and won the Powel Prize, for excellence in athletics, at graduation.

According to papers in the Rhode Island Historical Society, Mr. Congdon had entered the oil business after his graduation from

Yale University in 1907. He worked for the Vacuum Oil Co. for 14 years, much of the time in Hong Kong and Cape Town, South Africa. When the Vacuum Oil Co. merged with John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Co. in 1933, Mr. Congdon became a member of its first board of directors and served until his retirement in 1947. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Congdon and his wife lived in Hewlett, Long Island, New York, and once he retired they moved to Little Compton, R.I., where he was active in community service until his death at age 79 in 1965.

Alixe’s grandfather, James B. Congdon ’41, leaned toward interests in current events and politics. He entered St. George’s as one of six boys in the second form and was a member of the Civics Club during all of his five years, serving as president of the

club in his sixth-form year. He was also a prefect and executive editor of the Red & White that year. The Rev. William A. Buell, who in 1926 founded Camp Ramleh, our summer camp for underprivileged children from Newport County, must’ve found great character in James, who served as a student counselor for more than one summer. Mr. Buell, who later became the sixth headmaster of St. George’s, in time considered “Jimmy” to be his “right-hand man” at Ramleh, according to Archivist Val Simpson.

Like his father, James also attended Yale.

He served in the Pacific as an officer in the Navy during World War II. Around the time of his 20th reunion from SG, Mr. Congdon was elected a member of the Alumni Council. He died in January 2007.

st. george’s school

//

47

FA L L 2 0 1 7

Alumni News

Dr. Gita Reese Sukthankar ’87, a professor of computer science at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, was the recipient of this year’s John B. Diman Award, St. George’s highest alumni honor.

IN 48 54 55 97

THIS SECTION Alumni in the News Class Notes Memorial List From the Archives

48 st. george’s school

The Covered

//

Runner

FA L L 2 0 1 7

For Afghanistan-born ZAHRA ARABZADA ’15, running isn’t just an outlet for exercise; it’s an outlet for activism.

ALUMNI NEWS

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Blog: thehijabirunner.wixsite.com/hijabirunner Facebook: facebook.com/thehijabirunner/ Instagram: @thehijabirunner

st. george’s school

s part of an effort to encourage other Muslim women to pursue a healthy lifestyle and to challenge misconceptions of Muslims by other groups, Zahra is spending her summer training for a 38-mile road race in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on Sept. 16.

“One of the biggest realizations I have had in life was hearing and truly accepting that women are actually capable of running or having the same rights as men,” said Zahra, now a student at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Recently she joined the Afghanistanbased Free to Run (F2R) organization, whose mission is “to use running, physical fitness and outdoor adventure to empower and educate women and girls who have been affected by conflict.”

The idea to encourage other Hijabi women to exercise has been on Zahra’s mind ever since she started running as a sixth-former on the St. George’s cross-country team. A college fellowship is helping her realize her dream. This year Zahra was one of just two students to receive the Cohen Fellowship from the Centennial Leadership Center at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. “The fellowship is basically a way for me to work on my own project, which I have been thinking about and designing since I started running at SG,” she said.

She has three objectives for the project: to maintain a blog about her training, to speak at various sports clubs and events, and to work with organizations within her hometown of Konduz in northern Afghanistan.

Zahra came to St. George’s after having attended the School of Leadership Afghanistan in Kabul, which was created to promote gender equality in the nation.

Through the school she connected with Marian Smith ’76 and began to think about attending a boarding school in the United States. Her early schooling was kept a secret from neighbors in her hometown – as well as many of her relatives because Afghan girls are discouraged from pursuing a formal education.

“Running is a means to address some of the topics that are hard to address — and will make the conversation easier,” she said.

49

“One of the biggest realizations I have had in life was hearing and truly accepting that women are actually capable of running or having the same rights as men.”

ZAHRA ARABZADA ’15

50

ALUMNI NEWS

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Collaborating with Google Jason Okonofua ’04, now a junior psychology professor at UC Berkeley, has caught the attention of none other than technology giant Google with his latest research on racial disparities in school discipline.

This fall, in collaboration with Google’s education research and evaluation group, Jason will launch an online program for more than 100 middle school teachers in several U.S. southern states to inspire them “to check their biases against African-American students before meting out punishment.”

“Teachers are more likely to see black children as troublemakers, and kids who have more suspensions are less likely to go to college and enter top-tier workplaces,” Jason said in an article published by Berkeley.

“My goal is to reverse the downward life trajectory that starts with suspensions and expulsions,” he said.

Google first became interested in Jason’s work last year when, as a postdoctoral fellow at Berkeley, he oversaw a similar online program for about 30 teachers in five California middle schools. The program, which involved reading student testimonials about their relationships with teachers, among other materials, is credited for halving suspensions in those schools, the university reported.

Similar issues have been the subjects of Jason’s research for some time.

After graduating from St. George’s, Jason earned bachelor’s degrees in African American studies and psychology at Northwestern University in Illinois, where he studied the psychological repercussions of juvenile detention.

At Stanford, where he earned his Ph.D., he co-authored a study in 2015 that found that teachers discipline black students more severely than their nonblack counterparts.

Preparations for his latest “teacher empathy intervention” started in March of this year, with his research team reviewing school disciplinary records and attending meetings with Google’s education research and evaluation group at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, California.

“I’m really excited by the possibilities of collaborating with Google’s education team on an innovative way to disrupt discipline problems and the schoolto-prison pipeline that hinder black and Latino children from learning the foundations of math and science,” Jason said in the Berkeley article. “Together, we can potentially enhance equity in education outcomes and, in turn, equity in the workplace.”

YOUNG ALUMNI TOP NATIONAL LIST St. George’s has not just one but two alumni on Forbes magazine’s prestigious “30 Under 30” list. Both Will Mason ’08 and Caroline Guenther ’10 earned coveted spots on the 2017 list, which recognizes outstanding innovators in a number of industries.

Will, who co-founded UploadVR Inc., made the list in the media category.

Forbes editors praised Will and his business partner for their cutting-edge work in helping to grow and support the virtual- and alternate-reality industries.

“VR is no longer just for the tech savvy,” the editors noted. “[UploadVR is] focused on media, coworking and education.

Along with its online publication, UploadVR also runs an incubation space at its headquarters in San Francisco, where more than 40 companies operate and collaborate. Editors also noted, “Thousands of people take part in its online education program — partnered with Google, HTC and Udacity.”

Will joins another Dragon on the Forbes list: Caroline Guenther ‘10, who made the list in the manufacturing and industry category.

The Forbes editors credited Caroline with helping to save her company millions when they named her to their “30 Under 30” list. Caroline, now a resident of San Francisco, is an integrated business planning manager at Cisco Systems

ALUMNI NEWS

An alumna shines a strong light on black contemporary artists – and steps into the spotlight herself

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Top: Will Mason ’08 Bottom: Caroline Guenther ’10 (center) with Women in Leadership Club heads Tilly Peck ’18, Oasis Zhen ’17, Isabel Meyer ’17 and Topher Hopper ’17.

Stylish Solidarity

st. george’s school

Inc., where she manages Cisco product families that amount to a total of about $2 billion in value. “She’s also worked to improve forecast accuracy, which has enabled the company to save millions in supply-chain costs,” the magazine noted.

The list, which Forbes claims is harder to get on than the admission acceptance list at Stanford or Harvard, highlights the accomplishments of those who even early in their career “have found a way to stand out above the rest, whether by designing new processes, developing new materials or inventing new technologies that help America make things and get stuff done,” writes Forbes editor Joann Muller.

Caroline has a particularly global perspective on manufacturing. In 2008, she served as a summer intern at the China Desk of the U.S. Department of State and she has spent time working in Pakistan with the Central Asia Institute, which helps establish schools in rural areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

While enrolled at SG Caroline spent her fifth-form year in China with the School Year Abroad program. She returned to campus in March for a talk, organized by the Women in Leadership Club, about her career and recent experiences.

51

There she is with Solange Knowles in Palm Springs in April … or wait, is that her in that fullpage photo in Essence magazine, Note to music fans: Earlier this year, in the Woke 100 feature, honoring Kimberly interviewed Alicia Keys for a cover story in Glamour magazine: “the women who are blazing trails glamour.com/story/alicia-keys-cover-story for equal rights and inclusion for Black people in America”?

With her enviable signature style and strong sense of aesthetic, St. George’s alumna Kimberly Drew ’08 has become one of the “it girls” in New York, making major waves in the contemporary art scene and beyond.

Now the social media manager for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Kimberly is, simply, all over the place in the celebrity art and music world.

She was featured in the March edition of Vogue magazine as one of 18 “Women in Art, ” which was photographed by noted multimedia artist Lorna Simpson in her Brooklyn studio. Of her subjects, Ms. Simpson wrote: “They don’t take no for an answer. They are creative visionaries whose passions and work have shaped the cultural landscape.”

Now Kimberly is working on her first book, currently titled “Black Futures” with Jenna Wortham, an award-winning journalist for The New York Times Magazine.

How did she get where she is today? After St. George’s, Kimberly received her bachelor’s degree in art history and African-American studies, with a concentration in museum studies, from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She then worked as an intern in the director’s office of The Studio Museum in Harlem.

Soon after that, she created the Tumblr “Black Contemporary Art,” and became the person behind @museummammy on Instagram and Twitter. Tens of thousands hang on her every post, which often feature her heroes — and her stylish wardrobe.

52

ALUMNI NEWS

st. george’s school

Beth Larcom ’16

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Miracles on ice St. George’s scores a Harvard hockey twofer

“The hockey season couldn’t have gone better. I got some decent playing time, and learned a lot along the way.”

Frédéric Grégoire ’16

FRÉDÉRIC GRÉGOIRE ‘16

P H OTO BY G I L TA L B OT

T

he St. George’s hockey program made Dragon history last year when it sent not just one, but two players to skate for the Harvard Crimson.

Beth Larcom ’16, a Middletown, Rhode Island, resident who grew up watching her older brothers play hockey, then joined in, became the Crimson women’s team’s rookie goaltender this past winter — and she had a stunning debut.

Beth wowed the crowd and coaches, setting a Harvard record for saves in a freshman year: 203. She logged a shutout win against Union College on Feb. 10 and four ties in eight appearances in the net.

Meanwhile forward Frédéric Grégoire ’16 played in five games for the Crimson’s during the 2016-17 season.

Freddy, of St. Lambert, Quebec, scored his first goal as a member of the Harvard squad on Jan. 20 in a game against Brown University. It was the first goal of the game, which Harvard went on to win 3-0.

“The hockey season couldn’t have gone better,” Freddy said. “I got some decent playing time, and learned a lot along the way.”

The Harvard men’s team went all the way to the Frozen Four, won their league and won the 65th Annual Beanpot Tournament in Boston.

54

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

BECOME A CLASS CORRESPONDENT! See an empty place where your class column should be and want to see it filled?

Reconnect with old friends? Rally the class for your next reunion? Contact the Alumni Office at 1-888-CALL-SG or ClassNotes@ stgeorges.edu.

1946

//

David H. Couch, 3970 Red Rock Way, Sarasota, FL 34231, P: 941-924-0079, dc-mlc@ verizon.net ■ Editor’s note: Our best wishes go out to Class Correspondent Dave Couch, who is recovering from hip surgery. Dave, we wish you a speedy recovery and look forward to updates on the Class of 1946 in the next issue.

FA L L 2 0 1 7

1940/41

1947

1942

1948

Please contact the Alumni Office at 1-888-CALL-SG or ClassNotes@ stgeorges.edu if you would like to volunteer to serve as class correspondent.

Phillip F. Thomas, 114 Longcroft Road, Winchester, VA 22602, P: 540-486-4167

1943

Peter M. Ward, 137 Hollow Tree Ridge Road, Unit 1222, Darien, CT 06820, P: 203655-3117, F: 203-656-0141, pward@ chadbourne.com ■ Howard Crosby writes: I retired after 31 years of service in the U.S. Navy. After getting settled in a new house, I became a professional volunteer.

I drove all over New Hampshire and parts of Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts as part of the University of New Hampshire’s Marine Docent Giving Program giving talks on marine topics in schools and to volunteer organizations. I volunteered at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, New Hampshire, taking students and adults along the rocky shore to teach them about plants and animals. I volunteered in archeology at Strawberry Banke Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I also served on the New Castle (N.H.) Planning Board. As of this writing I am 90 and enjoy looking back on my life as a “professional volunteer!”

1944/45

Please contact the Alumni Office at 1-888-CALL-SG or ClassNotes@ stgeorges.edu if you would like to volunteer to serve as class correspondent.

The Rev. Jonathan L. King, 257 Franklin Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ 07481, P: 201-891-9275, jlking340@aol.com

Peter O. C. Austin-Small, 159 Tuckie Road, North Windham, CT 06256, P: 860-465-9441, paustinsma@aol.com ■ Leading off, Peter Blank emailed, “All is well with me. I’m keeping busy doing volunteer work at church and at nursing homes. The latter was inspired by daily visiting my middle son who was nearly killed in a drinking and driving accident over 30 years ago.

He has been in a facility ever since. ■ “I did take a break a while back to visit with Peter Jr. and his family in Japan. He went there as a missionary and now teaches at a Christian academy in Tokyo. Peter and his wife, Ikuko, took me on a tour of the temples, shrines and other sites in the old imperial capitals of Kyoto and Nara as well as in Yokohama and Tokyo. As a fine arts college student, it was a great joy! ■ “Can you believe next year will be our 70th reunion? I hope many of us can attend.” (Ed: Echo that!) ■ And a good email from Don Gunther: “Precious little ever occurs in sleepy McLean, Virginia, therefore, I cannot provide any news of earth-shaking events. As we progress in years, we are as well as can be expected: Perhaps even better. ■ “Family is great.

Son Mark has retired from Exxon-Mobil after spending 35 years everywhere except the U.S.A. (and mostly in the third world.) They have opted to spend their aging years in Big Sky, Montana. I dare you to find it on a map.” ■ And another good email from Stevens Heckscher now living in Haverford, Pennsylvania, close by where your class correspondent went to college: “I am now in my third career. The first was

as a professor of mathematics for 20 years at Swarthmore College. Then for about 25 years I served as a plant community ecologist for a conservation organization, applying mathematics via computer algorithms to the analysis and mapping of vegetation on protected areas, doing land-management and teaching graduate students. My third is as a theologian. I am presently in the very final stages of bringing out a theological biography of a remarkable churchwoman, and initiating a project on cosmological Christology. I am a spiritual director and teacher helping my parish church to recover from the effects of the terrible controversies that have torn the Episcopal Church apart in recent years. In addition, botanical photography, astronomy (I have two telescopes), birding, fly-fishing and music (recorder, harmonica, voice) are keeping me busy. ■ “My wife, Florence, died in 2012. My five children are distinguishing themselves in scholarship and medicine and in providing me with grandchildren.

■ “Greetings to All!” ■ And yet another email from Larry McKibben: “I have just returned from a joyous family reunion in Richmond, Virginia, to celebrate the 100th birthday of my aunt Rebecca Padgett. She is remarkably lucid, an amazing raconteur of a century of history. ■ “My wife, Jacque, is an artist and lover of opera, so upon retirement we moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2000. During winter months I spend quite a bit of time in El Paso, mostly to play golf, a great way to keep fit.

We travel fairly frequently to visit family on the West Coast, and occasionally to Alaska. ■ “My professional life included many experiences abroad. I spent three years in Peru on a Stanford project to establish a Graduate School of Business Administration (ESAN) and four years in Thailand on a Ford Foundation project to develop a Graduate Development Administration (NiDA). Both institutions have flourished. Following these ventures, I served as Dean of Business at Wichita State University (four years), The University of Oklahoma (15 years), and Washburn University (10 years).

Much of my focus at all of these was on international business and development.

Many short-term assignments to consult and to evaluate United Nations and U.S.

CLASS NOTES

C. Jackson Shuttleworth, Jr., 230 Windward Court North, P.O. Box 621, Port Jefferson Village, NY 11777, P: 631-331-6098

1950

John T. Bethell, 59 School Street, Manchester, MA 01944, P: 978-526-1104, john.bethell@ verizon.net ■ “Our lives have been busy and interesting,” writes Howard Crowell.

“Took a trip on the Mississippi River and visited New Orleans last fall, and followed that up with a visit to Cuba in early December. If you haven’t been to the New Orleans World War II Museum, check it out. Well worth a day’s visit.

Our ski trip to Colorado in February was terrific as usual, and it really is great when you are old enough to ski ‘free’ and have a condo owned by your kids in which to rest the old bones between runs on the slopes. We will have been to the Florida Keys for a Mote Marine Laboratory board meeting in May, and plan a trip on the Snake and Columbia Rivers in July. Life in our Glenridge retirement community here in Sarasota, Florida, is anything but

Francis C. Forbes ’37, March 20, 2017 W. West Frazier ’40, March 13, 2016 John M. Ocker Jr. ’47, Jan. 2, 2017 Charles R. Cummings ’49, June 12, 2017 J. William Powdrell ’52, April 1, 2017 Clarence L. Roberts, Jr. ’52, May 26, 2017 Frank B. Kimball ’53, Dec. 10, 2016 William F. H. Chapman ’55, Feb. 9, 2017 James R. Draper ’56, March 11, 2017 Richard M.W. “Chip” Benson ’61, June 22, 2017 H. Harrison Wulsin ’66, March 26, 2017 Robert D. Gardner ’70, Feb. 14, 2017 Samuel C. Tattersall ’71, March 3, 2017 Minot A. Frye ’74, May 2, 2017 Frederick S. Holmes III ’75, Feb. 6, 2017 Walter S. Pullar III ’75, June 10, 2017 Deborah B. Berg ’83, Dec. 18, 2016

COMMUNITY Bob Parker, Former Faculty, 1969-1980, Dec. 25, 2016 Deb White, Former Faculty, 1994-1998, Nov. 26, 2016 Dean Blanchard Jr. Faculty Emeritus, June 8, 2017 Isabelle H. Penny P’76, ’80, Sept. 30, 2016

‘retired.’” Howard and Sally have a new email address: hcrowelljr@gmail.com.

■ Mike DaCosta moved from his apartment in Barcelona, Spain, to a residential care facility in the summer of 2016. His daughter Patricia told us at the time that “he hasn’t got any major health problems, simply his mobility is greatly reduced.”

We’ve been unable to reach Mike by email.

■ Sad news from Jerry Ford, who writes that “2016 was a rough year for me. My sister Sally died, and in September my wife of 41 years, Betsy, also died. She had been suffering from Alzheimer’s. I am still doing my architecture. Most of my work is fixing or changing buildings that I did earlier. This year I will get a new hip, knee and shoulder!” ■ Jack Hopkins, who has faced a series of health issues in recent years, sends a brief thumbs-up: “We are doing pretty well. How about you?” ■ “I’ve previously described our Danube River

FA L L 2 0 1 7

1949

MEMORIAL LIST

//

at windmills (one of my favorite college courses was a great books course and particularly Cervantes’ “Don Quixote”), writing memoirs and other stuff (I belong to The Memoir Club on the campus of The University of Connecticut where my wife, Linda, is the parish administrator at the Episcopal Church’s St. Mark’s Chapel), and belong to, but do not attend often, two monthly men’s luncheon/breakfast clubs near where we used to live in Guilford, Connecticut, with the second related to St. Mark’s Chapel. ■ “Last time they, or we checked in, on all four children, three sons and a daughter, and five grandchildren, ages seven to 12, were fine and more or less doing their things. As a few of you may know, our daughter, and our oldest, is autistic, severely mentally handicapped and living in a group home — one of the reasons we now live in this part of Connecticut near where she lives. I could write on, as I often do, and bore you to death but let me stop and say, ‘Come to our 70th next year! It will be fun and interesting, too.’ And it will be great to get together!”

st. george’s school

Development programs in many countries. ■ “Current affairs in the Middle East, especially Syria, are most distressing. I counseled a number of projects in Damascus in the 1970s and 80s, a time when things were relatively peaceful and prosperous. To see the turmoil and devastation that has occurred recently is heartbreaking. ■ “We should all be thankful to be Americans. With all our faults, our opportunities are great. ■ “With so much world travel behind me, I am content now to travel domestically.” ■ And now a class note from Bill Outerbridge: “The high point of the past few years came in 2012, when a draft of a paper on the geologic structure of eastern Kentucky bounced back from “Southeastern Geology” with an offer to publish it as is! I called it back for peer review, and sent it back for publication. ■ “The low point came in 2015.

Dorothy had had lung cancer, then bowel cancer. We thought we had licked those, then pneumonia killed her in three days.

A good marriage has no good ending, but I thought that they showed bad taste in sending a solicitation for a donation to the hospital building campaign on the day she died. Still a bit irritated.” (Ed: Couldn’t agree more.) ■ Another good class note from Wes Rich: “Still above the ground!

Wonders never cease to surprise me. All is well but I have had to quit golf (bad knees).

Maybe I’ll make it to 88. My youngest son is an Episcopal priest in East Greenwich and has the church there so I get to SG about once a year. Stay well!” ■ And almost lastly a class note from George Roberts: “After 30 years in Washington and the rest of the time banging about the world with the Foreign Service, Zara and I returned to Philadelphia for 25 years in a very comfortable house. Five years to today we have been in a retirement community not far from where we were living. We are enjoying life seeing our kids from time to time, acting in play-reading sessions, watching baseball games and looking out the window. Life is far better than we deserve.” (Ed: I doubt that, George.) ■ All right, Peter Austin-Small’s turn. “Stevens even remembered my two middle names. Now our oldest son and older grandson share the glory? We are all fine if a bit at sixes and sevens some days. In my current career I am a house husband, do some gardening and such, tilt

55

56

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

trip on Viking River Cruises in April 2016, plus a couple of days in Prague,” writes Ted Hussey. “Since then, Asheville, Atlanta and Charleston are as far as we have ventured.” He adds, “Even in the wilds of Augusta, they have Uber, which makes it possible to dine downtown at monthly Torch Club meetings. I find driving at night is not a great idea now. Nancy and I fly to California in June to attend the high school graduation of our youngest granddaughter, Megan, a scholar-athlete headed to Concordia University Irvine on a full ride.”

■ From Jay McLauchlan: “Sara and I had a fun visit to Dublin, where her niece and the niece’s Irish husband have a unique luggage business. Much walking and visits to the new city library, Maritime Museum, Archaeological Museum, Trinity College and great pubs. A side trip to Dingle, which I had visited in 1966, was a delight.” ■ As reported in our previous column, Ted Tansi has been rehabbing after an auto accident in the spring of 2016. “I am still in an independent facility and doing quite well,” Ted wrote in March. “The doctors say my crushed pelvis has healed, but not as it normally should have. I will have discomfort (pain) for the rest of my life.

Because I have only one kidney, I cannot take any drugs for relief. I am still in good spirits and go by taxi to a poker facility to play no-limit Texas Hold’em five days a week.” Ted now lives in Naples, Florida; his email is tedtansi@gmail.com. ■ From Kent Turner: “I’m certain that under the coming new leadership, St. George’s School will continue to be in very good hands. Best wishes to all!” ■ “Both Nancy and I are arthritically well!” writes Charlie Watson.

“Florida climate and one-story living sure do help. We recently had a chance to see Krista and Eric Peterson. They deserve enormous credit for the contributions they have made to St. George’s during their tenure. We are sad they are leaving.

1951

Mitchell Pierson, Jr., 14 South Street, Pittsford, NY 14534, mitchpierson@gmail.com

1952

Carl H. Grashof, III, Bellingham Retirement Community, 1615 E Boot Road, #B108, West Chester, PA 19380, P:

610-429-2073, realseller@aol.com ■ Time flies as we whisk into our mid 80s and our 65th reunion is suddenly upon us as our ranks thin to a precious few.

So many stalwart members have left for finer pastures, leaving us with only fond memories of their outstanding contributions to our splendid class. It took 64 years for another SG football team to go undefeated while it was almost an expectation during our four-year tenure. Jerry Ford was our outstanding coach for three of our four years and his lethal no-huddle single-wing offense created havoc to our opposition. ■ Marita and I have sold our beloved log cabin on 5.7 acres of secluded woods, which included a barn and pasture for three horses. Our health got to the point where it was too much work to keep up with the necessary upkeep so we are now settled at Bellingham in Apt. B-108, West Chester, PA, 19380, and our new phone number is 610-429-2073. I’m delighted to have a 3 1/2 mile paved trail to exercise my dog, even if I have to settle for less due to inclement weather and arthritis, which has settled in as age takes its toll.

We are youngsters compared to our neighbors who mostly get around on mobilized scooters or walk with a cane. Many of them are in their 90s and veterans from World War II. I sing in three choirs, two as a tenor and one as a baritone. It keeps me busy and out of trouble, you might say. ■ I can appreciate how difficult it may be for many of you who find it difficult to maneuver as you once did. Old age has a way of curtailing activity we used to take for granted. ■ Barry Sloane remains one of the most caring members of our class, keeping in touch with us all. I will always treasure his magnificent speech at Jack Doll’s funeral. Barry’s grandson Andrew Lynch ’14 is a very active alumnus of St. George’s and I will always remember him filling in for Barry and reading the speech Barry had prepared for the baptismal font service in the chapel. ■ I checked in with Tod Shields and his lovely wife, Carrie, and they are both in great shape. You may recall Tod was honored in Washington, D.C., for his heroics in the service and he mentions his dad was a Navy pilot and also in the Olympics back in the early 1900s.

Fame runs in the family I guess and it’s my pleasure to report their heroics. In our time it was commonplace for most of us to

serve our country and we did so with distinguished honor and Tod and his dad are simply good examples of a job well done.

1953

William C. Prescott, Jr., 557 Smith Neck Road, South Dartmouth, MA 02748, P: 508-992-6330, wprescott@ wheelerschool.org ■ Tony Booth writes that he and Barbara sold their motor home and retired after 23 years of RVing.

Barbara is a member of PEO so they will be taking advantage of PEO B&Bs. (I should know what PEO stands for, but perhaps you all will!) They are both active and healthy, and with three kids in three of the four corners of the U.S., they are still doing some traveling ... And yes, they plan to attend our 65th Reunion in 2018. ■ Speaking of reunions, this year will be my 60th at Harvard, and I have been asked to write a lengthy essay for a Reunion Book, which the class will be publishing. Having now written it, I hope it doesn’t put to sleep anyone who is brave enough to read it! (SG and Harvard classmate Scott Dills and I have commiserated about our 60th ... Don’t know whether he will venture east from Seattle.) ■ I keep missing Harry Fisher when I solicit class notes. Guess what?

He seems always to be traveling! I did get a note from him not long ago that he had, in fact, visited SG. I hope it was at a time when he could see the new Academic Center, but I can’t remember if that was the case ... Probably not the only thing I can’t remember, but who’s counting?

1954

Please contact the Alumni Office at 1-888-CALL-SG or ClassNotes@stgeorges.edu if you would like to volunteer to serve as class correspondent.

1955

Thomas H. Stevenson, 32 Morton Street, Apartment 7C, New York, NY 100144057, P: 212-243-9058, tomstevenson@ verizon.net ■ We have lost another classmate: Bill Chapman died of Parkinson’s at his home in California on Feb. 9, 2017.

■ When I had last spoken with his wife, Myriam, she reported that “it had not been

CLASS NOTES

1956

Robert S. Ingersoll, III, P.O. Box 3659, Wilmington, DE 19807, P: 302-575-0575, robertsingersoll@aol.com ■ And you thought Charlie DuPuy’s retirement was just pulling lobsters out of the cold Maine waters of Penobscot Bay. Think again.

Charlie is now the author of two suspense novels available on several online sites, plus a third book in the works. His first novel: “Killed Twice and Counting” is about an ex-Marine sniper in Iraq who returns home to do battle stateside with a Mexican drug cartel. ■ In his second novel, “Skinner,” a physician assistant encounters evidence of sexual abuse at a drug treatment facility for young people and takes on the perpetrators. Drawing

FA L L 2 0 1 7

Women’s March. ■ Says Pick: “So many in the U.S.A. have been spared from so many of the troubles in the world. I have been so incredibly fortunate in my life.” ■ Well, maybe so. But Pick may be minimizing some past challenges. For one, Pick, at the age of 6, lost his father in WWII Italy and, as many classmates will recall, Pick determined to enlist at the U.S.M.A. to honor his West Point dad. But instead, he was rejected by the Academy docs. The reason: a bum heart. ■ Another challenge, new to me, was Pick’s formidable task of raising five children (ages 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 at the time) resulting from two former marriages when Pick and Pam married in 1978. Pam provided two and Pick three: a so-called “blended marriage,” Pick informed me.

■ “It was not easy to raise two sets of siblings of similar ages,” says Pick with the lingering echo of relief still noticeable in his voice. But it worked. “And,” says Pick, “they all get along great today.” This explains the mass of smiling multigenerational faces in the photo of the Frederick annual Christmas card! ■ But last summer Pick had a fresh setback: major heart surgery — three valves and two other miscellaneous body parts I cannot recall.

So apparently those docs were right: Pick was not a guy for combat. For instead of losing his life in the mountains of Italy, he might have died in the Mekong Delta.

Losing Arthur Hill in Vietnam (and risking Boots Ceres) was enough for the Class of ’55. Let’s applaud those fussy docs and rejoice that you’re still here, Pick!

//

his presence will echo in the minds of us Yanks, some of whom had never even met a Brit before lanky Bill arrived on SixthForm Terrace with his English accent and friendly greeting. ■ Enough schlepping to the office! Dan Hutchinson and Kathy set down stakes in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in 2013. Whatever crazy goings-on occur with the oldsters in these play places, you must pry from Dan. ■ They were married in 1996 and have a married daughter, Agnes. ■ For some years they owned a home on the 10-mile-wide St. Lawrence River, which serves as the U.S./ Canadian border. But more adventurous, they cruised its famous Ten Thousand Islands in their Rampage Twin Diesel powerboat. Sounds great. (Sorry, it’s too late to ask for an invitation. Last year they finally sold the boat.) ■ Dan is now a volunteer board member and treasurer of a HUD-sponsored Affordable Housing Project in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, which can sometimes lead to polarizing efforts to open upper-class communities to lower-class residents. My first job in 1960 (as lacrosse coach and teacher) was at a Lower Merion High School, where I was astonished by the brain gap between my vocational and college-prep classes.

■ Dan played squash until three years ago when a bad twist triggered a knee replacement. Regrettably this also ended his tennis career. (Could he be reaching 80?) ■ But Dan is not yet tossing out his sports equipment. Indeed, he has challenged Boots Ceres to golf next year — not just a sissy 9-hole spree, but a full 18-hole slugfest. ■ What will be the handicaps?

When will it take place? The location? I will do my best to reveal all details. ■ My fantasy venue is Deer Isle, Maine, where I summer. Boots’ sister and brother-inlaw also have a summer home there and Dan has contacts in nearby Blue Hill, with its longtime links to Philadelphia. I will track each hole. And pay for the game balls. Any bets? ■ Though Pick Frederick retired after 45 years of service to Harvey Building Projects, he is now “busy as I can be.” His chief endeavor: promoting the global agenda of the Unitarian Universalist Church. Plus, greatly more ambitious, he admits, “trying to help keep the [U.S.A.] train on track.” Pick and Pam were marchers three million one and two (my TV crowd count) in the January nationwide

st. george’s school

a good year.” Bill had Parkinson’s and was having trouble walking even in the familiar surroundings of his home. He soon required a wheelchair to leave the house.

Hospitalized in February, he returned home where he finally succumbed to his multiyear ordeal. ■ Bill was our English exchange student. (I still wonder who in our class we “exchanged” for him?

Certainly not a key football player, I hope.)

And he was one of the precious few in our class that the august Harvard academics decided was worthy of admitting to their exclusive halls. Was it the renowned English “public school” system that prepared Bill for Harvard? Or did those eight months at SG with Mr. Hoyt and Mr. Jefferys pry open the doors? ■ After four years at Harvard, Bill put in three years at Swiss-based Johnson Controls.

Then he made his big move, according to Wikipedia, launching worldwide ASI Controls, which his two sons, Francis and Paul, now run. Magdalena, his daughter, works for Siemens. ■ But in San Francisco Bill was best known for his cutthroat skippering of Latin Lass — a 27-foot sailboat — in the robust currents of San Francisco Bay. This was named after Myriam, who was born in the Canary Islands 65 miles out in the Atlantic from Spain. ■ Indeed Bill’s frequent racing triumphs created a headache for Myriam: Where to display the plethora of trophies? Her practical solution was to display only the first- and second-place trophies. I did not ask what happened to the others. Do we have any other classmates with a similar trophy surplus? My guess: perhaps Bill Riley, our Class of 1955 running legend. ■ Except for class notes calls, I had no contact with Bill since SG. But Myriam recalls other ’55 classmates. Jack Huddleston, who published “Running a Foreign Business in Japan,” visited, accompanied by his charming bilingual wife, Keiko. ■ Myriam also knew of Truxtun Umsted through his sailing comradeship (or competition?) with Bill at SG. The name of the Truxtun Umsted Regatta — a major co-ed fleet racing regatta — can be found at the USNA website. ■ Another classmate whom Miriam never met was Arthur Hill, but she recalls seeing his name on the Vietnam War Memorial in D.C. ■ At the age of 80, I believe Bill was the 12th of the 33 members of our class to depart. But

57

58

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

from personal experience, Charlie was both a physician assistant in real life and worked in a substance-abuse treatment facility among many positions in the medical field. ■ Both books are available through several online websites, including Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Barnes and Noble (Nook), Google Play and Kobo. Stay tuned for news about Charlie’s third novel in progress, “Easy”, about Easy Kelly, a former Special Forces woman combatant involved as a civilian in a Miami terrorist attack. ■ With Tom Stevenson’s OK, I’ll intrude into the realm of the Class of ’55 to report that I attended a compelling lecture in Wilmington by David Hoopes ’55 who traversed the Hilltop for four years, a grade ahead of us. For the last two years David, a former Foreign Service Officer with the State Department and subsequent CIA official, has been teaching a 12-week class — “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” — at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Delaware.

■ His weekly lectures, attended by some 200 seniors, examine the inner workings of the intelligence community including successes and failures of memorable past events. Topics have included the downing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and the yearlong Iran hostage crisis, both task forces on which he served. ■ David joined the State Department after 10 years in international banking following graduation from Princeton and serving as a Marine officer. He worked in crisis management and counter-terrorism, and lectured at the National War College. He was also instrumental in a lecture series visit to SG in 1978 by then former CIA Director William Colby.

1957

Stephen R. Wainwright, Esquire, 23 Gawaine Road, North Easton, MA 02356, P: 508-826-9257, F: 508-230-8044, wainwrightsrpc@aol.com ■ James Woods McLane writes: “After graduation from St. George’s I often think about that wonderful view of Third Beach; those bitterly cold walks from Arden and then Sixth-Form house to the rink; Rusty calling the long and out pass plays when I knew I couldn’t catch a ball coming over my shoulder; scoring the winning goal over Bondville (state hockey champ) and Norry

Hoyt reading ‘Moby-Dick;’ Mr. Thornburg spitting in my face while yelling at me; and Mr. Schenck pushing me academically ■ “After graduation from St. George’s I rarely returned and rarely kept up with classmates except for Crampton and Wortham.

“After graduation from St. George’s I never made the varsity hockey team at Yale but had a lot of fun playing JV club hockey and coaching kids later in life. I never returned to Christie’s restaurant. ■ “After graduation from St. George’s I always gave a few dollars to the Annual Fund in appreciation of the start in life given to me by the faculty and coaches, and I recommend each classmate leave a gift for St. George’s in their will in appreciation for what St. George’s did for you. ■ “After graduation from St. George’s I decided to turn my experience in the Octet to singing in the Baker’s Dozen and then the Whiffenpoofs at Yale and to join the St. George’s Board of Trustees for several years.” ■ James Cheston Morris Newbold writes: “Well, I have your, um, questionnaire, which appears to be a way to get bromides or embarrassing revelations so it will come as no surprise that I’m not going to respond to the statements in it. You ask for autobiographical information. So: • Education: one year at Colorado College (well almost one year) • Four years and a B.A. at and from Johns Hopkins University • Several years part time and an M.A. at and from U. Penn.

■ “Between the B.A. and M.A. I was married to the girl of my dreams, and over the next six years we had three children: two girls and a boy. Nancy is a wise woman and had the good sense to allow me to grow up over the years, I’m still working on that and she remains patient. ■ “I ended up teaching after getting booted from the Marine Corps because of a bad heart. It turns out that my aortic valve was defective from birth and as a result I had it replaced almost 10 years ago. I taught first-, fifth-, seventh- and eighthgrades in a small junior boarding school in Northwest Connecticut, as well as French, math, history and, of course, coached three sports. ■ “We moved to Philadelphia and I worked at two K-12 day schools, Episcopal Academy and Germantown Academy. I taught and administered (director of admissions for five years and

dean of boys for another five) until 1980 when we had the opportunity to move to ‘the farm.’ Nestled in the hills of Western New Hampshire the farm was paradise to Nancy and me and our children. We spent our honeymoon here and spent the next 19 years trying to get back permanently.

The opportunity was too good to pass up. And it’s been a great life in this small town. Nancy and I have served in a number of ‘jobs,’ from selectman and librarian, to planning and environmental, we both taught for a while, she in kindergarten and me in a middle school ■ “We live right in the middle of about 150 acres, which is perfect. Among other things we have a small orchard, make cider in the fall with neighbors and ‘sugar’ (make maple syrup) in the spring. ■ “Other than all this, we are fine; the kids, grandkids and one great grandchild are also doing well. We’re fortunate enough to have them pretty close and see a lot of them.” ■ Carl Ross Welshman writes: “Just a quick synopsis of life after St. George’s: • Brown University and Bryant College • Married May 1, 1965, raised three daughters • 36 years in the corporate world of manufacturing • Enjoyed (note past tense) jogging, golf, sailing and travel ■ “Since retirement at 60 in 1998: • First nine years: enjoyed sailing, golf, travel, grandchildren • Last 10 years: enjoy travel, grandchildren and creating and opening a small, unique, nautically oriented business, Harbour Lights Decorative Lighted Nautical Charts, LLC www.lightedcharts.com ■ “Both my wife, Lynn, and I are blessed with good health and much happiness. ■ “P.S. From time to time I’ve been in touch with both John Flynn ’56 and Arnold Whittelsey ’56.” ■ John Beecher Skelton writes: “Life after retirement has been good for the most part. Carolyn and I have both had some health issues, but we manage to keep soldiering on despite the bumps along the way. ■ “I still enjoy doing substitute work for musician colleagues when the need arises. It’s fun and keeps me practicing. I have also returned to an earlier passion of making art. My work mainly consists of painting and making collages in an abstract style. ■ “We enjoy having our family nearby,

CLASS NOTES

1958

FA L L 2 0 1 7

William A. Briggs, Jr., 12718 Stone Ridge Place, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202, P: 941822-8456, wbriggs41@aol.com ■ Tom Winslow writes: “I can’t believe that when an opportunity came up, I did it, and went back to work after 18 years of retirement.

A year ago, I accepted an offer to serve as the owner’s representative for the construction of a 100 passenger expedition cruise ship, the National Geographic Quest and her sister ship the National Geographic Venture being constructed at Nichols Shipyard on Whidbey Island, Washington. Aside from the enjoyment and challenges associated with this project, it is amazing where the technology has advanced from my former years of ship designing and shipbuilding. Looking forward to our 60th!” ■ Victor Sheronas writes: “I celebrated my 76th birthday in La Cumbre, Argentina, at my nephew Howard’s home. That trip enabled me to cross two items off my bucket list.

The trip was for two weeks.” ■ Blayney Colmore writes: “Lacey and I are holding our own. I published a new novel — “The Spy & The Priest: Which Way To Heaven,” available from Amazon, etc. ■ Kane Phelps writes: “My news: I experienced a serious heart attack on Feb. 5, just before the Super Bowl kickoff. No prior warning except for modestly high cholesterol. A shocker as I lead such a health-conscious life. Big takeaway is — immense and overwhelming gratitude — to my exemplary wife/partner, Dee Dee, each of my adult children, my three brothers and many close friends who trumpeted love and support. Simply amazing. Gratitude also for the expertise/skill of the medical team in Atlanta, where I was visiting family to celebrate a granddaughter’s birthday. Five days in ICU. Two stents added, nothing more. Amazing. The prognosis for full recovery is very positive. I am back at work, fortunate to have a sedentary and meaningful occupation. Gratitude for each new breath.” ■ Olie Thorp writes: “In late February, I reconnected with Joan and Bill Briggs at their home in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, where we gave the nearby golf course a couple of friendly lessons.”

//

Jeffere F. Van Liew, P.O. Box 570, Saint James, NY 11780, P: 631-584-5933, comrepro@aol.com ■ Jeffere Van Liew writes: “St. George’s is a life-changing experience! My time there influenced the rest of my life. When Camilla Van Liew ’88 decided to attend, I was working with Fred to start Van Liew Capital/Trust, and was living at the Hope Club (in Providence) while doing so (our home was in Rancho Santa Fe, California). Having Cammie at SG during that period was great fun, for I would drive to the school and pick her up to take her to her riding lessons in northern Rhode Island, which the school allowed her to do in lieu of mandatory field programs at the school. Just another indication of what an understanding institution SG is. It was a wonderful opportunity for Cammie and me to have some really great “father/daughter” time (Thank you, SG!). As you know I was a horseshow dad and spent most of the time mucking out stalls and sitting on the rail watching Cammie do amazing things on the back of a horse! ■ “I played a lot of sports at SG, one being football. The football coach (and a teacher living in a dorm with his family) was Pete Rothermel, and our quarterback for two seasons (I played for four seasons) was Rusty Wortham. Years later Rusty and I formed Wortham & Van Liew, a real estate development group in Houston, Texas. One year Rusty suggested to me that we donate money to SG in the name of Pete Rothermel who had passed away. I agreed that was a great idea and so we did (the Rothermel Scholarship was formed).

SG meant so very much to both Rusty and me, and Pete Rothermel was a big part of that experience. That scholarship has grown over the past 36 years and supports annually many worthy SG students who write letters every year to Rusty and me thanking us for their wonderful experiences at SG. ■ “To this day my dearest friends were, and are, my fellow Dragons!”

1959

st. george’s school

and it is a joy to watch our four grandchildren grow up. ■ “We have enjoyed some European travel since our last reunion and have a trip to England planned.”

59

Top to bottom: Blayney Colmore’s ’59 new book cover for “The Spy & The Priest: Which Way To Heaven?” / Victor Sheronas ’59 (center) enjoys his homemade and humongous birthday cake with his wife, Lisa, and his nephew, Howard. / Davey Williams ’59 sent this photo of himself. Anyone know where it was taken? / Tom Winslow ’59, with a cruise ship under construction of which he monitored for the ship’s owner.

60

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

1960

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Peter R. Bartlett, 2764 W. Robinwood Lane, Fresno, CA 93711-2543, P: 559-431-3879, F: 559-435-0184, prbartlett42@gmail.com ■ Hello from a few selected members of the Class of 1960 in this our 57th year out of St. George’s. Based on past experience, the death of popular classmates has prompted large responses to my pleas for news, but I hope that such a threshold is not in place for further news submissions.

■ After a bit of a lapse in news, Alexander (Sandy) McKleroy and I had an exchange of emails containing news and musings.

To do justice to Sandy’s remarks, I am including them in his own words. “Dear classmates, cheers and blessings to all.

As we all near the three-quarter-century mark, three spectacularly inspiring books have buoyed my optimism for the human race: Neurosurgeon Eben Alexander’s “Proof of Heaven,” and Anita Moorjani’s “Dying to be Me.” We are love, and that is the answer, not the divisiveness on all sides that we dwell in. The most fearless (and controversial) overview (incidentally citing both of the above in his new book, “The Phantom Self”) comes from David Icke, English researcher, prolific author and public speaker. As a teacher, ideas were always my currency and these are primo! I encourage you all to consider these three gems. If anyone wants to share his ideas about the books, email me [Sandy] at doomack@aol.com. I am enjoying good health, grandkids, travel and singing. New eyeballs (cataract surgery) allow me to see with the enthusiasm of a babe! Hallelujah! Love, Sandy.” ■ William (Billy) Gubelmann, an ever-faithful communicator, wrote and in the process killed two birds with one stone. He reports that “We just had George Wintersteen and his wife, Gretchen, stay with us for a weekend while their horse, ‘steady Eddie,’ competed at Wellington in a three-day event in which he [the horse, not George] finished seventh out of 38.” Since Billy and George raced autos together in their younger years and both were honored as “Legends of Racing,” it was an especially enjoyable get together. Billy reports that he and wife, Shelly, are “travelling frequently while [they] still can, and the bucket list gets shorter every year.” They will be visiting the northern fjords of Norway in July, an Elbe River trip from Prague to Berlin

and Japan in October. He sends his “fond regards” to all. ■ Another traveler working on his bucket list is Don Chadwick. As I did with Sandy, I exchanged emails with Don, sharing some similar experiences. He and Janice cruised last July to Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway and Denmark, in the process crossing both the Gulf Stream and the Arctic Circle twice. In March 2018 they are planning an around-the-world trip (two out of three by air, and one cruising) as a belated 40th anniversary celebration. They are particularly looking forward Angkor Wat and a photo safari in South Africa. Interspersed among their wanderings, they look forward to more frequent visits with their daughter and family who have moved from California to Colorado, a little closer to Atlanta. ■ George Crozer and I have carried on an exchange about nothing in particular; he has similarly been in touch with other classmates, Joe Wright and John Robb to mention two. George sends his best to all but insists that he has nothing new or newsworthy to report. ■ I guess that my wife and I, your loyal correspondent, are in fashion doing the bucket-list thing along with Don and Billy. As I write this, Susie and I will soon depart for three weeks in China, Vietnam and Thailand. In the spring of 1968 I (then Captain Bartlett, Armor, USAR) was able to decline the invitation of the U.S. Army to spend a year with the First Infantry Division along the border of Vietnam and Cambodia. The Vietnamese will be understandably more welcoming in 2017! I continue to do regular lap swimming on alternate days, as I have done off and on (mostly on) for about 35 years. It isn’t pretty or fast, but I persevere. I swim 500 yards on the way to 2,000 at a little more than half of the speed of the recently crowned SG girls’ 500-yard record holder, but heh, I’m four times her age! ■ Thanks to classmates who have managed to keep in touch. When I send along the Class of 1960s’ best wishes to the rest of our fellow alumni, I am confident that the sentiment applies to all of us, even the “silent majority.”

1961

Gaylord C. Burke, Jr., 655 Chetwood Street #205, Oakland, CA 94610-1475, P: 510-601-8639, gaylordburke@gmail.

com ■ Greetings from the Class of 1961! are the lucky ones. We are the survivors. I was going to include in this note the wide range of serious illnesses that many of us and our loved ones have overcome over the years. But, then I thought, despite the intended message of how fortunate we really are, it would be too depressing if any of the younger alums happened to read it. Anyway, we are lucky that we arrived on the scene when all of these incredible medical breakthroughs are available. I know I wouldn’t be here without them and I’m sure many of you are grateful, too. The few examples below are deemed suitable for a general audience, but you have been warned.

■ So, on to the news: T. Christopher Jenkins wrote about the good life from Florida: “No one told us about what we would face healthwise after 70. Always seems to be something or other. I have had both hips replaced in 1999 and 2000 and one was replaced a second time in 2009 after a partial redo got infected.

Nothing like having no hip joint for three months while they worked to get rid of ■ We

Top to bottom: Bill Batchelder’s ’61 son Jon took Michael and Caroline to work with him so they could go to the Pats’ parade. They played hooky. Pete Bouker ’61 and Bill talked about this and decided that Bill Schenck would have done that for them back in the day. / Tom Kimmel ’61 alongside the statue of Admiral Kimmel at the Henderson War Memorial Association in Kentucky, which was dedicated on Dec. 3, 2016.

CLASS NOTES

George H. Helmer, 1202 South Perry Road, Woodstock, VT 05091, P: 802-457-1728, wbi@vermontel.net ■ Sandy Scull sent several bits of California news: “We had a ton of snow here in the high Sierra this

FA L L 2 0 1 7

1962

past winter. We had to burn a hole in the buried chimney — but the skiing made me feel 40 again.” More recently, he sent a poem about walls. Here are the first lines: “Walls — that technology of obstacle before there was flight. The old wooden one built by the Dutch on Wall Street — kept out untended hogs, Indians and British.” Later, he wrote: “Waterfall behind the house. Road closed due to mudslides.

Spring!” ■ Zeke Zimmermann tried to roust the troops for a 55th in May without much success. Joe Hoopes said he was going.

Jeep Newman also wrote, “Planning on showing up at 55th because one never knows about the 60th!” Jeep also reports, “I am alive and still busy working, so all is well in Charlottesville, Virginia.” ■ Bill Edgar: “Our grandson Morgan Hill-Edgar ’19 played Ron Weasley in the SG Theater Department’s spoof on Harry Potter.

The school was never this fun in our day. Unless I was missing something.”

■ Cabot Lyman wrote in January: “Just finished a week of heli-skiing and with a much younger crowd. Held my own; felt great!” ■ Tim Davis in business and John Ruthrauff in political lobbying seem to be hard driving like a couple of youngsters. Tim writes of so many business endeavors, and John of so many political ones, that I am at a loss to describe them briefly. But John is travelling the world, which must be fun, and, lest we think Tim is only working, he tells us he is also yachting, skiing, golfing, collecting decoys, publishing a book and singing in a choir! ■ Geoff Quadland writes of a very different lifestyle: “We enjoyed a very mild winter here in southern Ontario. I’m sure glad I didn’t bother putting up the 150 feet of snow fence on the west side of my driveway this year! My new sunroom is finally finished. I also bought a 30-ton hydraulic firewood splitter, since splitting big logs is not an option for me anymore. At the old restored village where I volunteer, we opened for the season on March 5, for maple syrup time, and I was there every Sunday, working in the 1860s print shop.

The village demonstrates how the pioneers made maple syrup in successively smaller kettles over open fires, and also has a modern maple syrup evaporator in their sugar shack. The property is around 500 acres, so they have plenty of maple trees. I’m also looking forward to spending

//

our lives as snowbirds traveling between the mountains of New Hampshire and the flatlands of Sarasota. We recently moved a third of a mile in Sarasota so that kept us busy for a couple of months.

I still make my annual ski pilgrimages — this year to Park City, Utah, and, also, Beaver Creek, Colorado. I stay busy with activities on several boards, travel, golf, biking and boating. Living in the endless summer promotes outdoor activities.

Ginny enjoys knitting for the disabled and homeless. We also try to help my mother who lives near us in Florida. She is now approaching her 101st birthday. Best to all the other members of the illustrious class of ’61.” ■ Thomas K. Kimmel, Jr. has become our class celebrity with all of his long, hard work and well-deserved recognition to rehabilitate the reputation and rank of his grandfather, Rear Admiral Husband Kimmel. See the photo of Tom alongside the statue of Admiral Kimmel at the Henderson, Kentucky, War Memorial Association, dedicated on Dec. 3, 2016.

Tom’s efforts over the years may be found on YouTube. Search for Tom Kimmel. A very good third-party account of Tom’s activities and the horror and circumstance of the Pearl Harbor attack can be found in the New York Times bestseller, “A Matter of Honor.” ■ Richard H. Eggleston, Jr. fled Brooklyn for Florida, too and writes: “I’ve exchanged several emails with Tom Kimmel about “A Matter of Honor.” In an uncharacteristic burst of energy, I posted reviews of the book on Amazon and several other sites. In the same vein, I also supported change.org’s petition urging the president to restore the ranks of (Admiral) Kimmel and (General) Short.

Admiral Kimmel was a patriot who deserved much better treatment from the Navy than he received.” ■ So there you have it. The Class of 1961 is alive, vigorous and looking forward to our 60th Reunion in 2021, which is just around the corner.

Stay healthy, get those annual physicals and see you in 2021.

st. george’s school

the infection. It was a long five-month recovery. Spent January and February in Stuart, Florida, for the first time after 20 winters in Key West. I have a sister in Vero Beach, my family’s old winter hometown and another in Hobe Sound, both just far enough away. My wife loves the beach and the endless supply of seashells, something there is a lack of in Key West.

I don’t miss the cold and ice back in Virginia. Enjoy hunting upland birds and dove with my 11-year-old grandson in Warrenton, Virginia. Nothing like young eyes and fast reactions to make a grandfather proud. My 10-year-old granddaughter is an accomplished horse lady and enjoys fox hunting there, too. Have another grandson, almost 7, who lives in Redding, Connecticut. He loves going fishing with me. Hope we can make it back for our 60th in a few years.” ■ Peter L. Woicke sends us the following report that gives us a lot to cheer about and to be wary: “Yes, as Dick says, with age some nasty things do happen. I had knee replacement last year and just a few days ago went for prostrate removal surgery.

But otherwise getting old has also had it’s pleasures: Hanna and I had our golden wedding anniversary last year, a good reason for two big parties, one with lots of friends at our home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and a great weekend at a lovely hotel in Germany for all our German relatives and friends who, because of age, shy away from making the long trip across the Atlantic. Of course we enjoy our five grandchildren who are growing rapidly, the oldest is now a sophomore at the University of Richmond, so he is relatively close by. We also still travel quite a bit. I continue on the Saudi Aramco Board, which means five big trips a year. But our passion continues to be Ashesi University in Accra Ghana, which Hanna and I have been supporting and advising for the last 10 years and which has developed into the Swarthmore of Africa.” ■ Alden Keyser brings us up to date on his very active life migrating the East Coast and beyond.

Earlier this year there was an interesting article in one of the SG publications with a good photo of Alden and a friend on a sailboat in Newport Harbor when they were sailing from cove to cove in New England last year. I think Alden has this retirement puzzle figured out. ■ “Ginny and I continue

61

62

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

quite a bit of time at our island in Georgian Bay, Lake Huron this summer, since last summer I was building the sunroom and didn’t get up there at all. George, not very exciting news compared with some of our classmates, but I’m happy with it.” ■ Jill and I had a pleasant Vermont winter — plenty of snow for skiing and snowshoeing — a variety of houseguests — a brief escape to Mexico — and quality time with the “kids” and grandkids. The other day, I had a fine country curmudgeon chat with Terry Meyer, swapping woodstove conundrums and pondering the current political maelstrom.

1963

Robert C. Chope, 37 Kingwood Road, Oakland, CA 94619-2347, P: 510-482-0250, rcchope@sfsu.edu ■ For most of our class, June 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of our college graduations. I will be attending my reunion at Harvard in the last week of May. My freshman year I roomed with Charlie Geer, Alex Patton and Derek Reist and I find myself warmly reflecting on those days, especially the several beer-fueled calls we made to Mr. Schenck. Our reunion is also having a panel on what we did during the Vietnam years. I wrote a perspective on my experience for the reunion website. I am curious about how your journey through the years shaped who you have become, and I am sure we would all love to hear about it. ■ I have been retired completely since 2013, although I continue on the editorial board of one remaining journal, and I am writing a few papers and chapters when I am invited to do so. We continue to travel and will have returned from a trip to Cuba when you receive this. ■ I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Lucien’s thoughts about life and current events in his blog, which you can access at http://www.luciensblog.com.

His expertise in healthcare shines brightly in postings like “Impact of Repeal and Replace on the States, on Individuals and on Coverage.” His frequent contributions also include immigration, the new president and being a grandfather. ■ I hope many of you have a chance to read Lucien’s blog and that you have interesting college reunions.

Tori Hensel ’08, Sheryl Barnes ’85 and Colin Hanna ’64 (the Ancient Mariner) on Geronimo’s alumni trip in August as they were approaching Cartagena, Spain.

1964

Robert E. L. Taylor III, 23 Old Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755, P: 603-277-2919, retaylor3d @gmail.com

1965

Jonathan M. Storm, 22 Rocktown Hill Road, Ringoes, NJ 08551-1231, P: 609-4669498, deadeye@well.com ■ As most of us turn 70, we appear to be a well-settled group in these tumultuous times. I received only three responses to my call for news, two involving the life-advances of children, and one the indomitable spirit of a classmate who wasn’t going to let a lot of rain keep him down. ■ Jimmy Gubelmann reports that one of his twin daughters, Phoebe, has announced her engagement to Mario Biomond, whom he described simply as “a wonderful Italian gentleman.” The couple plans to marry in Rome later this year and continue to live in the Eternal City. ■ Dave Wakelin’s younger son, Jon, has been named principal at Boston’s Altman Vilandrie & Co., a strategy consulting group that focuses on the telecom, media, technology and investor sectors, where he has worked since 2012.

Jon majored in physics at Dartmouth and holds an M.B.A. and a J.D., and, according to the company’s press release, “specializes in wireline and wireless networking, 3G/4G/5G wireless networking, and data center and cloud services.” I’m sure a few class members know what that means. ■ Hamilton Helmer is probably one of them. In February he and his wife, Lalia, were hiking in Yosemite, and noted

that record-threatening deluges have made the waterfalls there especially spectacular. Hamilton continues to teach economics at Stanford, and the Helmers are expecting another grandchild in July.

■ Congratulations to Tucker Carlson ’87 for his new TV show on Fox. Was that a St. George’s necktie that he wore on air to mark the occasion? ■ And from Tim Phelps: “Propelled by a generous buyout, I retired from my day job at the LA Times Washington Bureau last year after 43 years in journalism here and in the Middle East. I am grateful for an interesting life. I am working, but not too hard, on a couple of book ideas and enjoying the company of a beautiful woman.

1966

We regret to share with you that our dear friend and alum H. Harrison Wulsin ’66 passed away March 26, 2017. If anyone is interested in volunteering as class correspondent please contact the Alumni Office at 1-888-CALL-SG or ClassNotes@ stgeorges.edu.

1967

Please contact the Alumni Office at 1-888-CALL-SG or ClassNotes@stgeorges.edu if you would like to volunteer to serve as class correspondent.

1968

William L. Campbell, 220 East Drive, Dayton, OH 45419, billcam2000@yahoo.com ■ “It’s

CLASS NOTES

Charles C. Spalding, Jr., 85 Timberland, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656, P: 949-448-5919, F: 949-6138500, cspalding@spaldingcpa.com

1970

Stuart C. Ross, 40 Katonah’s Wood Road, Katonah, NY 10536, P: 914-232-7450, F: 914-232-7486, stuartross318@gmail. com ■ There is definitely something about 2017. When I sent out a typical email asking my classmates for news, little did I know that the floodgates would open and

FA L L 2 0 1 7

1969

//

been a long time away from the fold, and I (Art Coates) am currently spending my winters near the border in Tucson, Arizona.

Still summering in southern Vermont and loving the change of climates, landscapes and terrains. My daughter received her master’s degree in public health from Dartmouth after her bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Mount Holyoke. She’s still living nearby in Vermont and working at a nearby hospital. Retired life is quite agreeable with major tasks consisting of walking our two rescue dogs and keeping the bird feeders full. Tending the gardens is an agreeable sideline to the mix. Best wishes to all, and may peace prevail. ■ “By the time you read this Bill Campbell will have visited brother Harry Campbell ’66 on his farm in western Ireland. Harry writes: “A storm off the North Atlantic will keep us housebound today — with high winds gusting up to 45-plus mph. Our younger sheep are happily eating hay in the barn, the older ones hide behind the trees and bushes in our lower pasture.

Cedar (our 13-year-old German Shorthair) is sleeping in front of our AGA cooker in the kitchen. Brittney made a pitcher of eggnog, and I am about to open a Guinness.” ■ Frank Campion writes: “Since retiring in 2013 from the advertising and marketing business, I’ve gone back to my first passion: painting. In April 2016, I finished building a studio off the back of my house and resumed life as a successful starving artist. It’s pretty much as I remember it: a lot of sitting and staring, waiting for God to yell in my ear. In May, I married Kelly LeConte and we have settled into a happy life in Clemmons, North Carolina. Here comes a moment of shameless self-promotion: frankcampionart.com. My new work is posted and there are a variety of stories from along the path.” ■ Giancarlo Alhadeff writes: “A couple of years ago we moved to London

almost half of our class would respond, including some who have, in my memory, never checked in before. The common thread, it appears, is that we have entered a new, more tumultuous period in our history, not seen each other since perhaps the year of our graduation, and everyone wanted to weigh in. So here’s the news, from a deeply affected and incredibly diverse Class of 1970: ■ Chad MacArthur: “I continue to work as a global health consultant focusing primarily on the blinding disease of trachoma but occasionally on other infectious diseases.

Last year I tried to cut back on travel but still ended up in seven to eight different countries with the highlight being Eritrea, a country I had not previously visited and one relatively closed to tourism. This coming year seems like more of the same, with upcoming travel to Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda and Central African Republic. Life on the home front is good but as much as I enjoy (for the most part) New England winters, I am starting to get antsy to get the boats back in the water.” ■ Bill Buell: “I did a few very enjoyable Off-Broadway shows last year — ‘Tumacho’ and ‘Rancho Viejo.’ I see now that they imply Hispanic themes, but they were both nothing of the sort. I am now shooting a couple of episodes of a new Netflix series, not out yet, called ‘Seven Seconds,’ where I am playing a homeless alcoholic bum. I seem to be the go-to guy for drunks, homeless bums, bar flies and other degenerates. Happy to oblige. ■ “In other news, my stepdaughter Jennifer had a baby girl named Tuesday who is a real darling. Also, my son, Charlie, who lives in Korea now, is getting married there in October to Ji-Sung, whom we will all love.

And I marched in the Women’s March in New York and will march whenever called.

Thank God for Ghandi!” ■ Ken Kaan: “I am presently living in sunny Honolulu, the best weather in the U.S. My practice is now limited to orthopedic spine surgery.

My wife, Christie, and I have one son who is currently a sophomore at Cornell majoring in design and environmental analysis. I am still racing sailboats and took up golf 12 years ago. We have been traveling and spent Christmas break skiing in Hokkaido, Japan, and I’m currently at Park City, Utah, for a spine conference.” ■ Rich DeBragga: “I am in my second year as

st. george’s school

Sam Tilden P’09, ’18 sent in this photo of Paul Fees ’67 bid for House District 24 in Wyoming.

from Milan to be closer to our son and his family. We love the change. Over the years we have missed the presence of AngloSaxon culture. We have two grandchildren who seem to be the focus of our lives. We do go back to Italy often but our time here is very rewarding. ■ “In spite of the disappointing Brexit vote and the rumblings from the U.S., we try to keep a steady course. In the fall we went on a wonderful, albeit short, trip to Scotland with Deirdre and Bill Guenther. Facebook postings from Steve Romeyn, Frank Campion and Matt Young are much appreciated and keep us informed as to the goings on in the U.S. ■ “Still working as an architect and enjoying it. Two current projects on the boards are a gallery/guest house in Bridgehampton, New York, and a vacation villa on the beach in Thailand just north of Phuket.

It continues to be fun to experience a different culture and to steep oneself in it.

If any classmates pass through London do get in touch.” ■ Stephan Schmidt writes: “I had a wonderful send-off from my professional life by conducting a concert of new compositions and Dvorak’s ‘Symphony No. 7’ with the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonisches Orchestra. As the devil would have it, it was one of my best concerts ever. All of my concerts since retiring have been the best ever. I suppose that goes to show how great it is being paid for doing NOTHING and how great it is to sleep LATE and to read BOOKS again, and to learn languages so I know what my son’s family in Barcelona is saying about me behind my BACK … I’m saving up for our 50th reunion. Now I don’t have any more excuses for not coming back. So, let’s do it!”

63

64

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

senior assistant town attorney for the Town of Brookhaven on Long Island where I advise the receiver of taxes and the assessor. I am continuing my private law practice, which is limited to obtaining real property-tax reductions for commercial properties in New York City, Nassau County and Suffolk County, except the Town of Brookhaven where instead I defend the assessments. I started my legal career as an assistant town attorney in the Town of Islip way back in 1978 doing the same sort of law. Who would have thought someone who got the grades that I got in math at St. George’s would end up with a career like this? ■ “My family is well.

My parents are 94 years old and still living independently in the house in Islip where my sisters and I grew up. Joan and I still live in Bellport and we have acquired a small apartment in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she gets to spend more time in the winter than I do. My oldest son, Patrick, lives in California and he and his wife, Katie, have a little girl, Alexa, 4, and a 2-year old boy, Tyler. My son, Matthew, lives on Long Island. I hope that all of you are well and I look forward to seeing you again at our 50th reunion.” ■ David Gray: “I am still in Greenville, South Carolina. My almost 20-year old son is a sophomore at Clemson (Go Tigers!) and our daughter is going to make me a grandparent for the first time this May. I’m in my eighth year of messing with middle schoolers’ minds (seventh graders) and still having a blast teaching world history. ■ “My wife, Teresa, and I are dealing with the progression of her ALS, the Bulbar Palsy version (for all the doctors in our class), which she was diagnosed with three years ago. We are so grateful for each day we have together.

Hope to see you all at the 50th.” ■ Garrett Brown: “I have had a really busy year with projects in several parts of the world. It turns out that I am ‘retired’ only in that I gave up my day job and now am able to spend most of my time on the international work. My fifth trip to Bangladesh in March capped a successful fundraising effort to establish a grassroots health and safety project with six leading nongovernmental organizations in Dhaka. The project is now hiring staff and we hope the train-the-trainer courses will start soon.

Also related to Bangladesh, I am an expert witness in a Canadian lawsuit on behalf of

four survivors of the Rana Plaza building collapse that killed 1,135 people in 2013. ■ “In October, I went to Vietnam for the first time to look at a Korean-operated complex of 12 garment factories producing for Nike, Pink, Ralph Lauren and many other clothing brands. Bad conditions — brutally hot and humid, and very bad management as well. ■ “Closer to home in Mexico, we did two projects this year. One was with a Jesuit-initiated workers center in Guadalajara that works with very poorly paid electronics workers (working for contractors producing for all the famous brand names). We did two sets of trainings on health and safety with factory workers — another train-the-trainer effort — with colleagues at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The other project was to assess ongoing damage from a toxic waste spill from a huge copper mine in northern Mexico that sent 11 million gallons of acidic waste through several river valleys, killing animals and crops, and causing continuing adverse health effects for thousands of poor farmers and community residents. ■ “I have become a mini-expert in global supply chains, so I was invited to speak at a variety of professional conferences this year, including in Baltimore, Denver, San Antonio and Washington, D.C. I was also invited to become a regular contributor to ‘The Pump Handle,’ a blog site for public and occupational health professionals at http://scienceblogs.com/thepumphandle/ “The best trip by far of the year, organized

by Myrna, was the Amazon where a group of 22 family and friends, spent 11 days on the river around Manaus, Brazil. Lots of animals (birds, monkeys, river dolphins and sloths among others) and the great green biosphere of the jungle. It was the same area as the trip we did in 2009, but with new places and sights, including an abandoned resort of multiple buildings connected by elevated walkways over water and jungle that, in the morning mist, looked very spooky indeed. ■ “Myrna continues her non-retired life at St. Mary’s as professor, department chair, member of several campuswide committees and mentor to Latino students and other women faculty members of color. Rene and his lovely girlfriend, Rachael, have set up an apartment together in Sacramento,

where Rene has just moved from the office of Governor Jerry Brown to the state energy commission working on community outreach and environmental justice issues. ■ “I managed to attend both the Oakland (10 a.m.) and San Francisco (3 p.m.) Women’s Marches on Jan. 21, and then the airport demos at SFO the next weekend. I was thinking of SG because the last time I felt as much playful energy, determination and youth in the lead at a demonstration (and I have been to a lot) was when I attended the November 1969 march in Washington, D.C., against the war in Vietnam when we were all at SG. ■ “Challenging times, for sure, but I am less apocalyptic than many of my California friends. I believe in the old adage that the Chinese word for ‘crisis’ consists of two characters — one is ‘danger’ and the other is ‘opportunity.’ So lots of dangers, of course, but lots of opportunities as well to unite allies, protect the vulnerable and threatened, and push for a better country.”

■ Tom Campbell: “Wow! I am so impressed and humbled by all the accomplishments of my SG classmates and the ways that you all are making a difference in the world (more important than ever now). It makes me proud to be part of the Class of 1970. ■ Here is my update: “I’ve been at the University of Rochester since 1979 when I came as a family medicine resident. I spent 20-plus years on the faculty teaching psychosocial medicine and psychiatry to our FM residents and writing articles and several books. For the past 12 years, I have been chair of our department and enjoy helping our faculty be successful in their academic careers. I have also been active regionally with the development of an Accountable Care Organization and the redesign of Medicaid (called DSRIP) and nationally with a strategic plan for my discipline (Family Medicine for America’s Health). ■ “My wife, Kathy, is a professor of family medicine at Case Western Reserve Medical School where she runs the communication training for all medical students. We have had a commuting relationship between Cleveland and Rochester for the past 12 years. My daughter, Megan, is a social worker in Brooklyn and I have two stepchildren and three step-grandchildren in L.A. and Chicago, which result in lots of traveling. I

CLASS NOTES

FA L L 2 0 1 7

madness we are witnessing in Washington does not completely spoil our golden years. Looks like it might be time to get back to work.” ■ Ridge Evers: “Colleen and I are living on the farm I’ve had for 35(!) years, growing olives and grapes and making wine and olive oil (davero.com).

Our olive oil was on the menu for the final State Dinner of the Obama administration, for the prime minister of Italy — quite possibly the last such meal before the coming Apocalypse. Hard to imagine, so many years after we manned the barricades that it’s come to this. ■ “I’m happy to report that our grandson is the best in the world, marred only by his parents’ decision to live in D.C. His dad has a good excuse, as he is running a new organization that will be relentlessly watching the new administration for illegal activity. ■ “I’m wrapping up what I trust is my last CEO gig (trustpipe.com), and looking forward to more time spent actually farming and traveling. Happy to host anyone who makes it out this way.” ■ Andy Fort: “I’ve just retired after 35 years at TCU, my first and only job interview. It’s hard to overstate how satisfying my career has been. I still have my office through June, and most of the same ol’ privileges, except not getting paid. So I don’t think retirement will really hit me until August, when I don’t go back to work.

The whole family came in for my retirement party, which fell the day after the inauguration, so, in a wonderful coincidence, we all walked together in the anti-Trumpism march in Fort Worth (7,000 here). The party was held at the local food bank, where I am president-elect of the board. So it was one of the best days of my life. If anyone wants to read about what I’ve been doing during the end of my career (the emerging field of contemplative studies), here’s an article about that: http://link.springer.com/ article/10.1186/s40613-016-0039-3. ■ “Family things are still much the same.

Sharon and I like to travel, and our next big trip is to Indonesia in April. Kids: Meredith, 30, has a B.A. and M.S.W. from Tulane and is doing counseling in New Orleans; husband Tripp has a maritime law job there, too. Sam, 34, is a partner in his venture capital firm (DFJ). His wife, Heather, is studying for a real-estate license. They live in San Mateo.” ■ Pedro

//

how our age and the pending apocalypse have loosened the flow of news of the Class of 1970. So as I think has been reported before, I have been living on Cape Cod for the past nine years, having left a perfectly good job in the pharmaceutical industry to pursue a life-long dream of adventure. Together with Pam, my wife of almost 40 years, we have been traveling the planet’s remote areas to witness and photograph the amazing and varied wildlife that still lives in wild regions. You can check out our travel blog here: http:// blog.commonflat.com. ■ “In 2012 we helped start a nonprofit called the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy — http:// atlanticwhiteshark.org — to try to understand this mysterious apex predator, which recently returned to Cape Cod waters for the first time in numbers since likely the 18th century. I have been captain of the research vessel performing the fieldwork with a team of shark researchers for the past four years. Those of you who live in the New England area may have seen media reports of our work.

There is no better job for an adrenaline junkie — let me tell you! Discovery Channel has made three films for their annual ‘Shark Week’ television line up featuring our research and the latest one is a show called ‘Shark Vortex’ that will air on ‘Shark Week 2017’ in July. ■ “Some of you may also have seen my 2011 encounter with wild mountain gorillas in Uganda which was recorded and widely viewed on YouTube: https://youtu.be/x2H7zcqjplc.

Truly an epic event that opened many new doors for me in the world of wildlife advocacy and conservation. Yes — I am a gorilla! (Another Editor’s note – you have to watch this!!!). ■ “Thus, as a thrill seeker masquerading as a conservationist, I am a frequent lecturer on Cape Cod and in the Boston area promoting the importance of protecting and preserving biodiversity and my photographs have been now shown widely in the region, including a book, ‘Wild Cape Cod, Free by Nature,’ published

by Schiffer Publishing in 2012. ■ “Very proud also of raising two remarkable children, Spencer, 34, and Mia, 30, both of whom are part of the solution and live in Seattle with their spouses and our four grandchildren (two each). Time sure flies.

■ “I know some of us are connected on Facebook, which I enjoy. Let’s hope the

st. george’s school

feel very lucky to remain physically healthy and enjoy cycling in the summer and skiing in the winter. ■ “I am trying hard to adopt Garrett’s approach and look for opportunities in these dark times, but it gets more challenging each day. We see the impact on the recent immigration ban on our refugee patients every day and fear what the effect of repealing the ACA will have on our underserved and vulnerable patient population. Keep up the fight!” ■ Mike Sherer: “Not sure how to encapsulate 47 years (has it been that long?) in a few lines, but I’ll give it a shot. I’m working on my 15th thriller novel (one of which was nominated for an ITW Thriller Award in 2013), and am still writing articles for trade magazines. Also playing lots of tennis, both with morning men’s groups and USTA league teams, figuring that since I’ll probably be working until they close the lid (Editor’s note: Brilliant turn of phrase, Mike!), that I’ll take my retirement in two-hour chunks on the courts. ■ “Unfortunately, my wife, Valarie, who went to Nationals with one of her USTA teams and came in second two summers ago, was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and is fighting a long and very difficult battle. We take life one day at a time, grateful for all that it offers (despite the abomination in D.C.). Upright and breathing is a good thing. ■ “I spend one day a month at our friend John Platt’s restaurant St. Clouds (whom Meade Thayer introduced us to) with 40 or 50 other volunteers making incredible food for eight or nine shelters that end up providing between 500 and 700 meals for homeless men and women and domestic abuse victims. The program model has expanded to the Union Gospel Mission in Seattle, which operates several shelters, and I’ll likely increase the amount of time I volunteer as the program expands. ■ “Our kids — my three and Valarie’s daughter — all lead interesting and what seem like happy lives. Brendan, 33, builds art chairs from exotic woods (distinctiverockers. com); Morgan, 29, works in the restaurant industry and is dad to our only grandchild Ayden, 7; Megan, 25, is part of the management team at Equinox Fitness Centers in L.A. and teaches acro-yoga on the side; and our youngest, Anne, 22, will graduate from UW-Seattle’s design school in June.” ■ John King: “It is remarkable

65

66

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Guerreiro: “I am still a professor of computer science at University of Algarve, in Faro, Portugal. I am rapidly approaching the age of retirement, like most of us, I guess. I try to take it easy, but university politics are irritating at times. ■ “My wife, Maria, and my youngest daughter, Diana, both live in Lisbon, so I commute a lot between Faro and Lisbon, just like Tom is commuting between Cleveland and Rochester. I do not mind. Faro is a small city (50,000 people), by the sea, fine weather, no fuss; Lisbon is a large European capital, busy and traffic-congested, but lots of fun. ■ “Diana is married to Henrique and works for EDP, the major Portuguese electricity operator, at the human resources department. She and Henrique are responsible for my youngest granddaughter, Maria do Mar, now two years old. ■ “My oldest daughter, Vera, worked for Amazon, in Luxembourg, for six years, after having finished her MBA at Tuck (Dartmouth College). She moved to Seattle in April, for a new position. She brought her husband, João, with her, and their two children, Xavier, (almost 5 years old) and Olivia (almost 3). Seattle being much farther away than Luxembourg, I will have much less opportunity to see my grandchildren, unless I travel to Seattle, which I hope to do, of course.” ■ Charlie Jones: “On my first day at Kenyon, I met Lindsay Pomeroy and we have been a couple without interruption since then, having recently celebrated our 40th anniversary. After 13 years in Boston alternating between banking and industry, we moved to Lindsay’s hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where we are still firmly ensconced. Both of our children (Alex, 34, in Astoria, Queens, at Citibank in Compliance; Abbey, 28, in Cleveland, director of middle and upper school admissions at Laurel School in Shaker Heights) are in long-term relationships. ■ “Both of us are still fortunate to be in reasonably good, but predictably age-related, health and are still (fortunately or unfortunately, depending on one’s outlook) gainfully employed; Lindsay in the General Counsel’s office at MetroHealth Systems in Cleveland, and I in the treasury function at Ferro Corp. in Mayfield Heights. As far as the next step, we’re playing it year by year, with the knowledge that we are already the senior citizens in

each of our offices. ■ “OF COURSE we had the most awesome class at SG and I am reminded that we are allegedly the first class in Archer Harman’s tenure that kept all its members throughout sixth-form year. Considering the opportunities for trouble and temptations of the times, quite an achievement! I am looking forward to seeing a great turnout of the awesome Class of 1970 in three short years!” ■ Jake Redway: “I retired from one of those huge law firms a few years back.

We had great fun in NYC, Moscow, Shanghai and Singapore over the years, but, you know, when the most exciting thing in those documents is the giant staples, you have had enough. I have been acting as chief legal officer for an Indonesian/Chinese conglomerate but plan on getting out of that, if I can. Family businesses always present challenges and the cultural issues associated with doing business in places like China, Indonesia and the U.S., (which sadly seems increasingly enamored of Indonesian governance practices — scary how many Indonesians showed up for the inauguration) are always interesting. (Wow, Hoyt would never have let that sentence by.)

Perhaps a piece of good news is they are building a $1.3 billion manufacturing plant in South Carolina, which when fully completed will employ 3,000 people (or so it has been promised to the great state of South Carolina in exchange for a package of incentives). ■ “I am embarrassed to report I seem to have misplaced my wife, Mary, after 42 years (or maybe she just parked me for awhile). She is as happy as I have ever seen her, except I do not see her much. Since last summer she has been at Standing Rock in North Dakota. She is part of the media team. Cell coverage is poor and the police keep those dirt boxes overhead in a helicopter 24/7 tracking and blocking calls and apparently even zapping camera chips — very tough on photojournalists. She has been arrested, strip searched twice, driven half way across North Dakota to Fargo in the winter in a police van in her undies, spent time in the pokey and been charged with criminal trespass and incitement to riot. All for taking pictures. Her cellmates included a reporter for the Guardian, another troublemaker. Makes her sound like a real hellion but she is actually a very gentle,

gray-haired mother of two adult children.

And like a good husband, I have been nowhere around to protect her — which likely is just as well. Up there in the Deep North, many people have issues with Indians and the police, like everywhere in this country these days, seem always to appear in military formation with Iraq war equipment. This immigration surge is just going to be one more step along that road, I fear. ■ “We also have two grown offspring. Our son is in Brooklyn rethinking acting and taking a lot of programming at Bernie Sanders U. He is married to a lovely woman who has a green card and the looks that get her special attention from Trump’s immigration team. She manages and performs in a theater troupe in NYC that showcases work by ‘people of color’ with the most wonderful group of talented thespians who hail from Iran, Pakistan and India. Amazing how many theatrical incubators there are in all those NYC nooks and crannies. Our daughter is in D.C. working for the Senate Committee on Health, Pensions and whatever. She does not see herself in politics but she has a ringside seat to the foolishness while she plans her next steps in a public health direction. She loves D.C. where she attended Georgetown and in her senior year was a co-captain and named All-American on their national champion collegiate sailing team. We still train sailors in Narragansett Bay!” ■ Jay Chase: “For myself and my bride of more than 30 years the short version is: In 2005, I completed my U.S. Navy career that included seven-plus years deployed on aircraft carriers at sea, visiting much of the world (albeit for very short port visits) and living for 13 months in Iceland and three years in London. My bride and I then moved to the Pacific NW where I joined Boeing. Like all of you I am giving thoughts to completing that second career in favor of more leisurely pursuits as yet to be determined, although more travel and some volunteering are on the list.” ■ Sam Scott: “I never was much of a writer, so much for Spranger and ‘F Troop.’ Despite the passage of time you all remain somehow fixed in-between 1967 and 1970; well, except Garrett who looks a little closer to my memory of his father in our hometown. I divide my time between administration, chief of surgery and

CLASS NOTES

1971

Jeffrey Longcope, 187 Falmouth Road, Falmouth, ME 04105, P: 207-781-2142, jlongcope @earthlink.net ■ Great to hear from Kim Elliman, who writes: “All is good.

Twins Theo and Claire are freshman and freshwoman at Yale. The eldest, Isabel, is finishing up four years of Christie’s in London and NYC and will be attending the Tuck School in the fall. Henry, second child, is working at MSF in NYC. I’m still doing conservation work, buying real estate to convert to park and protected lands, mostly along the East Coast, but also into Canada and in Patagonia. I remain CEO of the Open Space Institute, based in New York. OSI has protected close to 2.5 million acres, which takes me to nice places to balance urban life.

Speaking to my brother Ted the other day, he was trying to decide whether to return

FA L L 2 0 1 7

program gave out over $450K to 55 students. ■ “Also, I had the chance to have lunch earlier this year with Alixe Callen, the new SG head of school, as she was working at Lakeside School here in Seattle. She is super! … Through Facebook, though, a couple of us learned that Rob Gardner recently passed away.” ■ Walter Reed: “After college and Columbia Law School, I joined the NYC firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy in 1977. In 1981, I moved to Providence and became a partner in Edwards & Angell LLP, where I have been ever since; although the name on the door seems to have changed every few years recently. My practice has focused on media and communications companies all around the U.S. — cellular, TV, cable, satellite, newspapers and magazines. I have seen almost everything these industries can throw at a lawyer. For you foodies out there, I was the lead lawyer on the deal that started The Food Network and was the TVFN outside general counsel for many years. ■ “I am hoping to really slow down at the end of this year as I approach 65. My daughter is the center of my personal life. She is 27 and a young lawyer in NYC following graduations from Brown and Harvard Law School. I don’t think I have been on the SG campus for over 25 years, so I am looking forward to seeing the school and all of you at our 50th.”

//

very lucky and cashed out. Shortly after I left, 9/11 happened. My old office became a morgue; some of my friends didn’t make it. It was a pivotal and reflective point in my life. I vowed never to return to Wall Street. ■ “I started a few companies, went on some small boards and organized what is now a large family office to help manage the business, financial and legal affairs of a very extended family. I found helping family to be much more rewarding than making money for nameless shareholders.

I also enjoy doing pro bono work helping small private companies sort out their strategic and financial problems ■ “I am lucky enough to have two great sons. The eldest is finishing his Ph.D. at Cambridge using big data to model and optimize the movement of displaced populations in crisis. The youngest is an investment banker at Morgan Stanley.” ■ Meade Thayer: “After almost 40 years in the independent school world, starting as a teaching intern at St. Mark’s where I was hired by Red Hansel, followed by a two-year stint at Evansville (IN) Day School, 10 years at Friends’ Central School as director of admission and financial aid, nine years at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) as director of financial aid services overseeing the national financial aid program used by over 2,300 schools and training aid officers, to 16 years as executive director of the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) working with 110 schools in 8 states), I retired in June 2014 (Another Editor’s Note: Run-on sentence, Meade. Norry would be horrified). Retirement started with a six-week stint on jury duty for a gang-related revenge killing by a 16-year-old.

After taking several months off to re-charge, I started my own consulting practice focused on school governance, admissions and financial aid and designed to help the many small young schools in the NWAIS region. Just enough to keep me busy, but not too busy. ■ “On the personal side, I met my partner, Ray Fernandez, at a Starbucks here in Seattle in 2000. Life has been good and we enjoy being Seahawks season-ticket holders along with being actively involved with the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) college scholarship program designed for LGBTQ youth. Last year the

st. george’s school

private practice in hand surgery. I, too, am contemplating retirement yet still enjoying the work, hospital politics aside. I live not too far from Chad, in Cumberland, Maine.

Between my wife and me, we have six kids and five grandkids most of whom are close enough to enjoy. Still playing hockey with some old and not-so-old men. Just trying to keep up.” ■ Kurt Kamph: “My wife, Gail, (of 42 great years) and I have been happily based in San Diego for about 20 years. Before that we lived in Los Angeles for about 20 years as I worked in the entertainment industry. Mostly I managed production companies and produced and directed live TV. About 28 years ago I ‘switched careers’ and took a position with a business-consulting firm, Senn Delaney Consulting, and never looked back. Work life has been mostly fun, full of travel and working with interesting people and situations. ■ “Gail and I have two great children. Our son is a musician, and can play just about anything, but his main love is classical guitar. He lives in Berkley and manages an opera company. Our daughter earned her doctorate in physical therapy from USC a couple of years ago, and she’s building her career in San Diego. If any of you have any aches or pains, let her know, but be warned … she’s doesn’t put up with lollygaggers. ■ “Gail and I get back to Newport for a visit once in a while. Last summer we attended the Jazz Festival, the first time since 1974. We had a very touching and fulfilling time re-visiting the place. So all is well, and I’m looking forward to catching up with you again in a couple of years.” ■ Scott Douglass: “After graduating from Hamilton College with a degree in comparative religion, I bought a 24-foot boat and sailed around the Caribbean, surviving a variety of storms, both natural and of my own making. I eventually ran out of money, ‘saw the light’ and decided to go to business school.

At the University Of Chicago, I studied finance, took some courses at the Divinity School and was lucky enough to meet the love of my life, Susan. After graduation, we moved to NYC, I worked on Wall Street and Susan went to law school. We both did really well, so we stayed. We had kids and eventually moved from Manhattan to Scarsdale for the schools. ■ “My company went public, and as a senior officer, I got

67

68

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

to St. George’s for his 50th reunion. All too soon ...” ■ Philip Williams tells us: “My play ‘All Together Now’ took first place at The Playgroup LLC 2016 playwriting contest and will be presented as part of the Willow Theatre of Boca Raton 2017-2018 season.

Several other plays, including ‘Ask Me Anything,’ ‘A Life-Enriching Community,’ ‘A Moment of Clarity,’ ‘Which Way to The Beach,’ ‘Last Exit,’ and ‘Can’t Live Without You,’ have been produced at theaters in Florida and around the country including Dallas; Columbus; and Madison, Wisconsin. In April I presented a paper and workshopped a play at the 36th Annual William Inge Theatre Festival in Independence, Kansas. It was my 25th trip to the festival.” ■ “And on the subject of the written word, your correspondent has been rereading some of ‘The Lawrenceville Stories,’ Owen Johnson’s fictional tales of boarding-school life circa 1895 (no typo there — that’s 120 years ago), which my father gave me during our time at SG. Many of Johnson’s characters have colorful nicknames, and although ‘Waladoo Bird’ is hard to beat, we came up with some good ones ourselves, as I recall. Be well, and keep the notes coming.”

1972

John H. Stewart II, 100 Malcolm Drive, Pasadena, CA 91105, P: 626-403-0545, F: 909-396-4981, johnstewartathome@ yahoo.com ■ Heard from George Holden last May, just in time to miss the deadline for the last issue of the alumni Bulletin. It may be old news by now, but this is what he had to say: “Hi John — Doing well. A lot of administrative stuff now at SMU. Last August I became chair of the Psychology Department so that has been keeping me busy. I am also president of the board of a local nonprofit (Family Compass), which is the leading child-abuse prevention agency in Dallas. The organization has been going through various changes, so that has also been a big demand on my time. So definitely keeping busy, but it is all good.” ■ Recent Facebook posts tell us that John Lord has lately occupied himself by making home-brewed classic Porter beer. From the looks of it … pretty good, too! ■ Your class correspondent, John Stewart, is the early-adopter owner of a Toyota Mirai, a hydrogen fuel-cell car

John Stewart ’72 and daughter, Amanda, at a Red Sox game in Dodger Stadium.

that produces only H2O as its emissions byproduct. The car is so far only available in California, but plans are to extend sales to the East Coast once more hydrogen filling stations are built. ■ Finally, John would like to invite all classmates to send him a recent photo of themselves, perhaps with a family member: “To start it off, I offer this pic of myself with daughter Amanda, from last summer when the Red Sox came to play in Dodger Stadium, which is close to where I now live in Pasadena, California.”

1973

H. Andrew Davies, 237 E. 54th Street, Apartment 2C, New York, NY 10022-4739, P: 212753-2164, hchixdigme@aol.com

1974

Michael H. Walsh, 7 Hall Avenue, Newport, RI 02840, P: 401-848-9496, MHWNPT@ gmail.com ■ Hello to all my fellow classmates. I’m sorry I missed the last journal. I have been extremely busy here in Newport playing music. I met a sound engineer and producer from Providence through some musician friends. He has a great recording studio in his basement so I, being a songwriter, decided to record a lot of my stuff. I’m putting out an album.

The title track, “Is it Something I Said,” (The Facebook Song) is just too funny. I decided it needed a video so I could post

something on Facebook (hello). It’s on YouTube. Just type in “Mike Walsh, Is It Something I Said.” Don’t forget, gang, that I went to the Berklee School of Music after St. George’s. It’s been cathartic getting back to my first love, music. ■ I ran into Paul Barclay de Tolly at a street fair on Broadway here in Newport. Paul’s still working as a mechanical engineer at the Navy base, “3D modeling is my thing.” ■ He also rented a space where he moved all of his woodworking tools to where he seems to very much enjoy designing and building his own custom furniture, “My small little furniture design company. Go to my website, bdetdesigns.com.” He is also on the management team of his wife, Brenda Brock’s ever-growing apothecary business, Farmaesthetics. Besides the store on Bellevue Avenue, the Castle Hill Inn has given her/them two rooms where her company supplies very exclusive spa services, massages, facials and the like.

Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom also have picked up her line. They’ve been on some business trips out west to Phoenix and Los Angeles. His daughter, who graduated from RISD with a degree in furniture design, has also moved out to Los Angeles so that’s another reason for Paul and Brenda to travel out west. Like the rest of us, Paul sounds busy. I wouldn’t expect anything less from him with that brain of his, always inventing. “You know Brenda has had some SG interns help her out at the warehouse!” ■ I was in the neighborhood of Salve Regina University so I decided to drop in on Sue Coen Small to visit her at her job as curriculum resource librarian at the university. That means she works with the Department of Education to provide them with resources, book lessons, literature, information literacy instruction, etc. Sue taught in the public school department in Portsmouth forever, then went back to school (URI) and got her master’s degree in library science. Part of her job is to help set the curriculum. It’s a big library and it looked like Sue was the boss. Her daughter is doing a double major in dance at UMass Amherst and her really good painter/artist husband (who I know) is teaching a course at the Providence Art Club. ■ I ran into Jerry Kirby at the hardware store a few months ago, both looking for Christmas decorations! Hey Jerry what’s happening?

CLASS NOTES

1975

Please contact the Alumni Office at 1-888-CALL-SG or ClassNotes@stgeorges.edu if you would like to volunteer to serve as class correspondent.

Clifford L. Dent, P.O. Box 10796, Phoenix, AZ 85064-0796, P: 602-943-8391, dentcliff@gmail.com ■ Cliff Dent writes: “The Class of 1976 is weighing in with 39 updates this time around — which doesn’t quite equal the 45 updates we had coming right off the 40th reunion, nor the 57 updates we had in my inaugural class notes ‘miracle edition’ in the Summer/Fall of 2015 — but given the short notice that I gave cohort members and the fact that some of my most reliable ‘arm twisters’ were otherwise engaged, I think that we all did a tremendous job and I am satisfied with it … What strikes me as memorable about my former classmates and schoolmates is how accomplished they are, yet how modest they are (at least on the surface). They tell me when I ask that nothing has happened to them since their last update, but when I finally get them to turn in something, it turns out that they have actively been doing great things to change the world. I have been asked by members of my own cohort and by others (including other class correspondents), “How do you manage to get so many Class of 1976 Dragons to write in with updates, when many cohorts from ‘back in the day’ either don’t have a class correspondent (and thus usually have no updates) or have relatively few updates to offer?” I have started to formulate the key to Class of 1976 success — and I do consider it to be the success of the cohort (not my own), even though I proudly serve as the catalyst and personal contact for my rowdy and talented contemporaries. ■ David Todd ’77 seems to have taken my advice as to how to proceed as class correspondent and has experienced some success in motivating his classmates to contribute to the class notes; on the other hand, Leslie Greene ’78 has been doing this for longer than I have

FA L L 2 0 1 7

1976

//

“Working, working, working and then working some more.” His construction company has been expanding outside the state. “We’re all over the place.” I saw pictures your wife posted on Facebook of you guys all down in the Bahamas at where do you guys go, Bal Harbor? Oh and also some of Rome’s promos. Jerry’s son Rome is on the crew of team Oracle training down in Bermuda defending the America’s Cup. He’s a local hero round here! “Our family likes the heat, Mike! We like swimming in the ocean and sailing and Seamus surfs, anything to do with the warm summer sun and the ocean.” Jerry’s practically family to me so we just immediately go to cover school family friends, Newport gossip in 10 words or less, family grapevine.

this past year and it seems my emails have not been working properly both sending and receiving.

st. george’s school

Top to bottom: John Sutton ’74 photography / The cover for Mike Walsh’s ’74 demo for his upcoming album. / Sue Coen Small ’74 at her desk at the Salve Regina University library.

“We’ve got to get together” to which I’m thinking: I think we just did! ■ I pop over the Newport to Jamestown bridge every now and then and whenever I do, I always stop in and say hi to Mary Gooding. Mary’s always pleasant. She loves to read and bake. She’s retired from a high-powered banking job she did for years in Boston and presently helps manage her brother’s doctor’s office in Providence. Mary told me the funniest story about how she has always had a real fear of heights. So for her 59th birthday she decided to go skydiving and jump out of a plane. “The scariest part is riding up in the plane. Four of us are stacked in the back of a tiny prop plane that feels like you’re in a piece of cardboard. Then you lean way out, which is very scary, and get ready to jump.

Once you start free-falling, it’s heaven, so beautiful. You can see way out over Newport and the Island and the coastline, just beautiful. It’s really loud when you free-fall but when the parachute opens, completely opposite: pure silence. You just float on down. Never have yourself videotaped when you go skydiving. The last thing you want to see when you get home is your face skin jiggling and flapping in the wind like a Sharpe with your skin quivering like a Claymation movie.

Not very attractive.” Well did it cure your fear of heights? “Well I did it again last summer! You only live once, Mike. Go big or go home.” ■ Some side notes. John Sutton takes beautiful photographs of Vermont and he sends them to me all the time. They all tell a story. ■ Mike Leonard called me out of nowhere and was passing through Newport. I unfortunately was in Providence working but we blabbed and blabbed on the phone. He seems to really like San Diego. I already told you about Mike’s phone call a few months ago. ■ Eliot Swan just emailed me with the heading “Washington, D.C. Earth Day March for Science — April 22. Not intending to start a political rant. I’m reaching out because I enjoy hooking up with other members of our ‘Incredibly Great’ SG Class of ’74 who will be participating in the march. Bought my plane fare last week, science nerd that I am. I couldn’t resist!” Eliot, we’re the “Incredible Plastic Class-ic Inevitable!” ■ I also apologize that I have not been in touch with everyone but I had some major computer problems

69

70

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Top to bottom: Matt Hall ’76 recently took a photo of a friend who was being approached by a very large Manta Ray off the Pacific coast of Mexico. / Bill Clark ’76 in gem of a picture from 1976 at the start of the 220-mile hike from south to north Pennsylvania with Toby Welch ’76. / Katie Pratt ’76 and her mother in Puebla, Mexico in January 2017. / Marian Smith ’76 with son, Theo, in South Africa in January 2017. / Robin Howe ’76 with her daughter in South America near Lima, Peru in February 2017.

and has been quite successful in using her own methods — so those who want to benefit from my experience can either take this advice or leave it, as you see fit. So here is how I formulated it for a classmate who asked me ‘How do you do it?’ ‘The ‘secret’ is (1) tenacity, (2) make it look like fun and (3) be part of a cohort with unusually high competitive juices … Set it up as a competition (‘honor roll’) … Make it sound like fun (‘a party’) … Keep calling, emailing, pm’ing, snail mailing and comparing people (‘peer pressure’) … And the final magic — really like/love and respect your classmates/schoolmates …

It’s not a recipe, but it sure seems to work like magic.’ So I’m sharing that in order to spur others on to successfully sharing as well in the spirit of ‘win-win’ — when one of us succeeds, we all succeed, and I would personally like to hear from more schoolmates I knew from the Classes of ’74, ’75 and ’79, as well as others. ■ “The biggest event for our class since the 40th reunion last May was the meeting of the steering committee — Luke Durudogan, Marian Smith, Abby Ehrlich, Alan Fleisig, Jon Meredith and Charlie Gledhill — to address issues of sexual abuse at St. George’s School. Abby has provided a short summary of what the steering committee has been doing in her update — but some members of the steering committee may have to scale back their involvement because of outside commitments, so it is essential that those of us who can contribute in some way step up to the plate. I am considering joining the committee myself in order to be more

active in helping to reconcile past and present, and to help provide safeguards for the future of our high school alma mater. ■ “In my personal life, I have moved from teaching third grade to middle school, and I am currently teaching sixth-grade science at a charter school in Phoenix. As I deal with topics in biology, chemistry and physics, I often think of my science teachers at St. George’s School — and though they all have passed on, I think that they would be proud of me now. I have scaled back my activities with Uber, Lyft and Amazon Prime as a driver, but I am still engaged in income tax preparation and other incipient entrepreneurial activities, which I hope will pan out well enough to help my fiancée move from Texas to Phoenix so that we can get on with our lives and (I hope!) get married in the not too distant future. The most recent excitement in my life was reconnecting with an old graduate student buddy of mine — academic, author, radio/TV host and public intellectual Michael Eric Dyson.

Mike’s graduate school career at Princeton and mine overlapped — we actually met as SAT prep tutors in 1986, and became fast friends over the ensuing couple of years.

Mike audited a couple of my German classes at Princeton, and I tutored him well enough to pass his German reading exam — which he had to pass in order to continue with his doctoral studies. Mike and I had a joyous reunion after he gave a brilliant talk at an educational conference at a local Baptist church here in Phoenix.

Mike greeted me like a long-lost brother — and quite unbeknownst to me, he has been telling stories of our academic adventures in his speeches to audiences across the country for the last couple of decades. He even related one of these adventures in the speech at the educational summit — without knowing that I (his ‘German teacher’) was actually in the audience at the time. It is humbling to know that my activities in helping out a fellow graduate student 30 years ago are now nationally famous. Mike’s repeated exclamation, ‘This is the MAN! THIS is THE MAN!’ at the book signing — referring to my being ‘the man’ to whom he had been referring in his speech — almost made me blush (which is rather difficult when you have a ‘manly tan’ like me). I continue to be involved with the Alumni Board of Visitors

CLASS NOTES

FA L L 2 0 1 7

committee’s effort as catalysts of change.

Alums from all classes are welcome. This may be the best legacy we can offer and the truest way to honor education. Good wishes to all!” ■ Alan Fleisig writes: “Out of work, dog has cancer and Donald Trump is president. If only the next election were sooner, everything would be cool.” ■ Stan Forkner writes: “After reading all the great posts after our 40th, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. Will need to make plans for one of the next big ones. Otherwise my wife, Wendy, and I welcomed our daughter, Dana, back in to our house in Darien for a few months (she promises!) after several years of her living in L.A. She wants to get back to her roots and friends, and the city will be more fertile ground to meet male friends. Also she is making a career move from fashion at Ralph Lauren to graphic design so first step is a three-month course in NYC. Our son, Brad, moved to Florida on his own career-changing trip, working in Sarasota in land acquisition and development from his past job at UBS in investment banking. Wendy and I plan our own travels to Sweden and Denmark this year. I work in NYC for a Stockholmbased company in financial technology sales and every year my wife talks about her longing to visit Scandinavia so we’re finally making it happen on the back end of my annual company conference in Sweden. Next trip this year is visiting friends in Naples, Florida, who want us to join them and others in a few years when we finally get tired of winter and have more time on our hands. Tempting!” ■ Rodney France writes: “Another update!

Not so sure what news I gave in the last update not too long ago. If memory serves me correctly, I have not reported on my attendance at the 40th reunion. I had a fabulous time with, I believe, 36 members of our class. It would take up half the Bulletin to mention all that I got out of it while there. It was magical getting together with our Class of 1976. Much gratitude to Marian, Cliff and Alan for being the driving force in getting us all together for the reunion. Of course being together again brought back so many memories of our time together at SG. We reminisced to the max and added to friendships that were started during our years at SG. It is interesting how it seems like it was just yesterday in so many ways

//

Durudogan writes: “This was a very rewarding year getting reacquainted with classmates and working with Jon Meredith, Marian ‘Rian’ Smith, Alan Fleisig, Charlie Gledhill and Abby Ehrlich.

These wonderful people are making a meaningful contributions to SG and beyond. ■ “My wife Elizabeth and daughter Hayley ’14 are healthy and thriving in their own adventures!!” ■ Jay Edwards writes: “Sworn in for a fifth term and third as majority whip. We are working on eliminating the car tax in the state and as a member of House Finance, getting ready for the budget. ■ “My son, John, was elected to a Town Council seat in Tiverton and is enjoying his first term as a public servant and spending time with his bride. My daughter, Mae, is enjoying her senior year at URI. Finally, Kelsey, our middle daughter, is working full time in the ER at Miriam Hospital and is prepping for grad school.” ■ Abby Ehrlich writes: “Sorry to miss our 40th! After being down for the count (9/11 clean-up illness) met my son, Sam, 26, in Italy and celebrated with art and eating for a couple weeks, from Milan to Sicily. Sam led dauntless quests for local gelato, prosciutto and seafood through medieval Roman alleys, eerie WWII ruins in Palermo, and along coastal roads with no shoulders. It was close to pure joy climbing cathedrals, walking in the Forum and Pantheon and visiting Vatican museums together, even in the August heat. Back in New York again, continuing with Battery Park City Authority, now as director of community partnerships and engagement. Great to see Kim Morse Roell in Maine at the end of last summer and catching up with Elena Thornton Kissel ’77 in Newport. ■ “With stellar classmates Rian, Luke, Alan, Jon Isham’78 and Charlie, I joined the poignant work of the Class of 1976 steering committee to address sexual abuse at St. George’s. Sixty alumni reports of abuse were brave steps towards making SG safe for young students, but there’s still work to be done. We can do it better together. Our meeting with school administrators in the fall was another step toward raising awareness of best practices to protect students, prevent abuse and responsibly report crimes and criminals. Please consider adding your insight and determination to the steering

st. george’s school

at St. George’s and hope to be able to stay over a couple of days after the next meeting in order to visit with members of the Class of 1977, including my old buddies Dave Todd and Chris Lirakis, and a number of others who celebrated their 40th reunion this year. ■ “I am hoping that I am able to continue to serve as a catalyst for the school’s mission to provide a premier world-class education for today’s young people, as well as to help our steering committee to grow and prosper as an instrument of reconciliation, recompense, solace and eventual healing.

The best days of St. George’s are not behind this already great school — the best days of St. George’s are still to come.”

■ Lisa Anderson writes: “My news includes a new address. With my husband, Miles, I have moved to Cornwall, Vermont, and this summer we will reopen the Cornwall Orchards Bed and Breakfast, two minutes south of Middlebury on Route 30.

A lovely farmhouse on 13 acres (with Wi-Fi)! Thanks to classmates for your encouragement last year. All the best, Lise” ■ Bill Block writes: “I’m happy to report that my new album will be released this year. This was a real labor of love and I can’t wait for you all to hear it! I’ll be sure to send out information about it to everyone when the release date is solidified. I send lots of love to you all!

Cheers, Bill” ■ Charley Bowditch writes: “All going well. Oldest guy trading television airtime. Next guy graduating from Boston College this spring, then working in Edinburgh, Scotland. Youngest on her way next fall to Santa Clara U. Business School. The boss lady still bosses. I’m on my way to Jackson, Wyoming, to see if I can still jump into Corbet’s Couloir. Mom says there is more of me than there used to be. That’s about it!” ■ Bill Clark writes: “To report, it has been nice to reconnect with fellow members through social media. Sue and I are empty nesters for a while now, with kids in Portland, Oregon and Seattle.

Spending time on the snow with Toby Welch this March, and mountain biking in the Pacific Northwest are fun outings. If fellow classmates are ever in this area I would like to see you! ■ “I included a gem of a picture from 1976 at the start of the 220-mile hike from South to North Pennsylvania with Toby Welch! ” ■ Luke

71

72

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

that we were all attending SG. Yet even the myriad tons of life lived since then have not changed those bonds of the memories shared during SG days.

Actually, adulthood has in a way strengthened those bonds. Plan on attending many more reunions at SG.” ■ Martha Dykema Frost writes: “Not much has changed since my last update. I was in Cuba in March. I had a great time at the reunion last year, and I hope to see everybody at the next big one!” ■ Charlie Gledhill writes: “Greetings from the research triangle of North Carolina, where an early spring has this lifelong New Englander thoroughly flummoxed (I can plant new shrubs in mid-February? Really?). In other news: Everyone may remember when I saw you at the reunion that I was in the middle of a job search. Since then I landed a position as an IT project manager at a clinical research company called Worldwide Clinical Trials. So far, so good. My wife, Linda, and I just returned from a brief trip to the Bahamas, our first kidless vacation in 20-plus years! The kids couldn’t go because they are too busy being totally awesome: Sarah (24) was just promoted to assistant PR manager at Boston Ballet, and Rachel (21) just graduated from Elon University in May. Love to all ’76ers, hope to see you soon.” ■ Matt Hall writes: “I get great pleasure from being a fish photographer, so I’ll let the photo do the talking for me.” ■ Mike Hansel wrote in March: “I am currently finishing up the trimester and next week is exam week, so things are pretty hectic right now. I’ve also been working on my own sculptural work and have been included in some nice exhibitions. You can check out some photos on my website. I’m really excited about this year’s musical because our youngest daughter Natalie ’20 will be singing and dancing as part of the ‘A Very Potter Winter Musical.’” ■ Robin Howe writes: “I just returned from the Amazon Rainforest with my three kids where we roughed it — fished for piranha, went on night walks to see tarantulas, scouted out. Despite being covered with DEET, unshowered for more days than I care to report and drenched in sweat, it was the best experience I have had in a decade. The last day in Lima was a treat! Would love to go back but this time might find a place with hot water! ” ■ Beth Josephson writes: “A

little overwhelmed with 4 a.m. teacher wake-ups and jail protocols. All is well — leaving for Nepal July 3 — be back in NYC come September for another academic year as art teacher on Rikers’ Island. I am finishing a series of paintings based on the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. I will be having an exhibit this coming year. I will keep you posted. If anyone is in the city, drop a line. Would love to see you.

Elizabeth.” ■ Wick Kelley wrote in March: “It’s tax season, and I am servicing 10 to 12 tax clients every day. I am also currently looking for a new job. My 38-year-old daughter got married in October — she is the fashion design director for Under Armour. My son, Wick II, was promoted to Major in the Air Force last May and moved to San Antonio.” ■ Edie Woodland Kilchenstein writes: “Life is great in Park City. We were blessed by an epic snow year so for anyone who loves powder, it was heaven. I am currently teaching yoga and Nordic skiing and enjoying some much-needed time off. I am happy to say that I have five gorgeous grand kids and love being a grammy. I see Julie Wilson a lot and think that neither one of us has changed a bit! Thanks for keeping us all connected. Edie” ■ Catherine Lambert writes: “I am doing a reboot since last we met! In the last eight months, I founded my own business strategy firm, Catherine Anne Lambert LLC, and a charity Mediatrix360 Foundation in memory of my sweet brother Paul Francis. The foundation has created a virtual community for young adults to engage in purposeful social media. I am returning to the investment business I so loved with a focus on social impact investing. Money is a tool, money is a test, money is a testimony. Time to try to make a difference and impact in our world. The journey matters. ■ “Still living in Vero Beach with travel to NYC. Hope we can all get together again! Cheers!” ■ Bar Gooding Littlefield writes: “Doing well, living in Concord, Massachusetts. I am very active in water infrastructure, which means I travel often, fortunately to Southern California where I get to visit Carol Johnson regularly! Two of my four kids have graduated from college and are living in Boston, which is a treat for my husband, Bart, and me. Our youngest is graduating from high school this spring, which is hard

Top to bottom: Ed Stabler ‘76 and his wife, Anne, with eldest daughter, Merrill, who got married to Ryan Thorpe in August 2016 in Stowe, Vermont.

Pictured here with bridesmaid, Merrill’s sister, Ali with her boyfriend. / Tracy Schach Simpson ’76 with husband, Bruce and sons, Adair, Fraser and Elliott in Bolivia. / Tracy Schach Simpson ’76 climbing in Bolivia with her family. In the category of, “What St. George’s did NOT teach me…” Tracy and her sons atop Chachacoumani, 19,928 feet — an epic climb through the night, reaching the summit midmorning.

to believe, but also exciting for all of us. I love that our class had such a good turnout at our recent reunion and look forward to more gatherings. Bar” ■ Paula Marks writes: “So thankful to have seen so many of my classmates at our reunion last May! I hope we can meet again soon. ■ “Status quo here at Groton. I have spent a lot of time thinking about what I want the next 5-10 years of my life to look like — seems like there are too many days when I have had all that I can take with boarding-school life!! ■ “Other than teaching, I have been spending lots of time with preparations for my daughter’s wedding! Yikes! ■ “Hope everyone is well

CLASS NOTES

FA L L 2 0 1 7

Who knew life could be so rewarding? All the best to classmates. Look me up in Delaware or D.C.” ■ Albert Walls writes: “I am currently working on a degree in banking and finance and business administration. Please, please send my love to all of our SG family. If you correspond with Vicky Ill Bippart, Marian Smith, Cathy Lambert, Addie Dix, Rodney, and all of the rest, please tell them that they are all in my prayers and thoughts. I recently saw the yearbook. Everyone looks almost the same, so youthful, I am inclined to agree with one of our classmates who said maybe it was the SG air that kept everyone looking so young. GOD Bless Cliff! *PEACE*” ■ Toby Welch writes: “Had a good winter — played lots of pond and rink hockey, skied the backcountry of Vermont and caught some spectacular snowy days, and learned the art of ice climbing. Can’t get enough of the winter months! ■ “Teaching fourth grade and enjoying the humor of 9- and 10-yearolds. Curriculum development has been a big part of my work over the last two years. The social studies curriculum focuses on the essential question, “Why do people migrate?” and we have examined topics surrounding immigration.

We have introduced an intergenerational program where fourth-grade students read to a group of 4-year-olds on a weekly basis. Students also meet bimonthly with a set of elderly buddies at a retirement community. ■ “I have recently become much more politically active, working to maintain the protections that our wilderness and public lands have in place.

I strongly encourage all others to wade into today’s political landscape in ways that you feel strongly about — our democracy is informed through participation!” ■ Bob Whittemore writes: “Everything continues to go well in Charleston, South Carolina! Still working as a healthcare administrator. I just received a new hip, which will help me get back up to full speed! Daughter, Emma, is finishing graduate school at the University of Virginia and will soon start a job in Washington, D.C. Son, Alex, will get some college credits this summer in Innsbruck, Austria, before heading back to the University of Alabama in the fall. Hope to see classmates either in Newport or in Charleston over the coming months and

//

Morse Roell writes: “I was fortunate to receive an ‘excellence in teaching’ award from the Yawkey Foundation this fall. This afforded me the opportunity to accompany my mother to Italy this spring, joined by my son and sister. Along with celebrating Mom’s 80th birthday, we are celebrating Easter in Rome.” ■ Tracy Schach Simpson writes: “All well here, two sons transitioning from cost centers to profit centers, one in Chicago the other here in Toronto, the third doing a gap year in Burma, Argentina, and beyond before headed to Singapore for university.

Singapore, you say? Ya heard me.

Yale-NUS, a joint venture between Yale and the National University of Singapore!

Really excited to take advantage of this and explore that area of the world now!

Anyone with any ideas or recommendations for epic trips, mountains to climb, rivers to kayak or just places to see, send them on! ■ “Dearest and most wonderful husband, Bruce, named Scot of the Year here — celebrating the Auld Alliance and contributions to Canada; very proud and looking forward to a fun, celebration evening next month replete with haggis, the Selkirk grace and highland dancing! As always, sending much love to you all, and especially to you Cliff, with thanks for your energy, enthusiasm and commitment to our class - you are the man! ■ “oxoxo Tracy” ■ Marian Smith writes: “Just settling into my very first home [on dry land, that is:] in Chatham on Cape Cod. Come say hi!” ■ Ed Stabler writes: “The big news for me is that my eldest daughter Merrill got married to Ryan Thorpe in August at our house in Stowe, Vermont. It was a great party that won’t be forgotten any time soon! I’ve attached a picture of my family from the wedding. ■ “Cliff, thanks for all the time and effort you put into being our class correspondent. All the best, Ed Stabler.” ■ Harry Tower writes: “So there is only one way to stop these emails from Cliff: Answer. “Who else can claim that they are leading the housing recovery by driving brand strategy at the $3.2 trillion Fannie Mae? ■ “What an amazing place to be as the new administration looks to fortify our housing finance system. What a long journey from relative cluelessness in 1976. ■ “Happy in Delaware with wife, Hilary, and hyper achiever Harry Jr., a junior at Hotchkiss.

st. george’s school

and happy. Paula” ■ Jody Martin writes: “In Baltimore working as facilities manager at U.S. Lacrosse. Get to go to my hometown in Charlottesville, Virginia, often to visit family and friends and plan to get to Newport and New England sometime soon.” ■ Addie Dix McCabe writes: “There is nothing like peer pressure to get me to write in the class notes!

February 2017 was an exciting month. We celebrated Mom’s 99th birthday with family ages one to 99! I then headed back to Colorado and met our daughter, Kira, for a mother-daughter Texas road trip. We had a fabulous adventure visiting family and friends from Austin to Big Bend National Park. We hiked and looked across the Rio Grande to Mexico. Glad we had unlimited mileage on the rental car! Our youngest daughter, Mericka, graduated from Barnard in May and is going on to get her Ph.D. in biochemistry. We are blessed with two amazing daughters, one in the music business and one in science. Never a dull conversation at dinner!” ■ Jon Meredith writes: “Thanks for all of your Facebook posts. Keep up the good work.” ■ Joanna Walsh Olsen writes: “My husband and I are splitting our time between our house in Newport and Groton, Massachusetts. I am retired and doing a lot of traveling to see my three amazing grandchildren. Life is good right now. I would love to see anyone who visits Newport. ■ “Cheers! Joanna” ■ Helen Mahoney Pardoe writes: “Very busy here in Connecticut. Playing on two USTA teams and doing a lot with St. Barnabas Church where my husband, Rev. Ted, is the rector. Also building a guest cabin out at the ranch in Idaho, so if anyone is in the area in July and August give me a shout! ■ “Cheers, Helen” ■ Katie Pratt writes: “I was recently in Puebla, Mexico, for a wonderful cultural visit to an old colonial city. Mexico is beautiful and full of incredible history and wonderful people.

As I now live in an agricultural town with many Hispanics, (Napa, California) I am very aware of their fear of being rounded up for deportation. It is stressful for all of us who have friends and colleagues affected by our government’s orders. ■ “Other than that my book project is in the publisher cogs. Just blended my wine last week. Creativity and new ideas abound out here on the left coast. Katie” ■ Kim

73

74

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

years. “Warmest regards.” ■ Heidi Winslow writes: “I am really grateful for reconnecting with so many classmates and alumni at our 40th reunion last year! I hope to stay in touch and see more of everyone. I’m still living on the East Coast, north of Boston. I am enjoying my business, Coreretreats.com, my two daughters, (Kailee and Caroline), living in a wonderful community and exploring this beautiful area! ■ “Hope you’re well!” ■ David Wilson writes: “I live in Santa Monica, California, eight months and Quogue, New York (Eastern Long Island), four months. I founded Lee & Associates in West Los Angeles, which is a commercial real estate brokerage company, in 1994.

Ran it for approximately 17 years. Married with a son, George, and daughter, Natalie.

They both recently graduated from USC after both spent a year at East Coast schools — Trinity, George and UVA, Natalie. ■ “Best, David” ■ Julie Pullman Wilson writes: “All is well in the mountains of Utah. Incredible skiing last winter.

Looking forward to a green summer with lots of hiking, swimming and fishing. Our doors are open for visitors!”

1977

David A. Todd, 709 East Monroe Street, Austin, TX 78704, P: 512-442-3130, F: 512416-0900, dtodd@wt.org ■ Tom Baer is working in the cabinetry business, having mountain-bike adventures and enjoying the beautiful scenery of Boulder, Colorado. ■ Peter Barbaresi is famous for many reasons, but can now add another tribute to the stack of trophies, ribbons and plaques. As you may have heard, he joined the SG Sports Hall of Fame this fall, recognizing his contributions in football, ice hockey and lacrosse (is that all?). ■ Dick Corroon reports that his oldest son, Rich, is in his senior year of high school, headed to Rhodes in the fall. As many of you must feel, Dick looks at his firstborn making his way in the world, and gets a weird kind of déjà vu, with modern times reminding us of old days. ■ I hear good news from Vicky Drummond (among many others!) that she is planning on coming back for reunions and looks forward to seeing the Dragons of ’77 (some seen with four-legged friends!). ■ Ben Edwards says, “What’s been happening in Clan

Vintage photo of Vickie Drummond and the graduating class of 1977 with their four-legged friends.

McEdwards, and specifically with the Laird? PaBowCoooooo! Young Ben continues to thrive in Vienna (reckon he’s a lifer there now), his restaurant is doing great, and we think he’s forgotten our phone numbers. Young Nick is also doing well, graphic designing to his heart’s content here in London, and trying to make ends meet. Barbara and I are spending more time here, too, though I must admit I, the Laird, still do not seem to be in charge of anything and am still on the road more than I’d like. Happily, we are all in good health due to our rigorous regime of wine.”

■ Alison Eyre tells us, “I live in Ottawa with my husband and we are truly empty-nesters with three kids — one (daughter) trying to be journalist in Toronto, a farmer (daughter) in British Columbia who is currently climbing Ecuador, and a third, a son, who is currently in Guatemala. He is going to finish university with no set direction, but a great summer job as a bush firefighter. I am a family doc who does inner-city medicine and runs a residency program. My practice has many new Canadians, mostly from French African countries, and shut-in frail elderly who I often see in their homes. I also have some folks who just live downtown. It is a nice mix. The teaching is with the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine.” ■ Alec Harrison is well, splitting time among an undisclosed location in rural Connecticut, various beautiful spots in Italy and the Adirondacks, as well as the busy streets of New York, where he plies his fine work in architectural and commercial photography. ■ Nils Haugstveit, a career diplomat, checked in from Norway, where he has resettled with his wife and two daughters after serving as Ambassador in Argentina and Afghanistan. ■ Dave O’Donahoe has had a fascinating life,

ranging from college in the frozen climes of Cornell, to commercial diving work off Indonesia and Thailand, to real-estate investment in the Boston area. Currently, he’s planning a great new trip and exciting life on an ocean-going boat, starting with a journey down the Pacific Coast from Washington State to Baja and the Sea of Cortez. From there, who knows? ■ Jay Pierrepont, our west coast meteorologist reports, “We are enjoying a rainy winter in San Francisco. Twelve feet of snow at the base of the mountain where we go skiing. Have to enter our friends’ house by sliding down a rabbit hole to the front door or walking in from their second story deck.” ■ Ellie Stockwell writes in, “My husband, Stephan, and I recently moved to Penobscot, Maine. We are enjoying the new landscapes tremendously and are fortunate to have found a property on Penobscot Bay. My husband and I work in the custom-art-frame business, and are also both pursuing painting and drawing.

I mostly paint with acrylics, oils, inks and watercolors, and love pen and ink drawing, preparing landscapes and abstracts and figures mostly. We are trying to plug into the new community where we have found a local library that is a great center to stay informed of the local arts activities as well as feed our hungry-to-read dispositions. I have also been working on writing out my memories: maybe to develop characters later, but trying to put them in order is proving a challenge that is sometimes fun and sometimes a struggle to revisit.” ■ Donald Van de Mark tells us, “I am headed back to Kenya with Rachel Walton ‘76 to visit three conservation camps — the best being ‘Save The Elephants.’ Our wildlife is under siege and we ask that the SG community pay attention and do what you can. We were there two years ago, staying at Elephant Watch, a lodge run by The Douglas-Hamilton daughter, Saba.

For more information, please check out SaveTheElephants.org.” ■ I got a chance to have a nice talk with Peter Ward and learned that he has been involved in some fascinating, patent-winning work on automobile safety, and more recently engaged with waste reduction and energy research, plus enjoying playing chess and reading science fiction. ■ Nina Purviance West writes that she is “living outside Boston going on 25 years now and

CLASS NOTES

off season. He has also served on several nonprofit boards over the years, including the Schack Art Center, which serves as a regional center for visual arts creation, education and promotion, and (he explains) helps him channel Danny Newburg.

st. george’s school

1978 1979

David F. Bayne, 5 Windsor Road, Darien, CT 06820, P: 203-656-3311, F: 212-905-6478, dfbayne@aol.com ■ So, while many of us strive to achieve immortality in our day-today struggles and strife, others are born to it. Our endlessly amusing friend Igor Sikorsky III reaped another “generational greatness” award in February when his grandfather Igor Sikorsky was honored by the Two Roads Brewing Company in Stratford, Connecticut — home of the Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. — with a special edition “unorthodox” Russian Imperial Stout called “Igor’s Dream.” ■ Not one to pass up a party (especially a party with his name attached to it), our Igor made a special appearance at Two Roads with other Sikorsky family members to sign bottles of the coveted brew and to reminisce about the original Igor Sikorsky with hundreds of Sikorsky Aircraft fans (a/k/a “SikorskyHeads”). Not being one to miss a party myself (especially one with the Sikorsky name attached to it), I made the arduous 20-minute trip from Darien to attend the event — the things we won’t do to hang out with old friends over new beers. ■ Igor continues to see a steady stream of St. George’s alumni and former faculty at Bradford Camps in Northern Maine.

Joe Kettelle ’78 and Bill Sistare ’78 came up last summer for a fly-fishing trip, and Father John Rogers, who married Igor and his wife, Karen, at the St. George’s Chapel, is scheduled for a visit this summer. Book your trip now. ■ Because procrastination sure beats waiting around, I asked for class notes at the very last minute. Once again proving that subtlety is not his strong point, Wing Biddle responded that he had joined the prestigious Procrastinator’s Club of Westchester County a few years

A cross-generational picture of David Bayne ’79, daughter, Elizabeth ’10 and son, Jon ’14 on the beach at Phish: Riviera Maya last January.

ago. He promises to report on the club’s activities but he is still waiting for the club to hold its first meeting. ■ Thousands of Phish fans felt the same way at the final night of the “Dick’s” run outside of Denver last summer when Phish reprised the “Still Waiting” line in the Talking Heads’ song “Crosseyed and Painless” throughout the second set while those of us in the audience waited for the traditional gag that never came. Elizabeth Bayne ’10 and I were there on the floor of Dick’s, and we were floored by the music that night. No gag was necessary; nor was the homebrewed honey beer I had in the parking lot before the show, but that’s a story I’d rather not remember — even if I could. ■ After seeing a great run of Phish shows at MSG over New Year’s, Elizabeth, Jonathan Bayne ’14 and I headed to “Phish Riviera Maya” for three shows on the beach in Mexico last January. There may be a “selfie” of us between sets eagerly waiting for more music somewhere nearby.

Lindsay Hopkins-Weld, Minot Weld ’78 and son Chris were there working at the shows for the production company, but our paths never did quite pass. Still waiting ... ■ Steve Rockwell performed in three plays last year: “Vanya & Sonya & Masha & Spike,” “The Cherry Orchard” and “33 Variations” in Southern California.

Given that the first two plays have clear connections to Russia, I am calling for an investigation into the Russian influence on Steve’s work and am placing Igor (who else?) in charge. In other news, Steve’s on-again — but mostly off-again — rock & roll band, the Nerve, has not broken up!

Steve says that despite a steady drumbeat (which the Nerve wishes it could maintain) of demands for the band’s retirement, the Nerve continues to play gigs whenever it

FA L L 2 0 1 7

Leslie M. Greene, 37 Woods Grove Road, Westport, CT 06880, lmg4187@ optonline.net

//

enjoying life, working as an independent art appraiser and advisor to art collectors and estate-planning attorneys. I enjoy keeping up with several alums including Elena Kissel (who kindly offered a bed to my daughter one summer when she worked in NYC!), Sandra Whitehouse, Priscilla Toland, Loocie Brown, Nancy Parker Wilson and Belinda Kielland, with whom I overlap as partners in a contemporary art grant-making organization. I wish I saw more of my other classmates!

Some of you I connect with one Facebook but that’s not enough. My husband, Andy West, is an architect in Boston and is involved in various local organizations. In my spare time, I volunteer for Samaritans, a suicide-prevention hotline. I work the phones, which is challenging but gratifying. When I feel like I have forgotten everything I learned at St. George’s, in college and in grad school, I take classes here and there. We have two fabulous daughters, Blair and Grace, in their mid-20s and living in New York, making their way professionally, one as a magazine editor and one as an aspiring actor. Life is good!”

■ Mimi Whitmarsh is at the helm of an exciting life, with hopes for good breezes and fair seas. She was looking forward to bringing a boat up from the Caribbean in early May. ■ Bill Zingarelli is in Everett, Washington, and has loved the Pacific Northwest life since 1993. Married for 27 years to Kati Nickerson, who is director of Youth Education at the Village Theatre, they have a 26-year-old daughter, Mauri, who lives in Seattle and works with Kati — both passionate about promoting racial and gender equity. Their son, 23-yearold Joey, is living large in San Francisco working as a designer for Pinterest. Bill is still a solo lawyer with a general practice in Stanwood, and is fanatical about all things boat-related (Bill feels that this is totally in the spirit of Tuck Edmundson and other nautical Dragons). He loves to sail the Salish Sea on their Catalina 34, crab and play on a 21-foot runabout or a homebuilt 16-foot day sailer, explore all the ins and outs in their kayaks, and even take sailing adventures to Belize, Honduras, Leeward and Windward Islands, Denmark, Greece and Sicily! The rest of Bill’s time is devoted to maintenance — somehow finding time to remodel every house he has owned, reportedly keeping him sane during the

75

76

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

can. They are not called “the Nerve” for nothing. ■ I ran into Hakan Durudogan at Middlesex Weekend last November. Eric Hall ’80, Joe Kettelle ’78 and Bill Sistare ’78 were also on hand to watch the game.

Hakan’s son, Eric ’17, is a sixth-former, and Hakan will be ending his tenure as an eight-year SG parent. Although Hakan says he will miss watching his kids grow up on the Hilltop, his checkbook may beg to differ. By the way, if you need a quick tooth extraction next time you are in Newport, look Hakan up. He is a very successful dentist there and by all accounts a real gas. (Sorry, I could not help myself). ■ Carla Barbaresi Edson emerged through the crowds of a St. Lawrence University holiday event in Greenwich, Connecticut, last December to say hi. SLU events are often SG events with different initials, so it was great to see Carla on “home” turf. I am still waiting for Greg Rodiger ’78 to make an appearance at one of them, but I only seem to run into him rocking out at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York, these days. I last saw him fleetingly at a Railroad Earth show in February. ■ Finally, many of you remarked on the passing of our teacher Robert Parker in December.

Mr. Parker left St. George’s shortly after we did (can you blame him?) and became a beloved teacher at the Fountain Valley School in Colorado. Fountain Valley posted a remarkable in memoriam page about Mr. Parker’s contribution to that school which included references to the Russian History and Modern China classes that he developed at SG, and, of course, to the Polar Bears, which was my favorite “sport” at SG, that he created. It would seem that he carried St. George’s with him for the rest of his days, too. So long and stay in touch.

1980

David T. Gardner, 102 Turnberry, Saint Simons Island, GA 31522, P: 912-638-9866, davidgardner61@gmail.com

1981

Charles A. de Kay, 901 Forest Avenue, Apartment 1E, Evanston, IL 60202, P: 630-8969474, c_de_kay@hotmail.com

1982

Douglas G. Lovell III, 3 Storrs Road, Hanover, NH 03755, P: 603-727-2757, douglaslovell3@gmail.com

1983

Jennifer McLane Hinchliffe, 1017 Deerfoot Drive, Pegram, TN 37143, P: 615-7926949, jenlama32@gmail.com

1984

Brian M. Duddy, 99 Battin Road, Fair Haven, NJ 07704-3204, P: 732-345-1049, F: 212632-5397, bduddy@williamblair.com

1985

Eugene P. Hanrahan, Jr., 2618 7th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405 / C. Fritz Michel, 4731 Fieldston Road, Bronx, NY 10471, P: 310699-4468, cfritzm@mac.com

1986

Please contact the Alumni Office at 1-888-CALL-SG or ClassNotes@stgeorges.edu if you would like to volunteer to serve as class correspondent.

1987

Clymer D. Bardsley, 1 Shirley Circle, Narberth, PA 19072, P: 610-667-2430, clymerbardsley@yahoo.com ■ Paul Kekalos: “All is well! Still in New York City. Family good. Dealing with a new teenager. It’s a whole different thing. My older daughter is in the same class as Ian Toll’s ’85 son. I’ve been lucky enough to be up in Middletown a few times a year for the last few years. It’s been great to spend time on campus.” ■ Laura Foulke: “Had a great visit with Eliza Mellon ’88 and James Gowen ’82 who ventured to San Francisco this February. We met up with Bear Dyke for dinner and learned that he is breaking ground on a winery for Mira Wines and will be moving to Napa Valley with his family this summer.

This winter, I became a proud owner of a beautiful abstract painting of the U.S. flag done by Lisa Bostwick ’83. She is an amazing artist and friend. Lots of good SG mojo on the West Coast. Come visit!”

■ Annie (Akers) Klyver: “Our son, Sam, is

a third-former this year and loving it! It’s been fun to be back at the school and run into other alums and their kids. We are so impressed with the school and all it has to offer!” ■ Gita (Reese) Sukthankar: “I’m back to teaching after a sabbatical at the Palo Alto Research Center. This year I’ve been doing a lot of extra work travel in my role consulting with DARPA’s Information Science Advisory Group — but I am scheduled to be at the reunion in May.” ■ Polly Walldorf: “Over Thanksgiving I visited my family in Tennessee, where my son managed to take out 14 of 18 family members with an extremely viral stomach bug. Anyway, on our flight back I noticed a teenager wearing a St. George’s sweatshirt. I caught up to her and her traveling companions on our way to baggage claim.

They were current students heading back to school after the break. As a matter of fact, one handsome, confident and well-mannered boy was April Anderson’s ’86 son. I hope he passed along my greetings to his mother.” ■ Virginia (Verney) Lucarelli: “Hi from sunny Telluride, Colorado! Nothing earth shattering to report. Life out here is good!” ■ Chris Lee: “Travels for work have allowed me to cross paths recently with a few classmates. I saw Abner Kingman in San Francisco.

We spent a day together checking out the elephant seals at Drakes Bay north of San Francisco. A week later I was in Charleston, South Carolina, where I met up with Bear Dyke. Bear and I went on a tour of the College of Charleston together and then attended a St. George’s reception hosted by Bear and his wife, Dawn, at their Mira Winery offices. It was great to see both of them.” ■ Katherine (Letcher) Martin Groseclose: “Hi, I’ve been in Charlottesville, Virginia, since 1995 raising my three great kids. My oldest son, Carey, 20, has severe special needs so it’s been quite a ride! I’m recently remarried and a stepmom to a preschooler ... starting over: WOW!” ■ Alexandra Fletcher: “I’m still loving living in Alaska. We had a spectacular winter.” ■ Cynthia (Tilley) Cavo: “We relocated to Denver, Colorado, in June and have been immersing ourselves in champagne powder every chance we get. I just took the Colorado Bar exam and am acting Interim State Coordinator of Colorado CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates.) Even in the glorious Rocky

CLASS NOTES

FA L L 2 0 1 7

Michelle Doty, 231 East 48th Street, Apartment 2, New York, NY 10017, P: 212-606-3860, F: 212-606-3508, mmd@cmwf.org / Alfred Jay Sweet IV, 31 Lufkin Point Road, Essex, MA 01929, P: 617-768-7293, F: 978-768-7127, ajsfour@gmail.com ■ In this episode of “As The World Turns” we find our protagonists, the wise and witty denizens of the Class of 1988 sliding into their respective roles as masters of the universe, spiritual healers, medical marvels, financial barons and of course addled ne’er do wells … Speaking of Wells, your humble scribe had the chance to hang with the entire Blaxter clan in New Hampshire this winter at the baptism of a mutual friend’s child. While someone believing Wells was fit for being a godparent was shocking enough, even more incredulous was spending time over the smoked salmon and Mimosas discussing the coming secondary education of our smarter offspring. ■ Speaking of children besting their parents in the brains department, Burton Gray chimes in from the swamp. “Though I continue to pursue my life goal of doing as little as I have to and as much as I can, our three children — now aged 13, 12 and 4 — present an ever-increasing force of interests, athletics, arts, music and activities that are diverse geographically, topically and temporally, and the ‘have to’ seems to sometimes outweigh the ‘can.’ The rare days when a meal pleases all five family members are … rare.

Thank goodness for UberEats. Sometimes we use it multiple times in one night.” ■ Speaking of rarities, much like hearing the failed mating call of the red-footed Patrick woodpecker, we hear from the elusive Phil Rhodes. “Hi, all — We’ve been in Chicago for the past 10 years, following business school at U of C/Booth, and several years in New York and San Francisco. I have

//

1988

been with AIG’s Financial Lines group for the last 14-plus years (some smoother than others). My wife, Tracy, is a personal chef with her own business in the city, and our son, Henry, is (incredibly) about to start high school. It amazes me looking at him to think that’s the age most of us met. Always happy to see other SG alums, and hope everyone is well.” ■ Speaking of well-being, Tiphaine Ravenel Bonetti, hailing from the foothills, reports: “What can I say? Things are moving along at a peaceful, albeit rapid, pace. I continue to be challenged by my work in infant mental health, deeply appreciative of living in Colorado and having superb access to the natural beauty of the mountains, humbled and grateful for the wild and sometimes bumpy ride of parenthood, and blessed by the love of family and friends near and far.”

■ Speaking of friends from afar, the dispatch from Romina Siaterli in the cradle of western civilization wins by a mile: “For the past 12 months I have been enjoying a life of leisure for the first time since ... well, ever! After two years as a lobbyist in the pharma industry, I decided that what kept me in the office was way less important than what was waiting for me outside, so I quit my job and took a nice self-indulging sabbatical. And since last March, I have been busier than ever studying for a speedboat license, doing tons of fun stuff with my 4.5-year-old boy, reconnecting with friends, visiting art galleries and museums, skiing on weekdays (pure luxury!) and reigniting my passion for photography, which pretty much lay dormant since the AP photography course I took with Mark Bistline back at the SG days.

Several sessions with my new photography teacher and countless shots later, I am getting ready to participate in my first ever photography exhibition sometime in the next couple of months! National Geographic, here I come! ■ “Keeping one leg grounded in the real world, however, I am also contemplating my next professional step, if only to offer me the means to continue buying nice camera lenses ;-))) Hopefully I will have more to share on all these fronts at the next class roundup!

Till then, do let me know if your travels bring you to Athens. Greece may be a country in crisis, but this hasn’t disturbed its beauty and culture in the slightest!”

■ Speaking of beauty and culture, Mark

st. george’s school

Mountains huge numbers of kids are victimized by abuse and neglect.” ■ Jessie (Toland) Mock: “Greetings, fellow classmates. I will sadly miss the 30th reunion, but will be in Rhode Island visiting family the last two weeks of July. Life is good in Carmel, Indiana. A special shout out to Julie Bowen as my kids’ favorite show and our favorite family show is ‘Modern Family.’ Thanks for the weekly laughs.”

77

Top to bottom: Michelle Doty ’88, Lauren Rosen Purcell ’88, Tiphaine Ravenel Bonetti ’88 and Pilar Settlemier Tumolo ’88 got together recently in Boulder, Colo., for the weekend. / Margaret and Jay Sweet ’88 at the Grammys this year.

Taber checks in from the John Mayer “Your Body is a Wonderland” tour: “I know Flores just took his kids to San Diego.”

■ Kiliaen Van Rensselaer reports from “La-La Land:” My wife, Shaina, and I had a baby girl on Jan. 24, 2017 in Los Angeles: Liberty Fewell Van Rensselaer, 7 pounds, 4 ounces, 21 inches. ■ From Lauren Rosen Purcell: “In early February, I had the joy of getting together with Tiphaine Ravenel Bonetti and Pilar Settlemier Tumolo in Boulder, Colorado, for the weekend. We shared great hikes, yoga and lots of talk!

Old friendships are golden. Love to all.”

■ Speaking of old friends, Peg Willauer sends love from the North Country: Peg still living in Maine. Eldest son in college and youngest son thinking about looking ... I’m still working at Chewonki where I am the director of development and Tom works in Damariscotta as an occupational therapist. Work has me on the road a lot. I get to see Katie Coggeshall, Grace Kim, Annabelle Redway, Molly Andrews Burke, Lauren Rosen Purcell ... and others.” ■ Speaking of others: Last and certainly least Mr. Wood-Prince makes

78

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

wild and unsubstantiated claims of the world growing smaller and an open invite for anyone to camp on his spacious lawn this summer. “Had a chance to spend a weekend in Augusta, Georgia, last year with Craighill Redwine ’89 and Jon Dyke ’89 thanks entirely to Jon, who took both Craighill and I to the Masters and arranged the entire weekend! Spectacular weekend and somewhere along the way Craighill transformed into Ma Long and dominated the nightly Ping-Pong tournament.

I plan to tour boarding schools this fall with my son, Harry, and can’t wait to tour SG. I have the good fortune of talking to many friends from SG and find the world becoming smaller and smaller. I hope we get a great showing for our 30th class reunion next year. I plan to be in Newport for as much of July and August as possible.” ■ And finally, I (Michelle) couldn’t resist and had to sneak in this picture of Jay with his far better half, Margaret Sweet, hanging with the cool crowd at the Grammys this year. Mark, we may not have any Academy Award winners (yet), but we are certainly good-looking. ■ And finally, a plea to our class … please be more generous with your news! Next time, Jay and I may have to resort to “alternative facts” if we don’t get any raw material to work with. Your devoted scribes, Michelle and Jay

1989

Sylvia Dent Harris, P.O. Box 3650, Wilmington, DE 19807, P: 302-656-7463, F: 302-4297463, sisharris@me.com / Stafford Vaughey Meyer, 54 Tanglewylde Avenue, Bronxville, NY 10708, 914-803-2796, stafford@staffordmeyer.com / J. Craighill Redwine, Jr., 20 Brewster Court, Charleston, SC 29403, craighillr@ me.com ■ Greetings, fellow ’89ers! With the changing of the Class Notes guard from Kimbell to Sissy and me (Craighill Redwine) there will be very little change except for the occasional “y’all” here and there. Keep your updates coming and please remember that pleading the Fifth can be dangerous … ■ It was wonderful to see our own BJ Miller featured in the New York Times Magazine in the Jan. 3 edition.

Google BJ and the story pops right up. A must-read article about a classmate who is making headlines for all the right

Top to bottom: David Dickenson’s ’89 kids, David, 18, and Nina, 17, with David’s best friend from college and godfather to his son, Pat Cave at a Cavaliers game last July. / Jane Goldstone Sarouhan ’89 with her husband, Jason, and daughter, Kaya, on a four-day trip paddling the Whanganui River in New Zealand.

reasons. ■ Celebratory news comes from fellow correspondent Sissy Dent Harris who is getting married to Bob Aerenson this July in Wilmington, Delaware. Sissy’s three children — Katie, 17, Peter, 16, and Margot, 11 — will join Bob’s children — Whitney, 26, and Jackie, 20 — at the soon-to-be-much-larger holiday dinners going forward. She spent time with Lilly Phipps Cardwell, Allison Holcomb Harris and Stafford Vaughey Meyer this summer. Stafford visits Sissy often for Pappy Van Winkle tastings at Sissy’s house, which is conveniently near St. Andrew’s where Stafford’s daughter is in school. Congrats, Sissy! ■ Great news from Bavaria with Larus Shields “weighing in” with: “On Feb. 8, 2017, Henrik ‘Henry’ Larus Shields was born here in Munich. His big sister Elsa (who turns 2 in June) seems OK with the new addition … so far. If anyone comes through Bavaria, please let us know. While the surfing on the Eisbach leaves something to be desired, the beer and schnitzel ain’t bad.

Hope everyone’s very well!” ■ Enjoyed seeing many Dragons at the Charleston alumni gathering at the Mira WineTasting Room on Feb. 2 hosted (and owned by) Bear Dyke ’87. We honored Eric and Krista Peterson for their

extraordinary dedication to SG with lively conversation and seriously good grapes.

Eric and Krista will be sorely missed and were toasted well with Charleston aplomb. Had fun with Liberty Nissen Yancey, Zoe Leath Stephens ’91, Chris “Casual” Lee ’87 and many others.

Charleston is losing Bear to Napa Valley thanks to Robert Parker giving Mira 90-plus points on several of his and brother Jonathan Dyke ’89’s vino. The Dyke boys have made “the show”! On a related note, Jonathan, Bear and I were all recently on the Hilltop with younger Dykes and a Redwine (nephew Owen) for their interviews for third form next year.

Dinner with the youngsters at Clarke Cooke House felt very much like Parents Weekend — until the check arrived. ■ Charles Ruma gloats: “You people should see what I’ve done with my calves. If you get super serious about only lifting Fiats and old Miatas in a quick powerlifting motion (up and down 8-10 inches in increments of 90), you can extend the girth on your calves by 44 percent” when you power up your work out with Gerry Cooney Muscle Milk. Power UP!” ■ Had Curtis Ravenel ’87 over to the house in Charleston for an after-dinner drink last week. The majority of the world’s political problems were solved from polar opposite sides of the aisle while Mr. Garcia strummed in the background. Think Spring Dance Weekend without Maxx Creek. ■ Anne Merriman Wells reports: “I had the best time with Jane Goldstone Sarouhan at my house in Westport last month. We hadn’t seen each other in 20 years! I also get to see Eric Wiberg every once in a while as his son is at school with my three girls. In other news, my husband and I are leading a Hike For Heaven Climb of Mount Kilimanjaro on June 16 to raise funds for the Heaven School, which we are building in Tanzania through our Unite the World With Africa Foundation (uniteafricafoundation.org). We would love to have some SG friends join in. Right now we have a team of climbers ages 25-55.” ■ Dave Dickenson sends: “Greetings from Cleveland, home of the World Champion Cavaliers. David (senior, age 18) and Nina (junior, age 17) are off to college this year and next. David is likely to attend Parsons in New York this fall, while Nina is shooting for UVA next fall.

CLASS NOTES

FA L L 2 0 1 7

Nashville; spent some time on the Hilltop last fall, which was awesome, and recently have seen Addison, Woody, and Kimbell — always great to catch-up.

Hoping that 2017 brings an updated Ruma IV tape in hi-def.” ■ Ted Wight is “living in Baltimore (Charm City) and an owner of a company that does financial planning for physicians. I have two kids who are great and still like me (for now).”

■ Jane Goldstone Sarouhan is “still working as a gap year counselor, making this 20 years now working in international and adventure education. So far 45 has been great! I spent a month in New Zealand with my husband and our daughter vetting new programs for work (photo attached of us on a 4-day trip paddling the Whanganui River), followed by an 8-day whitewater canoeing trip in Big Bend National Park, and then got to spend a night with the lovely and inspirational Anne (Merriman) Wells in Connecticut before she left for Tanzania!

Hope everyone is well.” ■ Katie Michel is “just working away at Planthouse — Sadie turned 14 and Claire 10 yesterday! Gallery will be four years old in May — and publishing a new book this spring. The song, ‘Home Winds’ will benefit NRDC. Saw Brooke Connell at Stafford Vaughey Meyer’s mom’s memorial service — and had dinner with Eric Wiberg recently.

Here is the infomercial on the book. http:// planthouse.net/home-winds-preview/” Congrats, Katie! ■ Brooke Connell reports: “My oldest daughter, Lily ’20, is a third-former at SG. She’s having a great time and it’s been surreal spending so much time on the campus.” ■ Lilly Phipps Cardwell says: “I’m still loving Austin. Still doing some hunting and fishing and most importantly I never have to wait in line at Franklin BBQ. If anyone wants to know the secret handshake, it’s easier to show via FaceTime. Always up really late so feel free to call or text any time day or night.” ■ Morgan Dejoux has recently acquired the Granger — Historical Archive Company.

When not focusing on his new venture he has forsaken tennis, golf and all water sports for his new passion — croquet. He was hoping to win the Piping Rock Invitational on May 11th and then go on to Nationals in November. He’ll be easily spotted as the guy in all western gear instead of the traditional whites. Good

//

where I grew up. One husband, three kids, three dogs (got a puppy!), five chickens and two horses. Everyone thriving ... If you find yourself in need of a break on I-95 in Delaware, give a shout or call Sissy. But, I am always happy to see a fellow SGer ...” ■ Allison Holcomb Harris has “nothing new to report other than a couple previously unrevealed Vanderbilt ∑AE stories about husband Jim, Jonathan Dyke and Spencer Lee” that are likely not “fit to print.” Phi Alpha. ■ Whitney Smith Schrauth reports: “Whoever knows what to say when life keeps careening by?! I am still an architect, still have three kids and am still living in Mill Valley, California. I bump into BJ Miller a lot while I am here and love getting the chance to see Stafford and Katie each summer while on Nantucket. I’ll need to make a plan to see Tom as I know he is nearby and Colin since he is not much farther away. Who else is out here? My eldest is approaching high school and we are considering boarding schools. It makes me realize just what an amazing experience SG was (and how old we are all getting). Get in touch if you are in the Bay Area during the school year or Nantucket during the summer — I’d love to connect.” ■ Coming in hot (buns) is Eric Hottel, not skipping a beat saying: “All I really want is to be back in my dorm room listening to 92 PRO FM from Providence — ‘the one in Rhode Island.’” He also reminisces that “Addison will always be first-rate. At times, however, he had me feeling like I didn’t pre-prep well enough, the ultimate embarrassment. But, when I once saw him throwing a baseball out on the Quad, I knew I had indirectly inspired him. I always thought he looked much more at ease holding a Brine lacrosse stick in his dorm room.” ■ Nkem Okpokwasili is stationed with his family “in the High Desert of California. Moved out here in 2015. Perhaps moving again 2017 or 2018. Army life is always adventurous.”

Nkem also shared wonderful, (if not unbelievable) news announcing that on St. Patrick’s Day weekend in March in New Orleans there were a few SG alumni celebrating the nuptials of a one Jamie Fitz. Damon Pace, Cornell Caines, Ray Woishek and Greg Brown were scheduled to be there. Lots of pics please, fellas! ■ Jonathan Dyke says: “All is well in

st. george’s school

They both have worked their buns off while having a ton of fun living life. We are blessed and have included a picture of them with my best friend from college and godfather to our son, Pat Cave, who along with Convention master Jeff Kimbell, were in town for the RNC in Cleveland last July. Best wishes to all and I look forward to the SG reunion in two years. Be well.” Dave also asks anyone with kids currently at SG to still visit “Viet Nam” on the way down the hill to Flo’s Clam Shack. ■ Tom Wang “Got a new home in Mill Valley outside of San Francisco with wife, Buffy, and two boys (2 and 5). Was thrilled to stop by the Hilltop for Middlesex Weekend and hosted some current students at an SG Tech and Innovation Program in March.”

Atta boy, Venom! I met Tom at Terrapin Crossroads recently for a beverage.

Valuation, options and a certain Cornell ’77 musical event were discussed. ■ Ceebs Hartmann has just closed on his 14th Waffle House in the greater Atlanta area and is currently open to any and all pool party ideas. He reports his pool is 84 degrees and only getting hotter. ■ Almus Thorp reports: “The Thorps enjoying visits to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, where we are bringing a challenged log cabin back to its original glory. We’re like Smith Family Robinson up in the woods cutting down trees and draw-shaving the bark. Even had a moose visit once. For our 9-, 12- and 14-year old girls, it’s better than Instagram.” ■ Han Kolff is taking it easy in the Alps and chimes in with: “Thus, right away a picture from the Alps, as long as we are allowed to, with global warming heating up the U.S. and Europe as fast as populism it seems. Life is good, let’s keep our planet smart and healthy!” ■ Eric Wiberg states: “This year was pretty momentous. I am pleased that my book “UBoats in the Bahamas” was published after seven years, but saddened to have separated after 13 years. Our son, Felix, is doing great, though, and I look forward to travels with him home to Nassau. A number of classmates have reached out to lend support and moral encouragement during a difficult time, which I will always appreciate. Still based in Westport, Connecticut. Onward to the next reunion!” ■ Katherine “Fish” Maroney “still lives within 15 miles of

79

80

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

luck, Morg! ■ Last and certainly not least, we hear from Jeff Kimbell who reports: “All is well in the Kimbell family. We have been thoroughly entertained in our nation’s capital watching the whining snowflakes melt down after Trump’s victory on election night. Hillary got 94.6 percent here so suffice it to say that there was plenty of melting going on. And if they get a little aggressive, we are well armed in the Kimbell compound (and legal). The three kiddos all share a comedic flair, blond hair and powerful forearms from time in the weight room. They are now 7, 4 and 16 months. While Kimbell & Associates is still humming I’m putting the finishing touches on an amazing new company called Lunar Tactical that combines the smartest minds in aerospace with the best big-game hunting guides in the world. Think NASA meets the Safari Club. I plan to have the first 239,000-mile kill shot — not counting ‘Star Wars.’ Our main hurdle was convincing the guides that our new laser-powered weapons ‘count’ as a clean shot, but after explaining option vesting and cap tables to them they were quickly on board. The mount is another problem altogether, but taxidermy has come a long way so we’ll figure it out. Our Series C Round is almost full and we hope for an IPO by 2020. It’s going to be the hunt of a lifetime – from space!” ■ It’s that kind of forward thinking that is going to “Make the Moon Great Again.” Thanks, Jeff!

1990

William H. Bush, 4161 High Valley Road, Encino, CA 91436, bushyinla@gmail.com / E. Stanton McLean, 60 Hereford Road, London W2 5AJ, England, P: 011-44-207-221-4662, stanton.mclean@jpmorgan.com

1991

Please contact the Alumni Office at 1-888-CALL-SG or ClassNotes@stgeorges.edu if you would like to volunteer to serve as class correspondent.

1992

Sara Ely Hulse, CBS News-48 Hours, 524 W 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, P:

212-975-8505, F: 212-975-9460, sse@ cbsnews.com ■ Spring has come and gone and so has our 25th Reunion! It is always incredible to see so many classmates again. It is heartwarming to be able to pick up right where you left off as if no time has passed — and to deny that we all are now in our 40s! For those of you who are interested, I will be sure to circulate the link to the Google photo album on our Class of 1992 Facebook page so everyone can add their photos and people can print and save the ones they want. ■ For those who didn’t get to make it, here are a few notes from fellow alums so you can catch up with those you missed … ■ Susan Maroney Swain is looking forward to have the class descend on her hometown for a visit! Susan is still working as a psychiatric nurse, both inpatient and outpatient, at Newport Hospital and Newport County Mental Health Center. It is hard work and very needed but she says she has found her niche! Her daughter, Ruby, just turned 7.

The family moved to Jamestown in the summer of 2015, and, according to her husband, they are NEVER moving again, lol. Susan says that’s fine with her — it’s a beautiful place to live. ■ Whit Rugg is in the middle of a move … the Ruggs are moving to Middletown from Newport as they needed a little more room for their newest addition: Alden William Rugg was born March 1, 2016. (They just barely dodged the Leap year baby bullet). He is a happy and healthy little man and his big sister, Morgan, 4.5, is absolutely enamored and has been a huge help.

Kelli’s design/project management business is as busy as ever and my practice with Merrill Lynch is growing steadily each year. Whit was looking forward to the festivities in May although, “I don’t really feel old enough to celebrate a milestone of this magnitude.” Agreed. ■ Trey Holder also has a new addition to celebrate: Cannon Holder was born on Nov. 14, 2016. He joins sisters Kyla, 13, and Zoe, 9. Trey lives in San Antonio, Texas, and is the principal at The Solutions Network and The Managing Partner at Brand Innovators. ■ Christian Whiton also has a reason to celebrate. He is happy to announce that he is moving back to D.C. to work for the State Department again.

He was on the presidential transition

Top to bottom: John Faiella ’92 is a proud father photographed with his children, Jake, 16, and Kathryn, 14, in Jacksonville, Florida. / Trey Holder ’92 pictured with his, wife, Jamie, and kids, Kyla, 13, Zoe, 9 and newborn, Canon. / Jason Thomas ’92 is living in Naples, FL with his wife, Gina. / Lukas Kolff ’92 is the proud father of three: Charlie, 8, Rose, 7, and Louis, 2. / Randall Flinn ’92 and Corey Cook Bartlett ’92 got together for a girls’ weekend with their kids: Oscar, 6, Emerson, 4, Addy, 9, and Leighton, 7, in Miami, Florida.

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Top to bottom: Rich Dempsey ’92, pictured with his wife, Mary, son, Teddy and parents, Alma and Clinton Dempsey, was inducted into the SG Sports Hall of Fame last fall. / Randall Flinn ’92 and Corey Cook Bartlett ’92 in Miami, Florida. / Christian Whiton ’92, photographed with Rex Tillerson, served on the presidential transition team as media advisor during Tillerson’s nomination and will now return to the State Department.

team as Rex Tillerson’s media advisor during his nomination for Secretary of State. Christian previously served in the State Department during the Bush administration as a political appointee.

With all of this going on, Christian still managed to get a short break on the Big Island where he and his longtime partner, Marco, got engaged. There is a lot to plan but Christian was still hoping to get away and see everyone at the reunion. ■ Drayton Virkler was looking forward to the reunion after returning to the States from Singapore last year. He and his family are continuing to settle back into life in the States and are in the final stages of the renovations to their new house in Durham, North Carolina. The family moved into the house in late January, and Drayton was hoping for everything to be finished by the end of spring. On the professional front, he is also settling into his new role as head of sales for the Americas at QuintilesIMS. Instead of working all over Asia, he is splitting his time between Boston, San Diego, San Francisco and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. ■ Fahz Moulton also moved recently — he is now a Floridian. He and his family just moved to Pensacola. His wife, Kelly, is consulting, and he continues his culinary skills cooking at a local restaurant. He was hoping to make it to the reunion, but wasn’t sure if they would be able to swing it. Right now their hands are full with a 5-foot-10-inch (and growing fast) 13-year-old (Christopher), a moody

8-year-old girl (Meredith), and an absolute terror of a sweet 3-year-old (Marshall). ■ Jason Thomas moved to Naples, Florida, and married his longtime girlfriend, Gina, last year. And the two had a son, Halston, in the spring of 2016. ■ John Faiella is still living in Jacksonville, Florida. “Enjoying life as much as possible in banking as the area executive for North Florida market for First Citizens Bank out of Raleigh, North Carolina. Jake is 16, a sophomore in high school and driving, and Kathryn is 14 and quite the athlete in eighth grade. Still sailing and enjoy racing a Viper 640 and time on my 33-foot Regal on the waterways in the Sunshine State.” ■ Lukas Kolff and his wife, Jo, are enjoying a full life in London with three kids: Charlie, 8, Rose, 7 and Louis, 2 who keep them very busy. The whole family took a great trip to Barcelona recently — biking through this City is just a fabulous experience. Lukas is really hoping he can make it to the 25th reunion, but it may be a challenge given his work commitments in the Middle East and Latin America in May. ■ Tripp West is still living in Bermuda but loves to travel to exotic locales whenever possible. In that spirit, he is launching a new travel tool called Trippmatch. He says it has been 18 months in the making and the site connects like-minded travelers to experiences, destinations and other travelers in a global community. Be sure to check them out online, Facebook and Instagram. Tripp missed the last reunion as he was in Africa, but was looking forward to seeing everyone in May. ■ In other travel related news, Corey Cook Bartlett has a travel blog called fifi + hop.

It is focused on family travel and covers recommendations, reviews and tips for the NYC area, the U.S. and abroad, from as small as a museum visit to as big as an international vacation. Corey has been living in Larchmont, New York, for the past four and half years along with her husband and two girls, Addy, 9, and Leighton, 7. Recently she met with Randall Flinn with her two sons down in Miami, Florida, for a girls’ weekend during President’s Day weekend. Best friends from kindergarten, their bond goes back even further than SG. Randall lives in New York City with her husband, Michael, and their sons, Oscar, 6, and Emerson, 4,

81

82

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

where she is the assistant head of the lower school at Convent of the Sacred Heart. ■ Jamie Dingman has also been living abroad — Russia for five years, China for five years and the Bahamas in between. He recently bought a house in the Hamptons. ■ Bill Budinger got to see Jamie as he and his wife just bought a house in the Bahamas. Bill says they have been spending a lot of time there kiting, spearfishing, etc. He says they also ran into Billy Bush ’90 over Christmas/New Year’s. Aspen, Colorado, is still their main residence. He still spends a lot of time flying and enjoying the good life out west.

■ Brooke Lachman Lightner is also still living in Colorado — in Steamboat Springs.

She was finishing up her master’s degree in social work this spring. ■ Susanna Craib-Cox Rosenblatt had a series of board meetings in Virginia right before the reunion and, these days, it is very hard for her to be away for two weekends in a row.

Her daughter, Minka, just turned 2 and keeps her and her husband, Jason, very busy. She has developed a new vocabulary and firm opinions on food, clothes and activities. Mama’s taste in clothes is no match for a toddler. ■ Tobin Dominick told me the reunion was the same weekend as her mother’s 70th birthday. Still, she wanted to be sure to send her love to the whole class! She just saw Ginny Flower Marvin at the New England Boat Show while she and her brother, Drew Dominick ’95 were representing their businesses selling outboard engines and talking about their marina. They talked about hopefully seeing each other next on the slopes at Sugarloaf. ■ Mike Gardiner said the reunion was the same weekend as his state tournament (he coaches boys’ lacrosse at Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg). Of course, there was a chance his team wouldn’t make it … but it was hard to root for that! ■ Rich Dempsey and his wife, Mary, and their 4-year-old son, Teddy, are loving life at Pomfret School. As assistant head of school, he has the pleasure of working closely with Head of School Tim Richards and Associate Director of Development Vassar Pierce ’02. (Last fall, Rich was thrilled to return to St. George’s to attend the Sports Hall of Fame Ceremony and Middlesex games. He says he was both humbled and honored to have been inducted into the SG Sports

Hall of Fame and he, along with his family, wish to send a heartfelt thank you to the SG community! ■ That’s it for now – be sure to share your reunion photos and check into the SG Class of 1992 group on Facebook, if you haven’t already!

1993

Geoffrey C. Siebengartner, Unit 4100, Box 6069, FPO, AP 96521, geoff@siebengartner.com ■ It was so nice, as always, to hear from a few of you, and I hope others will write in the future to touch base. Genevieve and I are still in Asia, now working at our embassy in Manila. You may know that we’ve got a populist president with authoritarian tendencies (here), so our hands are full professionally. Our kids are happy and healthy, so much to be grateful for and always look forward to the prospect of connecting with you all at some point soon. ■ Chris McNally and I chatted a bit the other day; our boys are both building radio-controlled cars, with some help from their dads. He reports, “All is well in Newport. Still practicing maritime and immigration law. Family is fantastic; our boys are growing like crazy. We look forward to seeing ’93 classmates at next year’s reunion!” ■ It was also great to hear from Clay Rives, who I discovered shares my newfound love of squash (the racquet sport). He wrote shortly after the birth of his first child: “Hope you are well! My wife, Emily, and my first child was born just yesterday: John Lloyd Rives, after my father, who passed away two years ago, and my great uncle Lloyd Michael, who lived on Bellevue when we were at SG. Both of them were St. George’s men on the wall at King Hall themselves and, God willing, little John Lloyd will be as well. ■ “I am addicted to ‘Game of Thrones,’ Haagen Dazs butter pecan ice cream, playing golf poorly, New York Times crosswords, and political news. I’ve discovered the miracle of playing squash for winter exercise, and lament the fact that I didn’t play it at SG, although I would have had to sacrifice weight training with Minden and that could never happen. ■ “Outside of very exciting family developments and addictions, business has continued to go well. Amazingly, the companies I’ve founded now employ a bit more than 100 folks — the vast majority

of whom work from home, including me! ■ “I continue my work as a trustee of the Conservatory Lab Charter School in Boston, which brings the benefits of music education to urban students, most of whom would not normally be exposed to the magic of playing in orchestra as young people. Go music. We need something to bring us all together and I’m betting on art and music.” ■ Charles Barzun was typically modest in his assessment that not much has changed, when only weeks ago he and Emily welcomed a baby boy to their family. He says, “Still living in Charlottesville, teaching constitutional law at UVA, married to Emily Little, and just added son James to our family, joining his older sisters, Maria and Serita. Don’t get to see SG friends (especially those living in exotic Asian lands!) nearly enough, though I do get to see Megan Eagle in Charlottesville.” ■ And Ingrid Ahlgren reports, “Hope you are doing well. My only real news is that we had a second baby on July 2 of last year. Isabella is now seven months old and very sweet and happy. We are still working/living in New York City. Our older daughter, Annika, is in kindergarten now.” ■ Colleen Gorman also shared an amazing update: “Milestones I’d like to share — my son Salvador is turning 3 and my 18-year-old Tachii’nii (pronounced Tacheenee) is a senior at the Media Arts Collaborative Charter School (MACCS), a school that I founded in 2008. Last year I also helped launched a low-power FM community radio station and finished a mural project for the City of Albuquerque called “Historic Women of New Mexico.”

I wrote a chapter for a book on Dineh Sovereignty published by the Indigenous Studies program at the University of Arizona. ■ “Other than that, just keepin’ on in the trenches as a high school social studies teacher at RFK Charter School.

Considering my options if the school district goes to four-day school weeks in the interest of a statewide initiative to save money. The school I’m at serves a low-income population with a special ed population of at least 30 percent so statewide budget cuts will have a huge effect on the students. I’m worried about the homeless youth, undocumented students and teen parents who attend the school.

Making my prayers and sending love out

CLASS NOTES

1995

Carolyn Sclafani Mowat, 111 Silver Hill Road, Concord, MA 01742, P: 978-341-8259, carolynsclafani@gmail.com

1996

Anthony L. Champalimaud, 313 Maple Street, Litchfield, CT 06759, alchampalimaud@gmail.com ■ Anthony Champalimaud writes: “I am proud to announce the birth of my son, Johan Carlos Sommerschield Champalimaud, born Feb. 5 here at our home in Litchfield.

He arrived a healthy 9 pounds, 56 centimeters. He and his mother, Charlie, are both in fine form. In addition, we recently acquired Troutbeck, the historic estate in Amenia, New York, and are now undertaking a major renovation. Troutbeck will reopen this summer with 37 guestrooms, a 76 restaurant, a 225-person ballroom

FA L L 2 0 1 7

Christine McSweeney Orthwein, 756 N Lake Way, PB, Palm Beach, FL 33480, 561848-2235, binkieo@gmail.com / Sara Selbert Savov, 741 Riversville Road, Greenwich, CT 06831, saraselbertsavov@ gmail.com ■ Binkie McSweeny Orthwein says hi from sunny Florida … her boys are growing like weeds, Wyatt is 7, Henry, 10, and Teddy is almost 12. Her house is a chaotic and busy boy hub. Chris and Binkie snuck away to Lech, Austria, for some ski time in January, an she says that place is incredible. She also hosted the SG Palm Beach farewell for the Petersons and loved seeing so many Dragons.

She thinks it is always nice to celebrate people who have been so wonderful and dedicated to the SG community. They will be up in Northeast Harbor, Maine, all summer long, so please be in touch if you head to Maine this summer. Binkie sends best wishes to all. ■ Brogann Tassie Sanderson Bowden had a baby girl, Wilhelmina “Billie” Jane Bowden. Born Feb. 12, 2017. Congratulations, Brogann!

■ Elena Kavanagh Phillips and her family welcomed a baby girl, Cornelia “Coco” Scofield Phillips, on June 15, 2016. Coco joins siblings Wren and Ridley. They are loving every minute as a family of five!

Congratulations, Elena, terrific news! ■ Shreve Ariail is still at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, living in Brooklyn, with his wife, Carrington, his daughter, Lourdes, and his son, Edward. Edward was born this past summer and Lourdes is a full-on threenager. (Congrats, Shreve!) TBD, they are contemplating a move south this summer/fall, to Charlottesville, Virginia, to teach at the University of Virginia. Look Shreve up if you are passing through. ■ Richard Alexander is still in Dallas in private practice and a proud father of twins.

Congrats, Rich! ■ And even more babies ... Sara Selbert Savov also welcomed a new addition to her family, little brother Scott Selbert Savov, on Nov. 9, 2016.

Stewart (three years old) is pumped, and the two are becoming fast best friends.

Stefan and Sara were looking forward to bringing the kids back to Grace Bay Beach to escape the chilly weather in Greenwich. Sara sends warm wishes to everyone, and is gearing up for the next local Dragon dinner. ■ Tristram Millard writes that he and six others left J.P. Morgan to set up their own wealth-management firm, Gulf Point Advisors. With Mardi Gras in the rear view mirror, Tris is looking to sober up and continue building the business. He had a little get-off when his motorcycle crashed into the side

//

1994

Ashley Gough ’94 and his wife, Susee, celebrate the first birthday of their son, Edward.

of a Yukon driving the wrong way on a one-way, but rest assured he is healing up and doing most of what the physical therapists are telling him to do. Never one to subscribe to commonsense, he is back on the bike and has encouraged 8-yearold, Ozzie, to join him on the track. Give him a shout if you ever make it to New Orleans. ■ Jamie Harris writes that he is doing well in recovery after his stroke.

He reports that he is still not married, no children and enjoying every minute of the freedom. We hope you get better, Jamie.

■ In March Petra Ledkovsky brought a group from her yoga studio on Cape Cod, Orleans Yoga, down to Costa Rica to lead a week-long yoga retreat at the retreat center Liz Lindh directs down there, The Sanctuary at Two Rivers. Kerri Macon was expected to join as well, so a mini SG ’94 reunion in Costa Rica! ■ Kerri and Jamie Macon spend a good part of the summer down in Orleans, and they all got together with their kids this past summer.

Will Kinsella just happened to be passing through on the same day, so they had a lovely beach day and dinner. Petra says it was super to reconnect and catch up. ■ Ashley Gough and his wife, Susee, are still living in Singapore, where they celebrated the first birthday of their son, Alexander, in February. Both continue to work in financial services.

st. george’s school

to the universe to bring positive energy to our country and the SG family.” ■ Always fun to hear from Dorothy Sood. She says, “No major news on my end — life continues to be great in Atlanta and I continue to work at Coca-Cola, which is always fun and interesting.” ■ Also joining us this time around was Lizzie Cocroft, who didn’t say much but confirmed she’s still out there. ■ Finally, for those of you who are donors to or fans of the Ramsay and John Scott ’65 Scholarship — or just friends with Alex Tuff: Alex wrote with a brief update on the program: “I went out last night with three great friends from my class of 1993; Joe Ryan, Joe Sullivan and Jake Blair. After a great catch-up, the conversation came up about the Scott Scholarship and how it was doing. I realized that I should reach out to you all. We have made tremendous progress creating a scholarship that currently pays $8K per year to a student who has lost one or both parents that could not otherwise afford to go to the school.”

83

84

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

and various amenities. ■ Alexander Sehnaoui and his wife, Alex, moved back to NYC from China last year. Alex is working in BrandTech for You & Mr. Jones.

1997

//

Nicholas A. Rahman, 528 Alcazar Avenue, Coral Gables, FL 33134, P: 305-3924069, nicholasrahman@yahoo.com

FA L L 2 0 1 7

1998

Lindsey Houston Salmony, 604 S Camellia Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, P: 843-654-3343, lindsey.salmony@ blackbaud.com ■ Hi everyone. Thanks for tolerating my absence these past few issues of the Bulletin. Now that I’m back at it, I’m happy to report all of the updates that came in this spring. It was great to hear from so many of you! ■ Greg Kiely writes: “Sarah and I moved out of the Boston area and bought a house on Cape Cod near Craigville Beach in Centerville.

I now run the Sotheby’s International Realty Cape Cod brokerages. We’re expecting our first child and by the time this is printed our daughter will be here! I still get to Newport a few times each year to officiate sailing events and am amazed when I think about how long ago it was that we were all there. Sarah and I have an open door to anyone who finds themself visiting the Cape at all. Looking forward to seeing everyone at our 20th reunion!” ■ Congrats Sarah and Greg! Officially (well, at least according to Instagram, and that’s official, right?), Amelia Kiely was born on March 29 at 8:42 p.m. weighing 7 pounds 11 ounces and measuring 21.5 inches long.

■ Speaking of babies, Katie (O’Kane) Tobin and husband Brendan welcomed their second daughter, Rosemary, in January.

They report that 2-year-old sister Willa is over the moon! ■ Also celebrating the arrival of a baby Dragon are Chris Coffey and husband Adam Riff. They welcomed son William Moses Riff-Coffey in late March. Chris has already declared William an avid Mets fan. Chris runs the New York practice for Tusk Strategies, a consulting firm in New York, where he has been living the last five years. ■ The class of 1998 is on a roll … Josie (Hewitt) Marston and husband Jon welcomed their daughter, Gray Sullivan Marston,

Top to bottom: Colby Marston, son of Jon and Josie Hewitt Marston ’98. / Matt Maguire ’98, Ben Hodgson ’98 and Rob Larkin ’98 met for a boys’ week in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. / Philippe Cousteau ’98 and his wife, Ashlan*, were featured in the American Airlines magazine, American Way, in an article titled, “Beyond the Sea,” in which they talk about their roles as conservationists. *photo courtesy of American Airlines magazine

to the family in November 2016. Josie writes, “Gray is beyond awesome and we are all in love, especially her 4.5-year-old brother, Colby. We are still living outside of Boston in Brookline. I had the chance to hang with Cliff Brown last summer; he is splitting time between New York City and Toronto starting up his awesome business, Tuckered Trading.” ■ Hilary Hopper left her long-time job at Green Mountain Coffee and has been working in finance at Dealer.com for almost four

years now. Hilary bought a house last summer in Hinesburg, Vermont, on a lake outside of Burlington, and reports that she has “officially put down roots” after 11 years of renting all over the state. In other exciting news, Hilary got engaged this year and is planning to get married in the fall. ■ Nate Fletcher was married to Claire Dawson Abell from Monroe, Louisiana, in Sundance, Utah, in March 2015. Nate says he and Claire were surrounded by family and friends, including longtime friend and fellow Dragon Chris Clukies. Last fall, Nate and Claire quit their jobs and headed off to travel.

He writes, “Our trip took us to Turkey, Morocco and Myanmar among other places! Last spring I settled into a new job with a company called InQuicker, which takes me back to Nashville, Tennessee, periodically. Lastly we added an addition to our growing family with an adorable Labrador named Mowgli.” ■ Last winter Matthew Maguire reunited for a boys’ ski week in Steamboat, Colorado, with Robby Larkin and Ben Hodgson. Matt writes, “Unfortunately Rohan Gopaldas and Corey Gammill were too busy to make the trip out west. Rohan was too busy raising capital, and Corey was tied up shaping young kids’ minds. Robby managed to win a ‘prestigious participation ribbon’ for his rookie appearance in the daddy sled pull at the winter carnival, even after his rough start off the line and a vicious wipeout mid-course. As for me, this year marks my 15th year with the government.

I am currently based out of New York City, assigned to an interagency task force; one day I’ll have to grow up and get a real job.

But hopefully not too soon! I’m looking forward to heading to the Middle East on temporary duty later this year, where I’ll be able to join my wife, Kristen, who’s been deployed since last September.” ■ Fraser (Ross) Maloney wrote a quick note to say she’s still living in New York City with husband, Rob, and their two daughters, Riley and Serena. ■ Jason Mleczko says he and wife, Jenny, have three “awesomely exhausting” kids; twin boys Wesley and Cooper are four years old and daughter Marlin is two. Jason says he is still teaching and fishing during the summers on Nantucket. He writes, “It’s constant chaos. I absolutely love it. Somehow great kids are coming out of it all. I’m

CLASS NOTES

2000

Jennifer Vandemoer Mitchell, 449 Mtn. Laurel Drive, #4, Aspen, CO 81611, P: 508-776-0608, mitchelljv@gmail. com ■ Hello everyone! It’s been great to hear from all of you and thank you for your participation in our notes. David Mitchell and I are still living in Aspen and having fun catching up with SG folks in the mountains and David has been able to see people while traveling to New York for work (including Ellen McGrath, Matt Casey, Andrew McLaughlin ’99 and Ben Ducas ’99). Fiona de Sada and her family have been spending the year here in Aspen, so it has been great to see her, Fede and their girls. We got to catch up with Chris Fouts and his family who came to town for a visit since moving to the Chicago area last fall for Fouts’s new job. He is working for Grundfos, a Danish company, and he does a bit of travel both domestic and international.

He, Kate and their two boys are enjoying the change so far and exploring Chicago has been a lot of fun. ■ Andy Roberts

FA L L 2 0 1 7

H. Stephen Gross, Green Ledge Farm, P.O. Box 343, Unionville, PA 19375, hsgross@gmail. com / Anne Harvey Sharpe, 15 Harstrom Place, Rowayton, CT 06853, adharvey8@ gmail.com ■ We want to thank Stephen Gross for his years of dedication of being our class correspondent. Let’s welcome Andrew McLaughlin, who will join Anne Harvey Sharpe, as our new class correspondent. Here’s his contact information: I. Andrew McLaughlin, 310 East 75th Street, Apt. 4G, New York, NY 10021, 908-581-9518, iamclaughlin@gmail. com ■ Ben Ducas is still living in London.

He recently left his job and, as Andrew McLaughlin says, this has freed up some time to go skiing. Ben and his wife met up with Andrew and Anna in Chamonix over the winter where they got some great snow and even better après skiing. ■ Brooke and Charles Macon still love life in Rowayton, Connecticut. Their three kids (ages 3, 5 and 7) are growing up too fast.

■ Karlson Wong and his wife, Kristen, live in Hong Kong. They just welcomed their first girl, Sydney Grace, a year ago. They love being parents, and are challenged constantly (who isn’t?!). ■ Liv and Seth Thompson are still living in South Florida and are busy working and having fun with Gardner, 6, and Linda, 3. Adding a black lab to their two pugs was not a wise decision and has made their life a touch more stressful. ■ Fred McFerran moved back to San Francisco with his wife, Averell, and their son, Ford. ■ Steve Boglioli and his wife, Sarre, had their third child, another little girl. Her name is Hazel. ■ Nancy Pack

//

1999

currently works on Capitol Hill as the executive assistant to Congressman Will Hurd of Texas. She and her fiancé, Joe, reside in Arlington, Virginia, with their rascal of a beagle named George. ■ Pete Thomson and his wife, Jessica, had a little boy named Clay this past summer and are still living in NYC. ■ Stephanie Toledo is expecting her third, a little girl any day now, so by the time this is published she will have already had the baby. ■ Tyler Boynton and his wife, Jeanne Louise, were expecting a little boy in April and are still living in Sonoma. ■ Elliot Long and his wife, Brittany, had a little girl, Campbell this past year and are still living in Denver.

■ Anne Sharpe and her husband Jamie are still living in Rowayton, Connecticut, with their daughter Addison, 2, and new son, Lochlan, born in September. Anne is still a nurse, now just closer to home at Stamford Hospital in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. ■ Peter Allport and his wife, Rachel, have a third child. Life is good in Wanetka. ■ I, Stephen Gross, and my wife, Linda, are settling back into life in the U.S., living in the countryside near Unionville, Pennsylvania, with our son, Henry.

st. george’s school

totally unbiased, but they’re the best.” ■ And speaking of “awesomely exhausting,” my own report is that Richard and I continue to try to keep up with our sons Ian, 5, and Wes, 1. We live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where Richard works for Duke Hospital and I work remotely for a nonprofit software company based in Charleston, South Carolina. We’re scratching our heads as to how in the world so much time has gone by that our firstborn will enter kindergarten this year.

And my brothers, who were born during our junior year at SG, are now old enough to be driving and will be entering their junior years of college this fall.

85

Top to bottom: Lis Garassino ’00, who has relocated to South Florida, is seen here promoting Target Cancer Foundation of Boston, which she co-chairs. / Maia Rose, two-year-old daughter Melissa Mitchell Slattery ’00.

and his wife, Lisa, welcomed Elizabeth “Eliza” Savage Roberts in February and are adjusting to life with two kids under age 2. They are still living in the Back Bay in Boston and get to see Fouts, Mitchell, Schmid and other SG folks from time to time. ■ Lis Garassino says she recently moved from Northern California to South Florida. She is in the greater Miami area and works for a financial technology startup in the education space called ClassWallet. She also co-chairs a cancer research advocacy council for the Target Cancer Foundation of Boston. Lis is also sending a team to Bosnia to promote cultural awareness with a nonprofit called Builders for Peace. She gets to see Melissa Mitchell who lives in South Florida and would love to see any other alumni in the area. ■ Elizabeth Hughes, currently living in Natick, Massachusetts, near Boston says, “In January I passed my last of seven registration exams to earn my license as “architect.” And I got engaged on Christmas Eve! My boyfriend of 3.5 years proposed and we’re getting married in October.” ■ Amanda Fend says, “I was able to see Anna, Sayler, Alex, Alyssa, Alexis, Emily, Becca and

86

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

Marriages

// FA L L 2 0 1 7 1

2

3

photo by Dreamlove Photography

CLASS NOTES

Melissa Roser ’03 to Martin Caballero [ 4 ] / April 29, 2016 Rob Stevenson ’03 to Georgina Winthrop [ 5 ] / Sept. 17, 2016 Tom Weismann ’03 to Elizabeth Brennan Oct. 8, 2016 Adam Zaff ’03 to Tiana Brady [ 6 ] / Aug. 26, 2016 James Bittl ’04 to Katherine Kung Sept. 24, 2016 Mary Wakefield ’05 to Carlos Newall Sept. 3, 2016 Matt Cruise ’06 to Mary Nelson Sinclair June 18, 2016 Scott Nordlund ’06 to Zoila Forgoine [ 1 ] / Nov. 1, 2016

4

5

Cameron Skinner ’06 to Julia Shand June 25, 2016 Michael Taylor ’06 to Nina Roberts ’06 Sept. 10, 2016

6

Rebecca von Trapp ’06 to Rye Muller May 28, 2016 David Webb ’06 to Kari Matulewicz July 16, 2016 Benjamin Bainbridge ’08 to Katherine Schock Aug. 27, 2016 Alison Fornell ’08 to Brendan Hammatt (faculty) [ 3 ] / Aug. 6, 2016 Alex Merchant ’08 to Madeline Lagattua June 25, 2016

FACULTY: Patrick Aiken (faculty) to Donald Blouin Aug. 14, 2016

€

FA L L 2 0 1 7

Ashley Mihos ’01 to Michael Kennedy [ 2 ] / Sept. 10, 2016

//

CONGR AT ULAT IONS

st. george’s school

!

87

88

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

Babies

CONGRATU L ATION S

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

1

2

Liberty Fewell Van Rensselaer to Shaina and Kiliaen Van Rensselaer ’88 [ 1 ] / Jan. 24, 2017

William Moses Riff-Coffey to Adam Riff and Chris Coffey ’98 [ 13 ] / March 24, 2017

Henrik “Henry” Larus Shields to Anna and Larus Shields ’89 Feb. 8, 2017

Wes Wolcott Salmony to Richard and Lindsey (Houston) Salmony ’98 [ 14 ] / Jan. 28, 2016

Canon Holder to Jamie and Trey Holder ’92 Nov. 14, 2016

Rosemary Rohan Tobin to Brendan and Katie (O’Kane) Tobin 98 [ 15 ] / Jan. 9, 2017

Alden William Rugg to Kelli and Whitney Rugg ’92 [ 2 ] / March 1, 2016

Luciana “Luci” Sandra Urbieta Di Stefano to Olga and Chad Di Stefano ’99 [ 16 ] / Oct. 3, 2016

Halston Thomas to Gina and Jason Thomas ’92 [ 3 ] / Nov. 2, 2015

Campbell Elizabeth Long to Brittany and Elliot Long ’99 Oct. 5, 2016

James von Kienbusch Barzun to Emily and Charles Barzun ’93 [ 4 ] / Feb. 3, 2017

Lochlan Donald Sharpe to Jamie and Anne (Harvey) Sharpe ’99 Sept. 15, 2016

Isabella Marianne Liu to Alexander Liu and Ingrid Ahlgren ’93

Hope Sophia Toledo to Humberto and Stephanie Toledo ’99 Feb. 17, 2017

John Lloyd Rives to Emily and Clay Rives ’93 Feb. 11, 2017 3

Sofia Talamo to Alexa and Gerardo Talamo ’93 [ 5 ] / Jan. 2, 2016

4

Richard A. Alexander III and Reagan Alexander to Naja and Rich Alexander ’94 [ 6 ] / April 5, 2016

5

7

Wilhelmina “Billie” Jane Bowden to Jon and Brogann Tassie Sanderson Bowden ’94 [ 7 ] / Feb. 12, 2017

Elizabeth Savage Roberts to Lisa and Andrew Roberts ’00 [ 18 ] / Feb. 13, 2017

Scott Selbert Savov to Stefan and Sara Selbert Savov ’94 [ 9 ] / Nov. 9, 2016

Quinn Louise Fentress to Carly and Lee Fentress ’96 [ 11 ] / Sept. 23, 2016 Amelia Kiely to Sarah and Greg Kiely ’98 March 29, 2017

t 9

Gray Sullivan Marston to Jon and Josie (Hewitt) Marston ’98 [ 12 ] / Nov. 2, 2016 10

Henry Casey to Lauren and Matt Casey ’00 Nov. 25, 2016 Hope Rising to Star and Aaron Rising ’00 [ 17] / Nov. 21, 2016

Johan Carlos Sommerschield Champalimaud to Charlie and Anthony Champalimaud ’96 [ 10 ] / Feb. 5, 2017

8

Sydney Grace Wong to Kristen and Karlson Wong ’99 Jan. 20, 2016

Benjamin Edward Shreve Ariail to Carrington and Shreve Ariail ’94 June 28, 2016

Cornelia “Coco” Scofield Phillips to Nicholas and Elena Kavanagh Phillips ’94 [ 8 ] / June 15, 2016 6

Caroline Selden Morton to Willy and Nina Monell Morton ’99 Oct. 7, 2016

Abigail Christine Nordlund to Cassandra and Bill Nordlund ’03 Sept. 19, 2016 Natalie Jaye Tomberg to Ryan and Lindsay Horner Tomberg ’03 [ 19 ] / Jan. 10, 2017 Benjamin Campbell Young to David and Stephi Brett Young ’03 [ 20 ] / Aug. 26, 2016 Oakley Winslow Lanphier to Ned and Elizabeth McDermott Lanphier ’04 Jan. 7, 2016 Cash Hall to John to Tatiana Kowalewski Hall ’04 April 7, 2016 Owen Parker Moreau to Tiffany and Jeremy Moreau [staff ] [ 21 ] / Dec. 10, 2016

CLASS NOTES

11

15

16

17

19

18

20 21

2001

Please contact the Alumni Office at 1-888-CALL-SG or ClassNotes@ stgeorges.edu if you would like to volunteer to serve as class correspondent.

2002

Dorothy P. Billings, 408 E 92nd Street, Apartment 24C, New York, NY 10128, P: 212-318-2000, dorothybillings@gmail. com / Gerrit M. Lansing, 103 5th Street

FA L L 2 0 1 7

14

of fun. I haven’t seen Anissa and Sarah for so many years now, but I hope to see them here in Sweden in the summer of 2018 when I get married.” ■ Matt Casey and his wife, Lauren, welcomed their first child the day after Thanksgiving; Henry is keeping his parents busy and awake. Matt continues to work at USA Today Sports in New York City and has been able to catch up with the likes of David Mitchell, Colman Currie, George Sargent, Emily Parsons Talamo, Sayler Bardsley Crouchley, Amanda Pullins Fend, Alex Oppmann Malloy, Becca Sullivan Wadman and more. ■ Paul Schmid is still practicing business law in Boston. He moved to a new law firm about a year ago, which has allowed him to spend more time with his wife, Maggie, and their dog. He was looking forward to a trip to Turkey in April to visit Maggie’s brother. ■ Najeeb Ahmed is living in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and he works at the State Department.

■ Aaron Rising says, “All is well with us here in D.C. We welcomed our little girl, Hope Rising, into the world on Nov. 21 and couldn’t be happier. Other than that big news, Star and I are plugging along happily in our research.” ■ Jessica Kakies: “I live in Munich, Germany, and have two little children, a boy age 2 and a girl who is 6 months old. I am working as a corporate M&A lawyer at Clifford Chance. If anyone comes to Munich I would be happy to show him or her around.” ■ Emily Talamo says, “Not much to report on my end, but I did get to see Amanda, Alyssa, Sayler, Becca, Alex, Matt and Alexis in December. We had a great time catching up — just like old times. Just wish it had been for happier circumstances!

//

13

Matt last December and while it was under sad circumstances, it meant the world to see them in Connecticut and to hear from other SG friends.” ■ Anna Vietor says, “Sandy is 9 months old and doing really well, sleeping through the night every night. He is a dream baby!

I am still at New York and Co. working away and that’s about it!” ■ Freddy Cook says, “My wife, Katie, and I live in Fairfield, Connecticut. Our daughter, Anna, turned 4 on Christmas Day, our son, Will, turned 2 in March and we have a Welsh Terrier named Archie. I work as a financial advisor for Wealth Advisory Group, and Katie works for an educational consulting company, Level Up Village.”

■ Kristen Deem says, “We are currently living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where my husband is an HH-60 Pavehawk instructor pilot, and I’ve relocated my photography business, Kristen Deem Photography, here as well. The desert and the mountains are treating us well and our 2.5-year-old son, Lochlan, loves his little school and new friends here.

With our military lifestyle we move quite frequently, so we’ve decided to spend time on Cape Cod every summer for as much time as possible. Looking forward to being there in June and July this summer and welcome anyone who’s in the area to get in touch and grab lunch or a drink at the Chatham Squire! Our home in Albuquerque is always open, too!” ■ Ali Ingersoll says, “I’m presently living in Raleigh, North Carolina, and I just moved back from China about a year and a half ago. I live near my sister and work as a financial day trader, write a Facebook blog called the Quirky Quad Diaries and mentor new quadriplegics. I spent many years battling a long list of medical problems from which I’m hopefully settling down. No husband or kids yet! I keep in touch with many St. George’s folks, and it is such a delight after all these years that we can all stay in touch.” ■ Anna Holm says, “Life is good in Sweden. Our three girls are growing fast and are now 5 and 3 (twins). My husband-to-be and I have started a company of distribution of interior design products. I’m still at home a lot of the time with the kids but also working at the tennis/sport center at the front desk and on the tennis courts a few hours per week coaching kids, which is a lot

st. george’s school

12

89

90

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

NE, Washington, DC 20002, gerrit. lansing@gmail.com / Dana T. Ross, 215 East 68th Street, Apartment 9Z, New York, NY 10065, danatross@gmail.com

2003

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Bradley G. Hoover, 404 3rd Street, Apartment D1, Brooklyn, NY 11215, P: 516-661-1285, bgh3175@gmail.com ■ Congratulations to Rob Stevenson! On Sept. 17, 2016, Rob married Georgina Winthrop in Northeast Harbor, Maine. St. George’s was well represented — Izzy Evans ’09 was a bridesmaid and Camilla de Braganca ’09, Annabel de Braganca ’07, Miguel de Braganca ’69, Rosie Putnam ’11, Robert Hopkins ’78, Jay Pierrepont ’77, Lindsay Hopkins Weld ’79 and Minot Weld ’78 were all in attendance. ■ Congratulations to Adam Zaff, who married Tiana Brady on Aug. 26, 2016, at Villa Cimbrone in Ravello, Italy. They were joined by their friends and family, which included Michael Galanti ’04 and Justin Osler ’04. The Zaffs are living in Los Angeles, California, but do their best to return to Newport as much as possible. ■ And just a few weeks later, also in Ravello, on Oct. 8, 2016, Tom Weismann married Elizabeth Brennan! It was a beautiful wedding in a picturesque setting that Geoff Kearney and I had the honor of attending. The reception was a blast, despite the fact that the parents of the bride and groom along with a few other guests got stuck in a tiny, not air-conditioned elevator while their guests ate cheese, sipped wine and referred to them as “the elevator people.”

After about 90 long minutes, the elevator people escaped “Mission Impossible” style (this is not an exaggeration), just in time for dinner. Later in the evening we all danced in the rain. A memorable occasion to say the least. Congrats again Liz and Tom! Careerwise, Tom has increased his role at PTC, where he now manages a new analytics team. ■ Geoff also sends his congratulations to the beautiful couple.

Geoff has once again moved; he resides in Marion, Illinois, where he’s clerking for a judge. He’s enjoying his time there, but will be heading back to Arkansas in August to clerk for a different judge for a year.

Geoff asks that if you’re nearby (including St. Louis, which is about two hours away), don’t hesitate to reach out. He’ll

Laurence Driggs ’03 is in Fullerton, California (next to Anaheim) where he is studying physical therapy/training at UC Fullerton, driving for Uber and playing catcher and third base for the SoCal Rays. Laurence recently helped the Rays win the SoCal Amateur Baseball League championship!

also be in Cambridge during Memorial Day weekend for his 10(!)-year college reunion, so if any Boston folks want to meet up, let him know. ■ “There’s my wife. See that? Always smiling? Hi, honey.

Judging, watching. Look at the baby.”

(Email me if you know the movie without Googling it) ■ Congratulations to Lindsay Horner Tomberg and her husband Ryan!

They welcomed their daughter, Natalie Jaye Tomberg, into the world on Jan. 10.

Lindsay reports that she’s awesome and has received a lot of love from many of their classmates. ■ Stephi Brett Young and her husband David welcomed a son, Benjamin Campbell Young, on Aug. 26 of last year. Congratulations to you both!

■ Not to be outdone, Bill Nordlund and his wife, Cassandra, welcomed their third child, Abigail Christine Nordlund, last September. A family of five! It’s not a competition, Bill. (But if it were, you two would totally be winning.) All jokes aside, congratulations to you guys! ■ Bill, Cassandra, Benjamin and their two older children (Sam, 4, and Henry, 2) recently moved to the Fort Hunt area of Alexandria, Virginia, (by George Washington’s house) to accommodate the larger family (schools, neighborhood and yard space matter now!) Bill joined Amazon Fresh last July as part of the launch team to build out Amazon’s grocery delivery business in the D.C. area and mid-Atlantic. He has enjoyed the challenge as it’s very much like working at a startup with the resources of large company. Bill reports

that it’s been a lot of fun (and hard work) being part of the team to launch and grow this new area of Amazon’s business, which soon will be in every major metropolitan area in the U.S. and world. ■ Katie Heath is now the director of alumni relations and events at Porter-Gaud School, an independent school in Charleston, South Carolina. Katie has also been fortunate to see several SG folks recently; Bob Weston at a conference in Austin, Texas, and both the Westons and Katie Britten at the SG Charleston reception. ■ Abby Taylor is leaving her practice in Cleveland and starting a one-year medicine and surgery internship at Tufts University in June.

After that, she is aiming for a surgery residency. ■ Shannon Karpovitz got a job in Kentucky as a PT this past August. She got to catch up with Jake Kennedy on Super Bowl Sunday and had a blast! ■ Hallie Brox DeSisto jumped into real estate in Boston. Hallie has been doing it for a year now working in the William Raveis Back Bay office. If anyone is moving to Boston or has family or friends moving she would be happy to help with rentals and sales! ■ We miss Pavan Dharwadkar, who returned to Saudi last year. We hope he comes back to the U.S. one day. ■ On the other side of the world, Koi Chusoipin is chasing whale sharks and manta rays in the Andaman Sea, which is west of Thailand. Her plan for this year includes Phuket, Thailand; Moyo Island, Indonesia; and Harbin, China. ■ Rashel and I celebrated one year of marriage in January! A

CLASS NOTES

2005

Christina I. Saldivar, 1916 N 47th Street, McAllen, TX 78501, P: 956-585-8789, c.saldivar311@gmail.com

2006

Emily E. Jagger, 1833 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Apartment H-510, Washington, DC 20009, emily.jagger@gmail.com / Marisa A. Rodriguez-McGill, 4 Eld Street, New Haven, CT 06511, mrodriguezmcgill@ gmail.com

2007

Alexandra E. Cahill, 616 E 4th Street #202, Boston, MA 02127, P: 617-9594073, alexecahill@gmail.com ■ Nancy Grosvenor writes: “My fiancé, Darren Walters, and I are excited for our upcoming wedding in Newport this August.

We got engaged at Stratton Mountain in February of last year. SG alumni in the wedding party include Amanda Grosvenor ’00, Andrew Grosvenor ’01, Bennett Bistline, Ryan Warren and Marisa Rodriguez-McGill ’06. I also left HubSpot last fall to take an exciting opportunity to manage the customer success team at a Boston tech start-up that helps bars and restaurants run more

FA L L 2 0 1 7

James F. Bittl, 62 Montague Street, Apartment 4A, Brooklyn, NY 11201, P: 212-414-8605, F: 646-349-1685, jamesbittl@gmail.com / J. Garth Fasano, 4731 Tantra Drive, Boulder, CO 80305, garthfasano@gmail.com / Julianna C. Howland, 132 N Kenmore Avenue, Apartment 3, Los Angeles, CA 90004, julianna.howland@gmail.com / Katharine Sheehan Ronck, 11 Swampscott Avenue, Swampscott, MA 01907, P: 610-9096689, katharineronck@gmail.com

//

2004

effective beverage programs.” ■ It is Lindsey (McQuilkin) Sweis’ 10th year in Chicago. She writes that she is “working as a middle school science teacher at the University of Chicago Lab Schools. I also have an advisory of 13 kids, which is a blast! It’s the best job I’ve ever had. Warm wishes to the Class of 2007! If anyone’s ever in Chicago and wants to meet up, please reach out to me at lindsey.sweis@ gmail.com.” ■ Annabel de Braganca and Schuyler Livingston are classmates once again. They both joined the Class of 2018 at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Schuyler also just got engaged! ■ Aaron Zick writes that he recently moved to Brooklyn with his girlfriend, and now coincidentally lives about five minutes from his sophomore year roommate Francis Murray; Kip Geddes is nearby, too. His production company, Good Baby Films (www.goodbabyfilms. com), celebrated its one-year anniversary in December, and is looking to finish work on its “100 Monologues” project, which has featured many actors (including the likes of Peter Dinklage, Ethan Hawke, Sam Rockwell and many more) performing the works of playwright Eric Bogosian.

Soon Good Baby Films will be seeking investors to produce its first feature film.

Zick has also kept his head above water for a year in his personal freelancing career as a film sound mixer. His work has taken him to such exotic locales as Peru, Nigeria and Long Island. In the meantime, he’s created the world’s greatest home bar ... just ask Alex Morosco-Gursky, who’s been to all of his cocktail parties.

■ Speaking of Gursky, he is still living in NYC and just started a new job at Ready Capital Structured Finance. ■ Kylie Wolf opened Belga Restaurant with Back of the House Inc. in San Francisco. After getting a three-star review from SF restaurant critic Michael Bauer and working at the restaurant for a year, she and her boyfriend Garrett went on a two-week road trip to their new home in Austin, Texas. They traveled down the coast of California, through Arizona with stops in Havasu, Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon, where Garrett proposed. They continued travelling through New Mexico, southern Texas and finally to their new home in Austin. They have been living in Austin for 10 months and love it. Kylie

st. george’s school

wonderful year, but it flew by so quickly. In March, we moved out of New York’s busy East Village, where I had resided since 2009. We purchased our first home on a quiet street in Brooklyn. All grown up now.

Please let me know the next time you’re visiting the NYC area so we may catch up on life. ■ You stay classy, 2003.

91

Kylie Wolf ’07 got engaged when her fiance, Garrett, proposed in Antelope Canyon in Arizona.

works for Apple in their on-site restaurant and Garrett works at Bett’s Recruiting Co. Kylie writes, “Together we are working on Table & Trail, a lifestyle brand of adventures in the kitchen and outdoors. Follow us on Instagram! @tableandtrail. We rescued a black lab puppy named Marlowe, we are excited for paddle boarding in the warm Texas weather, and are planning our wedding ceremony for October!” ■ James Passemato writes, “I moved to San Diego in September to explore a new part of the country while I’m still young and able. I’m now working as a design engineer at Zest Dental Solutions in Carlsbad, California, helping to design tools used to insert and remove denture attachment systems. I’ve also been working towards my M.B.A. part-time through Champlain College and should get my degree by the end of the summer.” ■ As for me, I am still living in South Boston and recently started a new job working in cabinet relations in the office of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. I’m the liaison to the Executive Office of Education and manage the implementation of large projects and strategic initiatives across state government. You’ll be reading this after our 10-year reunion in May … so I hope I got to see many of you!

92

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

2008

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Westley A. Resendes, 95 Avon Street, New Haven, CT 06511, west.resendes@gmail. com ■ Hi Everyone, it’s been quite the eventful year in the United States, and our classmates continue to thrive and rise to new heights! ■ Alex Merchant weighs in from New York City: “My wife Maddie and I went on our honeymoon to the Azores in January and I got promoted that same month. (Correspondent Note: These two events definitely appear to be correlated — a pro tip for those of you seeking promotions!) I’m now a policy advisor in the New York City Mayor’s Office, working in a unit focused on bringing efficiency and quality to the execution of major priorities for the city. Some of my work is focused on being a product manager for a technology solution recently featured in the New York Times, as well being project manager for affordable housing, criminal justice and judicial work. I’ve been here for a little over a year-and-ahalf and I love this job — it’s been a great introduction to management in the public sector.” Congratulations on the position — we can’t wait to see where your career goes, Alex! ■ Speaking of the NYC Mayor: Kimberly Drew was recently honored

by Mayor de Blasio for, in his words, “inspiring a passion for black, contemporary art and sharing its incredible power with people across the five boroughs and beyond.” Kimberly has “encouraged New Yorkers to take full advantage of [their] city’s museums and cultural institutions and demonstrate a commitment to highlighting the artists who are empowering us all to look at the world in new ways.” De Blasio also commented, “Tall, black girls rock, too.” Keep up the great work, Kimberly! ■ Also reporting from Manhattan, Lacey Young launched a social media company called Young Social in November 2015 after two-and-a-half years at VaynerMedia — a NYC-based social media agency. Lacey shares, “We help startups and established brands alike build or improve their social media presences. This includes social media strategy, production (photo and video shoots), graphic design, illustration, influencer partnerships and paid media across Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and Twitter. Some of our current clients include Rothy’s, C. Wonder, Lokai and

EyeJust.” Lacey also recently moved to a new place a block away from Harriet Manice! ■ Speaking of moving to new apartments, Liz Levison recently joined the Paces Team at Douglas Elliman where she focuses on residential sales and rentals. Liz shares about her new position: “It’s been amazing and I love my team and company. Living in the East Village and I try to see my St. George’s friends as much as possible!” ■ Hailey Feldman has moved back to Manhattan from Florida with her fiancé and Scarlett O’Hara, her beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel; and she is now working as the director of marketing and sales for DMS Technology.

Hailey has continued her passion for horseback riding (shout back to her Red & White article!) as she recently won blue ribbons competing in the Adult Amateur Jumpers at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida. Hailey has recently been appointed to serve on a committee for the United States Hunter Jumper Association Foundation to support one of the charity’s many initiatives — helping young riders obtain scholarships to college! ■ Kelly Smerling reports from the West: “I am living in Colorado and still serving in the Air Force as the primary care provider for military children at FE Warren Air Force Base, a strategic missile base in Wyoming. Cold and flu season is in full swing on the base, making it my most busy time of year. Each week I see 90 patients and love the challenges of working with military families.” Despite her apt nickname, “Lieutenant Smiley,” Kelly was promoted to the rank of captain in late 2016! ■ Joining Kelly in Colorado are Allison Conti and Chris Fogg, who recently moved to downtown Denver to begin their lives out west together. They have set the date for a small wedding in Venice, Florida, on November 10. Chris continues to excel at Newmont Mining as a senior financial analyst. Allison recently graduated from Stetson Law in May with a J.D. and M.B.A., and is now studying for the bar. Good luck, Allison — you will ace it! ■ Mariana Tellez, as we reported in the last issue, is living in Sydney and she is working in finance consulting and recruiting. William O’Connor recently visited her during his trip to Australia! ■ An update from an anonymous source in Boston that is most certainly not Angus

Anderson: “Even though overcoming Brian Lowry’s lack of athletic ability has been quite a hurdle, Angus has continued to teach Brian squash.” Happily, “Brian is not swinging and missing on the court as he used to.” We all look forward to the next update of the Angus-Brian squash saga, and perhaps they’ll be able to catch up someday to the legendary skills of Antonio Diaz-Gonzalez Salas! ■ My first year at Yale Law passed in a blur, and I am now spending the summer in San Francisco where I am working for the ACLU. I look forward to catching up with SG classmates in the Bay Area! ■ Best wishes, West

2009

Isabel H. Evans, 447 East 57th Street, New York, NY 10022, P: 212-371-1193, Izzyevans22@gmail.com ■ Hello class, I write to you as a world-weary and embattled class correspondent. After doing my best to retrieve accurate information about all of your “no doubt” wonderful lives via the social media platform, Facebook, I regret to inform you I received very few messages. So I am going to do my best here to recount what is going on with all of you from what you’ve told me and other trustworthy sources. If I leave you out or mess something up, well, in the words of Trump — Sad! To those who did send me updates, you are all delightful.

Thomas Growney was also very helpful again, but unfortunately, I asked him for updates with very short notice (i.e. a day before deadline). Sorry, Tom! ■ Anyways, we can dive in. Probably the hugest news for our class is that Lulu Keszler and her fiancée Brendan Manley have a beautiful baby girl, Nadine! She is adorable and Lulu’s Instagram is filled with truly sweet and cuddly photos. Congratulations, Lulu!

Maxine Muster is godmother to the baby.

That baby is going to grow up very chillax with Maxine’s influence in place I bet. ■ Lindsay Beck is currently doing a postBAC program at Columbia, with plans to take the MCAT and attend medical school in the future. Go, Linds! She is also officially an aunt after the birth of her sister’s baby. Lots of babies! ■ Johnny Norfleet is a saint for a few reasons. At the SG cocktail drinks in New York in the fall, I left my entire bag at the bar afterwards.

F R O M T HCEL AASRSC N HO IV TE S

Lawyers, child therapists, digital modelers — what a flavorful mix! ■ Kate Woestemeyer is now painting full time in Denver! She’s working under the guidance of two artists there and has her own studio. By the time you read this, she will have had her first show in May, featuring her own work and some other Denver painters. Very cool, Kate! ■ Hope to chat soon and I look forward to hearing your feedback/criticism of this edition of class notes.

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

No idea why, just was feeling free I guess.

Johnny found it and dropped it off at my apartment for me. He also responded to my text about class notes. Johnny is currently the head sailing coach at Fordham University and is hoping to start taking classes towards a master’s in economics at Fordham this fall. Fun fact: Johnny won the U.S. Sailing U.S. Team Race championship in fall 2016! ■ Camilla deBraganca moved from Buenos Aires to New York.

She works at Accenture and has a standing desk in her apartment. She, unfortunately, has not shaken off her Boston roots and still thinks Boston is a city, which is TRULY knee-slappingly hilarious. But otherwise she is doing well. ■ Tom Evans seems to have a very exciting job. He is a digital modeler at Tesla and lives in LA. So hip and techy! I checked in on what Tom was doing after I noticed that when I got in political battles with Justin Hoffmann on Facebook, Tom would usually like Justin’s comments. Tom, we can bury this hatchet if you introduce me to Elon. Thank you so much!!!!!!!! Justin, it was pleasant to see you at the SG reception in New York.

Please work in tandem with Tom on the Elon ask. ■ Callie McBreen is finishing her 2L year at NYU Law School and will be working as a summer associate at Kirkland & Ellis. We are still dedicated Soul Cyclers but have also added SLT into our workout: strengthen, lengthen and tone. In a hilarious turn of events, Callie’s sister and Nick Biedron’s brother are friends. ■ In other promising young lawyer news, S.J. Tilden is finishing his first year at Tulane Law School. This summer he is working at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit with Judge Greg Phillips. He also reminded me that he has returned from his year in Senegal in case I missed it. Meredith Kaufman, at CU Law School, is going to Santa Cruz for the summer working for California’s certified organic farmers in the policy department. ■ George Williams has been living in San Francisco for the last three years working in the technology sector (the only sector in San Francisco from what I can see). He hangs out with a few ’09ers in the Bay Area like Merrill Pierce and Payton Somers. I guess Payton proves my earlier comment wrong about San Francisco/tech because she is working in the children’s sector by which I mean she is a child therapist at an elementary school there.

2010

Samuel D. Livingston, 505 Congress Street, Apartment 1906, Boston, MA 02210, P: 617-951-5000, slivingston12092@ gmail.com

2011

Sophie C. Flynn, 1172 East Road, Tiverton, RI 02878, P: 401-624-8090, sophie.flynn@ gmail.com ■ Tarleton Watkins wrote: “I am happily ensconced at Yale Divinity School getting my master’s in religion with a concentration in ethics and in the first year of a two-year program. I am considering lay and possibly ordained leadership in The Episcopal Church. New Haven is treating me well and I have been able to see SG friends in Boston and New York.” ■ Caroline Miller has been applying to grad schools for screenwriting. Over the winter, she was living in Park City, Utah, “working part-time as a ski instructor at Deer Valley and part-time as a bartender (which would be a lot cooler if Utah wasn’t full of strange and obscure liquor laws).

The snow was phenomenal last winter and I skied pretty much every waking moment I didn’t have to work. I also interned at the Sundance Film Festival where I helped to promote the documentary “Step.” The film did super well at Sundance, winning the Inspirational Filmmaking Award and getting picked up by Fox Searchlight Pictures for more than $4 million. It was an awesome experience to be involved with such an uplifting and inspirational project, and you all should go see the film when it gets released!” ■ Last year, Seton Talty was leading backpacking trips and working at the High Mountain Institute in Colorado! Now, she’s living in Washington, D.C., working as the assistant director of admission at The School for Ethics and

93

Top to bottom: Mike Violette ’10 and his girlfriend Kerry Durkin included a chapel tower climb during their visit to Newport in November as an early celebration of Mike’s birthday, which was on Nov. 30. / Chad Larcom ’11 in the Marine Corps Marathon.

Global Leadership (SEGL). She wrote, “It’s a semester school where students live in D.C. and meet with people from across the political spectrum to discuss ethical issues that affect our country and world.

It’s a fascinating time to be living in D.C. and working to cultivate ethical leaders.

I get to hang out with Sam Peterson, which is cool, and the founder and head of SEGL, Noah Bopp, taught at SG before we were students. So many Dragons around.” ■ Zach Mastrodicasa transferred his credits from Boston University to Laurentian University in Canada to study electromagnetic neuroscience under Dr. Persinger. He finished his final thesis on neuroaesthetics and neurocardiology. Last I heard, Zach was applying to law school in hopes of pursuing a career in the emerging new field of neurolaw! ■ Avery McDonald just graduated from Sotheby’s Institute of Art with her master’s in art business, and is now working full time for the UBS Art Collection at UBS in New York. “Whirlwind

94

CLASS NOTES

st. george’s school

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

of a year!” ■ Katherine Wilkinson just got accepted to the University of Michigan for graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in statistics. As of April, she’s moving from Oregon to Michigan. She added, “Super excited for all this and I should be there for the next couple of years. Fingers crossed I survive!” ■ Graham Cochrane is finishing up his pre-clinical work (medical school years one and two) for his Medical Scientist Training Program at The University of Alabama at Birmingham, and will be moving into his Ph.D. years studying the effects of concussions on visual and vestibular function in athletes starting this summer. He wrote, “I have been enjoying life in Birmingham in my house I bought a year ago with my new cat, Benny!” ■ Mack Feldman had a short and sweet update: “I am working in commercial real estate development down in Tampa, Florida. I fled professional politics after ... well, 2016.”

2012

Jack I. Bartholet, 101 Main Street, Stonington, CT 06378, P: 401-295-4108, bartholet@jhu.edu ■ I must start my class notes off with most sincere apologies for my dereliction in submitting notes these past few editions of the Bulletin. Our class has certainly been busy since my last submission! ■ I am excited to announce that I now have 67 kids. I should make clear, I suppose, that these are all my students. I joined the Teach For America Corps and have taken a position teaching ninth-grade English at New Bedford High School just 20 minutes away from the Hilltop in nearby Massachusetts. I am thoroughly enjoying the daily trials and tribulations of being a teacher and have certainly gained a great deal of respect for some of my mentors at St. George’s. ■ I am excited to learn that Caroline Welch is also doing Teach For America. Caroline is teaching in Oklahoma City where she has a classroom of little munchkins in first grade. ■ I am told that Riley McCabe is currently working in the Big Apple as an investment banking analyst at Credit Suisse. ■ Speaking of New York, I believe that the lovely Casey DeLuca is gallivanting around New York. I periodically check in on her social media to ensure that she is still alive. ■ Casey’s partner-in-crime, Ali

Ballato, is on the other side of the nation, residing in good ol’ San Francisco, where she is working for Blue Apron. Things have come a long way since I cooked for her during Junior Ski Weekend. ■ Otherwise, our class remains strong and all were looking forward to our five-year reunion in May as Alex Elron helped to coordinate our planning. ■ We certainly missed our class’s brightest light, Kendra Bowers, as we came together on the Hilltop, but her spirit lives on in all of us, bringing smiles to our faces when we think of her infectious laugh or witty humor. ■ It was great to see many of the great Class of 2012 at our reunion, and until we meet again, may you be held in the palm of God’s hand.

2013

Theresa A. Salud, 54 Bernadette Road, Morganville, NJ 07751, P: 732-970-8456, theresasalud@gmail.com

2014

John Jongmin Kim, 1237 Main Street, Concord, MA 01742, P: 978-371-3461, jjk90@ georgetown.edu ■ Hello everyone. Hope this note finds everyone well. Thank you to everyone who sent me updates about their life. I really appreciate it. Hope to hear from more of you all next time! ■ I am in the process of finishing my junior year at Georgetown, studying international affairs and finance. Living in D.C. is great, but I am also looking forward to being in New York City for my internship this summer. At school, I regularly see Thomas Kits van Heyningen and Lexi Lashelle. During his semester off from Georgetown, Luc Woodard is spending time in California for a venture-capital internship. While I don’t see Roger Dorr or Kathryn Coughlin as often, I heard they are doing well, too.

■ Over the summer of 2016, Emily Walsh transferred to Savannah College of Art and Design as a repeat sophomore. She is an interior design major and will graduate in 2019 with a B.F.A. Over this summer, Emily plans on taking classes at SCAD to catch up on her course work. She does not plan on studying abroad, but if she could, she would consider going to Lacoste, France; Hong Kong; or Atlanta, Georgia.

She is one year behind most people in SG Class of 2014 because she repeated a

Top to bottom: Class of 2014 best friends (Andrew Lynch, Edgar Lee, Charlotte Dulay and Emma Reed) met up in Chelsea Market in New York. This was their first time together since Edgar returned stateside after his enlistment in the Army for the National Service of Singapore. / Will Simpson ’14 in Berlin with Christoph Erlen ’97.

grade, but she said, “I am loving the new school, and there are so many interesting people here that I get to know.” ■ Cameron Cluff was set to graduate in May, one year earlier than most of us. He claimed that he does not have much to report, besides the fact that he is currently living with Julian Turner. ■ Meanwhile, Andrew Lynch is double majoring in communications and applied psychology with a history minor at Boston College. He said, “I play in the pep band at BC for the hockey and basketball games. I’m also part of the student sports radio club, WZBC, which does the radio play-by-play for football, hockey and basketball games. For my career direction I’m looking into doing sports marketing and even have an internship with the BC Sports Marketing office that I’m hoping to continue this summer.” As for something SG-related, he said, “Over Columbus Day Weekend, Edgar Lee, Charlotte Dulay, Emma Reed and I all met up for the weekend in New York to hang out. I’ve also bumped into Corey Davis multiple times just randomly walking around Boston since he transferred to Emerson. ■ Will Simpson spent four weeks in Berlin where he was studying

CLASS NOTES

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

c.1905

st. george’s school

the history of Berlin as part of a program operated by the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). He plans to continue with his German language study at Middlebury College. Will’s mom, Val Simpson, who is the school archivist, remembered Christoph Erlen ’97 from his exchange year at SG in 1995-1996. He would visit her in the library. Christoph was excited to know that the Simpsons remembered him and he invited Will to visit him and his wife, Annika, and two daughters in Kassel. Will spent a weekend with them and had a great time! Christoph was hoping to make it back for Alumni Weekend this year. ■ South Korean soldier Seung Hyuk Shin also had updates for the class. He said, “I’m planning on majoring in computer science and entrepreneurship. Career wise, I am interested in rising IT and tech companies.” Concerning his mandatory military service, he said, “I’m currently serving in the military as a police officer. I’m stationed in the Korea National Police Agency; the Korean police headquarters. I get discharged this coming September and plan on returning to Penn next January.” Seung will return to University of Pennsylvania as a sophomore. Because he is generally unable to leave the country during his two-year service, he has limited interaction with SG people. Some Korean SG alums and I visit him whenever we’re in Korea over breaks.

To my understanding, Jae Choi, Phil An and Ian Chun are all currently serving in the military. ■ As of spring 2017, Amirah Keaton is a business development intern at a luxury e-commerce consignment company called Snob Swap. She was planning on staying with the same company over the summer. She is still a top fashion student at American University. ■ As usual, Alexa Santry is enjoying life. She said, “Dartmouth is going well. It’s always Applied Mechanics Building great to see Peggy Kilvert, Teddy Carter, Cecilia Masiello, Will Hill and Sammie Maltais around. I was on an off term this spring and working at a winery in Santa Barbara. It has been amazing and really fun to learn more about the wine industry and to get some hands-on experience in the vineyards and tasting room ... though I’m afraid I’ve become a bit of a wine snob.

I am very excited to be back at school to continue my studies in government and Arabic this spring. I am pretty involved

95

As a last SG event before dispersing to various colleges and universities across the country, 2016 graduates Wyatt Dodd, Patrick Ford, Hall Lamar, Tommy Davlin and Henry Timken went to Longs Peak at the Boulder Field.

This fivesome hit the trail at 3:30 am and summited Longs (14,256 feet above sea level) at approximately 9:15 a.m. on August 11, 2016 in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Allens Park, Colorado.

in my sorority, KKG, and will be serving as president! I’m hoping to be in D.C. this summer and doing something government/Arabic related, but I’m still waiting on a few things so I’m not entirely positive where I will end up yet. I miss everyone and hope all are doing well in school!” ■ Katelyn Hutchinson: “I am an economics major and Chinese minor. I am currently doing an intensive Chinese language program in Beijing. I will be interning this summer for a start-up in Newport Beach, California. Something cool that happened this past semester: my field hockey team won our conference championship and then advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament. And something SG related, I still keep in touch with Bud Fralick, John DeLuca and Carly Mey on a very regular basis.” ■ Finally, Claire Yoon was completing her junior year at University of Pennsylvania when we connected. She is pursuing a degree in architecture and hopes to do a related internship this summer in Seoul. Even though she is not considering studying

abroad, she is considering graduating as early as this December 2017. ■ That’s it for now! Hope everyone has a great summer and an even greater school year. Please feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions. Thank you very much!

2015

Agnes E. Enochs, 6750 Greenwich Lane, Dallas, TX 75230, agneselizabeth96@gmail.com

2016

Please contact the Alumni Office at 1-888-CALL-SG or ClassNotes@stgeorges.edu if you would like to volunteer to serve as class correspondent.

S U B M I T A N OT E Please contact your class correspondent or the Advancement Office at 1-888-I-CALL-SG or ClassNotes@ stgeorges.edu.

96

S T U D E N T E S S AY

BY CHLOE LI ’17

st. george’s school

Home Strange Home

// FA L L 2 0 1 7

Out of breath, I weaved between the morning crowds on the Boulevard de la République with my backpack in tow: I was about to miss the bus to the lycée. In my hurriedness, I accidentally bumped into an old woman.

“Désolé,” I quickly apologized. She swiveled around, hostile eyes scrutinizing me up and down, and hissed the words like a stinging slap: “Nous disons pardon en France — we say pardon in France.” The unconcealed disgust in her eyes branded a scorching mark into my memory, and this moment five years ago remains just as scathing to this date.

I know of this kind of look all too well. They all seem to say: “You don’t belong here. Go back to where you’re really from. This isn’t, and never will be, your home.”

I wanted nothing more than to prove her wrong: “No, I have every right to be here, just like the rest of you.”

However, my tongue tripped over this unfamiliar language with its guttural sounds that tasted unnatural and scorched my throat dry of speech.

I suppose, in some way, she was right. France is not my home. In fact, I just moved here a month ago.

Where is my home? A home is where children grow up, a place where you are supposed to know every nook and cranny like the back of your hand. How can I — how dare I call anywhere home if I’ve never lived in the same place for more than three years of my life? Where can I belong if, as soon as my roots dig into the ground, they become severed?

When I was 9, my family left China, the only country I’d ever known, for another life in an unfamiliar location: Franklin, Tennessee. The name tasted foreign on my tongue, a heavy mixture of incredible excitement and terrible anxiety. On the very first day of school with a new teacher, new classmates, and my new English name scribbled onto the back of my hand, I received a zero on a spelling test. In this small, southern community where we were one of the only Asian families in town, I stuck out.

I’ve never felt so lost, so utterly different, a sore thumb with my jet-black hair and strange foreign clothes. But I

Chloe will attend Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., this fall.

didn’t want to let the language barrier and culture shocks stop me. ESL classes received my full devotion and I attempted every method to make friends during recess — chocolate is the winner. Two years later, I was fully fluent and finally carved out a place for myself in Tennessee.

“We are moving to Paris,” my father revealed over dinner one day when I was 12. I was shocked. It meant leaving the life I put so much effort to create for myself in Tennessee, and starting over with another language barrier to hurtle over. However, unlike the first time, I wanted to welcome this challenge with open arms.

Despite the looks I’ve received as I stumbled through this language like a newborn babe, I came to feel at home with its melodious twists and turns that mirrored the winding Parisian boulevards. I realized that Paris, too, could be my home. Where I call home is my choice, and my appearance will not dictate where I belong. I learned to thrive in Paris, taking with me every bit of its unapologetic uniqueness, this “movable feast” that will always stay with me. I belong simultaneously to nowhere and everywhere, at once, a modern nomad, a human chameleon — and I love every obstacle that molded me this way.

At the age of 15, I found myself in the airport terminal once again. This time, I was leaving my parents to go to boarding school in another country 7,342 miles away. The flight attendant calls out my boarding number, and I step onto the plane with a smile: After all, I’m going home.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

c.1949

Ruth Davenport, First Librarian, at Desk Ruth Davenport worked at St. George’s from 1947-1964 and was the school’s first librarian.

At the time, the library was housed in the space now occupied by the Advancement Office on the main floor of Sixth-Form House. When today's Nathaniel P. Hill Library was renovated in 2010-11, a classroom and meeting space on the main level was named in Miss Davenport’s honor: the Davenport Room.

This photo is part of a larger exhibition about libraries at St. George's curated by Archivist Val Simpson, now on display in the Hill Library and viewable online.

View this collection, as well as past Archive exhibitions, on our website at stgeorges.edu/archives.

ST. GEORGE’ S SCHOOL PO Box 1910 Newport, RI 02840–0190

24

Revered 20-year coach John Mackay pulled together a group of boys in 2015 to become the winningest team in Dragon history

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PA I D Burlington, VT 05401 Permit No. 19