14 Anchors Aweigh!
15 Can-Do Spirit
34 One ‘L’ of a Party
Summer 2026
A NEW HAND ON THE GAVEL
The first woman to serve as president of the School’s Board of Trustees, Celeste Mellet ’94 balances a collaborative approach with the decisive leadership needed to guide Lawrenceville forward.
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F R O M the H E A D O F S C H O O L
On Progress
Stephen S. Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’66 ’16 P’16 ’21 The Shelby Cullom Davis Class of 1926 Head of School
POP OF THE WORLD
The iconic cupola atop the Fathers Building stood in silent witness, high above the action, while more than 1,500 Lawrentians and their guests reveled down below during Alumni Reunion Weekend. Photo by Mike Schwartz
W
hen I was a freshman in college, my roommate and I took a drive up into rural Vermont to pay a visit to the old homestead where his father had lived many years earlier. While there, we bumped into Mr. Bloom, a spry farmer well into his 80s, who had been a neighbor and had known my roommate’s father before he died. And he took us on a walk around his small property where he grew his own food and kept himself busy with projects. The first stop was “the smithy.” Mr. Bloom explained that he had found an old crank bellows in the woods, all seized up with rust. He took it apart, cleaned it, and made it work. He had likewise found an iron sink, again, in the woods, which he had fashioned into a forge. He then showed us how he had cast all of the fittings, hinges, and door fixtures that he needed around the farm, by melting down bits of scrap metal. A little further on, he showed us his sawmill, set up with a large circular saw blade — that, too, salvaged from a junk pile. With an engine taken from an old abandoned car, he had rigged up a belt drive to power the saw. Finally, he showed us a cabin he had built entirely by hand without a single nail. Most of the wood was scrap lumber, carefully pegged or fitted with dovetail joints. And the door handles and hinges — all crafted just a few steps away, using the forge. As an 18-year-old college kid, I was in awe of Mr. Bloom, or more accurately, envied him, with his remarkable Yankee ingenuity and self-sufficiency, and the simplicity of his life. The modern world had passed him by, and I think Mr. Bloom was happier and better for it. At the same time, as I have reflected on this memory over the years, I have come to think that the allure of this simple life may be more complicated than it first appears. To be clear, such a lifestyle can be a deeply satisfying and meaningful commitment — whole communities like the Amish have sworn off certain technologies and have freed themselves from the frenetic pace of life that so many of us are resigned to, and that indeed is a laudable, principled choice. And yet, practically speaking, all humanity cannot flee modernity, dwelling on small subsistence farms, heating their homes with
woodburning stoves, and tinkering in their barns. Given the world’s population, we need the efficiency of modern cities, where people are housed in relatively small spaces, where water supply, energy, and waste disposal can be managed at scale, and which in turn frees up the space for larger farms to produce the quantities of food needed to even have a shot at feeding the world — an elusive goal at best, but one that, for the first time in human history, may be attainable. Now, make no mistake: Cities bring their own considerable set of problems with which we must contend. And as for food production, are we necessarily better off with genetically altered strains of wheat that allow for greater quantities of bread? Is “progress” then, for every “two steps forward,” we take “one step back”? Or at times, is it even, “one step forward, and two steps back”? My point here is neither to be an apologist nor a skeptic for ever-advancing human technologies. It is simply that I have come to think that what we call “progress” is neither good nor bad — at least not inherently. It’s what we make of it. Wishing things would stay the same, wishing things would stay reassuringly familiar, is unrealistic at best, and can even leave us woefully unprepared to manage the change when it does happen. And inevitably, change will happen, for better or for worse. Human history, from the dawn of time, is filled with countless, significant challenges that societies have had to confront when faced with progress. The lesson here, and the source of my enduring faith and hope, is neither about blindly embracing progress, nor is it about rejecting innovation because it often has a downside. It is more about the remarkable resourcefulness and resilience that the human spirit has shown over time, helping us, not simply to persist in spite of the challenges, but to thrive. —Excerpted from the May 2026 Baccalaureate Address, inspired by the complexity of the technological landscape our graduates face and the accelerated pace of change that comes with it. Sincerely,
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COMING HOME
SNEAK PEEK
Stuart Robertson ’11 H’18, whose mural graces the walls of the Battle-Fitzgerald Atrium above him, returned home for his 15th reunion, this time with his son. See all the Alumni Reunion Weekend action on page 34.
THE LINEUP VOLUME 90 | NUMBER 2
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SUMMER 2026
FEATURES
24 26 30 34
Playing from a Place of Joy After starring at Lawrenceville and Penn, Duke Lacroix ’11 helped lead the Haiti men’s national team to the World Cup for the first time in 52 years.
Catching Lightning in a Can Clement Pappas ’92 and his company’s Surfside went from a novel idea for canned drinks to the fastest-growing alcohol brand in the world seemingly overnight.
A New Hand on the Gavel The first woman to serve as president of the School’s Board of Trustees, Celeste Mellet ’94 P’27 ’30 balances a collaborative approach with the decisive leadership needed to guide Lawrenceville forward.
Red, Black, and Back Record attendance was just one highlight of Alumni Reunion Weekend 2026.
DEPARTMENTS QUOTED
❝ I really was amazed by seeing, in crisis, how people differentiated themselves, and a lot of it was how they treated those around them.” Celeste Mellet ’94 P’27 ’30, the first woman to serve as president of the Lawrenceville Board of Trustees, on the types of leadership she saw in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. (See page 30)
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4 Inside the Gates 10 Noteworthy 16 Take This Job and Love It 18 Go Big Red! 22 Encore
40 Lawrentians 78 Ask the Archivist
F R O M T H E B A S E M E N T of P O P H A L L
EDITOR
Sean Ramsden H’65 DESIGN
Bruce Hanson / EGADS Landesberg Design NEWS EDITOR
Lisa M. Gillard H’17 STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Paloma Torres
CONTRIBUTORS
Pete Croatto Andrea Fereshteh P’28 Adam Grybowski Jacqueline Haun H’65 Barbara Horn Leila Khabbaz ’28 Melina Kyriakopoulos ’27 Christopher Pearman ’27 Nicole Stock PHOTOGRAPHY
Keith Barraclough Michael Branscom Colin Lenton Mike Schwartz Susy M. Lee ILLUSTRATION
Joel Kimmel
PROOFREADER
Rob Reinalda ’76 HEAD OF SCHOOL
Stephen S. Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’66 ’16 P’16 ’21 CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER
Greta Morgan
CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
I
’m fortunate to be writing to you at such an interesting point in history — just days ahead of the semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. By the time you read this, most of the fireworks will have been spent, but I do think there will be some residual celebrations in many of our communities. The bicentennial celebration in 1976 was huge, as many of you recall. Tall ships, fireworks, and red, white, and blue everything. In my childhood bedroom, I had red, white, and blue shag carpeting! Can you imagine? Hey, I was 5 years old, so it wasn’t my fault. But to be honest, I think I liked it. Home décor is a bit more muted these days, but those three colors have nevertheless found their way into our lives this summer. I think it’s buoyed a bit by the continuing success of the U.S. Men’s National Team in the World Cup; as I write this, they remain alive in the “last 16,” and that helps create a focal point of national unity. That feels good. There are things in this issue of The Lawrentian that also feel good to me. We celebrate Celeste Mellet ’94 P’27 ’30 and Heather Elliott Hoover ’91 P’20 ’23 ’24, the first women in Lawrenceville history to earn the titles of president of the Board of Trustees and winner of the Distinguished Alumni Award, respectively. We celebrate the stunning success of Surfside canned cocktails, which has seen Stateside Brands CEO Clem Pappas ’92 catch lightning in a can, so to speak. And speaking of the World Cup, we celebrate Duke Lacroix ’11, who helped lead the Haiti national team to the world’s biggest sporting event for the first time in 52 years. And we haven’t forgotten about the semiquincentennial, either. The pivotal year of 1776 predates our School’s founding, but inside, you’ll also learn just how close the site of The Lawrenceville School was to the harrowing revolutionary action. So, fire up your grill, reflect on this milestone point in history, and be grateful for the ones who make us what we are. At Lawrenceville and beyond, it’s always about the people, and that includes you.
Jessica Welsh
The Lawrentian is published three times a year by The Lawrenceville School, P.O. Box 6008, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, for alumni, parents, and friends.
All the best,
Periodical postage paid at Trenton, NJ, and additional mailing offices. The Lawrentian welcomes letters from readers. Please send all correspondence to sramsden@lawrenceville.org or to the above address, care of The Lawrentian Editor. Letters may be edited for publication.
POSTMASTER Please send address corrections to: The Lawrentian The Lawrenceville School P.O. Box 6008 Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 ©The Lawrenceville School Lawrenceville, New Jersey All rights reserved.
Sean Ramsden H’65 Editor sramsden@lawrenceville.org
Setting the Record Straight Many of you reached out to say how much you enjoyed our pictorial feature, “The Hidden Lawrenceville,” in the Winter/Spring 2026 issue, but it does appear that we erred on page 39. The icehouse was not located in the basement of Haskell House, but rather, beneath the ground on the southern side of the building. The space we portrayed, which later served as an electrical transformer housing, featured an accessway to the subterranean icehouse, but was not itself used for cold storage. The editor was chilled to learn this and apologizes for the error.
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Inside the Gates 5Q4
Joel Kimmel
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questions for Marcus Tsai ’27, who settles the question of the best entry in the Star Wars franchise and can’t help yukking it up at your very worst jokes.
What advice do you have for incoming Lawrentians? Engage with the School community in as many ways as possible. Repeatedly attending different School events has introduced me to so many different aspects of Lawrenceville. Make the best of your four years here — trust me, you won’t regret it. If you could be part of a Harkness discussion with any three figures from history, who would you choose? Napoleon, Julius Caesar, and Sun Tzu on the topic of war. I have always loved strategy games, particularly those where you have to manipulate your opponent.
What never fails to make you laugh? Honestly, the worst jokes that no one should laugh at make me crack up. Whether they are terribly timed or hackneyed dad-jokes, the least funny jokes, objectively, make me laugh the hardest. What person, living or dead, inspires you? My friend who is able to look on the bright side of anything. They are always so full of positive energy, inspiring me to live my best life. Whenever I feel down, their enthusiasm and joy really cheer me up.
What is your favorite book or movie? Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. Best George Lucas film of all time, no competition.
If you could have kept one physical object from your House — a piece of furniture, a sign or a picture, or even a specific mug — what would it be? And where would it sit in your home today?
House Call
Alumni responded to this issue’s question.
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Lawrenceville 101
Old School
Pranks On Alumni Day, members of the Fifth Form executed what was generally conceded to be the best senior prank since the Class of ’69 installed a cow in the second floor corridor of Mem Hall. As Bruce McClellan, the last of the day’s speakers in the Kirby Arts Center finished his remarks to the assembled alumni, the microphone suddenly went dead, and the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey emanated from the loudspeakers in the auditorium. Approximately two hundred balloons and much confetti fell on stage from the overhead lighting slots. As the music reached a thundering crescendo, the overhead lights mysteriously blacked out and a single pink spotlight illuminated the curtain, which slowly rose to reveal a huge banner which filled the entire proscenium and which read, “Welcome Alumni — The Class of ’81 Wants Coeducation to Make a Good School Better.” To emphasize the statement, the two O’s in “coeducation” were fashioned to from the male and female genetic symbols. The alumni responded with laughter and applause. Board President Edward R. Farley Jr. ’36, who was one of those present on stage, responded in good humor to the members of the class had carried off the prank with such technical precision, “I don’t agree with what you have to say, but I like the way you say it.” From the “News Roundup” in the August 1981 Lawrentian.
As you walked into Dawes House, there was a large portrait of Rufus Dawes [Class of 1909] given by his father, Vice President Charles Dawes, who donated the House. It is gone. I want to find it and replace it in the Dawes House. George Schulz ’64
Woodhullians from Gonzo’s [Joaquin Gonzalez H’12] time as housemaster will remember his (in)famous review of the fridge policy to start each year. So, I would have the fridge in my kitchen, painted black with a golden Phoenix on the main door.
DAWES HOUSE
Robert Diggs ’09
Mystery, Majesty, and Modernity: The Gilded Age and The Chicago World’s Fair IN514
When history teacher Marisa Hedges P’27 wanted her students to understand the meaning of the “Gilded Age,” she didn’t start with a lecture. She handed them spray paint. The exercise, coating worthless objects in a layer of gold, introduced the central idea of her honors elective, “Mystery, Majesty, and Modernity: The Gilded Age and The Chicago World’s Fair” — that the glittering achievements of the late 19th century often concealed deeper social strain beneath the surface. “I wanted to use a specific, pivotal event like the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 to investigate the larger tensions of the turn of the century,” Hedges said, “wealth versus poverty, big business versus labor, immigration versus nativism, and social Darwinism versus social reform.” Paired with a reading of Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City, this interdisciplinary course enables students to uncover the brilliance and shadows of the World’s Fair, where the marvels of human achievement coexisted with the darker aspects of society — a microcosm of the modern world.
For me, it would be a poster I had of a sailboat racing along the water. My grandma helped me buy it and it would hang in a man cave or vacation house. Dupre Jones ’93 CLEVE HOUSE
The Crutch that is displayed in the Common Room. It symbolizes the healthy and robust tackle football rivalry between Hamill and Kennedy. The winner of the annual contest had custody of The Crutch until the next year’s game. Jeffrey Bell ’64
HAMILL HOUSE
WOODHULL HOUSE
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One 2 Watch
Clean Flow of Ideas
Aadya Agarwal ’29
The environmentalist’s adage, “Think locally, act globally,” speaks to the way that broad practices typically begin at the community level. Thinking about New Jersey’s poor water quality motivated Aadya to begin research focused on remediating local streams. “I was exploring a sustainable material called biochar as a remediator for water quality in comparison to current methods,” Aadya says, explaining that biochar — a charcoal-like substance made by heating organic waste such as wood or crop residues — can improve water quality by removing contaminants. Its affordability and availability make it accessible even “to communities that essentially need water remediation the most,” she says, “because we want to make sure that methods are able to be implemented in rural communities and areas that don’t have as many resources.” Aadya presented her research in May at the 2026 New Jersey Water Environmental Association conference, which featured a mix of professionals and doctoral researchers. There, she also received the Stockholm Junior Water Prize Regional Award, the result of her presentation at the annual Regeneron ISEF Mercer Science and Engineering Fair earlier in the spring. More recently, after incorporating advanced technology into her research, Aadya was selected as one of five winning entries in the MIT Solve AI for Better World competition. Her innovative biochar water remediation AI-powered IoT project, which proposes using biochar as a buoy-like prototype that can “sense, decide, and act” in water systems by monitoring quality metrics, determining when treatment is needed, and deploying biochar as the remediation method, integrating Edge Machine Learning and coding to drive the device’s decision-making. She will present her research in July during the 2026 America’s Youth AI Festival. “That’s where I’ve incorporated AI because I’m very interested in coding,” she says. “I love solving puzzles, so doing that sort of ties in with coding and my other STEM interests.”
FAST FACT
In addition to her innovative scientific research, Aadya also advanced to the semifinal round of the School’s Public Speaking Contest in December.
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things we learned producing this issue of The Lawrentian:
On January 1, 1777, a mounted Hessian solider pursuing local farmer Elias Hunt was shot to death by a marksman from Gen. George Washington’s Continental Army in the middle of what is now Main Street in front of the Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church. Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Paul Tobin ’58 attended the Naval Academy with not one, but two Heisman Trophy winners – Joe Bellino (1960) and Roger Staubach (1963). Retired Presbyterian minister Larry Jones ’67 and his wife have logged more than 50,000 miles in 19 months (and counting) since selling their Vermont home in 2025.
What’s Cookin’? It’s Rind of a Big Deal
They Said It ❝The ignorance that characterizes our current response to the harms of digital media parallels similar crises we have had over the health effects of cigarettes. Though research clearly linking smoking to increased rates of lung cancer had existed since the 1950s, a coordinated effort by the tobacco industry to undermine scientific findings successfully delayed legislation on the regulation of tobacco products. Today’s social media companies, in a similar way, have also been reluctant to admit the proven harms of their products, focusing instead on legal defense of the status quo…❞ William Su ’28 in “The Failed Response to Modern Technology,” which appeared in the May 1, 2026, issue of The Lawrence.
Watermelon is a summertime staple, but you aren’t stuck cutting it into wedges. “One of our favorite seasonal dishes on campus over the years is our watermelon salad,” says Gary Giberson H’11 ’18 P’10, the founder and president of Sustainable Fare, who developed the recipe. “It combines the sweetness of perfectly ripe watermelon with the briny flavor of kalamata olives and feta cheese, the tartness of lemon, and the bright flavor of mint. It makes a great summer barbecue side dish or a wonderful lunch topped with grilled shrimp or scallops.” Summer Watermelon Salad Yields four to six portions as a side dish Ingredients 3 cups cubed seedless watermelon 2 cups sliced cucumber, peeled and seeds removed ½ cup thinly sliced red onion wedges (cutting from root end to top end; not rings) ¼ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, torn or thinly sliced
½ cup crumbled feta cheese ½-cup kalamata olives pitted and split into halves. For the dressing: 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice ¼ cup olive oil ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Procedure • Toss the watermelon, cucumber, onion, mint, feta, and olives together in a bowl. • Season with salt and pepper, add olive oil and lemon juice, and toss. Place in serving dish, and garnish with mint sprigs.
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Photo by Paloma Torres
The Big Picture
Mixing Bowl The golden hour on The Bowl in mid-April is a social event for Second Formers, who gather to enjoy each other’s company while the colors of spring begin to emerge around them.
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Noteworthy ‘The Culture Keepers of Our Houses’
Lawrenceville’s Fifth Form prefects provide a steady, relatable hand to younger students in their Houses.
WHEN STUDENTS ARRIVE at Lawrenceville, they immediately step into a House community intentionally designed to support them, surrounded by a circle of adults and peers working together to ensure they feel welcome and steady in a new environment. Among that team are Fifth Form prefects, student leaders selected and trained to help Second through Fourth Form students navigate daily life in their Houses, living alongside them. Prefects help set the tone for how students treat one another, how disagreements are handled, and how expectations are upheld — “the pulse holders and the culture keepers of our Houses,” said Holli Olson, assistant dean of students.
Inside Hamill House, prefect Andrew Hurlock ’26 (right) shares a moment with younger Hamill residents.
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HEADLINES
5.9.26 Prefects are not disciplinarians, but rather peer leaders trusted to model steadiness and maturity in everyday moments. That trust is reinforced by structure. Preparation begins soon after selection and continues throughout the year, with prefects meeting weekly with Lindsay Mulhern P’25 ’27, the associate dean of students, to discuss challenges, practice scenarios, reinforce boundaries, and support each other. Other campus leaders, including the School’s counseling staff, are often invited to share their expertise. “We want them to really understand that we’re in this together with them and make sure that they know that the adults are there to support them,” Mulhern said. Prefects are selected not for popularity, but for steadiness, judgment, and care, and their role is both simple and significant: to help newer students adjust, feel known, and understand how life in that House works. Heads of House say those qualities are often visible long before a student is chosen. They look for strong and authentic connections, students who are kind, approachable, and genuinely interested in the wellbeing of others. The most successful prefects are often calm presences in busy spaces, able to be fun and relatable without losing their sense of responsibility. “He’s approachable without being permissive, authoritative without being intimidating,” said John Giannikas, head of Hamill House, about prefect Andrew Hurlock ’26. “Someone who listens first, guides thoughtfully, and leads by example rather than instruction alone.” Balancing peer relationships with responsibility requires mature judgment. Thomas House prefect Marco Pellegrini ’26 said accessibility and being physically present in the House are priorities. “The biggest thing is to establish yourself as someone that can be easily approached,” he said. “It’s great to joke around with our prefectees and have fun in the House, but it’s important to be able to rein it in.” The shift to the role of prefect for students remaining in the House where they lived during their Third and Fourth Form years can be complex. “They have to come back as a leader because they’re working with people who are their friends,” Mulhern said. “We talk to them about how that shift happens, setting boundaries, how you need to now impose the rules and expectations for the people in your House.” Dawes House prefect Anne Clifford-Levy ’26 noted that while she never picks sides in an argument, she’s always available to listen and share her own experiences. “When they know I have gone through a similar situation,” she explained, “it empowers them to know they can get through it as well.”
Lawrenceville’s second annual Career Day brought more than 70 alumni nearly 50 lines of work to campus to share their career advice and insights with students. This was the culmination of a year’s worth of industry-specific career panels co-sponsored by the Alumni Office and Student Council.
4.17.26
Jennifer Parnell P’23, director of innovation and student AI projects, earned the 2026 Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLIS) Aspire Breakthrough Leader Award “for redefining what student-centered AI leadership can look like in an independent school setting.”
4.14.26
Six Lawrentians — Aadya Agarwal ’29, Anvi Anand ’27, Esha Desai ’28, Ayona Kahlon ’29, Colin Ryu ’28, and Brian Suk ’29 — earned top honors at this year’s Mercer Science and Engineering Fair, held in partnership with the IEEE, for their scientific research across a range of disciplines from environmental science to biomedical investigation and genetics.
3.18.26
Bastian Bocklage ’26, Yuna Cho ’26, Yukan Du ’26, Victor Nikolaev ’26, Yuhan Clare Pei ’26, Mira Ponnambalam ’26, Ivan Spodin ’26, Jack Wade ’26, Alice Xie ’26, Su Yang ’26, Annabelle Yao ’26, and Gloria Yu ’26 were named finalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Competition.
Read the latest news stories at: lawrenceville.org/news
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Weekes Eyes a Great Year
BOOSTED BY A FOCUS on greater student connections beyond their Houses, Grace Weekes ’27 was elected Student Council president for the 2026-27 academic year by her peers in April. In her opening statement during the finalists’ debate inside the Kirby Arts Center on April 9, Weekes began by asking for a show of hands of how many Lawrentians could name every single person in their Form. The sparse showing of raised hands reaffirmed the issues at the center of Weekes’ platform, which called for schoolwide events in which students can get to know each other despite the physical separation between the Lower, Crescent, Circle, and Upper Houses. For instance, one of her key initiatives is a schoolwide sit-down dinner, which she described as “the drive of her campaign.” Inspired by similar events at other boarding schools, Weekes wanted to bring dinner traditions to Lawrenceville, where students will have the opportunity to “sit with people that they may not know as well, eat together, and spend a nice night together.” Weekes anticipates that planning an all-school event twice a term may be her most ambitious initiative. She is excited to work with the rest of the Student Council and the deans to create an event “centered on building community and connecting with each other” and “[making] it happen.” Weekes is the daughter of Christopher Weekes ’96 P’27 ’29 and Lilly Bunn Weekes ’99 P’27 ’29. — Leila Khabbaz ’28/The Lawrence
Joel Kimmel
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On the ruins of the camp by Jerzy Potrzebowski, Poland, 1961.
Student-Led Exhibit Reveals Holocaust Art THE LIVED EXPERIENCES of those imprisoned during the Holocaust came to Lawrenceville’s Hutchins Galleries this spring through The Auschwitz Experience in the art of prisoners. The exhibit featured artwork created by prisoners of the notorious Nazi concentration and extermination camp KL Auschwitz. Prepared by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum of Oświęcim, Poland, the traveling exhibition offers a deeply personal window into one of history’s darkest chapters. Siblings Mia Linert ’27 and Nico Linert ’27 worked last summer at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, where they began thinking about how to share the stories they encountered more widely. School Rabbi Lauren Levy H’96 ’97 ’01 ’12 P’01 ’02 ’09 suggested the exhibit be shown during Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, in May. “It’s been a really important exhibition for our community here,” Levy said, “teaching our students about a chapter in world history many of them know very little about.” The exhibit featured 24 panels, reproductions of works held by the museum, pairing visual art with first-person accounts from survivors. “There’s a lot of misinformation and disinformation online, so I’m hopeful the exhibit will be helpful in correcting that,” said Melina Guarino, director and curator of the Hutchins Galleries. For Nico, the exhibit helps close the distance people sometimes feel from this history. “People often feel like, since I’m not Jewish, I don’t have to care about this,” he said. “But fundamentally it was humans killing other humans, and it is an issue that everyone should care about. […] Just because it happened a long time ago doesn’t mean it can’t happen again.”
‘We Can Blaze Our Own Trails and Shine’ The Class of 2026 learned that the world is big enough to allow each to make their own mark — ideally in service to society.
A STEADY RAIN throughout the weekend saw the Class of 2026 spend their last hours together at the ice rink inside Tsai Field House, contemplating the perils of progress, but also imbued with the courage to see the light, at Lawrenceville’s 2026 Commencement. The School’s 228 newest alumni emerged from their time on campus bolstered by the resourcefulness and resilience they developed in on the stages and fields of play, around the Harkness tables, and in their Houses. “I encouraged you neither to embrace [progress] blindly, nor to fear it — but to expect it: that progress, that change, and all that comes with it, is inevitable,” said Head of School Stephen S. Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’66 ’16 P’16 ’21, expressing his faith in the class while referencing his earlier Baccalaureate address. “My faith comes from the qualities that I see in all of you, qualities that have emerged during your time here, and that are now simply part of who you are and that you bring with you out into the world: your generosity of spirit, your belief in each other, your sense of hope and possibility, and with this, as you make your way, you will,
Outgoing School president Sienna Kulynych ’26 drapes the mantle over the shoulders of her successor, Grace Weekes ’27.
I am confident, not merely persist, but indeed thrive — and surely, the world will be a better place for it.” Murray presented the Edward Sutliff Brainard Prize, given annually by the faculty to the Fifth Form student whom it holds in the highest esteem, to Mila Cooper ’26. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, Murray also presented the Trustees’ Cup, recognizing that student who has most influenced the School for good, to Jael Gaines ’26. He also recognized the members of the class who will attend service academies in the fall: Estelle May Chafin ’26 was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy; Andrew Hurlock ’26 received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; Jabrahlyn Jones ’26 will attend Virginia Military Institute; and Anthony Woo ’26 will attend Bowdoin College and will be enrolling in their Air and Space Force R.O.T.C. program. In her valedictory address, Gloria Yu ’26 reflected on the values of compassion, curiosity, and community, reminding future classes to “treat those around you with compassion and celebrate each other’s successes, because the world does offer enough sweet pie for everyone to share.” “In a society where we constantly measure ourselves against each other, where we all hope to find success and to be remembered,” Yu said, “it’s easy to overlook that the world is indeed big enough to hold all of us and to allow each of us to make our own mark.” t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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‘It’s Been a Great Ride’
Retired Rear Adm. Paul E. Tobin ’58, recipient of the Aldo Leopold Award, kept Lawrenceville close to his heart throughout a storied 35-year career in the U.S. Navy. REAR ADM. PAUL E. TOBIN ’58 (U.S. Navy, Ret.), was awarded The Lawrenceville Medal in May. The medal, presented by the Alumni Council and also known as the Aldo Leopold Award, is the highest honor the School may grant, conferred upon an alum who has demonstrated “brilliant, lifelong work in a significant field of endeavor.” The award is dedicated to the memory of Aldo Leopold, Class of 1905, the renowned environmentalist and author. Tobin, who retired from active duty in 1998, is a highly decorated military leader with over three decades of distinguished service to the U.S. Navy. He logged nearly two million miles at sea during a career that included executive commands as Director of Navy Information Management and Navy Logistics Group Western Pacific, Oceanographer of the Navy, and sea commands in the Vietnam and Gulf wars. In recognition of his outstanding service, Tobin earned three Navy Commendations, a Meritorious Service Medal, a Bronze Star, four Legions of Merit, and two Navy Distinguished Service Medals. Following his retirement from active duty, he oversaw the Naval Historical Center as the 11th Director of Naval History. Earlier in the day, Tobin attended presentations by students in “Case Studies in International Policy and Strategy,” taught by Ash Shah ’93, where one of the topics was, “Is It Time to Reinstate the Military Draft?” Tobin was later honored at a special award ceremony held during the School’s spring Board of Trustees meetings, where he received the medal and was celebrated by Alumni Association President Greg Melconian ’87 P’25 ’27, Head of School Steve Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’66 ’16 P’16 ’21, the Board of Trustees, Lawrenceville’s senior staff, family members, and Lawrenceville friends. “Lawrenceville has been a big part of our lives,” Tobin said. “Some of my former teachers and classmates came to San Diego for my commissioning, and friends from Lawrenceville came to my retirement.”
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Tobin’s acceptance speech was a trip down memory lane and a deep dive into Lawrenceville lore, as he acknowledged classmates and legendary faculty, and shared anecdotes from the past seven decades. He introduced his wife, Lynne Carter Tobin, as his Fifth Form prom date; reminisced about babysitting for faculty kid Peyton “Punky” Brewster, made famous by former NBC television executive Brandon Tartikoff ’66 in a 1980s sitcom; credited the English and history departments with teaching him to speak, read, and write; and praised the music program for cultivating his lifelong love of opera and classical music. “All this points to a very interesting career. I can’t thank you enough,” Tobin said. “I’m being honored, my family is being honored, and the Navy is being honored. It’s been a great ride.” — Barbara Horn Anchors Aweigh: Among other honors during his long naval career, Rear Adm. Paul Tobin ’58 earned the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star.
BOOKMARKS
Paging Through New Works from Lawrentians Literary Lawrenceville alumni provide a roadmap for dealing with memory loss in loved ones, reveal a recent foreignrelations phenomenon, and reflect on an artistic immersion in Japan more than sixty years ago.
Nathaniel Chin, M.D., with George Spencer ’76 Joel Kimmel
The Spirit of ’66 — since ’76 FIFTY YEARS AGO this summer, while most of the United States was focused on the Bicentennial, an almost unnoticeable handoff from one Lawrentian class secretary to another was hardly any cause for fireworks. That summer, Ralph Harder ’66 handed the reins of the 1966 class notes column to Doug Hirsh ’66, who later submitted his first entry for the Fall 1976 issue. A full half-century later, Hirsh is still the name at the top of the column, as he becomes the first 50-year class correspondent in the history of The Lawrentian, which began naming and crediting secretaries in 1962. “I remember submitting class notes on yellow legal pad paper,” says Hirsh, who has seen technology shape the way class notes have been submitted, from paper to fax machines to the advent of the internet. Email, he figured, would break down the barriers for the more reticent members of the class to share their news. “I thought, Oh, baby, now it’s really going to roll in, Hirsh recalled. “And then the same thing: Nothing.” The art of class correspondence is predicated on coaxing news from classmates, and Hirsh’s way of proactively collecting updates has proven to be a consistently winning formula. “I think in all this time, I’ve missed three columns,” he said, “and one of them, I know I mailed.” The understated Hirsh has chronicled the Class of ’66 from their days as young men establishing careers and families to today, when many of his classmates have retired and fill their updates with news of their grandchildren. The entire arc of that maturation has passed through his pen — not that they seem much different to Hirsh. “No, I’ve never really given it a thought,” he said. “They’re still the same guys I went to school with and had in class.”
When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, from Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Though dementia and Alzheimer’s remain unpreventable, the way caregivers respond is critical. Chin, a geriatrician, had his perspective on his specialty changed when his own father was diagnosed with dementia. Writing with Spencer, he provides clear, calm questions to ask and tasks to tackle — as well as what not to worry about — from the first moments of concern, providing a lens to help readers figure out how to think about what’s happening.
Matthew A. Frakes ’09 Rogue States: The Making of America’s Global War on Terror A historian of U.S. foreign relations at the Ohio State University, Frakes examines how throughout a series of crises from 1981-91, the Reagan and Bush administrations recognized that emerging threats to global security — terrorism, regional aggression, weapons of mass destruction, and narcotics trafficking — converged into a single phenomenon that they eventually called “rogue states,” and how their responses established America’s lasting enforcement role.
Patrick Bernuth ’58 plumes of memory
Bernuth takes readers to Kyoto, Japan, where he experienced an unforgettable introduction to Japanese art and culture in the 1960s. Having recently graduated from Princeton with a degree in English, he was captivated by the elegance and simplicity of haiku. The self-published Plumes of Memory is a collection of poetry that marries Bernuth’s experiences and love of haiku, accented with illustrations drawn by the author.
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T A K E T H I S J O B and L O V E I T
Chelsea Adams ’07 finds the perfect voices for stories at Audible through a deep pool of sources.
Tuning Into Talent By Adam Grybowski
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Chelsea Adams ’07 knows watching movies with her can be no fun. Unable to lose herself in the industry’s dream factory, Adams instead watches the latest from Hollywood and beyond with zealous purpose, scrutinizing every performer on screen — from leads to bit players to complete unknowns. “I’m deeply annoying to watch a movie with,” she says, laughing at herself. “I’m always scrolling IMDbPro like, Oh, who is that fourth guest-starring actor that no one else notices?” The associate director of casting and talent at Audible, Adams consumes an inordinate amount of entertainment — not just movies but television, TikTok, comedy shows and live theater — in her never-ending quest to identify talent for the narration of audiobooks and original audio content. “Part of the work in my profession is seeing everything I can get my hands on,” she says, noting that all of that activity has produced an “internal Rolodex that is thousands and thousands of names long.” That rich archive, supplemented with opinions and advice gleaned from friends, family, colleagues, and trusted industry contacts, serves as a guidepost when new projects land on her desk. Her eye for talent has paid dividends. Years before Glen Powell’s breakout role in Top Gun: Maverick made him a star, Adams spotted something in his performance in a little-discussed romantic comedy on Netflix called Set It Up. She eventually cast Powell to narrate 10 Days, an Audible Original about an undrafted basketball player’s surprise call-up to the Philadelphia 76ers. The series got a major windfall later that year when Top Gun: Maverick became the year’s highest-grossing film. “I thought Powell was special and that he was going places,” Adams says, “and when we had a chance to cast him in a low-stakes way, I had a feeling that it would pay off for us.” Her talent-spotting instincts also inform her casting strategy when working with established stars. When Billy Crystal and Audible collaborated on Crystal’s passion project, Have a Nice Day, Adams relished filling out the supporting cast with Darrell Hammond and Rachel Dratch from Saturday Night Live, Christopher Jackson from Hamilton, and Auliʻi Cravalho from Disney’s Moana.
Photo by Keith Barracough
Her success with Have a Nice Day illustrates how Adams conceptualizes casting as a logic puzzle. Such an approach first crystallized for her as a Lawrenceville student when she produced WinterFest, the School’s student-directed performing arts festival. She had to coordinate 15 one-act plays over a month, with roughly 70 teenagers directing and performing in multiple shows each night. “This was a complex thing to put together that required a mishmash of different skills,” Adams says. “You had to be organized and balance lots of logistical considerations but also manage relationships. You had to understand artistically if everything was getting where it needed to be. All of these skills are what I would go on to use in my career. It was a huge unlocking moment for me.” A double major in theater and political science at Northwestern, Adams knew early that performance would be central to her life. She caught the theater bug at age 10. After spotting a classmate onstage in a community theater production, she realized performing was possible for her, too. By the time she enrolled at Lawrenceville, she had performed in dozens of local productions. At Lawrenceville, she continued to perform while growing aware that acting wasn’t quite right for her. “By that time, I knew I loved theater, but being on stage front and center was not for me,” she says. “I’m a perfectionist, and I wanted to find a space in entertainment where I could truly excel. I started looking at other options where I might find my place in this industry.” That search led Adams to McCarter Theatre in Princeton, where she worked as an associate producer, developing the skills that would eventually take her to Audible in 2017. She continues to find deep satisfaction in the craft of casting audio. “Most people outside the industry don’t even know that this is a job,” Adams says. “But there’s real joy in honing this craft. Every iteration, I get a little better at it. You’re always trucking toward a destination, and when it’s done, you move to the next. It keeps it fresh. There’s always a new logic puzzle to solve and a chance to get better at solving them.” Adam Grybowski is a freelance writer based in Lawrence Township.
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Go Big Red Hits Close to Home Onetime softball star Karen Prihoda ’15 returned to Lawrenceville this spring as the team’s head coach.
AFTER CAPTAINING HER Lawrenceville team to the 2015 Prep A state championship finals and later dominating the field at Wagner College, former Big Red softball star Karen Prihoda ’15 returned this spring to her old program as its head coach. During her time at Lawrenceville, Prihoda made history as the first player to reach 100 hits, as well as the first to pitch a perfect game. She was also was a four-time All-Mid-Atlantic Prep League selection, a four-time All-New Jersey Prep selection, and twice earned the Coaches’ Award. In between softball seasons, the versatile Prihoda excelled in track and field, with an All-Prep recognition in the sprint events. After Lawrenceville, Karen Prihoda ’15 enjoyed a stellar career at Wagner College in New York. Here, she is greeted by her teammates at home plate after slugging a home run as a first-year player.
Big Red Roundup
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Boys’ crew captured the Brown Cup and the M.A.P.L. championship; girls’ crew also won the Brown Cup.
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Prihoda’s skill and resilience continued to differentiate her as a key player for Wagner College, earning her multiple All-Northeastern Conference selections, two National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region accolades, and the title of 2018 New England College batting champion. She led her teams in runs and hits and graduated from Wagner second in program history in stolen bases. Tracing the growth of the softball program from her Second Form season in 2012, Prihoda says the program grew by her Fifth Form year to become “a little family” that “you can’t find anywhere else.” Together, the close-knit team reached the finals of the New Jersey Prep A championship in 2015. Now as a head coach, Prihoda hopes to foster this same sense of community among the girls, both on and off the field. She explains that she looks to teach her athletes “where [they] fit in,” their role, and how they “can best help the people [they’re] working with.” Gerise Kelly ’27 praises Prihoda for building team spirit, noting that her coach is eager to draw the team closer and is “doing a lot more team bonding,” ranging from disposable camera scavenger hunts to assigning “Secret Sisters,” who write letters to each other before every home game. As head coach, Prihoda trains her players in essential softball skills, develops their mental fortitude, and builds a productive yet interconnected space for growth. Improvement, she insists, is a matter of “being gritty … down to the end.” Prihoda commends her players for their willingness to work quickly, and she credits several wins this past season to swift decision-making during high-pressure moments. “Against Blair, we were down 5-1,” Prihoda recalled, “but just teaching that fight and grit, we ended up winning 6-5 on a walk from [co-captain] Sienna Kulynych ’26.” Prihoda also applauded the team for encouraging each other in the dugout after hard plays. “We’ve seen it throughout our lineup, one through nine, and even on the bench, everyone supports each other,” she said.
Boys’ tennis claimed the M.A.P.L. Championship, with Bryan Kim Short ’29, Darshan Chidambaram ’28, and Matthew Fu ’27 named All-M.A.P.L.
Girls’ lacrosse were champions of the M.A.P.L. and the Wooden Stick and Evie Hester ’26, Mira Trappe ’26, Ava Moses ’26, and Dani Caldwell ’27 earned All-M.A.P.L. honors. Caldwell, Maureen Healy ’27, and Avery Merse ’28 were named All-Prep A.
Co-captain Bella Devine ’26 credits Prihoda’s prior involvement in Big Red’s program with the seamless changeover from longtime head coach John Schiel H’78 P’97 ’08 ’10. “Because she knew his coaching methods,” Devine noted, “it allowed our team to have a smoother transition.” Moreover, catcher Phoebe Rayner ’27 explained that Prihoda “has the energy,” “understands the way the program has been run,” and “is exactly what our team needed.” Returning to campus showed Prihoda that you can go
Michael Zampardi ’26 and Zach Shueh ’29
earned first-team All-Prep A for baseball. In softball, Bella Devine ’26
Prihoda, who was the first Lawrenceville softball player to record 100 hits and to pitch a perfect game, returned this spring as head coach of the Big Red program.
home again. At Lawrenceville, she explained, you may “leave for 11 years, but you come [back], and it’s like you never skipped a beat.” Now, she looks to grow Big Red softball and facilitate a team environment where each player — batting superstar or junior varsity underdog — feels at home. — Melina Kyriakopoulos ’27
Boys’ lacrosse won the M.A.P.L. title, with Jake Burch ’27, Thomas Okupski ’27, Mac Rawson ’27, and Gavin Hamilton ’27 receiving First-Team All-M.A.P.L. nods. Girls’ track and field won the M.A.P.L. and N.J.I.S.A.A. titles; boys’ track and field were champions of the M.A.P.L.
Boys’ golf claimed the Leibovitz Cup and the Crooked Stick. Aidan Li ’26 secured a spot on the All-M.A.P.L. team. Girls’ golf also won the Crooked Stick, with Ainsley Walters ’27 and Rebecca Chen ’27 named All-M.A.P.L.
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G O BIG R E D
Embracing the Work
Lacrosse means joy for Allegra Alexander ’27, but she doesn’t want anyone to think it comes easily. ASK ALLEGRA ALEXANDER ’27 what it feels like to stay after practice and shoot on her own, and she doesn’t hesitate. “There’s nothing better than hearing the sound of a ball ping the back of the net,” said Alexander, an offensive player for girls’ lacrosse. “I can just turn my mind off, let go, and do whatever feels right in the moment. It’s freeing.” Alexander, who has verbally committed to play lacrosse at Brown University, is a very driven person. Beyond her achievements or awards, the way she talks about the game is a defining element. She’ll describe playing out on the field, and you’ll hear in her voice that there’s nowhere else she’d rather be. Alexander fell in love with lacrosse immediately, not because it came easy to her, but because of the way it made her feel. The friendships, the team, and the sense of working toward something with other people was something she was drawn to. “The friendships you make through sports — there’s a sisterly bond about it,” she said. “You know each other so well. It’s something really special that I feel like a lot of other things in life just can’t give you.” Alexander often brings a speaker out to the field to play her favorite songs and shoots until she feels like stopping. Sometimes she’s joined by her teammates; other times, she’s on her own. Either way, she loves it. Her love of the sport didn’t come without struggle. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Alexander stepped away from lacrosse for a bit, yet felt the absence enough that she asked her dad to put her back in the local rec league. She came to Lawrenceville as
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For Allegra Alexander ’27, who has verbally committed to play at Brown, lacrosse is a source of joy — and a ceaseless drive to improve.
a Third Former who had real moments of self-doubt on the field. Hard games stuck with her longer than they might have. Balancing high-level athletics and academics was a challenge. She talked about all of it openly and still does. That’s something varsity lacrosse coach Aly Dowey noticed early from her: Alexander never pretends that it’s easy, and never lets anyone think that success just happened to her. “Sports doesn’t have to be a linear path,” Dowey said. “It doesn’t have to be all sunshine and rainbows. That’s kind of the whole point — you have hard moments, and you learn how to navigate them.” Now, as someone who younger players look up to, Alexander carries that honesty intentionally. She knows what it’s like to watch an older player and feel like the gap is impossible to
close. She doesn’t want that; she wants people to see the work. Even with everything her player has built — the commitment, the leadership, the hard-won confidence — Dowey keeps seeing joy. “She’s so excited to be excited,” Dowey said. “She’s just a joyful person, and that’s really infectious.” Alexander would probably agree. Even on her worst days, she said, the ability to bounce back is what makes the good moments so great. And for her, the good moments — a ball pinging the net, a close game won, a season shared with people she loves — are very, very good. “Being surrounded by a team, having great wins, learning from losses together,” she said, “you don’t really get that anywhere else. It’s really amazing.” — Christopher Pearman ’27
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Encore
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Cultures Come Alive Seventeen performances revealed the diverse cultural influences experienced by Lawrenceville students, from ancient Chinese arts to the presence of athletics in the lives of Lawrentians, at the 2026 Spring Dance Series in April. Campus staples such as Tour de Force, L-KR3W, Nachale, and the Lawrenceville Dance Team were joined by first-year ensembles Yún Dance Troupe (pictured) and Bold Athletes Moving, the latter of which presented dancers performing in their Big Red team uniforms. Together, the student troupes showcased a range of styles from Bollywood and K-Pop to Afro Fusion and Street Dance.
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H E N DU KE L ACROIX ’ 11 RETU RN E D TO
New Jersey last year to see family for the holidays, the talk from his aunties, uncles, and cousins veered toward this summer’s World Cup. Lacroix would be playing for Haiti, which had last made the tournament in 1974. Haiti was where Lacroix’s parents were born and raised. It was his extended family’s home before they moved to New Jersey. The questions that day had an emotion and energy beyond work-related queries. They talked about what this team had done to qualify for the World Cups as Haitians. That was when Lacroix realized the significance of what he would do in six months. Lacroix, who has played soccer professionally since 2015, wasn’t bothered by pressure. He knows what that feels like. Lacroix contemplated retirement after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament early in 2017. Club soccer, he has come to learn, has expectations. The World Cup, watched by billions worldwide during its five-week run in North America, was more of a celebration for Lacroix, a 32-year-old defender. Because Haiti was not under heavy pressure to excel like Brazil, France, or even the United States, “every win, every sort of celebration is icing on the cake,” La Croix says. “It’s essentially a free swing. Just getting to the World Cup was the challenging part and honor in and of itself.” In other competitive environments, Lacroix says, the pleasure of play gets dimmed. “Some of the other factors, the volume is turned higher,” he explains. “You still enjoy it, but the voice of doubt is higher and there’s more pressure.” Haiti, whose group included Morocco, Scotland, and five-time cup winner Brazil, didn’t play in the country during its qualifying run. Lacroix was born in New Egypt, N.J., but soccer has allowed him to connect with the teammates and fans despite the language barrier. The support and love were apparent at every stop. “I’ve been fortunate to play in some really great places, really great clubs and communities, primarily in the U.S.,” he said. “In Europe and other places, there’s a different identity. … The history is a lot longer. You have generations and generations of fans who live the sport. In the U.S., soccer is a bit newer. “For Haitian supporters, when you support your country, it’s an anchored identity to who you are, who your parents were, your historical lineage. That makes it much more special: You’re playing for your own personal identity.” As if this weren’t enough, Les Grenadiers’ June 19 match against Brazil was played at Philadelphia’s Lincoln’s Financial Field, easily drivable from New Jersey. And the team practiced at the University of Pennsylvania, where Lacroix starred for the Quakers’ soccer team. He earned All-Ivy honors all four years, graduating in 2014 with the fifth-most points in school history. That followed an honors-laden career at
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Lawrenceville, where he led the team in scoring all four seasons. After Philadelphia was announced as a World Cup site — “I thought someone was pulling my leg,” Lacroix says — his phone was slammed with texts. “That’s where a lot of my family and friend support are,” he says. But Lacroix was unsure he could see everyone. He feared downtime might be scant. It seemed like there had been nothing but time. Seven months spanned between Haiti’s qualifying for the World Cup and the start of the tournament, with Lacroix feeling “extremely antsy” to play as June 13 drew near. “You kind of visualize and dream how it will unfold,” he admits with a laugh. “You’re dreaming of glory, so to speak, and what you’re going to do, and what you’re going to execute.” Lucky for Lacroix, there was plenty to do: A fourth season with the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC of the United Soccer League, which allowed him to sharpen his skills for the World Cup; serving as the USL’s players association president, helping land a tentative collective bargaining agreement after 18 months of negotiation with the league; and, far less triumphant, recovering from a calf injury. Ultimately, Haiti was eliminated from the competition during group play in June, but Lacroix was prepared for the experience of a lifetime. After all, it was the World Cup, the beautiful game’s biggest stage. He knew what was required: “I’m getting to play from a place of joy.” Pete Croatto is a freelance writer based in Ithaca, N.Y.
After starring at Lawrenceville and Penn, Markhus “Duke” Lacroix ’11 helped lead the Haiti men’s national team to the World Cup for the first time in 52 years. By Pete Croatto • Photo by Colin Lenton
CATCHING
IN A CAN
Clement Pappas ’92 and his company’s Surfside went from a novel idea for canned drinks to the fastest-growing alcohol brand in the world seemingly overnight. By Sean Ramsden H’65 • Photography by Colin Lenton 26 | S U M M E R 2 0 2 6
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I IT’S TIME FOR SUMMER, AND ALL THE FUN THAT COMES WITH IT, whether at the beach or the ballgame. But that sun is strong, and it gets hot out there, building a thirst in you that demands to be quenched. Keep an eye open, and you’ll likely see someone pop the tab on a cold Surfside. You might even be the one doing it. And you wouldn’t be alone. The ready-to-drink cocktails — with colorful sunset stripes ringing cans filled with refreshing, non-carbonated iced tea-with-vodka and lemonade-with-vodka flavors — seem to be everywhere. Since its launch in 2022, Surfside has become a sensation, driven by explosive case growth that saw sales climb from 200,000 that first year to 4.9 million in 2024, to 11.1 million last year. Surfside’s parent company, Philadelphia-based Stateside Brands, projects sales of a whopping 16 to 17 million cases this year. It was the No. 1 top growth spirits brand worldwide from 2022-24, according to IMPACT Data Bank, which is just an industry way of saying that Surfside went from a brand-new canned drink to the world’s fastest-growing alcohol brand almost overnight. It’s all put a giant smile on the face of CEO and co-founder Clement Pappas ’92, who is just a bit bemused at the way Surfside has seemingly captured lightning in a bottle … or at least in a can. “I mean, listen, we obviously had our reasons [to develop Surfside], and thought it was a good idea,” says Pappas, known to most as “Clem.” “But certainly, the magnitude of the success is definitely not something I would’ve predicted if you had asked me going in.” Pappas and his co-founders, brother Zach Pappas and another set of brothers, Matt and Bryan Quigley, were not novices to the spirits and beverages game. Clem Pappas came up in the family business that, by the time he became an executive, was producing private-label juice for large
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brands such as Apple & Eve and Welch’s. After his father, Peter Pappas P’92 ’97, died in 2010, the family voted to sell the company, a move Clem opposed. “I was not thrilled about it, because I always loved that business,” he says. “I always thought I would work there. But I was kind of like, OK, what’s next?” After a mutual friend planted a copy of the Quigley brothers’ business plan in the powder room at Pappas’ 40th birthday party in 2014, he read it, and days later, met Matt Quigley. Together, they founded Stateside Urbancraft Vodka in 2015, and it quickly became a favorite in Philadelphia taverns. It remains what Pappas calls “really a regional brand,” but the spirit is a recognizable call to bartenders throughout the area. Pappas says the Stateside brand caught some wind in its sails during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf temporarily closed the state-operated wine and spirits stores. They were deemed “non-essential,” but Pennsylvania permitted in-state distilleries to continue producing and selling their spirits direct to the consumer, particularly though home delivery. “Almost like a pizza delivery boy, we were allowed to deliver vodka, so, when they closed all the liquor stores, we went bananas,” he says, noting that he and his partners originally anticipated laying off its employees. “We wound up doubling our business overnight, and we woke up from the fog. I mean, it was crazy.” Not only did Stateside retain every one of its employees, but they all went into overdrive. “We were distilling around the clock. Matt was distilling at night. We had 23 or 24 people running around in cars delivering vodka,” Pappas recounts. “By the time they reopened the liquor stores and things calmed down with that, we looked and we had a million dollars in the bank account. I was like, Holy shit, we’ve got some real money.” That bulging balance enabled Stateside to back some new ideas. By 2021, ready-to-drink canned cocktails like White Claw Hard Seltzer and High Noon had become increasingly popular as low-calorie alternatives to light beer. Pappas and Stateside developed Stateside Vodka Soda, which, like High Noon, uses the clear spirit as its base (White Claw is a maltbased hard seltzer). Stateside Vodka Soda quickly became popular in the Philadelphia market, buoyed by the good will it had built with consumers during the pandemic, “but we were late to the party in the rest of the country,” Pappas says. “All the distributors and all the stores, the big chain retailers, just said, ‘Ah, we’ve got enough vodka sodas. We don’t want to carry any more.” At the same time, however, Stateside continued innovating. Pappas and others around Stateside’s headquarters had been wearing 1970s-style, surf-themed gear, with its iconic stylized sunset stripes. The style, and the mood it stimulated, got them thinking. “Matt just had this idea, like, ‘Hey, I want to put that on a can,
and it’d be great with iced tea,’” Pappas says. “And then ultimately, we came out with lemonades and other flavors as well. We launched Surfside as … not a pet project, but just something Matt really was passionate about. It just took on a life of its own.” Surfside immediately became a sensation at Citizens Bank Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies, and at the Jersey Shore. At the ballpark, roaming beer vendors — “hawkers,” in ballpark parlance — began experimenting with Surfside, and soon the drink was outpacing stadium stalwarts Miller Lite and Michelob Ultra. “Pretty soon, by June or July, every hawker in the stadium started carrying Surfside,” Pappas says, “and we became the No. 1 seller in the whole stadium.” Stateside Brands negotiated a modest deal to sell Surfside there only after pitching the uniqueness of the product. “We were really the first ones to be non-carbonated in that spirit-based space,” he says. Pappas allows that Twisted
Tea, which has been on the market for 30 years, is also non-carbonated, but its high sugar content — 30 grams per bottle — and malty heaviness make it a noncomparable in the ready-to-drink market. “That’s the other thing with ours: It’s clean. It’s 100 calories, it’s zero carbonation, it’s two grams of sugar,” he says. “So, it doesn’t feel heavy. You can drink it, it tastes good. It tastes like iced tea. It doesn’t have a funky malt aftertaste.” This emerging preference for “lighter” is another wave Pappas hopes to catch with the recent introduction of Super Lyte, a canned vodka-based beverage inspired by sports drinks. “If you look at the sports drink category, Gatorade and those kinds of brands, they have huge household penetration,” he says. “It’s pushing 90 percent. I mean, almost everybody has Gatorade. It doesn’t demand a lot of you. They’re just easy flavors.” By late June, Super Lyte was performing at levels that mimic Surfside’s early days. “We’re more lined up with our supply chain than we were when Surfside first came out,” Pappas says, “but, I mean, it’s only been out about a hundred days, and we’ve already sold over 500,000 cases.” For now, though, Surfside remains on full throttle, with Pappas mindful of the big beverage corporations horning in on his business. “Because we know that once the market sees that there’s something out here working, you’ll get a lot of copycats or fast followers,” Pappas explains. “And then pretty quickly, the big guys will be able to muscle you out if you don’t mark some territory, so we’ve been on an absolute sprint for four or five years now.” To that end, Surfside’s lead in the category seems strong, and it has enabled Stateside Brands to expand its footprint across the country. Surfside has been the best-selling spirits brand at Citizens Bank Park since 2023, but it is also involved in partnerships with some 70 professional and collegiate teams, including 16 Major League Baseball stadiums. Closer to home, the parent company last year secured naming rights to the former Xfinity Live!, the wildly popular 10-acre entertainment and sports viewing compound located in the heart of the Philadelphia sports complex on the site of the longgone Spectrum. Now, thirsty Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, and 76ers fans flock to Stateside Live! year-round for a more complete pre- and postgame experience. For an area native and Philly sports fan like Pappas, it’s like a dream come true. “I was there a couple weeks ago,” he says. “I was just looking at this, thinking, ‘God bless America, man. This is unbelievable.’”
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Board of Trustees President Celeste Mellet ’94 P’27 ’30 has been leading at Lawrenceville since her student days as a Lower School prefect.
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By Sean Ramsden H’65
Photo by Michael Branscom
A new hand on the gavel
The first woman president of the School’s Board of Trustees, Celeste Mellet ’94 P’27 ’30 balances an inclusive, collaborative approach with the decisive leadership needed to guide Lawrenceville forward.
“I KNEW ABOUT BOARDING SCHOOL from books and movies,” recalls Celeste Mellet ’94 P’27 ’30, mentioning 1989’s Dead Poets Society, in which Robin Williams portrays a new teacher who inspires his students through a love of poetry and his unorthodox methods. Although the film appealed to the young middle-schooler, it still was not a clarion call. “I love that movie, but I never really thought about going to boarding school.” So, the fact that Mellet did enroll at Lawrenceville just a year later is not to be taken for granted. It altered not just her history, but that of the School, too. For Mellet, it became a place to fully realize herself, a launch pad for a natural leader. For Lawrenceville, her choice sparked a relationship that reached its apogee when Mellet become the first woman named president of its Board of Trustees in 2025. Mellet entered the School as a Second Former with a stubborn determination to show she would take a back seat to no one. “I was very ambitious and determined,” says Mellet, the eldest of seven siblings who were all born in the space of eight and a half years, including five brothers. Her resolve was fueled, at least in part, by her father, Oliver Mellet P’94 ’95, a conventional man who was raised in a large French Catholic family before heading his own. “To me, he seemed to have a perception that boys were better. He doesn’t believe that, but I had a real chip on my shoulder,” she says. “I was like, I’m smart. I’m as good as my brothers. I’m going to go to Harvard…” Mellet aspired to law and a spot on the U.S. Supreme Court, but from her family’s part of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the path was unclear. Going away to school seemed unattainable simply because of the cost — at least until a fortuitous conversation with a neighbor whose daughter attended Lawrenceville. “My parents chatted with her parents and found out that schools like Lawrenceville have financial aid,” she recalls. Mellet was always active in trying to help her parents with their large family — “lots of oldest-daughter stuff” — but bolstered by this fresh information, her parents told her, “You need to go and be your own person.” Together, they applied to Lawrenceville and to St. Andrew’s School in Delaware — site of the fictional Welton Academy in Dead Poets Society.
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“I loved both,” Mellet says. “I didn’t know where to go.” In the end, Lawrenceville was the more affordable choice. Mellet says that although their resources were limited, “my parents provided for us really well. We were very well-educated. We knew what was out there, and no one told me I couldn’t. And I was like, I’m doing this.”
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OLLY BURKS BECKER H’98 P’06 ’09 ’12
came to Lawrenceville in 1985 to help plan for the transition of the School to coeducation in the fall of 1987. Today, Becker is the director of college counseling, where she has been working since her arrival, but at the time, part of the transition planning also had her in Admission to help identify the kind of girls they thought would be able to walk into a challenging situation and thrive. “We need to look for people who are competitive or probably sporty,” she recalls of the assignment, “but strong women — strong girls — who can handle this because it’s going to be hard.” In Mellet, who was admitted in just the fourth enrollment cycle to include girls, the School found someone who intended to throw herself into the experience wholly. “And she totally did,” Becker says. “You could just tell she was always going after every possible opportunity to contribute and grow here.” The list of co-curriculars attributed to Mellet in the 1994 Olla Podrida (for which she was the clubs and features editor) is astonishingly full, even by the standards of a tenacious Lawrentian: Head Ropes Course Instructor, Lower School prefect, president of the Young Democrats, and earning a Major L in both field hockey and ice hockey are just the headlines. It is a list that paints the picture not only of a versatile and talented student, but one with the chops to lead. “I think I came in as a leader because I have so many siblings,” Mellet says, “but it was in different environments that I really started to step into that.” All the while, Mellet was also absorbing everything inside the classroom, Stanley House, and elsewhere, developing a strong sense of self. She admits her confidence initially took a hit among some peers with regard to money — “there were kids who were really nasty about it,” she recalls — but the lessons of her parents were bracing. “[My father] wanted us to be confident that just because we were there on financial aid, we deserve to be there just as much as anybody,” recalls her brother, Oliver Mellet ’95, who joined Celeste at Lawrenceville after her first year, “and that we shouldn’t feel like we had to defer to people just because they had wealth.” She was also nurtured through the athletic mentorship she received. “Holly Becker was my field hockey coach. I was a goalie, and whenever a ball would go by me, I would apologize,” Mellet says. “And it drove her nuts.”
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Becker would fire a series of tennis balls at her as quickly as possible, with the directive: Just block the ball. Stop apologizing. “It’s a common thing with goalies, right?” Becker says. “But Celeste is such a perfectionist and such a driver that she would want to stop every single ball. The only way you improve your skills is to have it be almost untenable, to have so much going by you.” The foundations of her professional success, Mellet believes, were built around the Harkness table, with its insistence on critical-thinking skills. “Asking questions is the most important skill in all of the jobs I have had,” she says, unequivocally. Mellet mentions many teachers who helped hone her varied interests, including Kate Mittnacht H’90 ’91 P’03 (“just her energy about literature”), Nancy Thomas H’99 ’01 P’04 ’07 (“I love math anyway, but with her, it’s just so exciting”), and the late Marty Doggett H’76 ’79 ’82 ’86 ’87 ’88 ’92 ’98 P’00, former dean of students who also taught Advanced Placement economics. “I fell in love what I thought was economics, but it was actually him,” she says of the classroom atmosphere Doggett cultivated. “Then I majored in economics and I thought, Why did I do that? It turns out I was chasing the excitement of economics that I had with him.” Around her, Mellet was making an impression, too. “She had the respect of her teachers. She was well liked in her peer group. She just seemed like kind of a natural leader,” her brother Oliver recalls. “People paid attention when she spoke. She wasn’t assertive of leadership, but people respected her and so when she decided that she wanted to say something about a topic, they tended to listen to her.” Becker, who as her coach helped Mellet grapple with the fact that no goalie is perfect, also wrote her letter of recommendation as a member of the College Counseling staff. She included a harrowing description of the Ropes Course, detailing the maturity and leadership required of its head instructors to psychologically support participants as they dangle and leap from perches and ropes 40 feet above ground, and concluded: “Believe me, those instructors hold the end of a very real ‘lifeline’ and there is no one I’d rather have at the other end of my rope than Celeste.”
“W
H E N I S TA R T E D O N T H E B O A R D ,
[Trustee Emeritus] Glenn Hutchins ’73 said to me — and this is literally after the first morning — ‘You will be the first female board president,’” recalls Mellet, who was appointed to Lawrenceville’s Board of Trustees in 2014. “And I thought, all right. But I couldn’t have imagined it at the time, just absorbing all the things that are happening, being able to connect the dots and how do you drive that.” By the time she joined the board, Mellet had been shaped by the arc of her professional life, absorbing crucial lessons
Forty years after the School’s Board of Trustees voted to adopt coeducation, one of that first wave of girls has become the board’s president.
about the business of business. She never did go to Harvard. She didn’t even apply, actually. Princeton won her over, and that is where she decided her future was on Wall Street. Mellet has thrived at every stage of her career, propelled by a thirst to keep learning, whether through experience or observation. Amid the 2008 financial crisis, she grew “antsy” even after attaining ranked-analyst status, beset by the feeling that she wasn’t learning anymore. “All the money that drove the growth in that space dried up,” she says. “It’s not interesting without growth because that drives change.” At Morgan Stanley, where she headed investor relations, Mellet watched what leaders did as the economy plunged into a deep recession, a time she considers the most consequential point of her career. “I really was amazed by seeing, in crisis, how people differentiated themselves,” she recalls, “and a lot of it was how they treated those around them.” Mellet also absorbed another valuable lesson for tough times: “You have to pick the least bad option,” she says. “That is something people don’t really get — that by not deciding, you’re deciding.” Being named treasurer of Morgan Stanley opened her path to chief financial officer roles, which she has held at Fannie Mae, at investment-banking firm Evercore, and now at Humana, a leading health insurance and healthcare services
Photo by Michael Branscom
company. Not unlike Lawrenceville, it is a mission-driven environment that Mellet embraces fully. Since being appointed to the board, Mellet has seen highs and lows that in some ways mimic those of the financial industry during her career. After serving as vice president under Jonathan G. Weiss ’75, she felt the weight of ascending to the presidency, both in terms of responsibility and history as the first woman to hold the gavel at the School. “I did feel like one of the reasons I should take it is because I would be the first, and it’s time,” she says. “I needed to do it, because the way I think, you have to move up. Are you ready? When else would there be the first woman?” Mellet enjoyed the benefit of serving under what she calls Weiss’ “inclusive leadership,” and it’s a trait she shares. “In the role, I am like Jon — very inclusive. I want a lot of opinions,” she says. “Although at some point, it’s ‘gavel down.’ Ultimately, leadership is leadership, and Mellet knows that the eyes of the School are always on the board president — no matter who it is. “Because I have spent so much time in male-dominated situations, I don’t think about how I’m the only woman,” she explains of the gravity that comes with the role. “But I do operate differently. I do speak up. I was raised to do that. There have been some amazing board presidents and it is daunting, but I think that should be the case for anyone.”
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2026
Red, Black, and Back
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ore than 1,500 Lawrentians and guests from the past 80 years returned to campus for Alumni Reunion Weekend the final weekend in May to celebrate, reconnect, and forge new bonds. Although many in attendance had not seen each other in years, the time seemed to melt away once the alums hit the dance floors, shared meals, and collapsed into laughter together. Traditional reunion weekend activities like the Red & Black Soiree, Grand March, the Service of Remembrance, and Class Dinners were augmented by a mix of new events and fresh takes on the standards. Classes from the 6s and 1s, as well as the Class of 1963, turned out to establish a new record for attendance. The Class of 1976 celebrated its 50th reunion, while twenty-five new new honorary class memberships were conferred. For the first time, the Alumni Association bestowed its
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prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award upon an alumna when Heather Elliott Hoover ’91 P’20 ’23 ’24 was honored for her longtime commitment and service to the School. The robust program also saw the Harkness Award presented to longtime history teacher and former Dean of Faculty and Assistant Head of School Emilie Davis Kosoff H’88 ’94 ’95 ’96 ’00 ’16 ’18 ’20 P’19, and the Big Red Award given to Leeann Passaro ’16 and Jeremy Perlman ’06. Lawrenceville also welcomed Hoover as its newest alumni trustee.
Make plans to join us for Alumni Reunion Weekend 2027 on June 4–6. For more information visit: www. lawrenceville.org/alumni/reunion. See many more photographs from this year’s event at Lawrenceville’s alumni Flickr account.
Harkness Award Emilie Davis Kosoff H’88 ’94 ’95 ’96 ’00 ’16 ’18 ’20 P’19 Assistant Head of School, Dean of Faculty, History Teacher •
A gifted teacher, mentor, and leader, Emilie had two tenures at Lawrenceville — from 1992 to 2003 and again from 2006 until her departure to become the head of school at Lancaster Country Day School in 2025.
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As a member and eventual chair of the History Department, Crescent level director, assistant dean of students, dean of faculty, and interim head of school, she earned the admiration of students, faculty, staff, and families alike through her collaborative spirit, wisdom, and steady leadership.
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Emilie served as head of house in Davidson, McClellan, and Reynolds Houses, advised student leaders, and supported affinity groups such as Women in Leadership at Lawrenceville (WILL).
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In addition to lending her coaching acumen to three sports, her service extended across nearly every dimension of School life, including leadership roles on the Student-Faculty
New Honorary Class Members The Class of 1963 Sarah Murray P’16 ’21 The Class of 1966 Susie Franklin Conklin Dren Geer ’52 H’59 Polly Kruse Stephen S. Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21 Dee Wilson P’99 GP’29 The Class of 1976 Max Maxwell H’72 ’74 ’79 ’80 ’81 ’86 ’88 ’91 ’93 ’00 ’01
The Class of 1986 Timothy Brown H’84 ’04 ’20 P’04 ’08 Max Maxwell H’72 ’74 ’76 ’79 ’80 ’81 ’88 ’91 ’93 ’00 ’01 William Tredway H’81 ’88 ’96 ’10 GP’21 (posthumous) Harold Wilder H’77 ’89 ’15 P’97 The Class of 1996 Josiah Bunting H’37 ’59 ’88 ’91 ’93 ’94 ’95 P’88 ’97
Emilie D. Kosoff H’88 ’94 ’95 ’96 ’00 ’16 ’18 ’20 P’19 accepted the Harkness Award from Alumni Association President Greg Melconian ’87 P’25 ’27 and Blake Eldridge ’96 H’78’12 P’25, assistant head of school for student life and dean of students.
Senate, Head of School Search Advisory Committee, and DEI Council. In 2019, Emilie received the Henry and Janie Woods Meritorious Service Award. •
Together with her husband, Sam Kosoff ’88 H’96 ’00 P’19, and family, Emilie became an enduring and beloved presence at Lawrenceville. Through her extraordinary dedication to students and colleagues alike, she leaves a lasting legacy of humanity, leadership, and care.
Regan Kerney H’49 ’95 ’98 ’99 ’03 ’06 ’11 Lauren Levy H’97 ’01 ’12 P’01 ’02 ’09 Christopher Maxey H’94 ’95 ’97 ’01 P’07 ’09 ’13 ’14
The Class of 2006 Regan Kerney H’49 ’95 ’96 ’98 ’99 ’03 ’11 Katherine O’Malley H’07 ’11 ’26 The Class of 2011 Katherine O’Malley H’06 ’07 ’26
The Class of 2001 Penny Bardel P’93 Thomas Carter ’70 P’01 ’05 Michael Goldenberg H’94 ’96 ’97 P’05 ’10 Martha Gracey H’92 ’93 ’98 ’07 P’18 Christopher Maxey H’94 ’95 ’96 ’97 P’07 ’09 ’13 ’14
The Class of 2016 Pier Kooistra H’14 P’20 Emilie D. Kosoff H’88 ’94 ’95 ’96 ’00 ’18 ’20 P’19 The Class of 2026 Katherine O’Malley H’06 ’07 ’11
New Alumni Trustee Heather Elliott Hoover ’91 P’20 ’23 ’24 New Alumni Trustee Selectors Elizabeth Anathan ’95 Philip “Flip” Romanelli ’88 Big Red Awards Leeann Passaro ’16 Jeremy Perlman ’06 Members of the Alumni Council, front row, from left: Dan Nunn ’72, Sophia Caronello ’92, Barry Gonzalez ’82, Molly Hover McCooey ’91; back row: Dwight Draughon ’04, second vice president; Emily Wilson Elipas ’05, first vice president; Greg Melconian ’87 P’25 ’27, president; Monty Montenecourt ’87 P’26 ’26 t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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2026
Leading the March Larry Leeds ’46, who graduated 80 years ago, returned to campus for the first time in 30 years. You’ll understand that he’s been busy.
WHAT’S IT LIKE to be the senior Lawrentian at Alumni Reunion Weekend? For Larry Leeds ’46, it meant leading the Grand March — on foot — accompanied by his wife, Ginger Feuer, addressing the 50th reunion dinner as an honored guest, and entertaining a constant stream of fellow Lawrentians eager to trade stories and simply shake his hand. It was Leeds’ first time back on campus since his own 50th reunion in 1996, and he liked what he saw. “I attended Lawrenceville during the whole of World War II,” he said, “and they could barely fill the Forms. The country was still emerging from the Depression, so finances were an issue, and with the demands of wartime, it was difficult to get good teachers.” Despite the challenges of the time, Leeds made the most of his Lawrenceville years. He played golf and tennis and took the wrestling team to the 1945 Eastern Championship. He also excelled in math. “My math teacher, Wendell Federici, bet me 25 Jiggers I couldn’t score 100 percent on his final,” recalled Leeds, referencing the ice cream-based
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Even the band wanted to get a picture with Larry Leeds ’46, being photographed here by his wife, Ginger Feuer, on her phone.
favorite at the old Jigger Shop. “He gave me a 99½ because I left out a single plus or minus sign. “He chose not to collect,” Leeds added after a moment of reflection. Leeds penned a column for The Lawrence called “Exchange Corner,” a compendium of news from high schools around the country. The column was typically a mix of the mundane, the amusing, and the gossipy. One notable entry described a “hard-fought soccer game at Pomfret … when suddenly a stray dog dashed on the field and bit the goalie, who fell to the ground as the ball rolled through for the deciding tally.” After earning his undergraduate degree from Yale and an M.B.A. from Wharton, Leeds served three years in the U.S. Naval Reserve before joining the family business, a growing apparel company established in 1857 as a men’s shirt maker. Success followed, but the path wasn’t linear. Beginning as a trainee, he turned the
Photo by Susy M. Lee
family business into Manhattan Industries, the Fortune 500 company that made Perry Ellis a fashion icon. At age 59, a hostile takeover, fueled by junk bond king Michael Milken, forced him out as chairman and CEO. Leeds found a new career on Wall Street as an industry analyst, and six years later, when many of his peers were retiring, he was invited to launch Buckingham RAF Partners, a hedge fund focusing on the retail, apparel, and footwear industries. Leeds grew a $10 million investment into $1.6 billion, with 14-year compounded annual returns of 24 percent. He retired as chairman of Buckingham Capital Management in 2019. Leeds’ professional success was accompanied by personal tragedy — the losses of his first wife, Dalia, in 2016, and his beloved son, Cary, in 2003. “Cary competed in six U.S. Opens and five Wimbledons,” Leeds says with a father’s pride. “He retired after six years on the circuit as No. 6 in the world.” Leeds established the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning as a memorial, calling it “the outstanding achievement of my life thus far.” The tennis and educational facility in Bronx, N.Y., features 22 courts, 10 bubbles in winter, and a state-of-the-art clubhouse. It also serves as the flagship home of the New York Junior Tennis League (NYJTL), the largest nonprofit youth tennis and education program in the United States., and provides free tennis lessons, academic tutoring, and a range of community programs. The New York Times hailed it as “one of the city’s best new works of public architecture” when it opened in 2015. Now 97, Leeds still manages his family’s investments and hasn’t stepped back from his philanthropic and other interests. He continues to serve on the boards of the Cary Leeds Center; the Hudson Institute, a public policy think tank; NYJTL; and Prep for Prep, which prepares promising students of color to attend elite private schools. He is a trustee emeritus of NYU Langone Health. He also remains deeply committed to the Cary Leeds Center, emphasizing its success. “Thousands of kids play at our center,” he said, “and dozens of graduates of our center’s training programs get scholarships at some of the finest universities in America.” With his legacy secure, one might think Larry Leeds could slow down and take it easy. But we don’t see that happening anytime soon. — Barbara Horn
Heather Elliott Hoover ’91 P’20 ’23 ’24, recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, was fêted first by Alumni Association president Greg Melconian ’87 P’25 ’27.
‘And the Rest is History’ Lawrenceville went co-ed just as Heather Elliott Hoover ’91 P’20 ’23 ’24 was ready to enroll. Today, she is the first woman to receive its Distinguished Alumni Award. FOR HEATHER ELLIOTT HOOVER ’91 P’20 ’23 ’24, you might call it a close call. After her uncle and two brothers attended … well, let’s just say a school in Pottstown, Pa., it seemed to be in her future, too. “Yes, it’s true. I come from a Hill School family, and I’m eternally grateful to Bert Getz ’55 H’56 P’85 GP’18 ’20, who championed coeducation at just the right time,” Hoover said of Lawrenceville’s historic rival and the longtime trustee who pushed for his alma mater to admit girls. “And the rest is history.” History, indeed. Hoover made her remarks as she accepted the School’s Distinguished Alumni Award, conferred this year to a woman for the first time. Hoover received the honor at Alumni Reunion Weekend 2026 at a ceremony inside the Kirby Arts Center. The prestigious accolade is conferred annually by the Lawrenceville School Alumni Association to a Lawrentian in recognition of exceptional efforts to promote the best interests of the School. Hoover’s gifts of time and energy to the School as an alumna are incalculable, but she has been doing right by Lawrenceville since she enrolled as a Third Former in the fall of 1988. A gifted three-sport athlete, Hoover competed in field hockey, squash, and lacrosse at the highest levels, a prep career recognized by her induction into the Lawrenceville Athletics Hall of Fame. Hoover continued to play field hockey and lacrosse at Georgetown. Hoover joined the Alumni Council in 2018 as the second vice president and advanced to first vice president in 2020 before serving as president from 2023-25. “In these roles, she provided thoughtful, steady leadership through challenging times,” said Alumni Association president Greg Melconian ’87 P’25 ’27, “helping to strengthen the alumni engagement and deepen the connections across generations.” Just this spring, Hoover was elected an alumni representative to the Lawrenceville Board of Trustees. “You may ask why I’m so dedicated to Lawrenceville, and the answer is very easy: Volunteering for Lawrenceville is the least I can do to show my gratitude for such a special place,” Hoover said. “It changed my life for the best. My friends, the faculty, they all showed up for me in little ways and big ways, and that’s why I stay involved — to celebrate them.” — Sean Ramsden H’65
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Meet Larry A retired minister of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Larry Jones ’67 knows about answering the call. But sometimes, you have to heed the call of the open road, too. Larry and his wife, Cindy, sold their home in Vermont and hit the road in early 2025 in an Airstream travel trailer. “My wife and I have become nomads,” he says of the journey, which has taken them well more than 50,000 miles in 19 months. “A blowout in Nova Scotia, a bald tire in New Mexico, nine inches of snow in Alabama, [and] the untimely death of a good friend in British Columbia,” are just some of the travails they have faced, but it’s all been balanced by reunions with friends and family in every corner of the country, “seeing sites and sights we’d never dreamed of.” One of Larry’s stops was in Nantucket to catch up with 98-year-old Ginnie Chambers H’54 ’58 ’59 ’60 ’61 ’62 ’66 ’67 ’68 ’71 ’73 ’75 ’79 ’80 ’89 P’77, who, he reports, “remains as young as ever, as cheerful and welcoming as ever, and as sharp as ever! I came away feeling better in every respect!”
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Class Notes Class notes can be shared with your class secretary or sent directly to classnotes@lawrenceville.org. Please note: For privacy reasons, the class notes section is exclusive to print, and does not appear in the digital edition of The Lawrentian. The deadline for submitting notes for the fall issue is September 23.
1945 To submit news for the Class of 1945 column, please send to classnotes@lawrenceville.org.
1946 To submit news for the Class of 1946 column, please send to classnotes@lawrenceville.org.
1947 To submit news for the Class of 1947 column, please send to classnotes@lawrenceville.org.
1948 Warren Schneider wasnyc@aol.com 2727 W. Bluff Ave, Unit 133 Fresno, CA 93711 Your scribe has been placing calls and otherwise checking on the remaining members of the class, and it will come as no surprise that we have lost quite a few classmates in the past two years. The Chapel Bell Will Toll during the Service of Remembrance for the following classmates who have left us: Thomas Hillis Melohn (Dawes) came to L’ville from Highland Park, Ill., and at school he was a Chapel Usher, member of Herodotus Club, and a member of the Open Door Committee. He graduated from Princeton and, after serving in the Navy, held several positions in advertising, including with Pet Inc., Swift, and other firms, ultimately becoming president of North American Tool and Die. Tom died August 15, 2024, and is survived by his wife and four children. We lost Peter Cowles (Hamill) on January 24, 2025. Pete attended Princeton and graduated from Northwestern. Thereafter, he obtained a C.P.A. certificate at the University of Illinois and a law degree from Loyola. In addition to his professional duties, Pete and his wife, Pat, operated a center for remedial tutoring of children. He is survived by Pat and his three children. Walter George O’Leary (Cleve) died June 26, 2025. At L’ville, Walt won the Spanish IIS prize, sang with the Glee Club and was a member of Periwig. He was a graduate of Princeton and earned his M.B.A. from Wharton after two years in the Army. Walt spent his business career almost exclusively outside the United States, mostly with Colgate Palmolive, eventually retiring to Florida. He is survived by his wife,
Anna Maria, and his son, Walter O’Leary Jr. ’85. Thomas Tudor Tucker Jr. (Hamill) passed away October 4, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. At L’ville, Tommy was a member of the Easel Club, Glee Club, Periwig, Hamill House championship track team, varsity soccer, and many other activities. He was a graduate of The University of the South and served in the U.S. Air Force as a pilot, participating for years in classified reconnaissance flight operations in the Far East. Later, Tommy served as president of Regions Financial/ AmSouth’s leasing and finance subsidiary. He is survived by his wife, Margaret Guerard Tucker, and by many nieces and nephews. We recently learned that John Stockton Copland (Hamill) left us April 21, 2023, at his home in Geneva, Switzerland. At L’ville, Jack was a member of Concert Club, Olla Podrida, The Lawrence, Pipe and Quill, Bibliophiles, and graduated cum laude. He moved to Switzerland early on, and we have little information regarding some of his years; however, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and spent most of his career as an executive with the World Health Organization in Geneva. Jack had a wicked sense of humor and his emails to your scribe were usually hilarious. Jack’s life partner passed away several years earlier. John Graham (Hamill) died at his home in Griggstown, N.J., on August 23, 2025. At L’ville, he was on the Hamill House championship track team, The Lawrence, Pipe and Quill, and won the Time Current Events Prize. He graduated cum laude and was a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School. John practiced law in Princeton; his wife, Georgia, passed away in 2013 and his is survived by three stepchildren. The Class of 1948 extends its deepest sympathies to the families of our departed friends.
1949 Robert Sobel robertsobel@me.com
1950 To submit news for the Class of 1950 column, please send to classnotes@lawrenceville.org.
1951 To submit news for the Class of 1951 column, please send to classnotes@lawrenceville.org.
1952 George “Bud” Prince Georgebprince1@gmail.com I’m so very sorry to report the passing of a true Lawrenceville great, Art Schonheiter H’75 P’90 GP’01 ’03. Art was a real presence in our class, being a three-sport athlete in football, baseball, and swimming, where he was named an All-America in 1951 and was voted the School’s Best Athlete in 1952! His obituary is in this issue. He will most definitely be missed! Hey guys, I’m running very low on news and I certainly don’t want to depend on obits. So, please, send me some news of yourselves. After all, we’re all in our 90s now and we need to share with our classmates some good stuff about ourselves!
1953 Larry Heilman P’85 Lcheilman@verizon.net Colin Thompson crthompson35@msn.com
1954 To submit news for the Class of 1954 column, please send to classnotes@lawrenceville.org.
1955 John P. Keyser johnpkeyser@gmail.com
1956 James M. Beardsley P’88 jbeardsley63@gmail.com Our class had a great 70 th reunion on May 29-31. In addition to me the other classmates in attendance were Knox Bemis, George Dix, Hal Paumgarten, John Reynolds GP’18, Bill Roberts, and Fred Schwerin. We were also joined by my wife, Ellen P’88; George’s wife, Claire; and members of the Bemis and Reynolds families, including Trey Reynolds ’18. George was a day student in Raymond, a faculty member at Lawrenceville for a short time, and then moved on to the faculty at Andover. The festivities started on Saturday morning with the Grand Parade. We were the first group in t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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Steve Lockton ’58 P’84 ’87, Ross Burkhardt ’58, and Jeff Mershon ’58 were on hand to support Aldo Leopold Award winner Rear Admiral Paul Toby” Tobin ’58 on behalf of the Class of 1958, which now boasts three winners of the Lawrenceville Medal.
the parade. We then went to lunch in the Abbott Dining Center. There was a lot of talk about our times at Lawrenceville and our classmates and faculty members. We were then free to walk around the campus and attend programs prepared for those in attendance. The campus has many new buildings named after generous donors. Somehow the place seems larger than when we were there. I got a lot of exercise walking around. The most impressive addition is the Tsai Field House, which has taken the place of the Lavino Field House. I had a tour and saw the basketball court, hockey rink, a huge swimming pool, squash courts, wrestling room, the field house with a running track and other facilities, meeting rooms, and an exercise room with a large number of machines. The building also houses the Big Red Store and dining facilities for students other than seniors. I remembered shoveling snow on the outdoor hockey rink when we were there. The Bunn Library had a display of books written by members of Reunion classes. The collection for our class was the largest. The authors were Dixon Arnett, John Beebe, Herb Jordan, Doug Lewis, Roy Park, George Reiger, Gene Scott, and Peter Solomon.
1957 Don Mills don.mills@icloud.com Bill Haddad billchaddad@yahoo.com
1958 William S. Ballenger III P’92 Bill@TheBallengerReport.com
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The big news for us is that we have our third Lawrenceville Medal winner, and it’s long overdue. Retired Rear Admiral Paul E. “Toby” Tobin, the highest-ranking military officer produced by the School since the Civil War, was honored by the Alumni Association on campus at the annual Aldo Leopold Dinner on May 15. The Lawrenceville Medal is the highest honor the School confers upon an alum who has demonstrated “brilliant, lifelong work in a significant field of endeavor.” The Medal is dedicated to the memory of Aldo Leopold, Class of 1905, who was a distinguished environmentalist and author. Toby flew up from Pensacola, Fla., with his wife, Lynne, and daughter, Trish, for the event. Classmates Jeff Mershon, Ross Burkhardt, and Steve Lockton P’84 ’87 were present representing us and joining in the celebration. We know that George “Kiwi” Akerlof and Robert Burkhardt P’07 ’09 were previous Medal recipients in 2002 and 2016, respectively. Only one class, 1963, boasts more winners (four) of the Lawrenceville Medal than we do. Other winners include the likes of rock musician Hugh Cregg ’67 (of Huey Lewis and the News); HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal ’63 P’94 ’07 of Saudi Arabia (a former ambassador to the U.S.); Michael Eisner ’60, former CEO of the Walt Disney Co.; poet James Merrill ’43; prize-winning author Frederick Buechner ’43; and former Princeton University President Robert F. Goheen ’36. Our Class of 1958 Zoom calls, inspired by the two Larries (Larry Prince in New York and Larry Martin P’95 in Montana), continue their success. We had our first on January 12 of last year, and then two more on May 18 and November 9, 2025. This year, we’ve connected on February 22 and May 17. So far, they’ve all been on a late Sunday afternoon Eastern time. We had at least a dozen participants on each, and they all lasted an hour or so. Included on at
least one of the five Zooms, if not all five, were the two Larries, Dick Baldwin, Doug Bauer P’90, Sandy Ackley, Bob Anathan P’92, Pat Bernuth, Scott Calder, Chris Martin, Rupert Johnson, Dave Reese, Rich Smith, Sam Busselle, Harry Kelleher, Henry “Z” Norton, John Pettibone, Bill Porter P’95, Allen Shenk (who passed away this past December 31), Pearce Hurley, Caroline Hornblow, Ann Shenk, Dan Rifkin, Wick Warrick P’90 ’92, Steve Lockton, Toby Tobin, Ross Burkhardt, Robert Burkhardt, Rody Salas, Jeff Mershon, Bill Gross, John Whiteley P’80 ’84, and yours truly. The ground rules for these Zooms are simple. We don’t talk about fundraising, politics, or religion. It’s a gathering of old friends who want to reconnect and stay in touch. Any of us can include anyone we want to, with no restrictions. We’ll schedule a time during the day that’s convenient for both coasts and everything in between, and beyond (like Hawaii). If you have any questions, Larry Prince can be reached at lprince@lprince.net or by calling him at 914629-6642. Other classes have been inspired by what we’ve done and have started their own class Zooms. At our Zoom this past February 22, we had a great update from Rody Salas on what the future holds for his native Venezuela in the wake on the U.S.’s daring capture of dictator Nicolas Maduro on January 3. Four Salas brothers graduated from Lawrenceville and went on to matriculate at Yale. They were Enrique SalasRomer ’55, Jacobo (Jack) ’56, our Rody, and Gustavo ’60, who still lives in the South American country. So does Jack, part-time. Chris Martin says his great-nephew, Alex, is an assistant lacrosse coach at Lawrenceville after coaching at Drew University where he also played. Chris, who was a day boy, always looked forward to the Lawrenceville Christmas hockey tournament, the oldest in the nation. He wonders how many of the original schools like Nichols are still in it. Yes, Nichols is still part of it, and so are Taft, Stanstead, Upper Canada College, Brunswick, Millbrook, Belmont Hill as well as Lawrenceville. Our class varsity pucksters Joe Sprague and Dick Baldwin may know that. Sadly, we must report two more deaths: Terry Newberry and Allen Shenk. Allen died last New Year’s Eve after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease and then cancer. Allen was one of the stalwarts of our alumni group, serving as class secretary for years. He was always there for all of us and was an exceptional friend. There was a memorial service for him on January 24 at First Church of Christ (Congregational) in Glastonbury, Conn. His obituary is online at Legacy.com. Allen’s widow, Ann, has an email the same as Allen’s, aksjr@cox.net. She was on our last class Zoom call.
1959 Bob Spofford Spoffo41@icloud.com Holt Bodinson offers this refreshing update: “I’m sitting here at 6 a.m. on the back porch of my home, which is smack dab on the boundary
of Arizona’s Coronado National Forest, watching a jolly band of 10 raccoon-looking coatis vacuuming up their morning ration of dog kibble. Just before they finish, a herd of eight javelina will rush in, push them off, and finish what’s left. A black bear came in the other day, took a bath in my wildlife watering station and then chewed up a few boards on the porch steps. It’s wild around here! “Never thought I’d be in love again at 84 (or anyone would have me!), but I’m seriously involved with a beautiful 80-year-old, retired attorney who shares my love for my Golden Retriever hunting dog as I do her standard poodle. It’s been a great match since we both love to travel and have the English Lake Country in our sights this summer and a small boat adventure to Tahiti in the fall. And we are both blessed with good health and are convinced we’re biologically closer to 60, rather than 80. We split out time between our two homes (she lives in Tucson), and I, about an hour away in Oracle, Ariz. Life is good. My best to all my L’ville classmates.”
1960 Mort Fuller P’89 ’01 John Bailey jwbailey616@gmail.com 206-422-1801 Bill Chapin lwchapin@earthlink.net 386-299-8363
1961 William F. Hofmann III b.hofmanniii@gmail.com
1962 J. Gregg Miller GP’28 gmill3r@gmail.com Ted Lyons P’86 tlyons3644@aol.com After Lawrenceville, Howell Ferguson P’88 ’90 went to Yale and University of Florida Law school, then got an L.L.M. at London School of Economics. Howell practiced in the Florida Attorney General’s office, and for law firms in Florida, doing primarily constitutional and environmental law. He writes: “I think my proudest moment and most significant professional accomplishment was managing the successful election campaign of Joseph W. Hatchett to the Florida Supreme Court. At the time he was the first Black Supreme Court justice in Florida and the first Black elected statewide official in the southeast. That election in 1976 set Florida on a good path as a modern, progressive southern state. “In 1999, I switched my focus and became CEO and chairman of our family company in Florida, Lykes Bros., for over a decade. It was a
tough challenge, but I think I helped focus the company on the future, avoid environmental issues, and make way for the next generation of leadership. “Now retired and living in Thomasville, Ga., Sharon and I are quite involved in nonprofit activities — Sharon more than I. We travel and visit children and grandchildren in NYC, Tallahassee, and Costa Rica, and are quite active politically.” We caught up with Art Clark in early May. One of the few remaining six-year, Lawrentians, Art lives in Pinehurst, N.C., and enjoys donating funds to Lawrenceville, Wesleyan, and Franklin & Marshall from his very successful investments in Nvidia and others. Aside from investing, Art gets a lot of joy from his family: daughter, Courtney, son-in-law, Scott, and grands: Sadie is an A student in chemistry at F&M, who may be headed to medical school; Mason will graduate from Dickinson this year and is headed to a Penn State master’s program; Emma got her master’s in American studies and works at the Hershey, Pa., library, specializing in rare books. Art wishes all classmates well and hopes we have a good reunion in 2027. Buzz Hannum reports that he and Jock P’88 ’94 are in good physical health, still living in or near Unionville, Pa. Jock made it to 83 on February 9 and Buzz was 82 on May 7. On March 2, several 1962 classmates gathered on Palm Beach Island for a Lawrenceville reception at the beautiful home of Mrs. Page Lee Hufty P’99 ’02 GP’28. In attendance were Gene Rosen, Googan Bunn P’93 ’01 ’03 ’07 GP’23 ’25, John Firestone, Ted Lyons P’86, Don Weiss, Gregg Miller GP’28, and several wives. Over 70 guests were there, including Dave Kollock P’96, and Edith Eglin H’52 ’65 ’66 ’67 ’70 ’75 GP’19, Trustee Emerita and widow of Tom Eglin H’86 GP’19, director of college placement beginning in 1962. Presenting were Blake Eldridge ’96 H’78 ’12, P’25, dean of students, and Edwin Núñez, dean of enrollment management/admission. They both gave inspiring reports. The School appears to be in good shape.
Life is good for Holt Bodinson ’59 and his hunting dog in Arizona.
Sue P’89 ’01 and Mort Fuller ’60 P’89 ’01 and Grace Harvey and John Bailey ’60 met in New York City to celebrate Mort’s 84th birthday.
1963 John K. Hager 305-586 0272 johnkhager@gmail.com Classmates, since I have been busy with the organization of our extraordinary 63rd reunion (for the Class of ’63, get it?) at the end of May of this year with 25 attendees signed up, I have not had the time to focus on putting together class notes for the summer edition of The Lawrentian. I hope that you will understand, and I promise to provide news on our class in the following fall edition. Go Big Red!
1964 Joe Belden 415-309-9734 too2bored@aol.com
Jeff Lovelace ’64 and wife Judy went around the world in 30 days, including this stop at the Great Wall of China.
Hey everyone, John has asked me to give him a short break, handing me the most dangerous power I’ve had since Tully Shelley allowed me to write the quotes under your Olla Pod senior pictures. Send me updates about your meetups and exotic vacations. If they’re not fun enough, feel free to make things up. Or I will. In the non-fiction department, our Class President Woody Webb will probably be playing polo by the time you read this. Woody was involved in a serious car accident on Memorial Day, suffering five broken ribs and t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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internal injuries. He was out of the hospital after just two weeks of amazing recovery buoyed by dozens of calls and texts from classmates. Phil Riker P’90 phoned him while I was visiting, describing his reunion with Walter Hussman P’02 and Fred Priester at Fred’s Iowa farm. All are planning to come to Chapel Hill this fall so Fred can deliver a handcrafted library table he is donating to his fraternity. Jeff Lovelace wrote in with his own twist on a classic film: “As kids inspired by the 1956 film Around the World in 80 Days, Judy and I made our own version of the journey — this time in just 30 days. We flew from Boston to Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Then we traveled by boat down the Rhine, Main, and Danube, passing countless medieval castles and riverside villages, until we reached Budapest, Hungary. From there, a motor coach carried us to Prague in the Czech Republic, a city largely untouched by the World War II bombing and reconstruction we saw throughout Germany and Austria. “After three days in Prague, we flew overnight to Beijing, where we had lunch at the U.S. Embassy with our son and visited our grandkids’ schools — an unforgettable glimpse into their daily world. We walked the Great Wall, stood in Tiananmen Square, and toured ancient palaces, and then boarded a highspeed bullet train to the ancient city of Xi’an to see the astonishing terracotta soldiers still guarding their emperor after thousands of years. “Two days among the modern skyscrapers of Shanghai rounded out our time in China before we flew home to Boston. A remarkable journey that spanned the globe, crossed centuries of civilization, and revealed the striking contrasts between the East and the West today — an unforgettable experience. “Who was the navigator? In my case, I booked the trip myself: KLM across the Atlantic, then Viking River Cruises down through Europe, and Lufthansa from Prague to China. We spent a few wonderful days in Beijing, then toured China for a week with Road Scholars — a program I highly recommend. Finally, we flew United from Shanghai to LAX and on to Boston. “I would have happily tagged along with Phileas Fogg and Passepartout. And I always imagined sailing the other way around the world like Joshua Slocum, but adult life had other plans.”
1965 Leigh Lockwood P’97 ’02 leigh@leighlockwood.com John Burrell reports: “After I celebrate my 80th birthday on July 1, Cindy and I fly to Nairobi for a five-week stay in September and October. We will be visiting our son, Mark, his wife, Molly, and our grandson Milo. Mark works for the State Department and is stationed in at the Embassy in Nairobi. He is a program specialist, responsible for educational and cultural programs in a seven-country territory. As I write he is in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. “Three weeks after I return from Nairobi, I fly
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to Skopje, North Macedonia, for another Habitat for Humanity weeklong housebuilding project. After we finish the house building, I plan to join another fellow habitat builder to tour the Balkans — specifically, Montenegro, Sarajevo, and Belgrade. In the meantime, I keep up with J.P. Rodell, who is still chugging along. We have long talks about old classmates and politics. We still haven’t solved the world’s problems, but we keep trying. Thank you for all your valiant efforts keeping us connected. I do look forward to reading about other L’ville ’65ers. Fiona and Randy Woods P’95’s catalpa tree behind Griswold is flourishing. It must be virtuous as it is always green. Randy writes: “I spent most of my ‘productive’ life avoiding employment by someone other than myself. However, approaching 80, I am now fully engaged with the U.S. Coast Guard in a leadership role with the Auxiliary in Key Largo. Long hours at sea and ashore, rules and regs, no pay. My spouse, Fiona, is also deeply involved. As I write this, we are underway to Alaska in our small exploration vessel, Jupiter. “We enjoy the company of Barbara and Bill Parfet when we cross wakes in Florida. All the best and thank you for keeping the class alert and informed!” With Fiona and Randy’s tree and the two that Carol Ann P’97 ’02 and I donated, I think the great Class of ’65 holds the record for modern arboreal class gifts. Pete Zaloom offers a free lunch: “Lois and I are living and loving in Ocala, Fla. We are busy volunteering at the local animal shelter, riding horses at the World Equestrian Center, and flying competitive rockets at The Cornerstone School in Ocala. [Your Scribe recalls Pete is a longtime advisor to rocketry clubs and attended/advised at national rocketry competitions]. Knock wood, our health is good as we head towards 80. Getting together with Rick Duncan next week for lunch and catching up. If anyone is ever in central Florida, please get in touch and I’ll buy lunch!” Later, Rick Duncan affirmed that report: “Peter Zaloom and I reunited at his home in Ocala on May 20. Talked over old times over a great lunch at the World Equestrian Center. Wonderful to get together with Peter and Lois.” Bob Fishman broadcasts about sports and music: “Here’s my latest update — I retired from CBS Sports two years ago and miss the action and my crew, but certainly not the constant travel. However, retirement has allowed time to do some travel with Margaret and friends, and live my rock ‘n’roll dream by attending my seventh Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp in Miami this past April, where the headliners were Roger Daltrey and Simon Townshend from The Who. [Ed. Note: Simon is Pete’s brother, and often tours with the band. — S.R.] Playing guitar alongside those two was a great experience. Tony Franklin, the legendary bass player, led my band with two live shows. It’s an amazing experience to be placed in a band with people you don’t know, spend three days rehearsing, and then play live in front of an audience at various famous venues in whichever city you are in. Am I addicted? Definitely! I’m not Eric Clapton, but getting better!”
I may have previously mentioned Reid Byers’ The Private Library: The History of The Architecture And Furnishing of the Domestic Bookroom is in its third printing at Oak Knoll Press — where you can also buy Imaginary Books: Lost, Unfinished, and Fictive Works Found Only In Other Books. Stina and Tore Hoglund sent “Just a short note wishing you and your family a good weekend. I hope you are in excellent health and in a good mood. Our everyday life goes on and we are in good health — compared to our ages. “We were going to Dubai for a cruise around the Persian gulf and I guess you noticed it is not possible. We have been in these countries earlier and also all the way to Oman passing the Hormuz straits — sort of difficult these days. Last trip there, we got a message in Stina’s phone passing the straits saying welcome to Iran. “I am still much interested and engaged in international politics and also worried over what happens worldwide. In fact, we are going to Estonia in a couple of days. “Short notes but wished to say ‘hello’ to you and my friends from ancient times. Regards from Stina; best wishes, Tore.” From your humble scribe’s desk: Carol Ann and I had a delightful dinner with Jane and John Gore H’61 ’64. No one knows more about “alumni relatin’” (as he pronounces it!), so it is always great to catch up. Jane just finished a term as president of the Nassau Club, so I expect to see her portrait right next to former Nassau Club President Woodrow Wilson. John and I have been golfing, and shortly Bill Hamill P’96 ’99, John, Marcus S. Montenecourt ’87 P’26 ’26 and I will get together to break some course records (ha ha). Gore birdied Doylestown Country Club hole No. 4, the Kilimanjaro of golf holes, and I haven’t heard the end of it! Had lunch recently with fellow honorary classmates Jacqi Haun and Sean Ramsden. As you read this issue of the Lawrentian, please take a moment to recognize the value and contribution of their behind-the-scenes work on behalf of Lawrenceville. I assume this issue will include another installment of “Ask the Archivist.” [Ed. Note: As soon as you finish Leigh’s column, you can turn right to page 78 to see it. — S.R.] Around 1991, our esteemed honorary classmate Joann Rafferty H’81 ’03 P’93 founded Springfest, a Lawrenceville Community Service Department annual carnival for several hundred local pre-school and elementary school students. The event is hosted by Lawrenceville students who are assigned “buddies” or tasks. Tasks include being the “dunked-in-the-tub-of-water” person if a child hits the bullseye with a ball, or making sure a bouncy-house is run safely. Previous years included horse rides, but due to weather, Springfest was held indoors in the Tsai Field House. Congratulations Joanne for creating a Lawrenceville tradition and giving Carol Ann and me the honor of underwriting the event for over 30 years. I am busy with theaters as president of Doylestown’s County Theater and PS of Renew Theaters, a group which includes the Princeton Garden Theater that we took over about 15 years ago. I was just elected president of the Washington Map Society (washmapsociety.
org), our great site for info on cartography and map history. I officiated my son Ryan ’02’s wedding in California and my grand-niece’s wedding this past April. I pinned one of her shoulder boards at her Air Force Academy graduation, and she now attends Harvard. Groovy, as we said in the ’60s! Don’t be strangers. — Leigh
1966 Doug Hirsh Doug.hirsh@gmail.com It is the middle of May and just 10 days from our 60th reunion and I have heard from some classmates who will not be able to make the 60th. Michael Ledyard P’99 ’02 ’03 ’12 bought a farm outside of Thomasville, Ga., in 2014 and once COVID raised its ugly head, Michael and family sold their Pennsylvania farm and moved to Thomasville in 2020. He is enjoying the quail hunting and continues to enjoy fox hunting. Both Michael and wife, Cathie, retired in 2020 and now operate a boutique corporate service company catering to the structured finance market. M i c h a e l h a s s e n t fo u r c h i l d re n t o Lawrenceville, with Eve ’99 giving up her Delaware law practice to become a thoroughbred horse trainer in Camden, S.C. Kate ’03 traded in her NYC fashion industry career to also move to Camden and operate the local feed store. Anne ’02 lives in Lambertville, N.J., and operates a yoga studio. Mikey ’12 is practicing law in Tallahassee. Mikey and wife, EmmaKate, will deliver Michael and Cathie’s first grandkids, twin boys. John Bates has relocated from the San Francisco area down to Carmel Valley, where he and Deni have built a house at the Preserve at Santa Lucia, a 25,000-acre converted cattle ranch. John is a member of Cypress Point and gets in a few rounds of golf and invites any classmate to contact him and try to play a round or two. John and Deni will celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary by the time this column is published. John stays busy by still doing mediation remotely. The Bates family also have a home at Sugar Bowl and it is there that the grandkids learned to ski and race. Apparently, I was negligent in not reporting that Emily and Page Roos shared Mai Tais with Jared Wickware at the Halekalani. My apologies. Bob White will be attending our reunion as it fits with Bob’s plans to attend his 50th reunion of his M.B.A. class from Harvard. Bob and Carole spend six months in San Francisco and several of the winter and spring months at Lake Tahoe, where the Whites are avid cross country skiers. I’ll have more about Bob after our reunion weekend. Our 60th reunion gathering started a day earlier than most as several of us gathered at an authentic Italian restaurant recommended by both John Petito and Bob Ridolfi. Those attending were Judith and John Preefer P’07, Chris Talbot, Margaret and Loyal Wilson P’05 ’12, Libby and Paul Tomar P’10, Karen
Paul Ramsey ’67 and wife Bonnie celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their family in Cortina, Italy, hiking, cycling, and eating together in the Dolomites.
and Rand Spencer, Emily and Jim Rowan, Ted McCaugherty and fiancée, Bennie, Bob Ridolfi and Noel Long, and yours truly. One of the highlights of the dinner was learning that Ted McCaugherty and Bennie had flown in earlier in the day from Milan, Italy! When asked why he gave up his practice, Chris Talbot replied that the premium for his malpractice coverage was one million dollars. A big shout out to the reunion committee for organizing an enjoyable weekend, including the weather. As Bruce McClellan H’57 ’58 ’60 GP’10 would say, “a typical New Jersey day.” Your committee consisted of Ralph Harder, Loyal Wilson, John Preefer, Jim Rowan, Bob Ridolfi, Bill Sinnott P’94, Bob White, and myself. Our Friday night gathering at Bob Ridolfi’s farm was very well attended and we held a special honorary classmate induction for the wives of Ted Conklin, Bill Husted, and Tug Wilson P’99 GP’29. Their wives, Susie Franklin Conklin, Polly Kruse Husted, and Dee Wilson P’99 GP’29, were very appreciative of being recognized and happy to meet their husbands’ classmates. It was also great that Tug’s son, Brad ’99, was in attendance. Classmates who were under the big top tent were Eric Behrens, Maurice Hakim, Ralph Harder, Big Ernie Hardy P’89, Bob Lester, Ted McCaugherty, Bob McEwan P’97, Jay Meriwether P’07, Charles “Chuckles” Murphy P’90 ’95, Chris Oakleaf, John Petito, Bryan Oliphant, Jeff Preefer P’06, John Preefer, Grant Ritter, Jim Rowan, Tracy Schwarzschild P’96, Rand Spencer, Chris Talbot, Bob White, Jared Wickware, Loyal Wilson, Charles Cuthbert, Pablo Gomery, Bob Osten, Hank Scott, Stuart Janney, John Bakhaus, honorary classmate Karin Crooks P’04 ’05, and myself. The grand march on Saturday attracted more
classmates as we were joined by Ward Stokes, John Metzger, and Al Kraemer. Lunch for us Legends was served in the Abbott Dining Room, but the excitement was out on the Circle where the younger alums were enjoying tasty offerings from multiple food trucks. Our class gathered around the soft serve ice cream truck and enjoyed waffle cones overfilled with ice cream. Prior to the Saturday night dinner in Upper, the Class of 1966 was well represented in attending the Service of Remembrance in Edith Memorial Chapel. Our class had the highest percentage of attendance for the service and I was a bit disappointed in the low turnout for the service. Classmates who were remembered were Bill Brackenridge Jr., John Burnaby, Tucker Childs, Ted Conklin, Ed Corrin, David Denise, Tony Gricco, Bill Husted, Peter Lips, Pedro Mitro, Joe Pomeroy, Doug Reid, Charlie Schaeffer Jr., Tom Slick, Phil Whitehill, Mack Woodfin, and Bob Woods Jr., and honorary classmate Roger Brink H’67 ’68 ’73. The Saturday night in the common room of upper was an outstanding meal as we were joined by honorary classmates Liz Casey H’65 ’92 P’21 ’24 and her fiancé, Ryan Adams. Their wedding will be in July. At the dinner Bob White gave an in-depth introduction to our newest honorary classmate, Steve Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21, who will be leaving his position as head of school at the end of the 2026-27 school year. Bits and pieces gathered from talking with classmates: Grant Ritter recently retired at the age of 76. Still working are Dr. Pablo Gomery, Jim Rowan, Dr. Rand Spencer, Chris Oakleaf, John Petito, and Paul Tomar. We all know that Ernie Hardy was captain of the Harvard basketball team, but did you know he was drafted by the Detroit Pistons of the NBA as well as the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL?! t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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1967 Spencer Tandy isleridge@aol.com Rolf Reinalda rolfreinalda@icloud.com Bill Ehret P’94 ’98 William.Ehret@gmail.com Tom Gallagher P’07 ’12 begins with his note laced with a serving of L;ville history: “In late January, Alex Swistel P’12 and I celebrate our nearly identical birthdays. Since it is January, the venue is Palm Beach. It’s always a time to remember and to reflect. Alex brought me a silver-framed postcard of the Hamill House, circa its mid-life. Alex lived in Raymond. But he recalls my deep affection for Hamill, for my housemates and Wade ’50 H’68 P’78 GP’06 and Jean Stephens H’50 ’59 ’61 ’64 ’68 ’89 P’78 GP’06. “Hamill, as the first (1814) Lawrenceville structure, is closest to the native architecture of Pennsylvania/New Jersey field stone. It is austere, foundational, solid. Humble, almost monastic. Someone once described it as ‘Presbyterian restraint translated into masonry.’ But today after more than two centuries, it remains standing and serving its original purpose. “In the postcard photo Alex gave me, the House’s entrance is centered on Main Street framed by an elaborate front porch. In the photo, Hamill’s original federal façade is gussied up with Gilded Age doo-dads, mercifully since removed: an egregiously unattractive top-floor dormer and two ugly wood frame bay windows on the north-end ground floor. “Sometime after the photo was taken, Olmsted conceived the Circle and Peabody & Stearns created a series of brick Victorian, largely vertical, variations. Not visible in the photo, Hamill was re-oriented to face the Circle to confront and amplify its newer counterparts. Its Main Street elevation was restored to the original. The postcard portrait of Hamill marks a waypoint on the path of the School’s evolution from education as moral discipline, and architecture as container for character formation, to its present form of academic village. It’s evidence of continuity. “So much from a postcard. Thanks, Alex. Who’d have thought?” And then, none other than Chester “Chet” Burley sends his: “Gentlemen, I went to a lovely Lawrenceville gathering in Palm Beach for alumni, parents and would-be parents. Saw Tom Gallagher, Edith Eglin H’52 ’65 ’66 ’70 ’75 GP’19, and Bing McCashin ’65 (who I have not seen since 1966). “I was happy to hear L’ville beat Hill 62-7 during Hill’s Parents weekend (how embarrassing) and surprised to be told that tuition is now over $80,000. “Bing told me that Ted Conklin ’66 recently died. Edith just turned 90 and gave herself a great party at the B&T with 175 invitations sent out, of which 173 attended. Many local alumni showed up. She looks good and is still going strong. “Looking forward to seeing our class notes.”
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Great to hear from Steve Benson, who writes: “I brought a new book, Four Eyes, into publication in 2025 with City Point Press (distributed through Simon and Schuster), sharing the texts of four diverse poetry performances, each fully improvised within different conditions and structural contexts. Woodland Pattern, a focal center of small press poetry nationally, characterized it this way: ‘Each engages the conditions and parameters set by the particular situation where it took place, as well as constraints or challenges Steve imposed on himself. The words, issues, and manner of his speaking voice were all spontaneously improvised, not decided in advance. Reading Four Eyes traces the intimate compositional play of each work as it finds rhythms and structures grow through its process, as well as what gets said. What happens in writing is manifest and thrown into question. Freedoms are negotiated through this experimental, experiential form of action.’” Drew Denbaum has been busy: “I’ve just completed my first novel (a love story with a paranormal twist) and hope to team up with a literary agent and publisher by the next issue of The Lawrentian.” He also drew some parallels between the political upheaval that greeted us at graduation with the current day, and encourages all of us to respond with “political action, good works, creativity, and promoting love over despair as best we can.” Dan Noyes contributes the following after viewing a 2011 photo showing him visiting with Ginnie Chambers H’54 ’58 ’59 ’60 ’61 ’62 ’66 ’68 ’71 ’73 ’75 ’79 ’80 ’89 P’77 in Florida in 2011: “Ginnie just turned 98 last November and mailed out her annual letter to Clevies everywhere that she and Marsh H’58 ’62 P’77 knew during 36 years in Cleve House. We Clevies are so lucky we had Ginnie and Marsh! Ginnie lives year-round now on Nantucket and stays busy with friends and family nearby. She recently became a member of the 1972 and 1975 classes, after we made her a member of our class at the 2022 reunion. She must have set a record for being a member of so many classes. “Ginnie reports she called Clevie Arthur Sze ’68 in 2025. Arthur is the 2025 U.S. poet laureate, a 1967-68 Clevie, and recently on the cover of The Lawrentian. They enjoyed a nice chat and Ginnie was thrilled Arthur had received this well-deserved honor. “I’ll end by adding that Cleve House has enjoyed some Lawrenceville royalty. Marsh and Ginnie Chambers took over in the 1950s from the Raymonds and Mrs. Raymond had grown up at Lawrenceville as the daughter of Head of School Simon McPherson (1899-1919).” From pianist extraordinaire Denman Maroney: “In 2020 my wife Erin and I moved from New York to Occitanie, France. Since then, every year we’ve gotten one-year residence cards as visiteurs, even though we have no other home. Every year, that is, until 2025. That year, when we applied to renew, our applications were accepted, and we were told our new cards were being printed. Maybe they were, but they never came. This year, when we tried to renew the cards we never got, we were told we couldn’t,
because we’d never gotten them. La Cimade, an NGO for migrants, compared our situation to the theater of the absurd and advised us to apply by mail. We did so but since then have heard nothing. If we went abroad, would we be readmitted? We don’t know. “In other news, last July our son, Hagen, was summarily fired from the U.S. State Department, which he had served with honor and distinction for over 20 years in Botswana, the DR, Latvia, South Africa, Azerbaijan, and Ghana, and lastly as a coordinator of the U.S. delegation to the Conference of the Parties. Our son Tyler, a founding partner in the firm QRI (Quest Research and Investigations), made a documentary called Finding Satoshi, about the father of bitcoin. Following ‘The Air-Conditioned Nightmare,’ I made a second album for Neuma Records called ‘Umwelt,’ a word I learned from the book An Immense World by Ed Jong. Learn more at denmanmaroney.com.” Stuart Madden is “pleased to tell you of the publication of my book, Myth, Folklore and Ancient Ethics (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2026). I have had this fascination with mythology and ancient law for several years, and the result is this book that tracks the congruences and comparisons of fable and folklore throughout the world. The US Review of Books notes its ‘impeccable research,’ ‘level of clarity,’ and the author’s ‘inherent ability to simplify complex concepts,’ making it ‘an enriching experience for all.’ I confess that the level-of-clarity point pretty much eluded me in my 21 years of teaching.” Larry Jones must be happy … he says he is not mad: “All right, great scribes of The Lawrentian, you asked for it, here it is. This is a mere paragraph I wrote for the Easter newsletter of the Presbytery of Northern New England, and I just knew that would catch your interest. So here it is, at least the part that will interest Lawrentians. Use it or more probably throw it! “A blow-out in Nova Scotia, a bald tire in New Mexico, nine inches of snow in Alabama, the untimely death of a good friend in British Columbia, all of this and more paired with reunions with friends and family from Florida to Washington State, from southern California to northern Vermont, seeing sites and sights we’d never dreamed of, traveling 50,000 miles in 16 months, attending a different PC(USA) or UCC church almost every Sunday, enjoying each other’s company and making new friends everywhere — while praying every single day for our country and the world, every travel day for alertness and the will to be a positive change agent whatever happens, thanking God for the privilege of doing what we’re doing and that our privilege might turn into blessings for all whom we meet: This is what it means to be (temporarily) a modern nomad!” Paul Ramsey comes through with a most-welcome note: “I am retired now and should be taking more time to communicate. Bonnie and I are still living in Seattle, and we are fortunate to have our two children and four grandchildren near us. We have a dinner almost every Sunday evening with all ten family members. Retirement has been wonderful so far. I am engaged in several rewarding volunteer activities, exercising and reading for hours
each day, and greatly enjoying multiple family activities. A highlight of the last few years was our 50th wedding anniversary. Our entire family spent a week in Cortina, Italy, and enjoyed hiking, cycling, and eating together in the Dolomites. I hope to attend our 60th reunion next year. In the meantime, I would welcome hearing from any classmates who are visiting Seattle.” Steve Raab is back in the game with his contribution: “I often think of the wonderful days at Lawrenceville and the fun it was being part of the class. I salute my friends and neighbors from that time. My wife, Susan, and I are together 55 years now; it’s hard to believe. And I am still working. We have a family business called the Raab Collection, buying and selling important historical documents. I am still involved, and we are quite well known in the field. I spend most of my days writing history and looking for worthy targets for acquisition. I am living in Bar Harbor, Maine, and should anyone find himself up here please do contact me.” Walter Whiteley writes: “I know it’s been a very long time since you’ve heard anything from me or about me, but here goes. My wife, Francoise and I have been in York, Pa., since 1976 when we returned from France. I apprenticed for furniture making with the Lacombe family in Rodez, France. So, I have been practicing furniture making and restoration for about 50 years here in York. “We will celebrate our 55th wedding anniversary in August. I don’t know how the years have passed so quickly, but they have. We have two children — a son, Matthew, who lives with his wife and their son in Providence, and a daughter, Maya, who has been living and working in Dubai for about 15 years. She has two children, a son, 12, and a daughter, 10. We have been to Dubai numerous times and lately, just returned before Iran started sending bombs, etc., into the UAE. I find the trip to Dubai painfully long and I’m usually happy when I return to York and the shop. “I am not playing tennis at the moment or Pickleball for that matter, but have been swimming a bit. I remember, with respect to swimming, when, Billy Wauters H’03 P’01 broke 50 seconds for the first time, 49.9, while swimming the first leg of a 4x100 relay. I somehow think it was on Parents Day — what a great time to do that. Anyway, lots of great memories from those days.” Dave Barclay writes in from his beautiful orchard set among horse farms: “I’m hanging in there farming. We got unforgiving wakeup calls in April with spring frosts. There were two episodes and we lost the better part of 100 percent of the apple and peach crops for 2026. It’s all a giant disappointment and I’ve not seen a disaster like it in my career. This farming is not for the faint of heart! “Not much else to report as I don’t travel anymore. Nevertheless, I’m always interested in what everyone is doing. I’m slowing down a bit and have a very capable staff which are people young enough to be my grandchildren.” Jeff Parsons says, “Doing well, and happy that the Tennessee weather now permits me to get outside on my bike, which is my much-preferred type of exercise. My wife and I are still
enjoying retirement to the fullest, with our days taken up mostly with musical endeavors. She is studying the cello — a brave decision to become a beginner after age 70. I couldn’t let her be the only one wrestling with a new instrument, so I’ve been taking conga lessons. Congas aren’t entirely new to me, but that only means that I have bad habits to break. I’m also learning about the forms of salsa music, which I’ve been a nut for ever since I was exposed to it 50 years ago. “I’m also gigging — singing and playing acoustic guitar solo, occasionally in a club but mostly at assisted living facilities for senior citizens. The setlist for those folks doesn’t contain my all-time favorite songs, but then it’s not about me. There’s nothing like seeing someone in memory care, unresponsive, who suddenly comes to life, singing, waving their arms and swaying in their chair when they hear a familiar song. Whatever is left of the day I spend in my basement studio, doing up a favorite song for my wife who wants to sing it, or for my ex-project manager at Vanderbilt who has a favorite he wants to play bass on (I play and/or sing all the other parts) or putting together a salsa version of some R&B song I like. Each musical part goes into a composite video of the song and interested parties can see/hear these efforts on my Facebook music page: Jeff Parsons Music. “This June we’re planning to drive to California and up the Pacific Coast Highway to Portland, visiting friends and family along the way, then back through Glacier National Park. And maybe New Zealand this winter.” Paul Fitzgerald P’03, our ever-loyal, totally committed classmate, sends this from the front: “I represented the Class of ’67 at Alumni Day. I wanted to start the ball rolling for our 60th reunion next year. I had Charlie Williams H’85 ’98 P’94 ’97, former chair of the Math Department, double check the numbers and it really will be our 60th. The School has done a lot to make it a family-friendly event with plenty of rides for children of all ages. I hope to have my four grandkids running around campus. “As Coach Reydel H’60 ’62 ’65 ’68 liked to say, ‘It’s the fourth quarter.’ Who knows how many more opportunities we will have to be together and share war stories. Let’s have a great turnout. Contact your housemates and teammates and encourage them to attend. “I spent time with the Class of ’66 and observed them sharing stories that some of them had never heard before. We can finally get to the bottom of who put Fred Gerstell H’68 ’77’s car in The Bowl and who locked us in the chapel. Does anyone know how to contact Fred Fezzo? You can also take a selfie with our new mascot — Larrie the Bulldog! We can do this!” Well, gents, it’s appropriate for me to chime in with something, otherwise I can’t complain about lack of input from all of you. No need to complain lately; we’re very fortunate to have such engaged classmates. At a recent Lawrenceville event, another class secretary joked that he just made stuff up for his Class Notes. [Ed. Note: Wait, what?? — S.R.] Of course, we had some fun with that. Speaking of Lawrenceville events, I was invited to Career Day at the School, my topic
being marketing consulting. It was strangely familiar to be around a Harkness table after all these years. The first session was alive with great participation and genuine interest, all of which obviously pleased the teacher. The second session was quite the opposite: blank stares and a palpable disinterest that could be described as hostility had there been more energy. I found out, midway through the session, that the second group had been assigned to the session randomly and had no interest in the topic whatsoever. That would explain their lack of interest but it could not justify utter rudeness. Even the teacher was appalled. Remember to send in your notes. Don’t wait for “the other guys” to do it because, to everyone else, you are the other guy. Also, heed Paul Fitz’s call to attend our 60th reunion less than a year from now. It will be terrific … guaranteed.
1968 Roger Formidoni rnformidoni@gmail.com 68classnotes@gmail.com I’m sure that all of you are saddened, as I am, by the passings of Bernie Metzger and Bob Owen. Both had been faithful contributors to this column. I know that they will be greatly missed by family and friends. Nick Whitcraft informed me of the sad news about Bob and added, “We became friends many years later when Donna and I lived in Miami then he and Betty moved to Jacksonville. Rough loss and I’ll miss him.” Andy Coburn writes “Nick Waugh, his wife Anne Stickney, and I had a brief but great adventure together searching for our ancestral roots in the Borders region of Scotland. After exploring the outer islands of the U.K., I met up with Nick and Anne in Edinburgh to go south to the towns of Duns and Eildon. We found Sir Walter Scott’s famous chair, played golf, and had a lovely time together, though we found few ancestral clues. Nick and Anne went ahead to have a lovely excursion through Wales and London while I high-tailed it home to Maine.” Ed Vine writes, “I know you have had a long winter; I get updates from my brother in the Hartford area. It’s nice, sunny, and warm here. I know you would love California!” It certainly was a long winter here in New Hampshire. Ginny and I will be doing some traveling soon. Mark Hertzberg passed on news about Arthur Sze from AP, that he was appointed to a second one-year term as U.S. poet laureate. Future Lawrenceville students will be reading his works around the Harkness tables. Mark also remarked about this aging process that we are all facing: “As I read the online class notes, I was struck by how many of my classmates are 75 years old. Oh, wait, that will be me, too, in a few weeks. We moved after 47 years and three days into a lovely Arts and Crafts style house this fall. We are in a single-story house that came with laundry on the first floor, solar panels, geothermal system, a generator,
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and an attached garage. We thought I would be nostalgic about the old house … not at all … and happy as a clam in the new one!” Tom Borgia writes “I’m still living in Plymouth, Mass., but am bound and determined to leave Massachusetts this spring. The high taxes and high cost of living, along with the cold winters, have made it clear to me that it’s time to head for the south to a state with a beach and no state income tax! “My only real news is that I became a grandfather for the second time on November 13, 2025, with the birth of my second granddaughter, Abigail Claire. She joins sister Eleanor Marie, age 5, with parents Mike and Elizabeth in Denver.” Congratulations, Tom! Just before the deadline, Tom sent this addendum to his notes: “Just wanted to let you know that I finally got a chance to read the latest issue of class notes and was deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Bob Owen. I once told him that ‘he was the nicest, most polite person I had ever met. A true gentleman in every respect of that word. Unfortunately, the calendar is catching up to all of us. Tom also expounded on his determination to leave the Bay State for warmer climes: “I never thought I could do it, having lived in Massachusetts for 43 years, but this past winter and almost 100 inches of snow convinced me otherwise! If you could see how steep my driveway is, you would understand. I am now in the process of moving to Myrtle Beach, S.C., (both sold my house in Plymouth and bought one in the Market Common section of Myrtle Beach) and hope to be settled in by September 1. “I must admit it’s tough and scary making a long distance move at almost 76 years old, but I felt I had no other choice. Of course, open invitation to all our classmates — I understand they have many great golf courses!” From Gene Brissie P’13: “It’s not much, but it’s something, in case it helps: My elder daughter Anna was engaged to Jack Burke in February in Patagonia, on their way to vacation in Antarctica along with Jack’s family. Both work at hedge funds in New York City, where they plan to live after they are married later this year.” Gene also writes, “By the way, I hope you’re planning on going to our 60th reunion in ’28. I am. Steve Miller and I kind of got tricked into skipping our 55th, and I’m not going to miss the next one. You told me it was fun even without all the students there.” I’ll be there “if the Good Lord’s willin’ and the creeks don’t rise,” as they say. John Fagelson P’05 ’09 recounts, “I have started to travel again. We are leaving for a hiking trip in Croatia in a week. We spent more time in Florida this winter and then left in February for our month in Colorado. Should have stayed in Florida. No snow this year and terrible skiing. We have grandchildren close by in Arlington, Va., and on the other side of the country in San Francisco. We do get to see both. We should plan some mini reunions before the next five-year reunion. John Eustace P’00 has offered to work on planning. Think about ideas and get in touch with John or me.” Finally, Rory Corrigan sent this joyous update not long before he passed on January 25 of
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this year, making his good news bittersweet: “Greetings from chilly Richmond Hill, Ga., in Georgia’s Low Country where Debi and I are enjoying our AMA — advanced middle age. We were blessed with two new granddaughters this past spring joining our clan. Salutations to the Class of ’68. Slainte!” That’s all, folks! Have a great summer!
1969 Tim Doyle H’79 ’99 ’09 P’99 timdoyle741@gmail.com Earl Bennett P’04 ’06 ’13 writes from Australia, “Mary K and I fly from Sydney today to Cairns to spend a few days with Chris Anderson and his wife, Vicky. So, some 60 years after rooming in Griswold with Chris, we’ll hang out under the same roof. Sweet. We will snorkel the Reef. I came this way by way of Vanuatu, where I sailed from Opua and Russell, New Zealand. Sydney is remarkable: bustling, beautiful and remarkably walkable, with a truly astonishing piece of architecture in its Opera House. And so positive in its vibe, a quality I don’t always see in our U.S. My best to all.” From Tim Maguire: “After more than 55 years, it’s probably time to come up from under the radar… Something caught me — turning 75 and having a granddaughter making a comment about a “diamond anniversary” — so I figured maybe I should check in. So, let me re-introduce myself. some of you might remember me as ‘Mouse,’ which, to my dismay, some college friends still call me. Did the college/law school/ practice thing, mostly in Boston, retired about five years ago. Had some fun with it, represented emerging technology companies and their sources of financing over 35 years, principally mergers, acquisitions, financings and securities matters. “Married to the lovely, hyper-patient and forgiving Sheridan over 40 years now, with two great kids (and kids-in-law), two grandchildren (and one more on the way). We now split our time between Quechee, Vt., and Vero Beach, moving effortlessly from summer camp to winter camp. I play tennis regularly (and badly), we watch a lot of youth soccer, flag football, baseball, ski racing, gymnastics and whatever else the grandmonsters are up to, we try to travel in between all this (and vow to travel more), and subject to an ongoing litany of orthopedic aches, pains, injuries and general wearing out, we are in decent shape. “I have been remiss in keeping up with L’ville friends. I spent some time with Mike ChaseLevenson a year or so ago, and so I am shooting for a return for our 60th. That’s about it, and best to you and all!” Bob Zullo P’01 ’03 writes, “Malta, Sardinia, and a repeat of a Sicily tour are on my bucket list. Regards from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, in Kent Narrows, which I have called home since June 2021. Best regards to all.” From Allen Lovejoy: “Heather and I are nearing the end of our international travels. It is more than we can handle (physically and financially) and we will miss it terribly. But it has
been almost 12 years of four major international trips a year. In the past year we have traveled to Ireland, Iceland, Morocco, the Caribbean, Buenos Aires to Santiago, Chile, and now France with three weeks in Paris and one in Normandy. “Our six grandchildren are a delight and we participate in their lives when we are home. We hope to do a lot more now that our travel time is coming to an end. One note of news is that our oldest, Alexander, is finishing up his freshman year and played football last fall. He is 15 years old, 6-foot-4 and about 350 pounds — big enough to play major college football if he wants. We are trying to get him to go to University of Wisconsin (I grew up a Badger fan) and study engineering. I have recently finished Andrew McCarthy’s latest book, Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America. It’s part a personal journey to reconnect with old friends, part an experiment in finding out the loneliness many men are feeling these days, and part travelog. McCarthy starred in Weekend at Bernie’s, among other, frankly vacuous, comedies, but went on to be a feature writer for the National Geographic Traveler magazine, and has written three NYT bestsellers. It’s worth a read, especially if you have yearnings to reconnect with L’ville alums but wonder if you will make it to our 60th reunion! Peace.” Jay Davis writes from South Dakota, “I don’t have anything newsworthy enough to put in the class notes, but am still raising hell in local and environmental politics, and have quite a bit of travel planned.” From Art Hailand: “Finally retired, one grandchild currently with two on the way, and working on my golf game and have taken up painting (coming to art galleries near you). All is well but still don’t get out east. Still hear echos from football games of Hersh…Hersh…” Tim Doyle and Kathy P’99 took a Viking cruise in December from Rome to Athens via Malta and the Greek islands. In April he joined nearly three hundred radio amateurs at the Boston Marathon providing communications support for 30,000 athletes. Amazing to watch!
1970 Robert C. Paschal robert.paschal2808@gmail.com 919-607-7588
1971 Kristopher D. Krug kristoph.krug@gmail.com Roy Geronemous writes, “It was great to see many of our classmates at the 55th where we had a chance to have a tasting from Hank Bannister’s vineyard in Argentina. Gail and I welcomed our sixth grandchild two years ago and they keep us busy. I am still practicing in NYC having opened a new practice last year primarily limited to lasers and cosmetic dermatology. The retirement bug hasn’t hit me yet.
“I visited Peter Schlossberg in Miami few months ago and I run into John Flood P’02 ’04 ’06 periodically. Jeff Ehret passed through NYC recently so I had a chance to reconnect with my roommate of three years.” Doug Anderson writes, “Still teaching philosophy courses at Southern Illinois University, playing music weekends, and working as a carpenter the rest of the time. I will be in Vermont this summer renovating an old A-frame and starting a new house. Also finishing up my fifth CD (though no one uses them anymore; I still like artwork and liner notes). Would be glad to hear from any of the old Raymond crew.” Zeke Woolley writes, “I have read and passed on your pleas for class notes for too many years. Hey, aren’t we excused because we are from the ’70s? Apathetic, pathetic, anti-government, anti-establishment, anti-war, anti-ad infinitum. After 55 years I hope things have changed. I know I have, but I don’t need to brag. I am the only alumnus from ’71 and Woodhull that has attended a reunion in 40 years or more. What happened to us? Admittedly, drugs of all types were available and a toll was taken. Negativism was rampant and I guess it won. I for one am looking forward to returning this June to walk through what is left of my memories amongst the most phenomenal architecture and flora that we did not appreciate 55 years ago.” Hank Bannister writes, “Kyoko and I just returned from Saint Louis where we celebrated our daughter, Nina’s, graduation from Washington University. Her older sister, Aly, flew in from Manhattan where she is living with some Colgate buddies and working at Ernst & Young. “In mid-June Nina and I will rendezvous in Buenos Aires and do our best to market our Valle del Condor wines to a number of restaurants and wine bars in the Palermo region. Then we will head out for a little adventuring with the destination being a three day stay at Condor Valley. Come down with friends for a visit. Or if wine is your preference we can now ship from our shop on Condorvalley.com to most states.” Bruce Kernan writes, “I had a fine though short time at the 55th reunion, the first time I’ve been back since we graduated. The campus looks fantastic, the dinner was delicious, the Argentinian wine first-class, the 22 or so classmates full of interesting doings, the speeches eloquent, and the appeal for more than 18 faithful donors, even with modest amounts, convincing.” Don Marquardt writes, “I’ve finally retired (well, semi- if the project is smaller and cool). My daughter, Lindsay, met and married an Aussie during COVID and moved to Melbourne, so we are becoming world travelers. My son, Kyle, has taken up with a cool little pharma company specializing in unusual drugs for very rare conditions, and has relocated to San Diego. So, we’re still outside of Philadelphia but starting to reconsider. In the meantime, I’ve gotten into some bluegrass jams and find a real affinity with it. Now if I can only get my fingers to move that fast. All the best to all.” Dan Swistel writes, “I am still working, but thinking of retiring shortly after over 40 years as a heart surgeon. On the one hand, I was awarded an endowed professorship at NYU in recognition of my pioneering work in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but on the other hand, I may be the
oldest working heart surgeon in the New York Metropolitan area. So perhaps it’s time to put away the scalpel and hopefully spend more time in Santa Fe, N.M.” Don Devitt writes. “It was great to go to the 55th reunion with my wife Barbara Nadeau, Kris Krug, and Rita Erskine (Kris’s fiancée). We also picked up Bill “Ches” Cheswick ’70 at his Idyllic farm one hour away in New Jersey, where we got to meet Lorette, his wife, and we were treated to a tour. Ches and I were in the Astronomy Club together. We planned to visit the observatory but it is now blanketed by trees and the telescope has been removed. In the day Ches gave me access to the TTY-33 and GE timesharing (in the old science building) to bootstrap my career in engineering.” Mark Cleary P’05 ’08 writes, “I am still living in the area … a Princeton townie at heart. I bought a house in Skillman, N.J., (next town north of Princeton) about 11 years ago to accommodate my aging parents, who got to a point where they were unable to live by themselves and decided to come back to Princeton rather than opting for assisted living in Hilton Head, S.C. First time I’ve not resided in Mercer County during all my years living in N.J. “I am still ‘working’ a bit for a small women’s footwear company. When friends would ask me why I’m still working, my response had always been to keep me off the streets, because I don’t play golf and I have no grandchildren. One of those things changed in September last year when my son Will ’05, and his wife, Mary, welcomed my first grandchild into this world. They live close by in Tewksbury, N.J., and I am on a weekly rotation that allows me to see this beautiful addition to the family at least once a week. My younger son, James ’08, was married in November of last year. He and his wife, Alexandra, split their time between Stratford, Conn., and Lawrenceville, N.J., while trying to determine the ideal place to live in the N.Y./N.J./ Conn. metro area. “I really appreciate everyone’s effort to make it back for our 55th. I’m sure there are additional members of the class that we can rally for our 60th.” Andy Holcombe writes, “Another milestone in the long strange trip of Lawrenceville. Thank you to those who were able to attend our 55th reunion, and an invitation to those who were not able to attend to start getting in the mind set to attend our 60th. “My Lawrenceville experience was fairly insular. I had a small group of close friends then, and still have them now. I had a full and properly challenging experience, but still ponder over opportunities missed or ignored. Every reunion I meet people I did not know well while there. And I gain insights on my own experience. Things become less insular. “As a catch-up to today, I am well retired now as a legal aid lawyer, but still occasionally fighting the good fight as a volunteer in several homeless shelters. I try to stay out of local politics, but people still call me ‘the Mayor,’ and seek out my opinion from time to time. My wife, Ann Schulte, has been retired from teaching at the university for a few years. Thanks to her now long ago sabbatical in Australia, we have built a community of friends there and get to Oz often. We also
frequently travel to points unknown by using a pet sitting web site called Trusted Housesitters. Check it out, but contact me if you want to sign up so I can get a bonus for referring you! “Virtue may always be green, but enjoy ripening.” Kris Krug writes, “It was great to see everyone who made it back for the 55th. We enjoyed talking to Bill Cheswick ’70, who has had an interesting career in security. Don Devitt brought an old 1970 Lawrence that featured the co-education debate. Little did we know then that it would happen 17 years later. The School looked great and we had fun talking to the student volunteers (‘blue shirts’) who would answer questions and give tours. “On another note, Rita Erskine and I will be married July 25 on the beach at Indian Point, Georgetown, Maine. We plan on taking our honeymoon in October in Barcelona, Spain.”
1972 Bruce Hager 15 Broad Street Apartment 2410 New York, NY 10005 brucelhager@yahoo.com
1973 Dave Donahue P’10 jdd.usmc@gmail.com In May I sent a request for class notes. With my request, I attached a copy of the “Lawrenceville 1971 Summer Reading List” — in hopes of generating a few responses. I received three. Stu Gordon replied, “I absolutely love this list you sent us! I am going to send this to all my children and grandchildren. I’ve purchased all these books and my grandkids will have complete sets when they enter the appropriate grade/form. Much appreciated!” Torry Hack said, “A lot of good books here. Nice job, thanks, Dave.” The third response did not have anything to do with the reading list. Regardless, I was fortunate to hear from a former hockey and lacrosse teammate, Alan Plough. It was so good to hear from one of our class’s truly solid citizens. At Trinity College, Al played three years of varsity hockey and one of lacrosse and majored in engineering. The consequences of his athletic endeavors: six artificial joints (two of each — hips, knees, and shoulders). Al retired from the Space Program ten years ago, which seems hard to believe. He and his wife have two sons, both married and living on both coasts — in Washington and Maryland. They have four grandchildren under 4-and-a-half years old; boy and a girl in Washington and two girls in Maryland. Al says the grandchildren are great and the lure of the kids keeps him and his wife traveling frequently for visits. Al reports, “These youngsters are amazingly sharp. Not sure I was at 4 years old.” When time permits, Al has spent time going through roughly 16,000 slides that he and his parents took over the years. He is trying to t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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Dave Donahue ’73 P’10, Allen Fitzpatrick’73 H’85 ’89 ’99 P’99 ’04, Bill Jump ’73, Corky Ellis ’73, and Scott Swanezy ’73 P’07 got together for the NCAA men’s lacrosse championship weekend in Charlottesville, Va.
digitize as many of them as are worth keeping. Al sent me a few images of the 1973 lacrosse team. Those were shared with a few teammates at a 2026 Memorial Day gathering. That weekend, Bill Jump, Allen Fitzpatrick, Corky Ellis, and Dave Donahue gathered in Charlottesville, Va. Scott Swanezy P’07 and wife Suze P’07 hosted all of us in their beautiful home. We attended the NCAA 2026 Men’s Lacrosse National Championship that was held on the University of Virginia campus, May 23-25, 2026. The five of us were teammates on Lawrenceville’s lacrosse team our senior year. We had a memorable season in 1973, capped off by our N.J. state playoff overtime defeat of Montclair High School. It was a battle that ended Montclair’s 42-game winning streak. It was an improbable win. It was day that remains special to those who were there. Fellas, I am hoping for more news from 1973. That’s it for now. Take care. Be safe. Virtus Semper Viridis, Dave D.
1974 Harvey Kirk lville1974@gmail.com
Stuart Dansby ’74, Doug Simon ’76, and L.T. Hill ’76 got together in John’s Island, Fla.
Keith Fraser ’75 caught up with Max Maxwell H’72 ’74 ’76 ’79 ’80 ’81 ’86 ’88 ’91 ’93 ’00 ’01 at Alumni Reunion Weekend in May.
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As I pen this, Memorial Day weekend is but days away! Where does the time go — especially as we broach our eighth decade? David Ballard P’10 is gearing up for a busy summer, punctuated by visits from some Larries. He writes, “I am trying to get in shape for time on my farm in Tobia, Viterbo, Lazio with fellow Lawrentians, with the arrival September 14 of Doug Monroe (the star of our 1970 undefeated and untied freshman football team, and fellow UNC Class of 1978 Morehead Scholar) and the arrivals September 20 of Glenn Laub P’11 ’14 and October 19 of Alan D’Andrea. While I trying to minimize age-related sarcopenia at my gym in Viterbo with deadlifts (stacchi) and squats, most of my exercise is either via working on my farm or walking along the Via Francegina, as it courses by my home on its way from Canterbury to Rome, punctuated with Madonna shrines (as D. H. Lawrence described in Twilight in Italy) and chapels such as the Eremo Di San Girolamo. “I do need to cut some weight before the arrival of Doug, Glenn, and Alan, as my days of co-producing undefeated (1970 freshman, 1972 varsity) football teams are long gone. Much to my chagrin, the 1972 team will likely be the last undefeated Lawrenceville football team forever, unless the schedule continues to be populated with increasingly weaker teams. Eric Tucker continues is enviable globetrotting: “Been getting some nice traveling in. Took my second around-the-world trip. Was in Africa planning to travel to Amsterdam via Qatar when the noise began in the Middle East. Quickly-booked later price had increased tenfold. Good high education helped me think fast and correctly … even though coach was all available for that 11-hour flight. But made it safely. In Norway now, in early May. Interesting, and expensive place. Picturesque landscapes.” Basil Georgiadis sends “greetings from
Richmond, Va. I retired last May and enjoying free time! Time to read history, workout, practice ‘cello and spend time with my kids in Charlotte, N.C., and Manhattan. Permit me a memory. Many years ago, Dr. Bruce McClellan H’57 ’58 ’60 GP’10 asked me, in my first semester at L’ville, if I wanted to be at the School. I was struggling in his Macbeth course and was ready for a dressing down, but his simple question resonated. I answered in the affirmative. Dr. McClellan and L’ville changed my life and I will forever be grateful that my parents sent me to this incredible school.” David Jackson P’03 is still active and on the go. “I had a great time skiing at Big Sky, Mont., with Reyn Parsons celebrating his birthday. We were lucky to have good snow and a great place to stay. Returned to Boston, re-packed, and headed south for a fun lunch with Mark Belli and his wife Carol in Hobe Sound, Fla. It was great to connect. Back home, repacking and heading out to Victor, Idaho, next week to ski and visit the newest grandchild, Henry, our fourth. The adventure continues. Hope everyone in the class is doing well.” Marc Csete writes “our family is a spread out these days. My wife, Marilyn, commutes from Miami to Chicago where she is the chair of medicine at Loyola University. I commute from Miami to Key West where I am the chief of pulmonary medicine at Lower Keys Medical Center. Both our girls are in their third year of med school and our boys are hardworking entrepreneurs for their company, Dan the Baking Man. The fishing is great in Key West whoever wants to meet and book a trip!” Peter Neuwirth again sends news of a get together with classmates: “Carolyn and I just returned to Santa Rosa from our annual ‘spring tour’ of the east coast, where I got the opportunity to participate in the School’s second annual Career Day, with alumni getting the opportunity to share their career journeys with students who are already thinking about what they want to do after college. It was a fun day where I got the opportunity to meet some incredibly smart, curious kids and to try to get them excited about the possibility of a career in actuarial science. Sadly, I was the only member of our class that was there. Career Day is a wonderful new event, very well organized and very easy and fun to be a part of. I will definitely be back next year and hopefully see some of you there. “While we were in town, we also got a chance to get together with Bill Blair and his wife, Kirsten, to see their daughter perform in Cinderella — a fantastic production put on by the Princeton Youth Ballet at Princeton High School’s new (to me) theater.” Mark Gabrielson P’02 ’08, like many of us, has joined the septuagenarian ranks and celebrated with a trip. “Betsy P’02 ’08 and I celebrated our 70th birthdays with a trip to Costa Rica in mid-February. We made sure we stopped in Ft. Lauderdale on our way so we could visit Ken Morrison and his wife, Claudia. Thanks to Ken’s local knowledge we scored a table at Chiba, Ft. Lauderdale’s finest Brazilian steakhouse!”
1975 Gary R. Bedford g_bedford@msn.com David G. Christoffersen, Esq. P’14 ’18 75lville@gmail.com Clint Brown: “This might be old news, but my wife Crashy and I went out to San Francisco last August for Dead & Co.’s 60th anniversary concerts in Golden Gate Park. Went out a few days early and spent one afternoon with John ‘Stewball’ Stewart on a nostalgic drive through northern Marin County visiting his old house in Nicasio, lunch at the Meadow Club, and then stopping by his current home in Kentfield. Had dinner that night with Stewball, Mike Kamm, and Cindy Kamm at the Pacific Union Club. Then went on a three-day run with Dead & Co. Mike and Cindy were there for Day 1. Had a huge time and feel fortunate to have seen Bobby Weir live at his last show before his passing earlier this year. Hope everyone is well. I look forward to staying in touch. Cheers!” Dave Christoffersen: *… I got nothin’.* Adam Cleff: “Still have fond memories of our 50th. Old place looks like new. I am still peddling rural real estate in Northern California, mostly Mendocino. The useful skill I started at L’ville is some Spanish and a shape-shifting ability to cocktail-party talk with all classes and types. I call myself ‘Cowboy Zelig.’ My favorite other alter ego is Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man. I strive to write as I was instructed by Mr. Stannard and Elements of Style [D.G.C. Note: passive voice *tsk tsk*]. I fall short but I try. Best wishes, Larries!” Will Clinger: “A shameless plug to my Lawrenceville classmates: Wild Travels is winding down on PBS, but full episodes are now streamable on Amazon Prime and YouTube. Worth binging? I’d like to think so.” Paul Cronson: “Class of ’75 somehow feels simultaneously recent and geologic. I am still living in New York with my wife, Caroline, of more years than she allows me to divulge, whose ‘Works & Process” (worksandprocess.org, and check out @worksandprocess on YouTube) keeps us happily connected to artists and performers. “I continue juggling real estate investments, nonprofit boards, and enough side projects to alarm sensible people. As I write this I am on my way to the Hutton Hotel in Nashville (huttonhotel.com), where we are completing a top-to-bottom renovation. For our musically inclined classmates (we seem to have a few), please check out Analog, our small theater in the hotel, where, among other things, we feature live music (analognashville.com). We also have two recording/writing studios. This summer we will be in Europe for a few weeks (there will be a total eclipse visible in Bilbao, Spain, in August for those interested in such things), but we hope to spend time in Edgartown.” Chris Farland: “As I approach 70 this year, I am grateful for the present more than ever. Family and friends are everything! I wish I had adopted this attitude many years ago.” Keith Fraser: “I attended the 2026 Lawrenceville Reunion, holding it down for the Class of ’75 and had the opportunity to catch up with the beloved Max Maxwell H’72 ’74 ’76 ’79
’80 ’81 ’86 ’88 ’91 ’93 ’00 ’01.” Mike Hill: “The ‘Bones from the Sea’ episode of Best of Our State on PBS is an extraordinary PBS documentary about our classmate Keith Rittmaster and the extraordinary whale/dolphin museum and other work he has been doing for decades … largely thanks to L’ville ecology master Bob Lester H’89 P’87 ’89 GP’21 allowing him to spend his Spring ’75 trimester studying marine life and more on North Carolina’s Outer Banks (an area he essentially never left other than getting his master’s at Duke and then lots and lots of science expeditions around the world). Among other things, Keith started an incredible museum in Beaufort, N.C., (near where the Outer Banks reconnect with the mainland). Keith is way too modest to tell us about this, but we should all know of it. Even apart from our personal connection to him, the 12-minute video is a great watch! Best to you all!” Stephen Marquard: “It was so great seeing everyone who was able to make it to the 50th! Everyone is healthy and happy. Our son just returned from Greenland. Was over there 2 weeks helping to build an airbase. We recently sold the big house and downsized to a townhome on country club grounds. Loving it! Any Larries coming to North Jersey, please give a shout!” Paul Moravec: “News in May: My opera The Shining had its European premiere at the Staatstheater Regensburg in Germany.” And! Paul has been elected to the American Academy of Sciences and Letters [D.G.C Note: So, the rest of you lame-o losers need to up your class notes game]. Daniel Reagan: “Cath and I are heading to Kilkenny and Dublin, Ireland, in late May/early June with our son, daughter-in-law, and baby grandson. Our first trip to the Emerald Isle. If anyone has any tips on things to see, places to go while there, I’d love to hear them!” John “Stewball” Stewart: “A private club in San Francico had a two-night tribute to The Grateful Dead, and I had the privilege of playing Bob Weir’s 1988 Blackknife guitar both nights. One of the other musicians played Jerry’s ‘Alligator.’ ‘Rust Never Sleeps.’” John Trubee: “My current fun: bitchin’ guitar I bought from Jack Vees, first bass player in The Ugly Janitors of America. He builds custom guitars, and this is one he built. He was also on the music faculty at Yale. I played it last year in Cape May and fell in love with it. “I play solo guitar at memory care homes, wine bars, farmers markets, etc. Always seeking new solo guitar playing opportunities with this baby.” [D.G.C. Note: John has a regular radio show on KOWS 92.5 FM, “Maybe Forgotten Forever,” and as you might guess, it is a psychedelic experience without the need for resort to psychedelics.] “My radio show yesterday on KOWS 92.5 FM: Mitch Miller and the Gang, Milton Babbitt, Spirit, Marvin and Johnny, Scott Walker, Robert Rich, Nat King Cole, Francis Poulec. I also read my beautiful poem about Mitch Miller: ‘Mitch, Mitch, ya son of a b*tch, itch that scratch and scratch that itch.’ I also play some records backwards to uncover the Satanic backwards maskings.” Check out John’s show online at kows92-5. org, and search for “Maybe Forgotten Forever.” t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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1976 L.T. Hill lt.hill@comcast.net George Spencer gmspencer777@gmail.com My wife, Wendy, and I attended the Class of 1976 50th reunion in May, along with 48 other members of the Class of 1976 and many wives and significant others. It was a wonderful weekend with many familiar faces — some that come often to the reunions, and others that had not been back to the school since graduation. We arrived a little late to the Red & Black Soiree at the brand-new Tsai Commons/Tsai Field House complex. The first person we saw when we walked in the door was Jim Sweeney, attending the event with his wife, Maura. Jim gave me a big hello and an enthusiastic hug as only he can. Later in the weekend, I got a glowing review of Jim’s book, Old School Hoops: Stories of an Aging Baller, from Waddy Francis, who very much enjoyed it. Inside at the Commons we met up with Adele and Clive Herbert. Clive and Adele are retired and live in Cascais, Portugal, a seaside town north of Lisbon that reminds me of Malibu or La Jolla, Calif. — but nicer! Also at the soiree was Doug Fillak, who works part time now as an endodontist at the Chicago area practice he has been with for many years. Doug Christie
has a similar arrangement, putting in two days per week as a radiation oncologist at Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania. Steve Isaacson is a dentist in Princeton who has also now works part time. I envy these medical men! At Wellington Management, where I worked as a portfolio manager, it was all or nothing — no part-time option. On the way to the buffet, I ran into Peter Sharpe P’10. Peter is enjoying the best of both worlds — work and retirement — selling cybersecurity products while living in Amelia Island, Fla. I saw Crane Couch and learned that he is an orthopedic surgeon in Ocala, Fla. Bill Haines and his wife Tricia were also there along with Lloyd Thrower and his wife, Barbara. Bill and Tricia (who grew up with my wife) split time between Massachusetts and Chebeague Island near Falmouth, Maine. Lloyd lives in Silver Springs, Md., and recently retired from an IT management role at the Veterans Administration. After the event, we gathered for cocktails around the fire pit at the Hilton Garden Inn with the Herberts and an assortment of other revelers. I caught up at length with Peter Valiunas. Peter lives in London and operates Armit Wines, an importer and distributor focused on high-end wines for the collector, with Italian wines as a particular specialty. Always a good sport, Peter was able to tolerate the low-priced gargle on offer at the hotel. Also around the fire were Dominique and Mike Caron. The Carons’ retirement revolves
around an aggressive program of world travel. Charlie Farrell, in good spirits and looking years younger than the rest of us, is a retired financial advisor living in Newport Beach, Calif. Cass Caspary, another Woodhull stalwart, was up from Dallas, where he worked as a stock trader. At the bar were Scott Deaktor P’23 ’26 and his lovely wife, Marsha. The Deaktors live in the Pittsburgh area where Scott is still active, developing multifamily housing. Their youngest child, Will ’26, graduated from Lawrenceville this year. Jeff Lyle was there, smiling from ear to ear. He is now loving life in scenic Del Mar, Calif., after a career at Qualcomm. Saturday morning Wendy and I went to the Big Red Shop to load up on some Lawrenceville merch: sweatshirts, tumblers, hats, and a tote bag to hold it all. Next, we walked over to Perry Ross to see if we could locate my Second Form room. It turned out that Perry Ross has been renovated so extensively that I couldn’t locate my old room. The good news is that we bumped into Ralph Morales, who was on a similar scouting expedition. Ralph lives on Saint Simon’s Island in Georgia and was as an orthopedic surgeon in nearby Brunswick, Ga. From Perry Ross we went next door to the Kirby Arts Center to get ready for the Grand March. Inside the Center, Doug Simon, Joe Frumkin P’11, and longtime class treasurer Peter Sharpe presented the head of school with a 50th reunion gift — a giant check for $3,246,943. Holy smokes! Congratulations on a job well done.
Save the Date! June 4–6, 2027
Alumni Reunion Weekend | June 4–6, 2027
Mark your calendar for a weekend of friendship, tradition, and unforgettable moments. Registration opens in January 2027. We hope you’ll join us!
Welcoming back the classes of... 2022 • 2017 • 2012 • 2007 • 2002 • 1997 • 1992 • 1987 1982 • 1977 • 1972 • 1967 • 1962 • 1957 • 1952
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Special praise goes to Doug and Joe, who did great work as the 50th Reunion Committee co-chairs. Joe, who has served on the School’s Board of Trustees for 14 years, has now retired after a career as an M&A lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell. He attended the reunion with his wife, Debra Mayer, also a recovering attorney. Doug lives in Jupiter, Fla., and is a financial advisor at Raymond James, where business seems to be so good that he can’t retire. The class began to assemble on the steps in front of Kirby, with new faces appearing one after another. Herb Axilrod, whom I had not seen since graduation, was in from Dallas with his wife, Lynn. Herb sold his software company six years ago. Before that he was a geologist in the oil and gas industry. Kip Landwehr, also from Dallas, is now retired after a career with Land O’ Lakes. Kip was there with his old roommate, Phil Yuchmow. Phil lives near Charleston, S.C., and certainly looks tanned, happy, and healthy. Tom Quarles and his wife, Marie, jetted in from Portland, Ore., where Tom works as a software engineer on CAD products for Siemens. Tom was part of a strong turnout from our AP Physics class that also included Todd Quackenbush. Todd lives in New Jersey and still has his hand in aerospace research and development for Continuum Dynamics. Rob Reinalda came with his wife, Teresa. He is editor of The Concord Bridge newspaper. Although Rob lives in Chicago, his paper serves Boston-area readers. This, it appears, is how journalism works in the 21st century! Financial journalist Larry Strauss came with his wife, Erin. Larry now freelances after a lengthy career at Barron’s. George Spencer, yet another inkstained wretch, arrived with his bride, Laura. The couple were married last year and live in Hillsborough, N.C. His new book on Alzheimer’s will be followed another work later this year. Tom Hernquist and his wife Elizabeth, in from Enumclaw, Wash., looked stylish and healthy. Tom spent his career in branded consumer food products, including a stint as CEO of Oberto Snacks. Andy Childs came down from Southeastern Massachusetts, where he is a teacher, winding up a varied career in education. Pat Ehret and his wife, Patty, drove up from Philadelphia, where Pat is a financial advisor at Janney Montgomery Scott. Pat told me that 40 members of the Ehret family had attended the Lawrenceville School, including six who were expelled. Ed Rowland looked chipper. He is now does consulting after a career as an executive with Fortune 50-type companies. He says is no longer running, but he is doing some mountain climbing. Rick Stys P’14 arrived with his wife, Jill. He lives in the Hartford, Conn., area and is the treasurer of Hartford HealthCare. Ramsay Barrett P’04 ’06 was there, as funny and irrepressible as ever. Ramsay is a retired petroleum geologist living in Oak Island, N.C. He is still involved with one project, an oil well in Ft. Myers, Fla. (yes, Ft. Myers, Fla!), but he says he is “mostly in charge of jokes and drinking.” The Grand March proceeded from Kirby to a lunch buffet at the Abbott Dining Hall, behind Upper. Herb Axilrod carried the Class of 1976 banner initially, but was relieved by Phil and George, among others, by the time we got to
Abbott. As the March turned the corner for Upper, Waddy Francis suddenly appeared, looking dapper in blazer and sunglasses. After many years in the hospitality industry, mostly running high-end resorts in the Caribbean, he is now living in Providence, R.I. At lunch I sat with my old friend Chris Simpson. He is teaching history to the upper schoolers at The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pa. I spoke with Seth Waugh P’19 ’21, who recently retired as the CEO of the PGA of America and lives in Palm Beach, Fla. He had a boot on his foot because of what he described as “an old man problem,” an injury that he laughingly suggested may have first occurred at Lawrenceville. Pete Voorhees was joined at the reunion by his wife, Carolyn. They live in Annapolis, Md. Tad May was at lunch as well, up from his home in Dallas, a city very well represented at the reunion. Tad is retired now but told us the story of his last business venture, a wine company that he started. Ken Williamson P’05 was there with Kezia Snyder. Ken lives in New York City in the Chelsea neighborhood and works in the events industry. I chatted with Todd Axt with his wife, Leigh. Todd is happily retired after a career as a broker on the floor of the various New York City commodities exchanges. The Axts are now splitting their time between Rumson, N.J., and Delray, Fla. After lunch, the happy and well-fed Class of 1976 gathered on the steps of the Bowl behind Pop Hall for our class picture. The photographers told my wife that our class was the liveliest of all the groups they had photographed that afternoon. From there we went to Upper House to look around. In contrast to the newly refurbished Perry Ross, Upper looks like it has barely been swept out since we graduated. (It will be renovated this year and then converted to a girls’ dormitory.) Next, we wandered over to Hamill House, where we bumped into my old Hamill classmate, Peter Elkind, another friend that I had not seen since Lawrenceville. He lives in Dallas where he is an investigative reporter for ProPublica, following a long career in journalism for publications such as Fortune and Texas Monthly. He has also written several books, including one about the rise and fall of Enron. At Hamill I was able to get in to see my rooms from Third and Fourth Form, and they were the rectangular boxes I remember, but without the paisley tapestries and the large window fan. Our class dinner was held in Abbott Dining Hall, a nicer space than I remembered. Luke Megna set the tone fashion-wise with a seersucker suit and bowtie. Luke and wife Karen have moved to Lancaster, S.C., where Luke heads up a family practice residency program at the Medical University of South Carolina. I chatted with Mark Donlon and his wife, Amy. Their 18-year-old son just went off to college. I think Mark’s attendance at the reunion was in many ways the most impressive by any member of the class. He lost his sight six years ago due to a rare autoimmune disorder. Nils Huehnergarth was in for dinner from Bethlehem, Pa. Nils is retired from a career in marketing for various Fortune 500 companies. His photographs from a trip to Japan were on display at the Hutchins Galleries, which house
the School’s art collection. Rich Chambers was also in from Bethlehem, where he is investing in real estate after selling the family industrial business a few years ago. A local resident in attendance was Julian Gorelli, an attorney in nearby Pennington, N.J. Julian has a 10-year-old daughter who may just be the youngest child of any of our classmates. Duke Wiser P’16 ’19 also lives in the Princeton area. Duke is the CEO and founder of Environmental Dynamics Group, a manufacturer and distributor of indoor air quality technologies. He also spends time at his home in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Dale Critz P’10 still manages his car dealerships in the Savannah, Ga., area. “It doesn’t stop me from making any trips,” he says. I will guess those trips are often for bird hunting and racing vintage automobiles. Wendy and I sat for dinner with the Throwers, the Herberts, and Doug Simon. During dinner, Doug presented an honorary membership in our class to Max Maxwell H’72 ’74 ’79 ’80 ’81 ’86 ’88 ’91 ’93 ’00 ’01, retired English teacher and Dickinson assistant housemaster. Then the Head of School Stephen Murray H’54 ’55 ’63 ’65 ’66 ’16 P’16 ’21 made a few remarks. Seth Waugh announced a new scholarship that he and others have established in honor of Tom Fowler, who passed away last year. Finally, Rob Reinalda called up all the Class of 1976 members that attended Lawrenceville for all five years — Sharpe, Reinalda, Lyle, Christie, Wiser, Quackenbush, and Megna. As I looked at them, I reflected that five years was quite a gauntlet to run at Lawrenceville back in those days. It may have helped to be a day student! After a wonderful and nostalgic dinner with all those classmates, we headed back to the hotel, where a group of us — Thrower, Herbert, Elkind, both Carons, Valiunas, Farrell, Simon, Barrett, Fillak, Frumkin, Deaktor — kept the good times rolling until after midnight, when Chris Simpson ordered in some pizza. It was a weekend to remember. My big takeaway? It is easy to relax and enjoy yourself with the people that you got to know as a teenager.
1977 Kip Hunter khunter@hallestill.com bmassie@hallestill.com Scott Masters writes: “Susan and I just returned from our second trip to Italy and Sicily in the past year. Looking forward to more travel and enjoying our place in Perdido Key, Fla., on the Gulf. Business in Johns Creek is growing and still rewarding. Lots of fun upcoming watching my grandsons play lacrosse and baseball. Still saving for a few more weddings to fund!? Hope to see everyone at the 50th!” “All good in Texas,” according to Todd Caspary. “Spending time weekly between Houston and Rockport, where my mother still lives and is almost 103. The family is all good, with three out of four married with three grandchildren. “Still fishing, hunting and traveling in my t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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spare time. Just got back from Costa Rica and going to Argentina in July for a little duck, dove, and perdiz hunting. Jennifer and I are looking for other places to go this summer to get out of this heat. Ann and Billy Harrison came to Rockport in January for a little hunting and fishing. There may have been a few other extracurricular activities going on (imagine that). Looking forward to seeing everyone next May!” Brad Weeden says, “Just got back from Georgia watching CU Boulder play in the National Club Softball Association World Series; daughter Adelaide is the catcher. The trip included a side junket to Atlanta to visit my sole remaining tax client. Meanwhile, back in Andover, Mass., I bide my time umpiring baseball and trying to keep up with the local gentry. “Son Ben graduated from UMass Dartmouth two years ago, works for Fidelity Investments, and promises to move out of the house eventually. Lori still teaches geology at UMass Lowell and is counting the days (1,837 to be exact) until her pension kicks in. For those of you who remember my mother, she’s alive and well and living in a retirement community in Canandaigua, N.Y. Still 12 years younger than Caspary’s mom. “Like Ellis, I have some happy mental snapshots from the ’70s, mostly related to football and hockey and the grounding that comes with team sports. And, yeah, we got a terrific education along the way. Will try to make our 50th!” In December, Robert McManus pitched his greenhouse model to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Agricultural and Economic Development Team. “It went well,” he says. “Josh has made moves to curb the energy cost spikes associated with data centers. With a huge carbon footprint, and available tech to capture the CO2 from data centers, my greenhouse is well situated. So instead of fighting the data center movement, (lots of retiring farmers don’t want their land going to data centers), now I could partner with the data centers. I sequester the CO2 in fruits and vegetables and keep some of the old farm land … in the AG sector. A pretty good trade. Plus, the data centers promise jobs that they can’t deliver on. My greenhouse is labor intensive, so the 150 workers promised by the data centers to all those local township commissioners will actually happen and not just during the construction process. “I told the same story in California to dairymen and women in the Central Valley. They have dramatic ground water issues. Since I process the dairy cow manure into engineered soil, I protect the ground water from contamination. California State University at Monterey Bay wants me to build them a greenhouse. They don’t have the land for the full 100-acre model, but the shuttered Fort Ord next door does. 24,000 acres controlled by the Bureau of Land Management and the Army. I have reached out to UPenn contacts at the BLM and talks are progressing. Tony DiStefano “moved permanently to our house in Naples, Fla., just about a year ago and has been working remotely with the intention of winding down soon. My expected retirement date is June 30, 2026, so I am looking forward to that so that I can spend more time on the pickleball courts, golf course and swimming laps in the pool among other things.
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“Still keep in touch with Rich Barlow in Boston and saw Arnold Chen P’07 ’10 and his wife for dinner in April when I was in New Jersey for a few days. Looking forward to the 50th.” Sam Selesnick “was busy sorting out some health problems in 2025, but 2026 started off great with a visit to Hookipa Drive, Maui, with Kip and Colleen. Plentiful relaxation, friendship, and sunset cocktails. Looking forward to the 50th.” Matt Minno P’12 ’13 was at Denver U. the evening after the national championship but watching the grandkids prevented me from mobbing the street with the students — congratulations! I retired December 31 and spent three months in Silverthorne skiing 41 days and visiting the kids and grandkids. Retirement is fantastic! Busy as ever with many projects including restoring a Ford 8N tractor. Stay healthy, everyone — let me know if anyone is in or near Tallahassee.” Rich Coomber had dinner with John Griner about 18 months ago when John was visiting Boston. “He said he was nearing retirement,” Rich writes. “So, we just need his ‘retirement’ email.” Anders Fremlin retired 10 years ago. “I spend the cold winter months in Southwest Florida, in Bonita Springs, riding my bike 20-30 miles a day and enjoying the beach life. Then I return to the Northern Virginia, where my wife keeps us busy with various activities, and we get in a few road trips and various trips to destinations around the world as well. Might as well get in the traveling now before my ol’ body can’t.” As the deadline for class notes was bearing down on May 19, Will Sparrow and wife Melanie were in a Birmingham, Ala., medical center waiting room pacing the floors as their youngest daughter, Annie, was “pushing out our first grandson. Baby William, c’mon! Full report later.” Sure enough, Will followed up by day’s end to say that Annie had an unscheduled C-section, but that she and “the real Prince William” were doing just fine. “All is well in New York,” says Carl Haywood. “Still in Solar, going back and forth between Burlington and Vermont. My CEO is a Kevin Ellis client. My wife and I celebrated 40 years of marriage on May 17! Wow, we are getting old! We went to Puerto Rico with Garry Howard and wife and friends to celebrate Garry’s wife’s birthday. No, I do not know how old she is. “On May 8, I returned to campus for Career Day and gave a presentation on my two careers. It was very satisfying to be there and spend time with the current students. Mrs. Maxwell came to see one of my presentations. Seeing her almost brought me to tears. The Maxwells meant a whole lot to the Black students during our time at the ’Ville. I am going back for ’76’s 50th in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to seeing you old men next year! Carl added that “We are loving our three grandsons. Two in Pensacola. One in Jersey City. We get to see him all of the time. Managing my 92-year-old dad, who has Alzheimer’s, with my siblings is a huge task.” Jim Garrett is “finishing my 44th year of teaching English at University School outside of Cleveland and still trying (and failing) to reach the
superior teaching level we all knew because of Waugh, Atlee, Doggett, Weeden, Akers, Cole, etc. I get to Burlington, Vt., occasionally to visit my son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren.” “All is well here in Skillman, outside Princeton,” reports Jeff Hoisington P’07. “We are caring for aging parents and running 10-plus miles per week. My wife Ellen P’07 is running a family financial service business in Princeton, which leaves me time for volunteer work and golf. Our grandchildren keep us busy (two in Denver, one in Annapolis, four in Philadelphia), and we are doing some traveling. We just visited the Peace and Justice Museum in Montgomery, Ala. One of the most incredible and touching museums we have ever visited; some similarities to the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. The displays are as professional as anything you will see in New York. I highly recommend it. We also had great food in Oxford, Miss., Memphis, and Montgomery. “I am excited to see everyone next year at our 50th?! As I said to my son on his 40th birthday recently, I don’t know who your father is, but happy birthday.” “All good here,” writes Dave Barnes P’11 ’13 ’19 from his corner of the Berkshires. “Miss you guys. Retired from corporate life as an executive search consultant two years ago and have been enjoying travel, grandkids (two so far) and coaching girls’ high school lacrosse. Still play competitive old-guy lax in a few tourneys every year, but 2026 is probably the last hurrah. “My wife, Mary Kate H’59 P’11 ’13 ’19, retired from Lawrenceville after 33 great/memorable years, and we moved off-campus to rural Williamstown, Mass., full time in 2024. Our three amazing daughters (all Lawrenceville grads!) are launched and keep us smiling. I feel so lucky to have had the Lawrenceville experience, and it started with you guys back in the early ’70s. Wow! Not sure I fully appreciated it at the time, but I’d like to think that I do now. Reminded of our shared memories when I connect with some of you — Sparrow, Fish, Weeden, Willard, Ellis, Blomfield, Danko, and others. You keep me smiling. Be well, stay healthy, and see you in 2027!” John “Boomer” Blomfield “is living in a modest four-bedroom house in northern New Jersey where a mob-owned ice cream stand was recently burned to the ground and the treasurer of the local Elks Club was accused of extortion. Fairly typical. “Married with three daughters and a dog named Rex. Spend time doing crossword puzzles and checking things off my three bucket list lists, namely reading all the presidential biographies (I’m up to Wilson), watching all Oscar Best Pictures (just finished A Man for All Seasons) and going to all the MLB ballparks (bonus: actually saw a game in Montreal back in the day). “Still working as a financial services consultant and trying to get to the Y four or five times a week because that recumbent bike isn’t going to ride itself. Hope you are all well and we catch up at the 50th!” Kevin Ellis says, “it turns out Mike Abrams was living down the street from me in D.C. We emailed. Then I did nothing and fled back to the garden in Vermont for the summer.
“Please tell Gary Ma that I am on the senior men’s USTA tennis circuit. Never gonna beat him but I wanted him to know. Tell Hoisington that his mug pops up on my Facebook page every day. Not sure why. Scott Silvester just subscribed to my Substack newsletter. I emailed to thank him and he emailed back. He was the first guy I welcomed to L’ville for early football. “As for me: writing a Substack newsletter about our nutty politics. Get it here: kevinkellis52.substack.com. I’m also hosting a weekly podcast about same issues called Conflict of Interest. I’m playing masters tennis around New England with sneaky trips to Florida. Living in various warmer climates during the winter to escape Vermont. This year is San Francisco. Looking for an apartment right now and would welcome tips from locals. Criteria are: near the ocean, near Golden Gate Park, near a great coffee shop and yoga studio. Bay window. Four kids getting married and having good lives. “And another thing: I still think almost daily about throwing a bomb to Harrison for a TD against Hill junior year. And John Blomfield kicking the extra point to beat Germantown with a second on the clock senior year. Almost daily. Great or pathetic?” Jimmy Meyer has “been retired since April 2024. I am staying busy traveling and renovating an old house for my son, who got married in October 2025. Fortunately for me, he and his wife live only five blocks from me. So, for the past year I have been on the job site everyday monitoring the progression of the renovation. Old homes in New Orleans that are taken down
to the studs always hold hidden costs, but the end result is worth the frustration. I am looking forward to our 50th reunion next year. Hopefully we will have another big turnout similar to your 40th.” Rudy von Strasser shared news from his annual Colorado ski trip. “We are getting older, but still hitting the slopes, sharing stories with the next generation, and — most importantly — able to polish off an imperial of wine (6 liters) in one night. With Rudy were Quinn Christie ’09, son of the late Brian Christie P’09, Chris Roser, Harrison Roser, host Gurney Sloan, Cam Cornish, Jack Roser, Jeff Engelson, and Bruce Rosenthal. As for Rudy himself, “I have sold all my wineries, which is fortuitous given a general industry downturn. However, I still make wine for a company called nakedwines.com, which has three or four of my SKUs in it. If any Lawrenceville alumni are members, I hope they look for it.” Tim Murray says, “My friends Gabriel and Franco helped me sail the old sloop, Yagan, to Tortel — a well-protected harbor in a very good location in Patagonia. Franco and I took a short trip down to see the ice at the Jorge Montt Glacier. I hope to do much more exploring next season.” Duke Wilson is “still practicing law in Brooklyn with my accountant son as my assistant, raising my 10-year-old and living in New Jersey. Looking forward to seeing everyone next year!” Matt Hill claims his “news is pretty pedestrian. I’m not podcasting, traveling anywhere
to hunt anything, awaiting a grandchild, or approaching five decades in the classroom... “Still working full time at U.S. Sailing, where I cat-herd about 700 volunteer officials around the country. Since the Olympic sailing competition will be in L.A. in July 2028, we are ramping up our training to prepare a large group of volunteers to support the Games. “Life in Rhode Island is good. Chris and I (and Max, our yellow lab) enjoy our gardens and opportunities to get out on the water in our small boat. Our son and his fiancée are corporate attorneys in NYC, working endlessly and dreaming of the day when they can work remotely from Montana. Looking forward to seeing you all next May — let’s make it a record-breaking 50th!
1978 Gregory A. Williamson P’09 gwilliamson78@gmail.com It’s been a while since we’ve had some notes in The Lawrentian but many of us have kept up with each other on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms that share our daily adventures, milestones, memes, gatherings, and the highlights of family. I’d like to thank everyone that participates and keeps us bonded in each other’s lives. It’s hard to believe that our 50th reunion is less than two years away, so, my commitment in the next two years will be an attempt to convince many of you to plan to attend. I’m hoping we can
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81 plus 16?: Fathers and their children, George Moore ’81 P’16 and Faith Moore ’16, Bob Bahadori ’81 P’16 and Cyrus Bahadori ’16, and Eliot Heher ’81 P’16 and Abby Heher ’16.
Rhonda Growney, Ken Growney ’78, Michelle Williamson P’09 and Greg Williamson ’78 P’09 spent some time at Disney World in February.
Bob Schwartz ’81 P’17, Jeff Levy ’81 P’20, and Steve Friedman ’81 enjoyed several days of amazing golf at Bandon Dunes in Oregon.
Mark Goodman ’81, Kinsey Dyckman ’81 P’17 ’20, and Greg Evans ’81 played some padel during Alumni Reunion Weekend.
Lower School buddies Jeff Nason ’82 and Matt Peluso ’82 reconnected at their class’s annual Holiday Dinner in New York.
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warm up to that grand event with many smaller local gatherings as many of us have more time on our hands these days. And I want to thank all my classmates that wished me well in retirement and for all the shared posts of adventures around the world. And sometimes, it’s just the simple birthday wishes that keep us in touch. Personally, I had been working part time for the last five years and formally retired from Bond at the end of April. Now I have more time to spend with two grandchildren, travel, and continuing home renovations on my home and all three of my kids’ homes (as you’ve seen progress shots if you follow on Facebook). Still adventuring in British Columbia with an annual heli trip, but also spent some time in Utah skiing with friends. I was in the Tucson dessert on a bike trip when I finally caught up with Sean Casey, now living outside of San Diego and still active in research and the space program. Didn’t know he was in San Diego when I was there in January, but we plan to find a winery tour or two in Temecula when I next visit. Also looking forward to catching up with Lou Phillips between his film production efforts. Ken, Lou, Woj and I got to spend the day on the set of Song Sung Blue last summer while Lou was filming in New Jersey. My wife Michelle P’09 and I have enjoyed having the Tim P’06 ’10 ’12 and Carolyn Wojciechowicz P’06 ’10 ’12 closer to Boston since they moved to Rye, N.H., to be closer to their kids and grandkids and we get together quite often. Last fall we spent an amazing three weeks touring Croatia by car, boat, and bike. Spent some time in Florida introducing my grandson Callan, son of Zack ’09 and Kelsey, to Disney in February, joined by Rhonda and Ken Growney for many laughs. Text and message often with Skip Gilbert, who is hard to track down with all his endeavors but hope to get together soon. Who knew so many classmates kept bees? Ted Henning has posted with pictures in his full garb and Paul McDowell just posted that his bees didn’t winter very well this year, but he’s still actively kite boarding. My son, Jay, has had an eventful spring with swarming hives in Ithaca searching for their next hives on at least three occasions. I see many posts from Elliot Wislar P ’09 ’10 ’14, Warren Breig and his brother Scott ’80, Paul Coppe, Roger Steffens, James Gould, Bill Canilang, Mike Curtis, Steve Salguero from Spain, and the humorous Glenn Scanlan (his kitty dialogues should be in a book, not to mention his parking police diligence). Ross McLeod and his sidekick, Fiona, have seen more vertical miles in the New Hampshire Whites than all of us put together. Julian Fisher’s sailing adventures and house renovations. Charles Bayless has collected over 1,500 poems that he is now matching with artists’ works for a published work of over twelve volumes so far, working alphabetically, and he’s only up through the letter N. Rob Sidon posted of his amazing journey through India and Burning Man. And these just in from Paul Coppe: “I’m still practicing landlord/tenant law in NYC. Three kids and two step-kids are all grown up. I married Betsy Pisik on Oct 14, 2023 and we see Betsy’s
old Washington Times pal, Sean Piccoli ’81, pretty regularly. Life is good.” Ed Jordan shared, “I just came back from a week in Scotland playing golf with Jim Prey, now retired in Florida. We played Cruden Bay, Trump Aberdeen, Royal Aberdeen, Royal Dornoch, and Castle Stewart, all up in the Aberdeen area. We then finished our trip down in St. Andrews and played the Jubilee course and the Old Castle course and finished up at Crail. Eight rounds in seven days. Fabulous trip and a wonderful way to spend time with my closest friend of 52 years.” Keep in touch. Keep posting to share the highlights, the mundane and the snark. And take the time to reach out to classmates you haven’t caught up with in some time. We’ve all got some stories to share.
1979
Horsing Around: Larry Ostema ’82 visited Earl Robbins ’82 P’24 at historic Keeneland Race Course in Lexington.
Joe Platzner ’82 has embarked on a second career: bringing a super-efficient commercial jet to market.
David Ellis davidaellis61@gmail.com
1980 Paul Dewey pablodewey@me.com Terry Cryan terencecryan@netscape.net
1981 Mark Goodman MGoodmanhome@gmail.com Jeff Levy P’20 jclevy@me.com Russ Gibson and Duncan flew 1,300 feet over Cappadocia, Turkey, in a hot air balloon. And that’s not all he’s been up to: “I wanted to let everyone know that I started a podcast last year called Explorations All Over. It’s on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I also have a YouTube channel under the same name.”
1982 Trey Kraus lvillealumni82@comcast.net In December, we had a great turnout for our Second Annual NYC ’82 Holiday Party at the Old Town Bar & Restaurant. In attendance were Noah Kauff, Andrew Weinberg P’22, Minson Chen, Barry Gonzalez, Bob Zochowski P’13, Dave Lee P’16, Ed Najarian, Don Ross P’11, Justin Burke, Chris Niblock P’13, Kevin Conover, Jonathan Stephenson, Larry Ostema, John Bettex, Matt Peluso, Shawn Lynch, Pete Maruca, Trey Kraus, and Charise Hall. It was next to perfect. Jeff Nason was in town from Portugal, Stephenson from Bermuda, Niblock from Louisville, and Ostema from Charlotte. Joe Platzner updates us with “I failed retirement, and I’m at Otto Aerospace looking at options to bring a super-efficient commercial
Michael McLaughlin ’83 P’12 ’16 ’20, Rob Danzig ’83, John Alsobrook ’83, Kevin Kostelnik ’83, Jeff Spano ’83, and Fritz Thomas ’83 P’18 ’19 returned to Lawrenceville in March for a Celebration of Life for Carol Cole P’91 ’95.
jet to market. Picked up an old Volvo 122, so I can relive my L’ville years. We got our first dog, Maisy, because life is short. Rock on.” Michael Jackonis notes “it is all sunshine and surf down here in Jacksonville, Fla.! Retirement is wonderful — especially time with my grandson. Great to see both Joe P and Nibs when each was in town. Be sure to visit if down this way!” It’s not a secret anymore that Michael’s daughter, Kasey, is expecting No. 2. We’re all so happy for the Jackonises and Gilliams. David Chua writes, “My oldest son, Caleb, is graduating from Purdue University (computer science) in a couple of weeks, so my wife and I will be heading out to West Lafayette for the festivities. Empty nesting proved to be shortlived as Caleb will be returning to the Bay Area to work for Amazon AWS and living at home.” Robert Zochowski was elected vice president of our School’s Board of Trustees last year after three years on the board. Around the same time, Bob’s daughter, Kelly ’13, married another Big Red, Peter Kuenne ’13. Double Congrats! Jim Gidicsin P’17 and I caught up with each other for a dinner in January at a nice Greenwich, Conn., restaurant with a nice beer list, of course.
We talked a lot of baseball and the upcoming 45th. Gid’s recoveries from Achilles, knee, and shoulder repairs are progressing nicely. Not that it’s a big secret, but this just reaffirms that catchers are the real tough guys and take a beating. Matt Peluso, Paul Sweeney, and I met up for the Yale at Princeton men’s basketball game, where we bumped into Joe and Clara there to watch their youngest, Jacob, play for Yale. I was there for this year’s viral commencement address by Eric Church at the UNC graduation; check it out on YouTube. It was my nephew’s graduation from the undergrad Kenan-Legler Business School. Between the B-school and university graduations, there happened to be a UNC vs. Albany NCAA lacrosse tournament game. I just had to go with my son and nephew, passing on lunch at Four Corners in favor of lax, hot dogs, and beer. Of course, Big Red and Tarheel Lax standout Robbie Russell was in attendance and joined me for a catch-up conversation while the Heels destroyed Albany. Robbie tells me he is still traveling all over the globe and squeezes in visits with his daughter in Boston and son closer in Charlotte. If you haven’t t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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Sang-yul “Tony” Lee ’86 and his Hamill housemates enjoyed Alumni Reunion Weekend, particularly with The Crutch, which reminded them that they were 2-0 in 1983-84 against their rivals from Kennedy.
been, a visit to Chapel Hill is worth the trip. Don’t forget to follow our private Facebook group, Lawrenceville Class of ’82, and save the date for our 45th reunion June 4-6, 202 … good practice for our 50th!
1983 Michael McLaughlin P’12 ’16 ’20 mclaughlinbooks@gmail.com [Ed. Note: Almost as soon as the Winter/Spring Lawrentian hit mailboxes, Ted Jobes wrote to let us know that on page 58 of the issue, we misidentified a photo of him and Alex Copp in Maine as Alex and Andy Reed in California. Other than that, it was totally accurate! But seriously, the editor apologizes for this error. — S.R.] I’m writing this in May from ThrillerFest in New York City, where I’m plotting the demise of innocent characters with other thriller authors. The book tour for my fifth thriller novel, No Harm Intended, continues next week. Hopefully, I’ll see some classmates on the road. Otherwise, let me know when you’re in the Lawrenceville area so we can catch a game at the School or enjoy a beer together. In March, several classmates joined the Celebration of Life for Carol Cole P’91 ’95 in Abbott Dining Hall. Kudos to the Hamill House guys — Rob Danzig, John Alsobrook, Kevin Kostelnik, Jeff Spano, and Fritz Thomas P’18 ’19 — for traveling to pay their respects to Carol, her husband Graham Cole H’75 ’77 ’78 ’80 ’85 ’86 ’87 P’91 ’95, and their family. I learned more about Hamill House lore in those hours than ever before, including some stories not suitable for mentioning here. Dave Litton reached out. He’s retiring in June after spending his 27-year, post-Ph.D. career at Pratt & Whitney as a high temperature coatings subject matter expert. He helped make the hot section of military and commercial jet engines run faster, longer, and cheaper. He plans to get better at guitar, fish, golf, exercise, and travel with his wife and their dog. They’ll be in the West Hartford, Conn., area for the foreseeable future and would love to catch up with anyone passing
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through. Thanks to Phil Lam, Matt Frohling, Eric Raskopf, and Charlie Henneman for moderating our Lawrenceville Class of ’83 Facebook page. If you haven’t already, check it out. We’d love to hear from you.
1984 Peter Bratti peter@userlogic.com
1985 James Strader jstrader@quattromedia.com Sean Kisner KIZNAR67@gmail.com
1986 Mike Glen mglen6@yahoo.com There’s a lot of ground to cover in this one, from the highs of a fantastic 40th reunion weekend to the very low low that is the loss in March of our classmate Knox Weymouth. We’ll start this one with contributions about Knox from J.C. Keeler and Lee Underwood. From JC Keeler: “Knox and I went to Alaska the summer after graduation in 1986 and worked in a fish cannery. He was 18 and I was 17 (legally, a minor), and it was the first great adventure of our lives. We both had the same fake ID Burton made, so we told everyone we were brothers. We camped in the cannery parking lot with South America migrants, Michigan bikers, paroled felons, recent college grads, social dropouts, misfits — you name it. We were the youngest by far. Knox was a camp favorite and I marveled at the ease with which he navigated this host of humanity. Everyone was drawn to his easy smile and take-’em-as-they-come attitude. I learned a lot from that. Regretfully, we fell out of touch over the years and I find myself in a Stand By Me moment of profound reflection today,
ruminating on the bonds of young adulthood and the magic of life just starting. Rest well, my friend; yours was a bright and glowing light.” And from Lee Underwood: “Knox and I became close at Lawrenceville, where we played two years together on varsity lacrosse. I still vividly remember a certain ‘music concert’ weekend at his family home out in ‘Horse Country’… an all-time classic that, for legal and reputational reasons, is best left largely undocumented. We went on to be freshman-year roommates at UVM and had an unforgettable year. “With Vermont’s drinking age at 18 and discounted student season passes at Mad River Glen, the odds were not exactly stacked in favor of academic excellence — yet somehow, we pulled off a minor miracle. After finishing near the bottom of the class at L’ville, we found ourselves near the top at UVM. Our strategy was hardly sophisticated: push each other to show up to class, study an hour after lax/hockey practice, and maybe a couple more on the weekend. We kept waiting for the hammer to drop, but it never did. It turns out L’ville had quietly given us better habits than we realized — and being able to ‘kind of’ write a paper, combined with simply showing up, went a long way. “Over the years, I was lucky to spend time in Maui with Knox and his wonderful family: his wife Dori, their three kids, and his cousin Brett and Brett’s wife, Shannon (who was at UVM with us). Knox wasn’t always the most consistent at staying in touch, but he was always there when it mattered. No matter how much time had passed, we were always able to pick up right where we left off. We lost him far too early, but he squeezed more out of life than most people do with twice the time. I will miss his sharp, absolutely non-PC humor, his genuine kindness, and his ability to make everything feel lighter and more fun. He was truly one of a kind — and the world is unquestionably less fun without him. R.I.P. my brother — see you on the other side!” Lee went on to add: “Both Dan Tapiero P’20 ’22 and I live in Dorado Beach Resort, Puerto Rico. I have two guest rooms and would love to have any of our class and their families come and visit us. My email is lee@cstarz.com and my cell is 305-890-4567.” It was great to catch up with Lee at the reunion, and also to witness the ceremonial dedication of the new weight training facility in the Tsai Field House, which he has donated. The main reason our reunion was so fantastic is that 56 of us showed up, the third highest turnout on record for a 40th. I would include the list of names here, but it’s too long! For those who weren’t there (an even longer list..), here’s some of what you missed: Friday night’s party in the new field house was well attended and exciting because more and more old long-lost friends appeared (as anticipated). There was at least one after-party, and the one I attended was at a house in Princeton rented by John Lee and others, which got a great boost when Eric Mitchell and Sam Moon rolled in straight from the airport around midnight. John Lee and company hosted even more of us late-night on Saturday and it was a great venue for nonstop laughter. Our Saturday afternoon “Real Stories Session” was incredible. J.C. Keeler was an excellent emcee and teller of his story on the impact his best friend’s life and death has had
on his life. Rob Bergman told his very moving story about how cancer dramatically changed his perspective on life. Bob Bonacci’s story of his journey to becoming a primary care doctor in Montrose, Colo., was wonderful and often hilarious. Eric Mitchell’s telling of his story of admittance to Lawrenceville and his path to CEO of a nonprofit was awesome. And Randall Krongard, for whom Phil Johnston gave an impromptu introduction story of praise about a time when they were both journalists in D.C., finished off the session with his humble and very funny story about his journey into cold plunging and film-making, ending with the showing of a clip from his latest movie featuring him beating the crap out of a lot of mean-looking bad guys. So great. At Saturday’s dinner, Sam Moon delivered a heartfelt toast naming all the classmates we’ve lost. This is also when we inducted our four new honorary classmates: Dr. Tim Brown H’84 ’04 ’20 P’04 ’08 (in absentia), Bill Tredway H’81 ’88 ’96 ’10 GP’21 (posthumously), Max Maxwell H’72 ’74 ’76 ’79 ’80 ’81 ’88 ’91 ’93 ’00 ’01, and Hal Wilder H’77 ’89 ’15 P’97. Bill Tredway was represented by Kim Lester ’89 P’21, who spoke beautifully of Treds to the crowd. Max Maxwell and Hal Wilder both spoke at length of how deeply touched they were and of how amazing our class was (is!), with a lot from Hal Wilder about his national champions water polo team. Through our reunion-related outreach, some long-lost classmates were found and great long catch-up conversations were had. I reconnected with Clem Kim for the first time since graduation and we talked for two and half hours, a personal record. He’s doing well and living near Dallas. I have also communicated with Mike Park, Jerry McGinn, Charles Hoots, and Brad Bauer, who sent us this: “OK, time for My first update — Moved back home from Annapolis, Md., to Pittsburgh, specifically, Oakmont, Pa. Loving and sympathetic wife of 30 years, Kelly, from college. Two beautiful daughters, Brooke and Allison and dog Sam. Recently, retired from career in orthodontia spanning 30 years. Newly minted and much the amateur boat owner with interests in golfing, traveling, sports, and attending live music. Should any classmates be in or around Pittsburgh please reach out to me directly at 410-212-2723, as I would be happy to host any/all of the above. Best, Brad.” Following Alumni Reunion Weekend, Sang-yul “Tony” Lee writes that it was “So fantastic to see so many from the Class of 1986 at our 40th!” Pics of Hamill House mini-reunions in 2001 and 2026 — with the Crutch this year which shows that we were 2-0 in 1983-84. Lastly, we have this note from John Lee: “It was great to see so many classmates at the 40th reunion. At Randall Krongard’s suggestion, we rented a house in Princeton, which included fellow Kennedy alums Kendrick Wakeman P’10, Won “Suka” Suh, Drew Glikbarg, Pete Thauer, Randall, and I. It was guys only as Randall forbade any wives or girlfriends — so a little ‘old school’ feel for one of the last boys-only classes. “After the campus reunion dinners, we hosted many other classmates afterwards as well, including Mike Glen, Dave Dodge, JC Keeler, Manish Gautam, Eric Mitchell, Sam Moon … the list goes on but my Negroni-fueled memory does not. Lots of fun late into the night
Will Chua ’87 and Jon Kahn ’87 reconnected during the 35th reunion of Princeton University’s Class of 1991 in May.
Jay Dykhouse ’88, standing above the Moskva River in Moscow, is in the city as the Charge d’Affaires — the title for the diplomat leading an embassy in the absence of an ambassador.
with only minor damage to the house and Suka’s face. I enjoyed catching up with everyone, and a special shout-out to the reunion committee for arranging all the events.” Yours truly, Mike
1987 John R.P. Moore-Jones jmoorejones@hotmail.com Len Accardi lvilleclassof87notes@gmail.com
1988 Cat Bramhall cat@bramhall.com Flip Romanelli philip.romanelli@cantabgold.net Dan Rose drbroadway@gmail.com We begin with my best correspondent this time around, Ari Klingman (best as in the one
who provided info on the highest number of other classmates). Ari is splitting time between Windham, N.Y., and Astoria, Queens, in NYC while his twins are now finishing seventh grade. His work in media/tech saw him spending 2023 working on the Las Vegas Sphere build and now revamping distribution at Paramount-CBS. He reports that he is “Working too hard for too little, but playing and adventuring where I can. Still teaching snow sports at Windham Mountain Club, and still spending summers sailing on the weekends.” Living near Manhattan means Ari gets to see many classmates regularly, including Alex Suh, Alexander Durst, Masashi Katayama, Dan Rose, and Simon Wasserberger. It also means he has the opportunity to connect with classmates just passing through the Big Apple (like me, for instance). He says Michel Faliero, Jenny Rose Savino, Peter Hodder all came through fairly recently. Bear Bashford is now making a couple of trips a year to the city, and they’ve re-connected. Allison Gillespie Spears came through earlier this year, and Ari writes that “Bron Jones does his stand-up comedy regularly here, though it’s been a minute since I’ve seen him.” Bron was actually supposed to t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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Masashi Katayama ’88, Alex Suh ’88, Bear Bashford ’88, and Ari Klingman ’88 got together in New York.
Flip Romanelli ’88, Taylor Hwong ’88, Adrian Argento ’88 and several family members competed as “Yabba-Dabba-Don’t” in the Cardboard Boat Regatta in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass.
Peter Hodder ’88 visited Ari Klingman ’88 recently in New York.
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Rob Bernardino ’89 (right) competed in the 2025 East African Safari Classic Rally.
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also come to D.C. for a gig, but plans changed; I look forward to seeing him (and his show) when he does make it down. Saw him in his hometown of Yardley, Pa., years ago (where Chris Harding was mayor from 2014 to 2025, incidentally), and laughed myself silly. Also in that area is Dan Kramli, who owns New Hope Fitness in, appropriately, New Hope, Pa., an absolutely delightful spot that the cognoscenti in Philadelphia and New York like to visit for romantic getaways. The setting for this next classmate is considerably bleaker. The State Department’s Jay Dykhouse is not only now “our man in Moscow,” he’s “the man” in Moscow, where he’s been since June 2025, most of that time as the Charge d’Affaires (the title for the diplomat leading an embassy in the absence of an ambassador). He says — diplomatically — “As you might imagine, it’s been an interesting time to be here.” A picture of him by the Moskva River should grace the pages (given the paucity of classmates in the area, I hope they’ll waive the usual rule of thumb of multiple Lawrentians for a photo to be accepted). Jay and Taylor Hwong and I met up for dinner here in the D.C. area last year before Jay got the posting abroad. Taylor is a vice president for Hill International, an international Construction / Project Management firm, and among other duties is working business development on the government side. So, he occasionally comes to D.C. now and I get to see him. His son, Teddy, is following in his footsteps, playing hockey at Princeton Day School, just as Taylor did before joining us at L’ville. Daughter Caitlin is following family tradition in another way by attending boarding school at Saint Andrew’s in Delaware, where she is the coxswain for the varsity crew. I’ll often stop by to see Taylor, his kids, and his lovely wife, Jessica, on my sporadic trips to NYC. On Memorial Day, I got to see not only Taylor and Jessica, but also Vivian and Adrian Argento and their daughters Ava and Simone. Simone’s following in her father’s Periwig and Glee Club footsteps as an accomplished actress and singer in her high school. Like her sister, Ava is also a talented singer and guitar player, and is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Adrian has just bought a new (to him) 34-foot sailboat, and is becoming more expert than he thought he’d need to be on the ways of diesel engines. When not running his own business, Argento Scientific, he’s often in or on the water in his coastal town of Manchester-by-the-Sea. For Columbus Day last year, Taylor and I joined Adrian for a sail in his previous boat, before we all (along with his wife Vivian and daughters Ava and Simone) acted as shipwrights for our entry into the Cardboard Boat Regatta in their town of Manchester-by-the-Sea. Every boat had to have a theme, so ours was The Flintstones, and our craft was dubbed the “Yabba-Dabba-Don’t.” Despite the negative moniker, Taylor and Adrian rowed it to a soggy victory — their second in a row! (I missed the fun in 2024.) Sadly, his son Ian was too busy with med school at Thomas Jefferson University to make it home for this. Ian lives in Center City Philadelphia in a med school fraternity with a precarious but amazing rooftop deck, and a fully-stocked bar in the basement, and I am not jealous of him at all. A photo of our
victorious team should appear in these pages. Now that Jin and David Kwon have returned to northern Virginia from their long sojourn in California, I get to see them regularly as well. David is senior director, medical affairs, for the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis. Sadly, this results in more trips to New Jersey than to the Alps, but it also allows him to work remotely much of the time. Their three children, Peter, Alison, and Sophia are growing up fast — literally for Peter, who is now considerably taller than David or I. Which is useful, as he’s on highly competitive volleyball teams and may wind up playing in college as well. Speaking of college, in May Maritza Rodriguez’s son, Daniel, graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with his bachelor’s in English. He was also inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and received the University’s Dr. B. B. Moeur Award for his perfect cumulative 4.0 grade point average. Did I mention he’s just 19 years old? I know the kids say Facebook is passé, but it allowed me to reconnect (virtually) with Wayne Lyle ’87, who is a professional musician — bassist and vocalist — living and working in the greater NYC area. The timing was fortuitous, as he has just dropped a new album, “Hello, Galaxy” with intriguingly titled songs like “Sedona” and “Rotten Town.” Both are great, but I like the sunnier, smoother “Sunrise,” which includes this fantastic line: “New Jersey winters come out swinging, and they just don’t stop.” Can confirm! Finally, I want to thank Jenny Rose Savino for her very kind “get out the vote effort” and everyone else reading this who voted/rooted for me: I was elected as one of the Selectors for the 2026-29 term. The Selectors are the group that chooses Trustees for the School. I’ll do my best to ensure we choose bright and thoughtful leaders like our multiple classmates who’ve already served as Trustees: Jeannie Ringo Tarkenton, Meredith Whitney, Leita Hamill H’65 ’97 ’99 P’96 ’99, and Jeremy Mario P’16 ’20. Sort of tempted to bring them all back along with contemporary trustees like Goodwin Gaw ’87 (brother of our own Kenny Gaw) and attempt a “Best of the ’80s” board. Probably not good for a multi-generational governance board, but in terms of music, our era clearly stands above all others.
On a visit to Lawrenceville, Andrew Bullock ’89 proved his captaincy to his children at the captains’ board in Tsai Field House.
Jim Floerchinger ’89 on the beach in New Zealand, which he now calls home.
This 7-pound bass was “hands down the largest freshwater thing” O.J. Wharton ’89 had ever seen, let along caught.
Military man Sam Smith ’89 also applies his aviation talents to making the occasional beer run.
1989 J.P. Kyrillos jkyrillos@mac.com O.J. Wharton wharton.oliver@gmail.com Hello, all! Another year has passed and although we are getting tired of trying to coerce notes from many of you, it is still fun to get the random notes and photos! Lawrenceville is filled with so many great memories and so it is all worthwhile. The highlight was seven of us getting together in Alabama (see below notes!). My (O.J.’s) identical twin boys have enjoyed separate boarding schools this year and my daughter graduates high school! So, I am in the thick of it and this time in their life is when we all met! I get to talk
Jerome Moore ’89, Thacher Worthen ’89, Scott Nevin ’89 P’25, O.J. Wharton ’89, Johnny McIlwaine ’89, Peter Knight ’89, Bob Ehret ’89 P’19 enjoyed a few days of hunting, fishing, and laughter on Jerome’s Alabama farm.
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with J.P. almost every week, so I am even luckier that way! If anyone is passing through Michigan this summer, come say “hi” as we have a home in Charlevoix! J.P. Kyrillos and family have settled back into Stateside living in Fair Haven, N.J. Dannielle is building a psychotherapy practice in NYC. Caspian, 14, starts high school next year at RFH and at 6 feet tall is obsessed with basketball. Calliope, 11, is a very good bass player and jams with her dad (new to drums) on the weekends. J.P. and I have partnered up to scale Tekka Bar at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas to bring the best Japanese handrolls across the country. So, stay tuned! Stating with a few great catch ups with Andrew Bullock! The highlight being a video he found from November 1988 (yes, in color) showing his epic hit of P.J. Melnik ’88, who after Lawrenceville had a PG year at Choate. I personally will net forget the hit as I has a great view on the sidelines most of the game! He recently visited Lawrenceville and please note captain of the ’88-’89 team! His daughter, Emma Mae is winning cross country races, and his A.J. is a heck of a swimmer who competes in BJJ. Tina and he are both attorneys working together and focused on a video gaming addiction epidemic that seems to be adversely affecting the futures of our youth. I hope to see him upon his next Vegas trip! A great note from Rob Bernardino: “2025 ended on a high note. I competed as a co-pilot in the 2025 East African Safari Classic Rally, considered the hardest classic rally, spanning eight days and over 3,000 kilometers of racing. Out of 58 cars starting the rally we finished 28th. This is my first competitive rally after two years of training and rally schools. Yes, it was crazy. [Check out “The Official Un-Official Documentary of Car #42 at East African Safari Classic Rally” on YouTube to see coverage.] “I’m in Monterey, Calif. If you are ever in our neck in the woods, give me a holler. Other great news is our oldest son, Trevor, graduated high school and started freshman year at NYU-Tisch where he is studying musical theatre. Our younger son, August is in seventh grade.” Great in person catch up with Doug “Fresh” Jones and his partner, Diane. We swapped many life stories and children highlights. He is celebrating 20 years at Hill as water polo coach and a teacher overseeing wellness and mental health, which is just awesome. We went on to enjoy some Phish after some great sushi fish at our newest spot, Nomikai at The Venetian (shameless plug! We are next to the Sphere, literally, so come on by anytime!). So good to see Hamill brothers! A great note from down under from another water polo stud and now teacher as well — Jim Floerchinger. Jim sends his best from New Zealand. He is teaching CIE (A2/AS) Business Studies at Auckland Grammar School. Previously, he imported medical devices for 14 years. He is also still coaching water polo for school and club. I asked how he landed there and he gave me the impressive background as he came to play and coach water polo after finishing undergrad. Stayed three years. Returned home for 10, coached one year in NYC, at Harvard for five
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years, California for four, for a chance to move back in 2007 again for water polo. Didn’t leave this time. Son was born in 2008, and he’s going to turn 18 in November. Anyone who is planning a visit to New Zealand is encouraged to say hello! Great always to catch up with Sam Smith! He obviously has an esteemed military career but to make a beer run with a plane is kind of impressive to us! He texted me: “The family is doing great with our oldest son, Hayden, commissioned in the Marine Corps last year and currently in Pensacola, Fla., learning to fly. Middle son, Carter, is graduating from Syracuse this May, and the youngest, Bennett is finishing freshman year, also at Syracuse. Molly keeps us all on our toes. Meanwhile, I now spend my hard-earned cash flying to different places to buy beer. Everybody is welcome to come visit in West Hartford, Conn., and go for a beer run.” Two highlights from my calls were to another Hamill brother — Eddie Buck! My former skater partner! He is in Oakland and works with Evocative, an original data center company. He and I got together a decade ago and had a few pops in San Francisco. He is now married, no kids he said, “yet!” He has not been back to L’ville since the ’90s and hopes to make it back for the next big one! I caught Hal Bouma in between meetings! He is based in Chicago and works with a web-based hosting company. He only had a few moments as he had a security priority and had to drop the call! It made me smile just hearing his voice! OK, the Alabama trip: We had an epic trip with a large crew hosted by Jerome Moore at his very large “farm” in Alabama, filled with good laughter and many memories. We wanted to have a separate article on it but decided to keep it amongst us. Everyone was able to enjoy campfires, great eats, some quail shooting, deer hunting, and a few practical jokes. In the end we finished with the first ever fishing tournament for the nonfisherman! I was laughing so hard after we kept reeling in fish after fish! I think we caught 20 fish in 25 minutes! It was priceless and almost boyhood fun and silly! This 7-lb. bass was hands down the largest freshwater thing I had ever seen, let alone catch. All fish were released for next year’s return to the Annual Tournament of Non-Fisherman! Great to catch up with Larry Burda! He basically looks the same with some facial hair from the day I met him at Perry Ross, circa 1985! He writes: “One down, one to go. My daughter Jordan graduated from Syracuse this weekend, and with a job already lined up. Truly a great day.” A great update from Jared Fischer, another Second Form from Perry Ross/Cromwell days flashback. He writes: “Fischer family is doing well. We became empty nesters in the fall. I’m still on the trading desk and recently started working for a multi-strat hedge fund. Robyn’s party swag business is still going strong. Jacob, 24, finished this season as an assistant basketball coach at Bridgewater College in Virginia but has since left and will be on the staff at Mount Saint Vincent’s in the Bronx for the 2026-27 season. Sasha, 23, moved into NYC and is working for Vayner Media in Hudson Yards. Naomi, 19, just finished her freshman year at University of Michigan, following in her big sister and mom’s footsteps there. We rescued another
dog (which makes three) recently. Still staying in touch with a bunch of fellow 1989 graduates.” Chip Crowther, who I recently saw in Las Vegas with his family, wrote: “Empty nesting is off to a good start. We just returned from visiting our daughter in Florence, Italy, where she’s studying abroad. Now we’re cheering on our son, who is home for the weekend to run the Flying Pig Marathon. Life is good. Hope everyone is well!” Thacher Worthen, who I road-tripped with in Alabama, is doing great! We spent hours laughing and our road trip to and from his home to Jerome’s family farm. Worthen update: “All is well in Birmingham. First year of empty-nest life. Kade is in Atlanta working for large construction company. Elle is working in Nashville for Dell computer. And caboose, Olivia, is finishing freshman year at Auburn. All good with Ila and I. Enjoying visiting kids, playing golf and hanging out with each other!” A quick one from Scott Strader, whose wife I am working with on some fish procurement in Las Vegas! What a small world! He texted me: “Apologies for the delayed response. I keep meaning to set aside some time for a detailed and meaningful reply, full of great content that you can use. I guess, more than anything, I’m striving to be a better musician these days. I’ve been playing drums in several cover bands over the last few years and started to do some lead vocals from the drums as well recently.” Seems like we have a lot of water polo and freshman year roundups! Need you all to keep writing us!
1990 Wendy Prior Fentress wendyfentress@mac.com Hi kids, it’s Mom! The Class of 1990 is now in our early- to mid-50s and everyone seems to be enjoying this time in our lives. I continue to run my TV/film locations company, Priority One Productions. A highlight for me this year was being profiled in the New York Times, which came out in print in the Styles Section on Thanksgiving Day. I saw Wes Taft P’25 ’27, as I often do, on New Year’s Eve party at a party in Florida! This has become a yearly tradition! He is a Lawrenceville parent and loving it. Will Shumadine had the pleasure of seeing Darren Traub this year. He was in Virginia for his daughter’s college swim meet, so Darren and his wife, Stefanie, came up to Richmond to have dinner with Lisa and Will. They had the best time catching up! He is still as engaging as ever. His oldest daughter swims for Northeastern University, and his younger daughter will attend UPenn next year. In the Hollywood file, after 30 years living in L.A., Jim Rash has moved to NYC! He’s now in the West Village. The east coast is very grateful to have this comedic legend back! Meghan Hall Donaldson P’24 ’27’s daughter, Renny ’27, is a Fourth Former at L’ville and president of the Vets club. Her older daughter, Price ’24, is at her alma mater, W&L!
Cristina Suarez moved to Austin, Tex., during COVID. Her daughter Valentina is applying to high school for next year. Cristina made it to our reunion last year and it was so wonderful to see Charlie, Andre, Greg, and Marco (thought Marco didn’t make it into our photo) and sad more people didn’t make it, of course. She saw Charlie again when he came back to Austin to visit his son — it’s so nice to know how well old friends are doing.
1991 Ellen Halleran Morey ellen.morey@gmail.com Natalie Lewis Dougherty nataliedougherty@gmail.com I (Ellen Halleran Morey) have enjoyed living in Philadelphia the last few years and meeting up with Molly Moran Sheppard and her family — especially her daughter Grace, with whom I share a lot in common. I attended the Saturday of Alumni Reunion Weekend, beginning the day at KAC for a backstage tour with Liz Graupner Mayberry, Victoria von Hessert, Sophia Mansori, and Susan Clarke Gustofson. Liz is enjoying her new life in D.C., where she continues to teach middle school science. Victoria is still in Vermont with her family and remains in touch with Sophia in Cambridge, Mass. Liz and Sophia are still in touch with Jason Duva and were able to gather in January to ring in the New Year. Susan is still living in the Boston suburbs, but makes regular trips back to New Jersey to visit family. She’s working independently as a mental health counselor after a long and wonderful tenure as the director of school counseling at a boys’ middle school. Returned to KAC later in the day to cheer on Heather Elliott Hoover P’20 ’23 ’24 along with a bunch of our classmates as she won the Distinguished Alumni Award. Caught up with a bunch of classmates at the Grand March, including Irene Lin-Schmidt and Rudy Toledo, who both live out in California. Meredith McCormack lives with her family in the Baltimore area and works at Johns Hopkins. Josh Hardt works at Brother and makes frequent trips to Japan. Jonny Levy is still in the Lawrenceville area and serves as legal counsel for Novo Nordisk. He was able to enjoy some of Saturday’s festivities but had to duck out early as he was lucky enough to score Bruce Springsteen tickets. Walked around the new Tsai Field House in the afternoon and ran into John Kent, who lives and works in New York. At our class dinner I caught up with Bob Waldner, who has escaped New York City to New Jersey. Bob’s wife Erin and Ellen’s husband bonded over their Midwest roots and are making plans to meet up in Malta to play Euchre. Also saw Kate Mittnacht H’90 P’03 and discovered her daughter lives about two blocks from me in Philadelphia. [Ed Note: What follows is Molly Hover McCooey’s final report as a class secretary, as she will be turning over her reins to Natalie Lewis Dougherty, whose email can be found
atop this column. The Lawrentian appreciates Molly’s contributions to these pages over the years. — S.R.] What a wonderful weekend we had at our 35th reunion! It was a joy to see such a fabulous turnout and reconnect with so many classmates. There were 54 strong of us — a new record for a 35th reunion! The laughter, stories, and shared memories were a wonderful reminder of the lifelong friendships and enduring bond that connect us as Lawrenceville alumni. To those who were unable to join us, you were certainly missed, and we hope you’ll be with us at our next gathering. One of the highlights of the weekend was hearing what everyone has been up to since our last reunion. From career achievements and family milestones to new adventures, passions, and pursuits, our classmates continue to lead fascinating and inspiring lives. We’ve gathered some of those updates below and are delighted to share them with you. Molly McCooey: I was thrilled to serve on the 35th Reunion Committee and couldn’t have been more impressed by the weekend’s events. A huge ‘thank you’ to our school reunion leadership, Molly Edwards and Maria Bolis, and to everyone behind the scenes whose hard work brought it all together. It was a perfect weekend from start to finish. I am also excited to share that I was asked to join the Alumni Council, a group of dedicated Lawrentians focused on being connectors between fellow alumni and the alumni office. As part of this role, I am focused on supporting the class secretaries and class notes. On a personal update note, I started my own Social Impact consulting firm, The CSR Shop and I’ve been with my client L’Oreal US for the past two years helping them with their nonprofit partnerships strategy, supporting their 35 brands with their brand cause, and leading their employees’ giving and global volunteer day. Our daughter, Caroline just graduated eighth grade and will be in high school next year. Our son, Jack, will be in seventh grade and is all about lacrosse … perhaps a future Big Red Lax player in the making! Samara Pfohl Bilden lives in New Canaan with her husband, Pete, and four beautiful children. Two of her sons play big-time soccer — Ben is playing at Dartmouth and James is playing for the NYCFC! Mollie Moran Sheppard, aka Dr. Sheppard, is an associate professor at St. Joseph’s University in the Department of Special Education. She lives in Washington Crossing, Pa., with her husband, Robert, and their two beautiful yellow labs. Both of her children are successfully grown and flown; Grace is living in Philadelphia and is an engineer in a pharma startup Simon is entering medical school the fall. Ali Fox: Foxy is a proud Yankee living in Charleston. Ali works in the world of interior design and spends her free time killing it on the tennis court. Oakley Dominic Cobb shares: “Working as a high school nurse in Denver Public Schools has been both humbling and rewarding. This year brought the honor of being named DPS Nurse
Leslie Satin McCutcheon ’91, Megan Holloway Fort ’91 P’28, Julieta Omaña ’91 P’27, and Minie Shu Iannuzzi ’91 caught up at Alumni Reunion Weekend.
of the Year. At home, I am grateful for 27 years of marriage and am eagerly watching one child enter her senior year of college while another launches a career in the music and fashion industries. Reunion reminded me how fortunate I am to share this journey with classmates whose honesty, wisdom, and friendship continue to inspire.” We missed Jackie Strasser Higgins at the reunion but she was busy doing what so many of us are dealing with these days — helping her mother to move closer to her own family in the Washington, D.C., area. Cindy Stencel Betz shares: “Having spent last reunion at an alternative reunion with Tricia Boczkowski at a spa, I had a great time catching up with classmates this weekend, especially those that I didn’t have insider information about through social media. Aside from watching Heather Elliott Hoover P’20 ’23 ’24 get her well-deserved award, the most memorable part of the weekend was likely being mistaken for Manoush Zomorodi, which was a total compliment given her tremendous success, including recent book release (Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being — check it out). “I loved that former masters Annette Duval Atlee, Kate Mittnacht, David Cantlay H’89 ’93 ’94 ’15 P’07 ’09 ’11, Max Maxwell H’72 ‘74 ’79 ’80 ’81 ’86 ’88 ’93 ’00 ’01, and others made guest appearances so we could share our love and gratitude with them, having now the benefit of experience and time to realize their impact. Hoping to see you and others more in the intervening five years before we move up a place in the Grand March around the Bowl. Natalie Lewis Doughtery lives in Summit, N.J., with her husband, Bromley, and two sons, Geoffrey who attends St. Lawrence University, and Parley, who is at Berkshire. Natalie is a t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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Molly McKay ’94 and Emilie Delehanty ’94 celebrated Molly’s 50th in Harbour Island, the Bahamas.
beloved teacher at the Red Oaks School — teaching a sixth-grade Individuals and Society class as well as doing academic coaching work with neurodivergent children. Dorsey Montenecourt Class is living in NYC and Vermont and returned to campus to celebrate the 35th! Whitney Walker Brown P’23 ’25 and her husband, Lee ’92 P’23 ’25, live in Bedford, N.Y., and have three children — sons Hale ’23 and Henry ’25, both graduates of L’ville and both now lacrosse stars on the UC Berkeley team, while daughter Millie attends Miss Porter’s. Whitney, now a trustee emerita of our dear school, is currently the executive director of nonprofit RadicalLab Foundation, dedicated to addressing global challenges to environmental sustainability, education, democracy and healthcare. Heather Woods Rodbell is still living in Atlanta with her husband, Jonathan. She continues to work with River Keepers and rescue stray animals. They have two boys, one at Colorado College and one following in his parents’ footsteps to Penn next year. Congratulations to Heather Elliott Hoover, who was aptly honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award for all of her tireless dedication to our beloved school. Steve Zager is living his best life out in L.A. and is chief counsel, head of legal at Disneyland Resort and Corporate Real Estate. Steve kept us all laughing throughout the weekend with his amazing stories and deadpan humor. Rob Phelan, or should we just call him “Your Honor”? is living in his home state of New Jersey and is now serving as judge of the Superior Court in Monmouth County. Spencer Olmsted shares: “I’ve been teaching fourth and fifth grade in Olympia, Wash., for 20 years now. Last year I was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math/ Science Teaching (PAEMST). The ‘award year’ was 2022, but I waited three years to get it … slightly anticlimactic, but definitely welcome.” Fred Wang and family recently moved out of NYC to Greenwich, Conn. Nice to have you out in the ‘country,’ Freddy! Christian Bullitt P’28 has a Lawrentian in the house: daughter Eloise ’28 is a proud Larrie
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Through their work at Helena Capital, Robin Wood Sailer ’94 and Sarah Dinkins Antor ’94 have traveled to such places as Davos.
Bulldog … yes, we are now the Lawrenceville Bulldogs if you didn’t already know that fact. [Ed. Note: Before anyone storms Tsai Field House, the School’s teams still compete as Big Red; Larrie, the School’s mascot, is most assuredly a bulldog. — S.R.] Ryan Fong shares: “It was beyond worthwhile to make the trip back to campus to join our 35th reunion even though I reside halfway around the world in Hong Kong. To have the opportunity to revisit campus and to see many classmates who I haven’t seen for 15 years (my last major reunion was back in 2011 for our 20th), and some since graduation 35 years ago, was surely memorable. “How time flies and in a blink of an eye we’re all beyond 50 years old. The years spent at Lawrenceville felt just like yesterday. But since then many things have changed and the world is very different from decades past. Two noticeable difference within the Houses is that there are no longer pay phones nor pigeon hole mailboxes. The Tsai Field House, the Bath House and a few other buildings didn’t exist. But there was still a strong tradition and L’ville spirit felt all around campus. What makes Lawrenceville such a fine institution is the people. The genuine and selfless faculty and the bright and diverse student body. “As we embark on our life journey and as we all walk down separate and different lives, we ought to cherish and remember those teen memories and friendship made. We should also learn to forget and forgive those who crossed us as life is short and we should all look at the brighter side of things. Being grateful, being happy and being able to cherish those love ones who matter most in our lives should be the focus. All the best to the great Class of 1991! And for those who do make it to Hong Kong or Asia, don’t forget to give me a shout. May we be reconnected soon!” Jennifer Foley Foster shares, “I was sorry to miss the reunion, as we had our youngest’s high school graduation from Baylor in Chattanooga — she is heading to Georgia Tech in the fall. Our oldest is a junior at UNC. I live in Atlanta and own a private practice conducting neuropsychological evaluations. We love to travel and spend time with our kids when work doesn’t get in the way! Hope to make it to the 40th reunion!” Lexi Markarian says, “I was racing Ironman
Jacksonville prior to reunion and then had business trips. I just couldn’t swing it all. I hope to be back for another reunion!” MacLean Guthrie lives in D.C. with her husband and works for TrendAI in marketing and communications. MacLean writes: “Im so sorry to miss you all, but I was out of the country. Everyone looks great!” Julieta Omaña P’27 shares: “It was wonderful to return to Lawrenceville for our 35th alumni weekend and reconnect with old friends. Walking around campus brought back so many memories and reminded me how much the School has shaped us. It was especially meaningful to visit as my daughter, Manuela Anzola ’27, is thriving at Lawrenceville and is excited to join Upper House next year. Adding to the family connection, her grandfather, Carlos Omaña ’52 P’91, was also a member of Upper House. Three generations connected to Lawrenceville make this chapter particularly special for our family” So many special memories from our reunion and too many stories and laughs to be able to share in these limited pages. Thanks to all who made our reunion so special. If you didn’t see your update here please keep sending in notes and we can include them in the next issue. My hope is no more blank note sections under the Class of ’91!
1992 Katie McMahon kwmcmahon007@gmail.com
1993 Ashish Shah ashah@lawrenceville.org
1994 Francois Morin francoismorin35@gmail.com Austin Speni austinspeni@gmail.com Hello 1994 — We’re back! I know, it’s been a bit, totally my bad … amazing how you can blink and the time flies. Working back into a groove… Robin Wood Sailer let me know that she and Sarah Dinkins Antor have joined forces with Helena Capital – a deep-tech growth-stage venture capital fund. The fund has taken them around the world from Davos, to Ottawa, to hill country where Chuck Shaw ’10, son of honorary ’94 classmate Caroline Shaw P’10 ’14 ’16 and former teacher Bob Shaw P’10 ’14 ’16, was the starring act at the fund’s launch dinner during SXSW. Dierks ’93 might play next time. Sarah and Robin hope to see you on the road soon! Sarah’s daughter, Penelope, is attending Lawrenceville next year. Theo Fiesta Perez was born this spring in Anahola, Hawaii. Who is that, you ask? Just the grandson of our own Ben Calloway-Jones.
1995 Liz Anathan ebanathan@gmail.com Carli Starr carlistarr@hotmail.com
1996 Christopher C. Loutit Loutit@aol.com The Class of 1996 enjoyed a beautiful weekend back on campus for our 30th reunion — made even more special by the fact that we missed our 25 th. Fifty-one classmates returned to campus and many stayed at the new Graduate Hotel in Princeton, which provided a central base for all of the weekend festivities. One of the highlights included food trucks and a beer garden on the Circle following the Grand March from Kirby Arts Center on Saturday afternoon. It was great seeing everyone and catching up with classmates who had not made it back to Lawrenceville in many years. Many thanks to the Reunion Committee and everyone else who made it a successful and memorable weekend.
Worth Stokes ’98 and Alex Sugahara ’00 joined Lucinda Halpern ’00 in Italy at Lucinda’s writing and publishing retreat in March.
One “L” of a Good Time: Katie Berglund Fernandez ’01, Lauren Fisch Reed ’01, Katie Baker ’01, Molly Pickall ’01, and Trisha Gadsden Hill ’01 gathered outside right after checking in for Alumni Reunion Weekend.
Ashley Smith ’01 missed her 25th reunion, but her excuse checks out: She and her husband just welcomed their daughter, Kaia.
Anne Rain (Tanner) Brown ’01, Debby Tanner P’01, David Tanner ’71 P’01, Christopher Tanner ’01, and Lauren Tanner are all part of a family celebrating 25th and 55th reunions at Alumni Weekend.
1997 Christina Del Vecchio Tuller cmdelvecchio@gmail.com
1998 Benjamin Lester benjaminr.lester@gmail.com Nadia Shoeb is “currently working in government (U.S. Army) as an analyst. I live in Charlottesville, Va. Married. No kids, but two dogs. Would love to stay in touch with anyone from ’98 at nadiashoeb@gmail.com. Katherine Saltstein Bentley P’27 writes: “Alfie ’27 is a junior at Lawrenceville. He is in Cleve and is going to be a prefect next year. He loves the Big Red Farm! It’s a very neat addition to Lawrenceville. “Elliott is 13 and he’s is in middle school. He loves adaptive horseback riding. Annabelle is 8. She is in third grade and is very busy is all sorts of activities. She is currently planning her 9th birthday party which involves a three-day celebration.”
1999 Perry Kalmus perrykalmus@gmail.com
2000 Gena Ciccone Reisig gena.reisig@gmail.com
Lucinda Halpern lucindabarr@gmail.com Shep Cynamon shepard.cynamon@gmail.com
2001 Katherine Carter Files katherinecfiles@gmail.com Anne Rain Brown annerainbrown@gmail.com Following our 25-year reunion, Katie Berglund Fernandez summed it up best: “It is absolutely outrageous that we got to go to school here! How has it possibly been 25 years?! What a weekend!” We definitely missed those who couldn’t make it, but it was a weekend full of laughs and great memories. Some of the highlights included hearing from our honorary classmates,
Christopher Maxey H’94 ’95 ’96 ’97 P’07 ’09 ’13 ’14 bringing us back to island school with the sound of the horn, watching our revived VHS class video, and Katie Baker fully reliving the Lawrenceville experience by pulling an allnighter in the Hyatt lobby to finish a Knicks article ahead of her deadline. And as Jack Richer so well said, “Let’s keep the Class of L’ville ’01 camaraderie going in our WhatsApp group until the next reunion!” Nigel Glenday writes: “So sorry to miss the reunion! I cannot believe we’re at 25 — terrifying. My wife Betsy and I moved to Fairhope, Ala., last year with our two boys, Connor and Max, to get them near our families after 20 years in New York and Connecticut. I need to go see Chris and Lauren in Bham soon!” Ashley Smith writes: “I’ll unfortunately miss our 25th reunion because my husband and I recently welcomed our daughter, Kaia. I’m currently immersed in the chaos and wonder of new parenthood.”
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John Henry Flood ’02 and Brian Ball ’02 got together in New York.
Kyle Hammerschmidt ’02 and fiancée Allie Gropp recently bought a house across Main Street from Lawrenceville and look forward to hosting a get-together during next year’s 25th reunion weekend.
Christin Dirkes Linchitz ’02 and Lauren McDermott ’02 had a chance to catch up by San Francisco Bay in April.
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2002
2003
J.P. Hazenberg jphazenberg@gmail.com Nina Kumar ninamkumar@gmail.com Lauren McDermott lmmcdermott@gmail.com
Kristen Aland kristen.aland@gmail.com Sophie Fitzgerald Burke sophiefburke@gmail.com
It’s been great hearing updates from classmates near and far, from new babies and weddings to reunions, travel, and reconnecting with old friends. Here are a few recent notes and catch-ups from across the class: Lacey Gray and her husband, Josh, welcomed baby boy, Andrew, in March. Lacey, Josh, Andrew, and big sister Charlotte live in Leesburg, Va. Steve Read had a bunch of updates to share, including getting remarried last summer in Ravello, Italy. Congrats, Steve! He’s been living and working Tribeca in New York City for 20plus years and his daughter, Teddy, is almost 7 years old! But that’s not all: He’s also had the opportunity to catch up with Champ Atlee ’62 H’74 ’75 ’79 ’80 ’83 ’84 ’87 ’89 ’06 P’92, Kate Berglund Fernandez ’01, Cydney Chase, Steve Binswanger, Adam Wax, and Neil Mehta periodically. Steve reports that all are doing great! Brian Ball writes: “I saw J.H. Flood in NYC during a quick trip last month, never long enough but great to catch up, even for a few hours [your scribe’s note: SO TRUE]. He’s also caught up with Mina Ghantous and Rob McPherson in D.C., where he’s based. Mary Brittain Cheatham traveled to Colorado for Memorial Day weekend to attend a yoga and meditation retreat hosted by Shawn Parell just outside of Aspen. She brought her two daughters along. She was also lucky enough to spend a night in Carbondale with her old roommate, Julia Hahn. They got to catch up and introduce their children for the first time. Lauren McDermott had a brief but joyful catch up with Christin Dirkes Linchitz and her family over lunch by the bay in April. Christin was in San Francisco for a day while visiting her husband’s family in the Bay Area during spring break. Kyle Hammerschmidt and Allie Gropp recently got engaged! They just bought a house right across from Lawrenceville and look forward to hosting a get together during next year’s 25th reunion weekend. Stan Parish is “living in Barcelona with my wife and daughter, writing books and movies. I just finished the script for my forthcoming novel, Six Clean Kills, which is in development at Universal with Charlize Theron attached to star and produce. I’m in the middle of adapting my previous novel for my favorite actor; more details on that soon, hopefully.” Patrick Erin Murphy is “keeping busy in Miami with 2 AI companies in the construction space.” Greg Good writes that he and Kelechi Okere “caught up in Philadelphia for a guys’ day of good music, but we spent 90 percent of the time swapping dad survival tactics and mourning our lost youth — mostly by discussing the absolute, life-or-death necessity of daily stretching on the march towards our 25th reunion.” Keep the updates coming; it’s fun seeing where everyone is these days.
2004 Brad Gulick brad.gulick@gmail.com Sarah Sakson sarah.sakson@gmail.com
2005 Bayless Sword bayless.sword@gmail.com Wow, major participation points for Kirby House this go round! Let’s see if another House can make it into the next edition… Hans von Meister would love to know if anybody ever makes it to Shanghai. He is still really hoping to entertain someone at some point! Sybil Bunn Pool had a great time on a ladies’ tennis weekend in the Bahamas with several Lawrenceville alums in attendance, including her sister Lilly Bunn Weekes ’99, Amory Donelly McAndrew ’99 P’29, and Selina Stanfield McPherson ’04. When not driving kids to school, sports, and endless pediatrician appointments that come with having three kids under age 5, Emily Wilson Elipas can be found digging in her garden. She lives in the low-lying swamp land of Northfield, Ill., on the North Shore of Chicago and thus has spent the spring researching native Illinois rain garden plant species to help dry up her sopping yard. Meanwhile, her children are becoming experts in jumping in muddy puddles and eating dirt. Junior year ecology class with Mattingly is coming in handy! Last fall, Brookes Moody and her husband took their then-5-month-old to Ireland where Matty Atwater was kind of enough to host a jetlagged baby who was getting his first tooth. Months later, their son has many more teeth but appears to still have jetlag. As the vice president of her local chapter of the League of Women Voters, Brookes spends her free time registering new voters and advocating for democracy. She is looking forward to the fall where she can gaze wistfully out of the window at Mt. Hope Bay as she teaches poetry seminars at the waterfront campus of Roger Williams University. She hopes to return to Ireland to view Matty’s needlepoint. Simone Humphrey has officially survived the newborn trenches and has emerged bleary eyed but ready for excitement on the other side! When she’s not mastering the art of tummy time and 3 a.m. feeds, she’s up on her roof where she and her husband are learning to grill meats with their 4-year-old sous chef. In a completely unhinged creative pivot, Simone has also taken up pottery and is producing a growing collection of small vases with human faces on them. Simone enjoyed a recent dinner
with Katie Fischer and summer adventures are officially on the calendar. Sarah Brooks Delp spends her time enjoying Colorado adventures, sneakily turning work trips into international playtime, and building forts with her 7-year-old daughter, Lucy. This fall, she took Lucy to Harry Potter World with fellow witch-aunts Matty Atwater and Katie Fischer, where magic flowed and rollercoasters were conquered. As a side effect, Lucy developed a love for adrenaline, clearly inherited from her mom who dreams of time-traveling back to the legendary Kirby-Woodhull Six Flags field trip to ride Nitro again for the very first time. At home, Sarah lives with her husband, Steve, daughter, and 10-year-old Doberman/Golden Retriever mix, Butters. She feels lucky that her parents, Kate P’03 ’05 and Wes Brooks ’71 H’59 ’72 ’09 P’03 ’05, and brother, Charlie Brooks ’03, have also settled nearby. Forte has been ripping around the Pine Barrens like a kid in the ’90s, trading eggs for irrigation tape and long hangs with feral niblings. Amidst the big joy of scream-giggling kiddos and so many flowers, they have been riding the rocky waves of grief doing all they can for these little baddies’ futures as a River Councilor for the Great Egg Harbor River (can send plans to Emily Wilson Elipas for stormwater catchment), as a second-grade bilingual teacher, and over so many homegrown meals with their big sweet gay family. Matty Atwater’s mother recently cajoled her into needlepointing again after a brief foray into the hobby about 10 years ago. So far, it’s … not going great … but she’s enjoying pretending she’ll stick with it. She and her husband are still (for those of you keeping track) remodeling an old Irish farmhouse and, while it’s been a painful two-year project, she loves sourcing fun antiques from around Ireland to fill it. During the remodel, she learned that the very square-cut edges of the cornerstones on the house suggest they were likely pilfered from the ruins of a nearby castle! Living the dream. As always, pints are on her if any of you come through West Cork and want to see said cornerstones in the flesh. Cameron Newsome serves on the Board of Trustees of The Loyola School of Baltimore, contributing to its Advancement and Governance Committees in support of strategic planning and expanded opportunities for Baltimore City students. Professionally, after 15 years in higher education, Cameron is a senior associate and project manager with Huron Consulting Group, partnering with leading colleges and universities nationwide to design and implement technology, enrollment, and institutional strategies. Sr. Mercedes (Carolina) Torres, O.P., continues her role as vocations director of her community, the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. Part of this involves traveling the country giving talks at various college campuses and at conferences throughout the year. At a recent talk at NYU, Sister ran into Natalia Ibarra ’20, who was in attendance. Natalia was tipped off when Sr. Mercedes mentioned her “New Jersey boarding school” in her talk and later confirmed that they were both not only Lawrentians, but Stephenites! “I enjoyed running into Natalia and trading
stories of loving our time at Lawrenceville,” Sr. Mercedes writes. “It was fun to get to tell her about Lawrenceville almost 25 years ago when I began and hear about some of her experiences 15 years later. I admit, I didn’t always feel the 20 years because we had so many similar experiences despite that. Though, she couldn’t believe that Dr. Laws was our Stephens housemaster.” And lastly, your trusty class agent encourages all of you to consider becoming organ donors if you are able. She recently donated a kidney to a family member and would love the opportunity to chat with anyone who is curious.
2006 Grace Erdmann grace.erdmann@gmail.com Matt Chin and his family had an amazing time at the 20-year reunion connecting with classmates and picking up right where things left off. The following week, the fun continued in NYC, catching up with more friends and family, including a memorable outing with Uncle Koji and son Emmett, 5, at Coney Island! Melissa Nixon and Caitie Barrett met in Maine to celebrate Mother’s Day together in Ogunquit at Cliff House. Melissa recently had her first child, Brodie. Caitie Barrett brought her son and daughter, Sutton and Cooper. They were able to connect with Melissa’s Uncle, Edward Ridolfi ’78! Meghan Bush married John Curry in Savannah, Ga., in April and celebrated with a trip back to campus for the 20-year reunion, traveling from their new home in St. Louis. After 15 years in Shanghai, Camden Hauge has finally moved back Stateside, and is now based in New York where she is opening a restaurant with her husband (and chef) Lucas Sin as well as importing and distributing Chinese wine. She is still splitting her time with China, returning every few months to maintain her remaining restaurants there and visit the vineyards. She was devastated to miss the big 20th reunion this spring, but hopes to see everyone for the big 2-5 all too soon! John Murphy loved reconnecting with classmates at the 20th reunion. After spending a decade in Manhattan, John recently married Litton Whitaker, a vascular surgery resident. They now live in Fairfield County, Conn. Daniella Sloane is managing volunteers for the June 2026 FIFA World Cup, and it’s super fun! Willoughby Bain Laycock and her family had an amazing time at the 20th. Her kids particularly enjoyed the alumni water polo game and the new Larrie mascot. Diana and Joe Ott had an absolute blast at the 20th reunion. More stories, memories, and anecdotes than we had time for. It was humbling to see how successful well we’ve all grown up to be. Keep shooting for the stars everyone! Eighty-four members of the Class of 2006 gathered for Alumni Reunion Weekend 2026, setting a record for 20th reunion attendance. A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved!
At a talk about religious vocations she was giving at NYU, Sister Mercedes (Carolina) Torres ’05, O.P., met Natalia Ibarra ’20, who was in attendance.
Matt Chin ’06, his 5-year-old son Emmett, and Uncle Koji had a fun time in Coney Island.
Melissa Nixon ’06 and Caitie Barrett ’06 celebrated Mother’s Day in Ogunquit, Maine, with their families.
Elizabeth Ruddle Gabrielson ’04, along with Anna Ruddle Darbyshire ’07 and her daughter, Annabel, celebrated the 100th birthday of Elizabeth and Anna’s grandfather. t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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2007 Anna Ruddle Darbyshire anna@annadarbyshire.com Ellen Costa Duncan moved to Newtown, Pa., a few years ago after eight years in Atlanta. She and her two daughters, ages 10 and 8, are enjoying lots of travel together. Ellen recently founded a second company, mLOOP, that serves the mortgage-lending space, in addition to her marketing consultancy, Pineapple Partners. Reach out if you’re in the area!
2008 John Wright ’09, Jon Kalin ’09, and Yuliya Mykhaylovska ’09 attended the wedding of classmate Jeffrey Fan ’09 to Jamie Ye in April 2026 at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.
Luke Kortepeter ’11 returned to campus for Alumni Reunion Weekend and led his son, Leo, in his first Harkness discussion.
Catherine Read ’11 and her husband, Paul Cusick, recently bought their first home in New Canaan, Conn.
Alex Brown ’14 said “yes” to Gedion Haddis in New York.
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Mythili Iyer mythili.iyer@gmail.com After many years in NYC, Tess Liegeois said farewell to the city with a bash that included Tiffany Lee, Ariana Verdu, Juliette Hall, and Jayde Lawson. She’s moved to Woodstock, Vt., as of December 2025, and hosted a NYE gathering attended by Evan Kalkus and Pete Devlin and family. She and Pete also met up in Washington Crossing, Pa., and biked the Delaware Tow Path to New Hope (!). Addi DiSesa writes: “I am living in Clinton Hill in Brooklyn and working as policy counsel for DoorDash. I regularly see Bennett Mayrock and his wife and two children around New York City. Bennett and I recently caught up over sandwiches at S&P Lunch in Manhattan. Speaking of the Mayrocks, my partner and I bunked with Bennett and his family at Tom Bunn’s wedding in Wisconsin last fall, where we also saw Nick Platt, Thomas Mattsson, Miller Edwards, and other Lawrenceville alumni who were there. Earlier this year, Nick Platt, Thomas Mattsson, and I joined my brother, Doug DiSesa ’06, for our Annual Men’s Dinner at the Merion Cricket Club in Haverford, Pa. I also see Damen Davis ’07 in NYC regularly.” Kelly Curtis writes: “I competed in my second Winter Olympic Games! This time was close to a home Olympics as I am stationed for the Air Force in Aviano, Italy, and competed in Cortina in the sport of skeleton. I also met up with Helen Lopez Gonzalez and Matt Gonzalez ’09. Our littles met and played around Princeton last month.” In my usual roundup of the usual suspects: I saw Kevin Yeh and Maria Zheng back home over the holidays, and finally caught Juliette on one of her whirlwind trips through London. Does it count to see one’s siblings? If so, I went to Bologna and India with Krishna Iyer ’12. I’ve also enjoyed seeing Anne-Louise Brittain, Amanda Lopez ’09, and Joey Chu ’10 for various social gatherings and/or meals — and was sad to miss the Crescent Coast-to-Coast-to-Continent(?) toast.
2009 Gavin Leung gav.leung89@gmail.com Yuliya Mykhaylovska ymykhaylovska@gmail.com Several members of the Class of ’09 — John Wright, Jon Kalin, and Yuliya Mykhaylovska — attended Jamie Ye and Jeffrey Fan’s wedding in April 2026 at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. It was a beautiful celebration and Lawrenceville got many shout-outs in the speeches. Congratulations to the amazing couple!
2010 Lucinda Mejer Lucinda.mejer@gmail.com Bianca Okolie bokolie10@gmail.com Rebecca Marrow rebecca.rosemarrow@gmail.com
Former State Sen. Joe Kyrillos ’78, Chris Castelo ’10, Will Semmes ’88, Jess Castelo ’14, Joe Castelo ’88, Bob Castelo ’78 P’08 ’10 ’14, Rob Castelo ’08, and John Flood ’71 P’02 ’04 ’06 got together in South Florida.
2011 Brendan Byrne bbyrne476@gmail.com Heather Hoffman heathhoff@gmail.com The Class of 2011 had a wonderful time at our 15 th reunion this May! We loved being back on campus, catching up with old friends and teachers, and meeting the next generation of Lawrentians. Among those in attendance were Emma Barnes O’Neill, Jordan Hillier Adams, and Catherine Read, who were bridesmaids in Kate Donatiello’s marriage to Kyle Sprow in October 2024. Catherine and her husband, Paul Cusick, recently bought their first home and moved to New Canaan, Conn., with their cat, Sampson. If any fellow classmates are in the area and want to get together, please reach out! Luke Kortepeter also enjoyed his time on campus, leading his son, Leo, in his first Harkness discussion. Luke currently lives with his family in Durham, N.C., working at Deloitte while his wife, Mary, completes a fellowship at UNC. Another highlight from the weekend was learning about the new mural in Tsai Fieldhouse from Stewy Robertson H’18, who led students in its creation while he was Lawrenceville’s inaugural artist-in-residence. We missed everyone who was unable to make the trip, but we’re already looking forward to celebrating our 20th reunion together in 2031!
2012 Madeleine Matsui madeleine.matsui@gmail.com Emma Waugh emma.w.waugh.16@gmail.com
Carter Cikovic ’14 ran into Grace Bunn ’07 in New York over the winter.
2013 Celia Aidinoff caidinoff@gmail.com Kelley Barnes Kelleybarnes27@gmail.com Olivia Fleming oliviafleming@me.com
2014 Carter Cikovic cikocc15@gmail.com Megan Norris Grant mnorrisgrant@gmail.com Mary Larkin maryhlarkin@gmail.com Greetings, Class of 2014! Many thanks for all of your updates throughout the winter and spring months. Many generations of the Castelo family gathered last fall; Chris Castelo ’10, Jess Castelo,
Andrew McLaughlin ’14 married Meghan Furey in Alexandria, Va., in December.
Joe Castelo ’88, Bob Castelo ’78 P’08 ’10 ’14, Rob Castelo ’08, John Flood ’71 P’02 ’04 ’06, Sen. Joe Kyrillos ’78, and Will Semmes ’88 enjoyed the opportunity to come together in South Florida. A busy fall season for weddings — Natalie Tung married Jeremy Jordan in upstate New York and Abby Goodrich married Adam Enxing at the end of October. Ashley Suan married Taylor Chin in Nantucket. In December, Andrew McLaughlin married Meghan Furey in Alexandria, Va., and Kyle Rosenberg married Perry von Stade ’13 in New York in March. Grace Murphy married Nick Giacco ’13 in Savannah, Ga., this spring. Many members of the Class of 2014 were in attendance across all to celebrate. Congrats to Marina Hyson on her engagement to Sam Golini in Chatham this March, Alex Brown on her engagement to Gedion Haddis in New York, and to Caroline Armour on her engagement to Ansh Ratnam; Caroline shares that she and Ansh met through mutual friends in a Skee-Ball league at Ace Bar. Carter caught up with Grace Bunn ’07 in New York over the winter at a mutual friend’s birthday, and in May hosted a panel discussion t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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Yonas Shiferaw ’16, Emile Bamfield ’16, Jake Pothast ’16, Misha Mrotchek ’16, and (all class Patricio Madero ’17 were there to celebrate the wedding of Nick Bongiovanni ’16.
Leininger and Griffin Spolansky ’15 for getting engaged in the South of France. Your class secretaries’ invites must have gotten lost in the mail although seems like the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc was already booked up so not sure there was a place nice enough for us to stay anyways. Allegedly reformed ex-frat star Gage Spolansky has a lot of catching up to do… Wedding bells are starting to ring for our grade with quite a few weddings having already happened or planned this year. Shoutout to Nick Bongiovanni and his wife Elizabeth Georgakopoulos for getting married in the Hammies the week these class notes were due. José Carlos Fernandez batting way above his league and marrying a literal rocket scientist, Nicole Spence, in Monterrey, Mexico, this past spring. Rumor had it the reception was so fun Larry accidentally took home the wrong sport coat… Maybe lay off the 2 a.m. tequila at the next international wedding, slugger. Lily Cohen was busy this spring crushing the international Iron Man circuit between art gallery showings in Europe. Rumor has it her next gallery showing might be in NYC so please roll through to support our classmate’s secondary hobby only behind extreme endurance sports. A few members of our class have also started become more in touch with their sensitive and musical sides. Nick Silber’s band, Hot Soup, is the hottest up and coming band in Austin; a city in desperate need for new live performers and more cowbell. A.J. Ryan has started ripping the deep Brooklyn DJ circuit. Anyone in NYC should try to catch him and his mad beatz at his next BK rave. Until next time… Stay class,y L’ville Class of 2016. xoxo — everyone’s favorite email spammers.
2017 A very reserved Spencer Patten ’16, Leighton Galvin ’16, and Larry Cummings ’16 made it to Monterrey, Mexico, for classmate José Carlos Fernandez’s wedding.
Jessie Zhao ’17 recently met up with Vivienne Gao ’17 in London.
for the Lawrenceville Finance and Real Estate Society’s spring gathering in New York along with fellow Lawrentians Tom Tesauro ’08, Scott Froehlich ’90, and Michael O’Callaghan ’83. And a professional milestone for Ashlyn Lackey: being named one of NYC Fintech Women’s inspiring Fintech Females in the Network Builders category. That does it for this issue’s updates. Enjoy the summer months, and don’t forget to share your major life events or happenstance run-ins with us ahead of the fall.
2015 Cameron Rangecroft cmr3fe@virginia.edu Katie Dishner kadishner@gmail.com Allison Kazalski allison.kazalski@me.com
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2016 Akash Bagaria akashbagaria@gmail.com James Stevenson jstonestevenson@gmail.com Jake Pothast jakepothast@gmail.com Hello, Class of 2016! It was great seeing everyone who came to Alumni Weekend for our 10-year. Cannot believe that was the first time we have all gotten together as a class since graduating. Big shoutout to our grade’s alumni weekend committee: Leeann Passaro, Sophie Moore, Simran Suri, Tom Dickson, and everyone’s favorite secretary trio, James Stevenson, Akash Bagaria, and Jake Pothast, for helping to get everyone together. Eighty-three members of our class showed up, which was quite the turnout. I think we might be on trend to hosting Smeeting in the KAC next go around. In other class news, shoutout to Katie
Sophia Cai sophiacai99@gmail.com Emily Galvin Emilygalvin17@gmail.com Jessica Zhao Jzhao1799@gmail.com David Kim is currently teaching at Loomis Chaffee, where he also serves as head varsity squash coach (and teaches alongside former Lawrenceville Teaching Fellows Courtney Doyle and Matt Johnson). He recently got engaged to a fellow Loomis Chaffee teacher and spends much of his free time climbing outdoors. Michael Man shared a photo from a recent Lawrenceville gathering celebrating Jake Ortega’s 27th birthday, alongside Reilly Koren ’18 and Liam Garcia-Quish ’18. Nicole Recto will be getting married in 2027. Jessie Zhao is moving to Los Angeles this fall to begin a Master of Urban and Regional Planning program at UCLA, where she plans to focus on climate adaptation, sustainable design, and community resilience. She also recently met up with Vivienne Gao in London. Reilly Fletcher is moving to California this fall to begin law school at UC Berkeley. Emily Galvin will begin law school at NYU, where she plans to focus on environmental law and policy.
2018 Benjamin Chow benjamin.chow@me.com Matthew Haumann matthewhaumann@gmail.com Drew Korn dkorn111@gmail.com
2019 Brittany Sun britsun1010@gmail.com
2020 Jasmine Zhang jasminezhang398@gmail.com Ciara Hoover ciaradhoover@gmail.com
2021
Tenn., October 25, 2025
2009 Jeffrey Fan to Jamie Ye, Brooklyn Botanical Garden, April 2026
2014 Abby Goodrich to Adam Enxing, Cape Neddick, Maine, October 25, 2025 Andrew McLaughlin to Meghan Furey, Alexandria, Va., December 13, 2025 Grace Murphy to Nicholas Giacco ’13, Savannah, Ga., Spring 2026 Natalie Tung to Jeremy Jordan, Upstate New York, Fall 2025
2013 Perry von Stade to Kyle Rosenberg ’14, New York City, March 14, 2026
2016 Nick Bongiovanni to Elizabeth Georgakopoulos, June 6, 2026
Brian Ruan briantruan@gmail.com
José Carlos Fernandez to Nicole Spence, Monterrey, Mexico, March 28, 2026
2022
Births
Nico Torres Nvt3@cornell.edu
2023 To submit news for the Class of 2023 column, please send to classnotes@lawrenceville.org.
2024 Jackie Williams Jhockey56@gmail.com Price Donaldson pricedonaldson@gmail.com
2025 Lexie Koch lkoch@college.harvard.edu
Marriages and Commitment Ceremonies 1978 Paul Coppe to Betsy Pisik, October 14, 2023
2006 Meghan Bush to John Curry, Hotel Bardo, Savannah, Ga., April 27, 2026 John Murphy to Litton Whitaker, Nashville,
2001 Ashley Smith and her husband, a daughter, Kaia, May 2026
2002 Lacey Gray and her husband, Josh, a son, Andrew, March 2026 Alex Griswold and his husband, Nolen Doorack, a son, Christopher Page Griswold, August 3, 2025
Memorials DEATHS William T. Doyle ’45 P’84 Bradley R. Straatsma ’45 Alfred P. Doyle ’46 Charles H. Gregory ’49 John W. Patten ’49 Dan M. Wright ’50 Edward E. Johnson ’52 David M. Flanders ’53 Stanley N. Gaines ’53 GP’06 William H. Sharp ’55 Lewis L. Lloyd ’56 John F. Mangan ’56 Christopher Mankiewicz ’58 P’84 Christopher C. Warden ’64 James P. Alampi ’65 James R. Erlichman ’66 John H. Barclay ’68 James H. McConnell ’71 William W. Burchfield ’74 P’07 ’08 ’10 Christopher C. Hedlund ’74 Bryan E. Waldron ’77
Faculty, Staff, and Friends Carol Cole P’91 ’95
Ralph N. Del Deo ’42 Ralph N. Del Deo passed away March 25, 2026. Born in Newark, N.J, he was 101 years old. At Lawrenceville, Ralph lived in Hamill House. He remained an active alumnus, serving on his reunion committee and as a class agent. A graduate of Princeton University, Ralph also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He then graduated with honors from the Rutgers School of Law, where he obtained his doctorate in law. He served as the case editor for the Rutgers Law Review and was a member of the Board of Editors. Ralph was a distinguished attorney and one of the founders and senior partners of Crummy, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger and Vecchione (now Gibbons, PC). He was admitted to practice law in in New Jersey in 1951, including the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Ralph became a permanent member of the Third Circuit Judicial Conference and later chaired its Lawyers’ Advisory Committee. Elected a lifetime member of the American Bar Association, he was appointed to the N.J. State Board of Institutional Trustees by Gov. Brendan T. Byrne GP’11. In 2015, Ralph was recognized by the New Jersey General Assembly with a resolution honoring his “outstanding character, exceptional determination, and compassionate nature,” for his lifetime achievements in the field of law. Ralph is survived by children Blanche Vilade, Katherine Catlin, Nicholas J. Del Deo, and Julia M. Campazzi; nine grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and 3 great-great-grandchildren.
John S. Alvord ’46 John S. Alvord passed away October 13, 2025. Born in Greenwich, Conn., he was 96 years old. At Lawrenceville, John lived in Raymond and Cromwell Houses, played soccer, and was a member of the Lower School Recorder. He majored in economics at Amherst college, where he was in the R.O.T.C., and joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1948. John and his wife, Beverly, with whom he has five children, moved to Eugene, Ore., in 1959 where he was employed by the 1st National Bank of Oregon. He became active in the development of community nonprofit services and in fundraising to provide ongoing support for those services. As a loyal Oregon Ducks fan for 65 years, John never accepted a possible loss until the last play and the last second. John is survived by his wife of 52 years, Willa; children Kari Alvord Mills, Kevin Alvord, Kelly Alvord, and MaryAnn Alvord; 16 grandchildren; and 14 great grandchildren.
Peter Cowles ’48 P’87 Peter Cowles passed away January 24, 2025. Born in Chicago, he was 94 years old. At Lawrenceville, Peter lived in Hamill House. He majored in politics at Princeton University before transferring to Northwestern, where he graduated in 1956. He later earned a C.P.A. certificate at the University of Illinois and a law degree at Loyola University in 1964. t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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Peter worked in Chicago at a law firm and then at several public corporations there as a financial or legal officer. He and his wife, Pat, operated a franchise center for remedial tutoring of children in primary and secondary schools around Chicago. Peter is survived by his wife, Pat; and his children, Katherine, Miles, and William H.H. Cowles ’87.
Thomas J. Tucker ’48 Thomas James Tucker passed away October 4, 2025. Born in Atlanta, he was 96 years old. At Lawrenceville, Thomas lived in Hamill House and was a member of the Easel Club, Glee Club, Periwig, The Lawrence, and Pipe and Quill, and played soccer. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Sewanee: The University of the South and also served in the U.S. Air Force as a first lieutenant, participating in classified reconnaissance flight operations in the far east. Thomas was a retired executive vice president of Regions Financial/AmSouth. He previously served as president and chief executive officer of AmSouth’s leasing and finance subsidiary. He was cofounder of the Garland Govan Fund, which has provided financial support to over 50 Sewanee students from the rural counties surrounding Sewanee. A member of St.Luke’s Episcopal Church in Mt. Brook, Ala., Thomas was a board member of the Birmingham Broadway Series, where he served a term as its president. An ardent outdoorsman, Thomas paddled many of the south’s challenging rivers and streams, participated in 50-mile endurance cross-country races on horseback through many of the southeast’s wilderness areas, led lengthy backpack trips in California’s High Sierra Mountains, and hiked in the Wyoming Wind River Range. He reached the summits of Mt. Fuji in Japan and Kala Patthar in Nepal, and made the Mt. Everest basecamp trek. A serious photographer, Thomas secured special permission from the French Minister of Culture to photograph the stained glass in major French cathedrals. Thomas is survived by his loving wife, Margaret Guerard Tucker.
Henry P. Erwin ’49 Henry P. “Hal” Erwin Jr. passed away June 11, 2025. He was 94 years old. At Lawrenceville, Henry lived in Raymond and Upper Houses. He earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Princeton University. After graduation, he spent two years serving on a destroyer escort in the Atlantic Fleet and then earned an M.B.A. from Harvard. After working for several small aerospace companies, Hal bought a small electrical coil manufacturing company and built it up to about 100 employees before selling it and retiring. This gave him time to expand his role as a soccer referee and singing in church and choral groups. The latter activity took him and his wife, Martha, to the Berkshire Choral Festival and to Salzburg and touring Hungary, singing medieval and Renaissance music. Hal is survived by Martha, and a son and a daughter.
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William T. Tobin ’49 William T. “Bill” Tobin passed away died on November 29, 2025. He was 94 years old. At Lawrenceville, Bill lived in Griswold House. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale University. Bill devoted his professional life to retailing, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He began his career at the M. O’Neil Co., where he rose to become president and CEO, and later served in the same roles at Kaufmann’s Department Store. Beyond his work, Bill served on numerous boards, including Carnegie Mellon University, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and The Eye and Ear Hospital of Pittsburgh. With a lifelong love of travel, Bill especially cherished his summers in Hessel, Mich. An enthusiastic tennis and golf player, he was an active member of many clubs and enjoyed the friendships he made through them. He will be remembered for his insatiable curiosity, his wonderful sense of humor, and above all, his deep and unwavering dedication to his family. Bill is survived by his wife, Ellen; sons Kip and Brad; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
John H. Rassweiler ’50 P’87 John Hancock Rassweiler passed away January 21, 2026. Born in Bryn Mawr, Pa., he was 93 years old. At Lawrenceville, John lived in Woodhull House. He received his bachelor’s degree cum laude from Amherst College in 1954. John earned his Ph.D. in organic biochemistry at the University of Illinois, followed by post-doctorate work at the Federal Institute of Switzerland in Zurich. John spent his professional life in a variety of roles including research, sales, product development, marketing, and division management, working at companies such as American Cyanamid and later at Johnson & Johnson. In the late 1970s, while still at Johnson & Johnson, he helped to found and became a director for the Live for Life wellness program. He started his own business, Health Enhancement Systems, in Princeton in 1981. John felt it important to support his community and was on many local boards and committees. Included Among the many community organizations John served were Princeton Borough and Township Recreation Board, the N.J. Governors Council of Open Spaces, Trinity Church, Friends of the Institute of Advanced Studies, the Delaware & Raritan Greenway Land Trust Inc., and Princeton University Art Museum. At age 63, John was part of a four-man crew that completely reconstructed a 1780s farmhouse in Hunterdon County, N.J. John and his wife, Anne, designed and had built a unique home in Vermont where the family still gather to celebrate and enjoy nature. John is survived by his daughter Janet; sons Clifford, John Tone, and Michael S. Rassweiler ’87; and a grandson.
Harold B. Elsasser ’51 Harold B. “Hal” Elsasser passed away November 3, 2025. Born in Mt. Pleasant, N.Y., he was 92 years old.
At Lawrenceville, Hal lived in Dawes House and was a member of the Glee Club, and the ice hockey, soccer, and track and field teams. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Princeton University in 1955. After Princeton, Hal served two years in the U.S. Navy. While his ship was in dry dock at the Boston Navy Yard he met Sandra Gale, a nursing student at Boston College, and they were married April 12, 1958. A bridge engineer and construction manager whose jobs included the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York and the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia, Hal began his long and successful career in 1959 in Greenland with the American bridge division of USX Corp. He worked with them in the United States through 1986, when USX dissolved the bridge division. He continued with other major consulting work until his retirement, often offering the thought that “each day is another day in which to excel.” Hal sang in the choir of the United Presbyterian Church for more than 50 years until he converted to his wife’s Roman Catholic Church in 2018. As his confirmation name he chose Joseph, the patron saint of engineers. Hal is survived by his wife of 67 years, Sandra; daughters Gretchen Medich, Mary-Ruth Keough, Nancy Keiser, and Tricia Berger; and 15 grandchildren.
Lewis F. Fargo ’51 Lewis Floyd “Lew” Fargo passed away October 9, 2025. Born in Denver, he was 92 years old. At Lawrenceville, Lew lived in Cleve House and The Lodge. He was a member of the Glee Club and The Lawrence, as well as of the baseball, basketball, football, golf, swimming, cross country, and track and field teams. In 1955, he earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Princeton University, where he played in the same backfield as 1951 Heisman Trophy winner Dick Kazmaier. He later earned an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Lew began his career with W.R. Grace & Co. in New York before joining Hercules, where he managed the Polaris Missile Program at their Rocky Hill, N.J., facility. He was later transferred to Hercules’ Wilmington, Del., headquarters, where he met and married the love of his life, Lois Carl. At only 30 years old, he became the youngest plant manager in Hercules history when appointed to lead their Super Temp Wire Plant in Winooski, Vt. Lew later joined Rollins Inc. in Wilmington, and in 1973, he became manager of Rollins Jamaica Ltd., near Montego Bay, Jamaica, overseeing hotels, golf courses, real estate development, and agriculture across the 7,000acre Rose Hall property. After returning to the U.S., Lew became CEO of Deemer Steel in New Castle, Del., and later served as vice president of Lebanon Steel in Pennsylvania. Lew is survived by his wife of 61 years, Lois Carl Fargo; and son Lance Glenn Fargo.
Edward D. Rossmann ’51 Edward David “Ed” Rossmann Jr. passed away March 9, 2026. Born in New York City, he was 92 years old. At Lawrenceville, Ed lived in Kennedy House.
He remained active as an alumnus, serving as a member of his 70th Reunion Committee and as secretary of the Class of 1951 until his passing. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English, Phi Beta Kappa, from Yale University in 1955. Later, Ed received master’s degrees from the Middlebury French School and the Columbia University School of Journalism, as well as a Ph.D. in French from the University of Rochester, in 1969. As a Fulbright scholar the year after graduating from college, Ed spent a year in Lyon, France. He was a teacher for most of his life, instructing in English, French and Spanish. During a 30-year career, besides teaching in Besancon, France, he taught at Blair Academy, the Hawken School in Cleveland, the University of Vermont at Burlington, and SUNY Geneseo. A poet whose work appeared in Exquisite Corpse, The Lyric, Light, The Formalist, The New York Times, and many other magazines, Ed published two chapbooks, North of King Ferry and The Basswood Tree. During retirement he wrote a monthly column for the Auburn Citizen for twelve years on a wide variety of subjects with a special focus on education. His last column was in December 2025. Ed is survived by his wife of 62 years, Louise; children Julia Rossmann and David Rossmann; and four grandchildren.
Arthur R. Schonheiter ’52 H’75 P’90 GP’01 ’03 Arthur R. “Art” Schonheiter passed away February 4, 2026. Born in Princeton, N.J., he was 91 years old. At Lawrenceville, Art lived in Raymond House and was a member of the football, swimming, and baseball teams. He was named an All-America swimmer in 1951 and received the School’s Best Athlete Award in 1952. He was later inducted into Lawrenceville’s Athletics Hall of Fame. Art earned his bachelor’s degree at Springfield College in 1956 after earning recognition as a New England champion and silver medalist in the collegiate swimming championships. He later added a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Shippensburg University. Art began his professional life at Mercersburg Academy, where he served as head football coach, head swimming coach, and head baseball coach, in addition to his role as assistant director of athletics. In 1971, Art returned to Lawrenceville, serving as assistant football coach, head swimming coach, housemaster of Kennedy, and ultimately director of athletics from 1984-99. During his tenure, he helped found the Mid-Atlantic Prep League, served as chairman of the Eastern Interscholastic Swimming Championships, and was treasurer of the New Jersey Independent Schools Athletic Association. In 1985, he was honored with the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association Service Award. Art is survived by children Nina, Trudi, Jill, Ellen, Pattie, and Jennifer Sercer ’90; 13 grandchildren, including Kyle M. Nosal ’01, Matthew G. Nosal ’03, and Ross R. Porter ’04; 11 great-grandchildren; nephew John F. Collins ’86, and niece Amy Collins Hogan ’92.
Paul Euwer ’54 Paul “Chico” “Peck” Euwer Jr. passed away March 23, 2026. Born in Pittsburgh, he was 90 years old. At Lawrenceville, Chico lived in Woodhull House, was a member of the House Council, and captained the golf team. He graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Chico was an emeritus board member of the Shadyside Hospital Foundation in Pittsburgh. Brothers to Brothers Foundation, the Allegheny Valley School, and many more were dear to him. Chico was a true gentleman and a gentle man. He had the rare gift of making one feel valued with his warmth, great smile, and unmistakable twinkle in those blue eyes. He loved a good conversation, especially about history, a subject he knew well and loved deeply. Chico is survived by his wife, Lily; children Lowry Sands and Peck Euwer; stepchildren Peter Clay and Dorsey Foote; four grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.
Andrew E. Kantra ’54 Andrew E. “Andy” Kantra Jr. passed away April 22, 2025. Born in Clifton, N.J., he was 88 years old. At Lawrenceville, Andy lived in Hamill House. After earning his Bachelor of Arts in English from Yale University, he served two years in the U.S. Army, in Fort Jackson, S.C., teaching English as a Second Language. In a career that spanned more than four decades, Andy worked in new product development and marketing for products as different as Ziploc bags, bowling products, and LED-based digital displays. Before moving to Whitney Center in Hamden, Conn., Andy was a 40-year resident of Weston, Conn. During that time, he had adventures backpacking, kayaking, and skiing. Andy and his wife, Ann, enjoyed trips to their roots in Ireland and Slovakia and to Italy and France. He was a regular member of the weekly men’s group at Sacred Heart Church in Redding, Conn. For a student who struggled with reading and math, Andy was a committed mentor through middle school, high school, and beyond. More than anything, Andy was a kind and caring person. He had an innate sense of when someone needed help and was not afraid to extend himself. He will be remembered for giving the best hugs, finding the good in life, having a great sense of humor, and sharing fully in the lives of those he loved. Andy is survived by his children, Andy Kantra, Julia Kantra Glynn, and Suzanne Kantra; and four grandchildren.
Edward M. O’Donnell ’55 P’82 Edward M. “Ed” O’Donnell Jr. passed away April 2, 2025. Born in Syracuse, N.Y., he was 89 years old. At Lawrenceville, Ed lived in Dickinson House and captained the golf team. He earned his bachelor’s degrees in English and philosophy from Georgetown University in 1959. After service in the U.S. Army Reserves, he worked in Syracuse as a stockbroker for Foster and Adams until the late 1960s when he served as president of Great Northern Warehouses and
then president of the E.M. O’Donnell Co. He remained an avid personal investor throughout his life. Ed’s underpinning of a liberal arts education would serve him well in all aspects of his life, including inspiring his children to follow him to Georgetown. He earned a reputation as an engaging conversationalist, fueled by a genuine interest in people and his well-rounded education. He loved learning and set a lifelong example of pursuing it, even founding Johnson and O’Donnell Rare Rooks to supplement his ever-present curiosity. Throughout the twists and turns of his life, Ed’s love for golf was an abiding passion, typically enjoyed at his beloved Bellevue Country Club in Syracuse. He served on the board of Bellevue and the board of the Syracuse District Golf Association, where he also ran the junior program and was honored as Golfer of the Year in 1984. In his later years, he became a member of the New York Senior Golf Association. Ed is survived by wife Catherine; sons Edward M. O’Donnell III’82 and Patrick; and seven grandchildren.
Charles T. Newberry ’58 The Rev. Charles Todd “Terry” Newberry III passed away June 8, 2025. He was 84 years old. At Lawrenceville, Terry lived in Dawes House. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Brown University. Terry served as an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1962-66 before enrolling at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he earned his M. Div. in 1969. There, he met Barbara Groff, whom he married in 1968, the beginning of 56 wonderful years together. The new couple’s first pastoral posting was in Watsontown, Pa., where Terry served as minister of the First Presbyterian Church from 1969-73. A stint as an associate minister at the Reformed Church of Bronxville, N.Y., followed. In 1976, the family moved to Cape Cod for good. In addition to his years at First Congregational Church in Harwich, Mass., Terry served as chaplain at Cape Cod Hospital and in a series of interim positions in North Truro, West Tisbury, Chatham, Harwich Port and Marion. Terry’s ministry was characterized by a strong sense of ecumenism and service outside of church. He was a driving force for affordable housing and programs like Meals on Wheels. He served as a trustee of The Harwich Food Pantry from its founding in 1989 until 2017. During his ministry at First Church in Harwich he worked actively to define the church as Open and Affirming. Due to Terry’s efforts First Church in Harwich became the first church on Cape Cod to become Open and Affirming. Terry is survived by his wife, Barbara; and daughter Abigail.
Allen K. Shenk ’58 Allen K. Shenk Jr. passed away December 31, 2025. Born in Pittsburgh, he was 86 years old. At Lawrenceville, Allen lived in Cleve and Upper Houses and was a member of the Science Club, Glee Club, Chapel Board, cross country and track and field teams, and was president of his class. He remained active as an alumnus, serving on several reunion committees, including his 55th and 65th and as a reunion committee chair. Allen t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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earned his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in 1962 before continuing at Officer Candidate School for the U.S. Navy. Later, he received his M.B.A. in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Allen started his career with the DuPont Company based in Wilmington, Del. There he worked for three years with chemists and engineers on the introduction of a textile fibers product in the Tyvek family. After completing his M.B.A., he moved to New York City to work for Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York and Manufacturers Hanover Bank. Allen retired from Citigroup in 1994. A devoted member of the First Church of Christ Congregational in Glastonbury, Conn., Allen loved singing and was a dedicated member of the baritone section of the choir for 40 years. He served as co-chair of the Organ Committee when it was decided that the old organ needed to be replaced. After diligent research and field trips, the committee recommended purchasing a new Schoenstein organ, the first on the East Coast. Allen is survived by his devoted wife of 50 years, Ann Wilder Shenk.
James S. Beckley ’59 James S. “Jim” Beckley passed away February 8, 2026. Born in Warren, Pa., he was 85 years old. At Lawrenceville, Jim lived in Raymond House and The Lodge, and served on the student council. He was a member of the Glee Club, and the football and track teams. Jim remained active as an alumnus, serving as a class agent. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the football and track teams. Jim served as a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam, flying into active battlefields to extract the wounded and delivering them to safety. He recorded more than 90 aircraft carrier landings. After earning an M.B.A. from the Wharton School in 1975, Jim’s entrepreneurial ambitions took him to Miami, where he was a broker associate with the Allen Morris Company. This experience transitioned well to Boulder, Colo., where Jim moved in 1992 and joined the real estate firm of Irwin & Hendrick before going out on his own. He teamed up with several great partners and began 15-plus years of developing commercial properties in the area. Jim’s love of sailing and flying continued throughout his life. He plied the waters of the British Virgin Islands on a succession of sailboats as well as the coasts of France and Croatia. In his single-engine Bonanza, Jim flew extensively throughout the American West, including Colorado, Wyoming New Mexico and California. Jim is survived by his wife of 43 years, Lina Toro; and son Spencer.
Arthur W. Schwartz ’59 Arthur Warton Schwartz passed away March 5, 2026. Born in Glen Cove, N.Y., he was 85 years old. At Lawrenceville, Arthur lived in Upper House and was a member of the Lawrentians, Choir, and Glee Club, and played golf, soccer, and ice hockey. He graduated from Princeton
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University in 1963 and earned a master’s degree in architecture in 1965. A career architect, Arthur’s influence can be seen in buildings in New Jersey, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and Florida. He followed his passion for golf all his life, winning tournaments around the country and Europe, culminating with the Massachusetts Senior Amateur Championship in 1995, on his home course in Stockbridge, Mass. Together with his wife, Ginger, he co-founded and chaired the Library Golf Tournament that raises funds for both the Lenox and Stockbridge Libraries. A past president of the Lenox Club, the Stockbridge Golf Club, and the Laurel Hill Association, Arthur was particularly proud to serve as president of the Otsego Golf Club, a course he had played on each summer for the past 80 years, and for which he still holds the course record. Arthur was also a direct descendant of Robert Livingston, a drafter of the Declaration of Independence, and Theodore Sedgwick, a member of the Continental Congress and Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1799 to 1801. It was his great joy to connect family members and to research and share family history. Arthur is survived by son Arthur II, daughter Julie, and three grandchildren.
Gordon C. Weir ’59 Gordon Campbell Weir passed away March 26, 2026. Born in Cleveland, he was 85 years old. At Lawrenceville, Gordon lived in Cleve House and was a member of The Lawrence, the Glee Club, and Olla Podrida, as well as the swim team. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Dartmouth College in 1963, where he was a member of the swim team. Gordon graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1967. In 1984, Gordon became the medical director of the Joslin Diabetes Center and join the faculty of Harvard Medical School as a professor of medicine. For many years, Gordon wore three hats — clinician, researcher, administrator — before deciding in 1991 that he would focus on his research and his patients, his true love in medicine. His research was largely conducted in partnership with his wife, the biologist Dr. Susan Bonner-Weir. They began their careers at separate medical institutions in Boston, but when they moved to Richmond in 1977, the city had only one big medical research institution, the Medical College of Virginia. Together, they jointly published more than 150 research papers. Gordon delineated five stages of diabetes and co-authored over 400 research papers, and also served as editor of the medical journal Diabetes. Gordon also played a part in the scientific discovery of the GLP-1 hormone, which eventually led to a class of medications that have transformed the treatment of diabetes and obesity. Gordon is survived by his wife, Susan; daughters Dascha and Kytja; and five grandchildren.
J. Scott Clifford ’60 John Scott Clifford passed away December 8, 2024. Born in Chicago, he was 82 years old. At Lawrenceville, Scott lived in Griswold House. He attended Stanford University, then
met his wife, Diane Peabody, at Marietta College in Ohio. Scott joined the U.S. Navy, working on the U.S.S. Enterprise and Independence aircraft carriers during the Vietnam War and finishing his naval career in California with an honorable discharge. He spent the rest of his working years supporting the Navy and other U.S. Armed Forces as a defense contractor for Syscon and ManTech. Scott lived in Reston, Va., for most of the past 45 years. He will be remembered as a strong and dependable man, a lover of football and science fiction, a patient math tutor, a crossword puzzle connoisseur, and the best possible partner with whom to share a glass of good red wine and witty repartee. Scott is survived by his children, Victoria Pierce, John S. Clifford III, and Dorothy Birch; and five grandchildren.
Alan J. Preis ’60 Alan J. Preis passed away June 4, 2025. Born in Atlantic City, N.J., he was 82 years old. At Lawrenceville, Alan lived in Hamill House and was a member of the Press Club, The Lit, and The Lawrence. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and an M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. Alan began his career at Touche Ross and Co., where he served for over 20 years, becoming a tax partner focusing on New Jersey and multistate tax matters. In 1990, he opened his own C.P.A. practice in Florham Park, N.J., where he continued to serve clients with dedication, insight, and integrity for 35 years. A true authority in his field, Alan was a sought-after lecturer, author, and instructor on state and local tax matters. He was recognized as an outstanding educator by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of CPAs. He chaired numerous professional committees and served on the New Jersey Sales and Use Tax Review Commission by gubernatorial appointment. He was widely respected as a trusted advisor to CPAs, attorneys, and business leaders across the country as a member of the Independent Salt Alliance. Alan was proudly devoted to Columbia University and was an active leader of its Northern New Jersey Alumni Group for over 50 years, receiving the Columbia University Alumni Medal for Distinguished Service in 1996. Alan is survived by his wife of 56 years, Sue; son Michael; and a granddaughter.
Sidney C. Wooten ’61 Sidney Clay “Sid” Wooten passed away June 2, 2025. Born in Montreal, he was 82 years old. At Lawrenceville, Sid lived in Raymond and Kinnan Houses, served as a School Camp counselor, and was a member of the football, swimming, and track and field teams. After earning his M.B.A. from George Washington University, Sid embarked on a distinguished career in the tobacco industry, where he worked at Lane Limited as vice president of marketing. Outside of his professional endeavors, Sid was an active member of the Country Club of Roswell, Ga., where he could often be found playing golf or tennis. His love for sports extended to the
slopes, as he was also an enthusiastic snow skier. Sid is survived by his wife, Marilynn Gourley Wooten; and children S. Clay Wooten III, Wendy Helmendach, and Allison Kopach; and six grandchildren.
William A. Harbison ’62 William A. “Bill” Harbison passed away February 20, 2026. Born in Chicago, he was 81 years old. At Lawrenceville, Bill lived in Hamill House. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and his doctorate in medicine from Columbia University. While in New York, he met his wife, Marsha, a violin graduate student at Juilliard. After his medical training, Bill and Marsha moved to Gallup, N.M., where he served in the Indian Health Service caring for patients on the Navajo Reservation. Bill completed his cardiology fellowship at McGill University while Marsha played violin in the Montreal Symphony. In 1977, they moved to Longmeadow, Mass., where they raised their children, Heidi, Chris, and Rick, and built a closeknit community of friends. Bill devoted more than 40 years to an inspiring career as a cardiologist with Pioneer Valley Cardiology in Springfield. Renowned for his compassionate care, he left a legacy of lifting spirits and going above and beyond for his patients and their families. A widely respected teacher, he found deep satisfaction mentoring and sharing his patient-centered values with the next generation of physicians. A lifelong lover of music, Bill was an avid amateur violist. He and Marsha often performed together and enjoyed bringing music to the community. They helped co-found the Longmeadow Chamber Music Society and organized annual concerts benefiting the Adirondack Nature Conservancy and Land Trust. Bill is survived by his wife of 54 years, Marsha; children Heidi Harbison Kimberly, Chris Harbison, and Rick Harbison, and grandchildren.
Louis B. Millen ’62 Louis Burchard Millen passed away March 28, 2026. Born in Stamford, Conn., he was 82 years old. At Lawrenceville, Louis lived in Dawes House and was a member of the orchestra. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Delta State University, where met his beloved wife, Jean Millican. They were married in 1967 in St. Tammany Parish, La. Louis dedicated his early career to teaching mathematics in Mandeville, La., and later moved to Marin County, Calif., after enlisting in the U.S. Army. He served with honor in California and Germany during the Cold War and Vietnam War era. After his military service, Louis returned to his hometown of Drew, Miss., in 1972 to work alongside his father on the family farm, and where he spent many cherished years alongside friends and neighbors. He then worked at AutoZone as a manager in Clarksdale for over 30 years before retiring in 2024. Louis had a passion for the outdoors, enjoying fishing and sailing. He was gifted in physics and mathematics and found joy in working with his hands, tinkering with farm mechanics and engineering improvements. His appreciation
for knowledge extended to reading classical literature and listening to a wide range of music, from classical compositions to the Grateful Dead. A faithful member of the Drew Methodist Church, Louis held spirituality as an important part of his life. Louis is survived by his children, Judson Millen, Marin Millen, Blair Millen, and Michael Bishop; and four grandchildren.
James E. Smitherman ’63 James Emory “Jim” Smitherman III passed away October 25, 2024. Born in Shreveport, L.a, he was 79 years old. At Lawrenceville, Jim lived in Hamill House and was a member of the House Council, the French Club, and the Science Club, as well as the football and wrestling teams. He earned Major L. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and remained a devoted, lifelong fan of the LSU Tigers. Jim had a long and successful career in the oil industry, and loved spending time at his cabin in the Colorado mountains. His family will miss his gentle manner, never-worry attitude, generosity, and raucous games of cards around the kitchen table. Jim is survived by his wife of 57 years, Geralyn; children Geralyn Ritter, Kent Smitherman, Scott Smitherman, and Wendy Leopoulos; 12 grandchildren; and his brother Robert E. Smitherman ’65.
Jeffrey S. Case ’65 Jeffrey Scott Case passed away January 28, 2026. Born on Long Island, N.Y., he was 78 years old. At Lawrenceville, Jeffrey lived in Raymond House. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Hobart College, a master’s degree in architecture from The Illinois Institute of Technology, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University. Jeffrey was a principal at the architectural firm Holabird & Root for over three decades. He collaborated on many of their commercial and academic buildings as well as designing many residences for clients who would become lifelong friends. He was a licensed architect in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Florida and was an active member of many professional architectural organizations. A passionate golfer with memberships at the Moorings Yacht and Country Club in Florida and Chikaming Country Club in Michigan, Jeffrey was also a talented artist, a dog lover, a nature lover and a loyal friend to many, known for his wonderful sense of humor. He greatly enjoyed entertaining friends and family in houses he designed or renovated in Florida, Indiana, and Chicago. Jeffrey is survived by his spouse, Dale Olah.
Theodore B. Conklin ’66 Theodore Brigham “Ted” Conklin III passed away February 1, 2026. Born in New York City, he was 77 years old. At Lawrenceville, Ted lived in Dickinson House and The Lodge, and served as House president and on the House Council. He was a member of The Lit, The Lawrence, Olla Podrida, and the Open Door Society, as well as the golf team.
Ted studied at Babson College and tried “gentleman farming” before he found his calling in 1972, discovering an old brick hotel in struggling Sag Harbor, N.Y. The hotel hadn’t had an overnight guest in years, and its owner had converted one of the dining rooms into his living quarters, including plumbing. The property was still serviced by outhouses. From here, Ted launched his vision, and the hotel ultimately became an acclaimed, refined restaurant with French-influenced cuisine and a wine cellar that would become legendary as the American Hotel on Main Street in Sag Harbor. Accolades followed. Playboy magazine in the early 1980s declared the hotel’s wine cellar — which stretches from one end of the building to the other and includes vintages selling for thousands of dollars — one of the best in the country. Nearly two dozen awards from Wine Spectator hang above the bar, citing the wine list as among the best in the world. Ted is survived by his wife, Susie Franklin; daughters Samantha Brooks Conklin and Natasha Davey Conklin; son Theodore B. Conklin IV; stepdaughter Katy O’Donnell; and five grandchildren.
Peter D. Lips ’66 Peter David “Pete” Lips passed away August 17, 2023. Born in Wilmington, Del., he was 75 years old. After graduating from Brandywine High School in Wilmington, Pete spent a postgraduate year at Lawrenceville, where he played basketball and football. As a senior at Princeton University, Pete earned first-team All-Ivy League in football, setting a school record for career interceptions that would stand for almost two decades. He was also voted third-team All-America in lacrosse. Pete earned his M.B.A. at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He served six years of active duty as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve. During the early years of his business career, Pete worked for Sears Roebuck and Co. at Sears Tower in downtown Chicago. His role grew from retail distribution to strategic planning on new ventures. In 1984 he moved his family to Weston, Conn., after he was named the director of business planning for Prodigy Services, a joint venture with IBM that helped usher in the online age. After leaving Prodigy for entrepreneurial ventures in 1993, Pete was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He fought through it and spent the next three decades putting his talents to work in developing strategic plans and in other consultative roles for a variety of entrepreneurial efforts. As he neared retirement, he served as the treasurer and senior financial officer for Independent Women’s Forum. Pete is survived by his wife, Dianne; children Brad Lips, Carrie Lukas, and Dan Lips; and 12 grandchildren.
Charles D. Schaeffer ’66 Charles D. “Charley” Schaeffer passed away March 21, 2026. Born in Allentown, Pa., he was 77 years old. At Lawrenceville, Charley lived in Raymond House. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry with honors from Franklin & t he law re nt ia n.law re nce v ille .o rg
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Marshall College. Charley received a Ph.D. in chemistry from SUNY Albany in 1974 and did postdoctoral work at Yale University. He joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Elizabethtown College in 1976 and spent his career there. Charley published extensively in the field of organometallic chemistry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and enjoyed a decades-long collaboration with Claude Yoder at Franklin & Marshall. He mentored countless students, and his generosity had a profound impact on many lives. He served as department chair and was promoted to full professor. He retired in 2009 as A.C. Baugher Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus. Charley traveled extensively for both work and pleasure. He was an avid astronomer and photographer and had an extensive classical music collection.
Oliver J. Trytell ’66 Oliver J. Trytell passed away March 6, 2026. Born in New York City, he was 78 years old. At Lawrenceville, Oliver lived in Raymond House. Oliver devoted his professional life to the practice of law, working as a corporate attorney in New Jersey. Known for his thoughtful counsel and professionalism, he built a respected career serving clients with diligence and integrity. A man of quiet generosity, Oliver was a member of the Catholic faith and gave his time to volunteer work at St. Luke’s Hospital in the Lehigh Valley. In his leisure time, he enjoyed photography, finding beauty in everyday moments and capturing them through his lens. Oliver is survived by his wife of 32 years, Christine Trytell; and son Matthew M. Trytell.
Kevin D. Shea ’67 Kevin Donald Shea passed away November 24, 2025. Born in Montclair, N.J., he was 76 years old. After attending Lawrenceville, where he lived in Dawes House, Kevin graduated from Montclair High School in 1967. He went on to Colgate University, where he ran track and became the university record holder in the 440-yard relay. A gifted athlete with a relentless drive, he earned an IC4A medal and carried that competitive spirit and discipline throughout his life. While at Colgate, he took classes at Vassar College, which was still an all-girls college at the time. He later received his M.B.A. with high honors from NYU’s Stern School of Business. Kevin began his career at Goldman Sachs before embracing his true calling as an entrepreneur. He founded his first company, Concept 90, with his brother Michael Shea ’66, and went on to create several other ventures, including Shea, Paschall & Macchionni, Inc., which was eventually acquired by Hambros Bank, and Shea & Associates, which he ran until he retired. Known for his energy, creativity and brilliant mind, Kevin built companies not just through vision, but through generosity, loyalty, and a deep belief in the people he worked alongside. After retiring, Kevin’s intellectual curiosity only grew. He devoted himself to researching ancient civilizations, diving into history with the same enthusiasm he brought to business,
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athletics, and life. Kevin is survived by his wife, Kimberly Blake; children Samantha, Cody, and Annabelle; and two grandchildren.
C. Rory Corrigan ’68 Christopher Rory Corrigan passed away January 25, 2026. Born in Cleveland, he was 75 years old. At Lawrenceville, Rory lived in Dawes House and was a member of the Visual Arts Club. He attended Drew University, where he was the captain of the varsity basketball and tennis teams and earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 1972. Rory eventually traded in his ponytail for Wall Street, dedicating most of his career to Jefferies Group, where he worked for 24 years before retiring in 2002 as executive vice president and head of institutional sales and equity trading. In retirement, Rory served as the chair of the Land Conservancy of New Jersey for seven years and as a trustee of Drew University for 16 years. He was also a member of HMAF (Happy Members at Ford), a development group within the Ford Field and River Club community In Richmond Hill, Ga., which he treasured. Rory met his bride, Deborah “Debi” Hawkins Smith, while he was an assistant tennis professional at Morris County Golf Club in Convent Station, N.J. He sent Debi early declarations of love from his hike of the Appalachian Trail: “Saw a moose, thinking of you.” They wed on September 10, 1983, and were happily married for 42 years, sharing a love for competitive racquet sports, rambunctious Labradors, and welcoming friends — old and new — into their homes. Rory is survived by his devoted wife Debi; children Katie Griff, Peter Corrigan, Cary Corrigan of Brooklyn, NY; and four grandchildren.
Robert W. Owen ’68 Robert Walter “Bobby” Owen passed away February 17, 2026. Born in Mexico City, he was 76 years old. At Lawrenceville, Bobby lived in Kennedy House and The Lodge, serving as House president and on the House Council. He was a member of Olla Podrida and Open Door Society, and the baseball team. Having grown up in Venezuela, Bobby was also a Canadian and a U.S. citizen and communicated easily with people he met and befriended. Making meaningful relationships was important, as he was interested in the lives of those around him. Not being shy, he loved exploring, driving places in cottage country to find out about the people living there. He valued adventures, get-togethers, and was the life of the party. Bobby felt grounded in his sense of community at church and with family. As a brother, godfather, father, husband, uncle and grandfather, family members meant the world to him. A baseball aficionado, Bobby also played Bolas Criollas, a Venezuelan game his father, Walter, loved, along with golf. Father and son were best-of friends. They loved watching sports and kept up on baseball, hockey, and soccer. When Bobby traveled to Japan for his small medical supply business, he brought his family lovely keepsakes. As a teacher, his playful ways
were appreciated by his students. Wherever he was on a Sunday, he would attach an appropriate pin to his lapel and attend Church. It gave him peace of mind and ideas to ponder. The after-Church gatherings always gave him a smile.
Bruce C. Kelsey ’73 Bruce Crane Kelsey passed away May 16, 2026. He was 70 years old. At Lawrenceville, Bruce lived in Raymond and Davidson Houses. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington & Jefferson College. Athletics were Bruce’s first language of connection. He was a naturally gifted athlete and a fierce competitor from a young age. As an adult, he was an A-level squash player, a champion platform tennis player, a scratch golfer, and a quick-witted bridge player. One of his proudest accomplishments was winning the APTA Platform Tennis National Championship in 1995 with his partner, David Ohlmuller. Bruce brought both talent and joy to every game he played, but golf was the sport that remained a constant. He played regularly and competitively, including more than 75 member-guest tournaments, most often with his brother, John, recording several victories and many strong finishes. He was also an avid and highly knowledgeable sports follower, with an exceptional memory for players, statistics, and results. Bruce and Brenda married in 2007, and his 30-year partnership with her and her family became the central relationship of his life. They built a life that was loving and meaningful to both of them. They shared a love of golf, playing frequently at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey in the summer and at John’s Island in Vero Beach, Fla., their home in the winter. Bruce is survived by his wife, Brenda; daughters Melissa Moriarty, Gretchen Oatman, and Jody Sargeant; eleven grandchildren; brother John F. Kelsey ’65 GP’25; cousin Howard D. Kelsey ’64; and niece Kelsey Pisano ’25.
Webb F. Chappell ’74 Webb F. Chappell passed away October 26, 2025. Born in Bronxville, N.Y., he was 69 years old. At Lawrenceville, Webb lived in Cleve House, was a member of the Visual Arts Club, and served as a School Camp counselor. Webb, who worked as a commercial photographer, led his life with genuine curiosity and compassion. He was a brilliant visual artist but his true masterpieces were the relationships he formed. In life as in his photography, Webb’s genuine humility, and vibrant curiosity of his subjects and their stories, allowed their authentic self to emerge. Among his countless clients, Webb’s commissioned photography appeared in The Lawrentian in 2018. Webb married his soulmate, Linda WittChappell, whom he met at the New England Aquarium, in 1984. They shared a lifelong curiosity of the ocean and of the canyons and deserts of the southwest. Webb taught us how to love life. Every day was greeted with joy and a sense of adventure.
Sharing his adventures were the greatest gift of all. Webb asked us to enter into a sense of wonder. His pure loving generous spirit remains a thing of beauty. It is a beacon of light for his family and friends, it is a fortress for us a sacred space to share. Webb asked us to enter into this sacred, spirit place of joy, love and endless possibilities. Webb is survived by his wife, Linda; children Ava G. Chappell and Julian Chappell; and a granddaughter.
Thomas B. Welles ’75 Thomas Bradford Welles passed away November 26, 2025. Born in New York City, he was 68 years old. At Lawrenceville, Thomas lived in Griswold House. He earned his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Union College in 1979. Thomas e was an active member of Psi Upsilon, serving as president of his chapter in his senior year and developing lifelong friendships with brothers with whom he reunited regularly for golf retreats in Pinehurst, N.C. Thomas became vice president of Advanced Testing Systems, Inc. in 1985 and spent the remaining 34 years of his career doing the job he loved before retiring at age 62. Some of his greatest life joys included spending summers with his family in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming, where he would fly-fish in Clear Creek, and watching sunsets from his veranda in Nevis, West Indies. Thomas deeply enjoyed gardening and bringing beautiful plants and vegetables to life, a hobby he cherished throughout his life but especially in his final months where he experimented with new irrigation systems and varieties including grapes. Additionally, he spent the better part of his life researching and documenting his family’s extensive ancestry and genealogy, a treasure to be passed on for generations to come. Thomas is survived by his wife of 38 years, Dana Redding Welles; children Andrea Redding Dragnich, Lauren Welles Medley, and Louis Brad Bifulco; three grandchildren; and his mother, Ann Bouton Thom Welles P’71 ’75.
J. Ridgway Fell ’76 Johnathan Ridgway “Ridge” Fell passed away March 1, 2026. Born in Princeton, N.J., he was 68 years old. At Lawrenceville, Ridge lived in Woodhull before leaving for Episcopal High School and Trinity Pawling School. Ridge traveled west and worked for a time in Texas and California. Upon his return to New Jersey, he started his career at Cheney Flashing Company in Trenton, a company originally founded by his maternal grandfather, Alan Cheney. Upon his mother’s death in 1985, Ridge took over as president of the company. He remained in that role until the company’s sale in 2005. During his years in Princeton he became an avid golfer as a member at Springdale Golf Club. He enjoyed traveling, throwing parties, and dining out at restaurants in Princeton, Trenton, Philadelphia, and New York. He also developed a fondness for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Ridge relocated to Fairhope, Ala., in 2005.
He spent time in roofing sales, and watching his beloved daughters grow up. He made many friends and greatly enjoyed spending time at the American Legion. He never gave up his deep love of all things Philly sports, and watching the Eagles win the Super Bowl in 2025 brought him great joy. He will always be remembered for his generosity, infectious laugh, love of great food and drink, very questionable fashion choices, and epic dance moves. Ridge is survived by his daughters, Sallie London Fell and Charlotte Lucilla Fell.
R. Sean Lapp ’79 Richard Sean Lapp passed away March 5, 2026. Born in Oxnard, Calif., he was 65 years old. At Lawrenceville, Sean lived in Woodhull and Upper Houses. He was elected as School president in 1978-79 and played varsity football and lacrosse. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics at Washington and Lee University. Sean adored writing and was deeply inspired by the teachings of Lawrenceville English master Jim Waugh. “April is the cruellest month, breeding / Lilacs out of the dead land” — T.S. Elliott, The Waste Land, 1922. Sean is survived by his children, Margaret, Charlotte, Robert, and Samuel; three grandchildren; brother Eric C. Lapp ’82; and his mother.
Joseph L. Coleman ’84 Joseph Landon “Joe” Coleman passed away February 4, 2026. Born in New Orleans, he was 59 years old. After growing up in Australia and Indonesia, and determined to play American football, Joe enrolled at Lawrenceville for two years before attending the American School in London for his junior and senior years, where he discovered a deep and enduring love for rugby. In 1984, Joe began his studies at the University of Colorado, where he played rugby and set records that still stand today. After graduating, he spent a brief time in Washington, D.C., before continuing his education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he earned a Master of Arts in Southeast Asian Studies in 1996. Joe ultimately returned to the Boulder, Colo., area, where he raised his family and built a distinguished professional career. He spent most of his working life in commercial banking and, for more than 20 years, worked at JPMorgan Chase, where he received numerous awards recognizing his excellence, leadership, and integrity. Beyond his career, Joe was defined by his passions. He was devoted to his children and loved rugby, golf, skiing, reading, and studying World War II history. Joe is survived by his wife, Annie Zrubek; children Landon Coleman, Molly Coleman, and Joey Coleman, all of Superior, Colorado; and his parents, Walter and Ann Coleman P’84.
Knox S. Weymouth ’86 Knox S. Weymouth passed away March 1, 2026. Born in Baltimore, Md., he was 58 years old. At Lawrenceville, Knox lived in Cleve and Kinnan Houses, was a member of the House Council and Philosophy Club, and played ice
hockey and lacrosse. After earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont, Knox then completed the Culinary Arts program at the University of Hawai’i Maui College. A natural athlete, Knox brought passion, discipline, and joy to everything he pursued. He was most alive in motion — playing polo, ice hockey, skiing, snowboarding, and surfing. He carried a spirit of adventure and a deep appreciation for life’s experiences, and he had a gift for connection, making friends everywhere he went and bringing people together with his warmth, humor, and kind-hearted, easygoing presence. There was a special sparkle in Knox’s eyes, paired with a quick sense of humor, often revealed in a knowing smirk before a witty one-liner. His love for horses, passed down from his father — a jockey and thoroughbred trainer — and his mother, an avid rider, grew into a lifelong dedication that he shared with his wife and proudly passed on to his sons. It culminated in his years as president of the Maui Polo Club, reflecting both his talent and deep passion for the sport and the animals. In recent years, Knox was proud to partner with his brother Gene, and cousins Kaili and Jeff Scheer, in opening Restaurant Marlow, a venture that combined his enthusiasm for food, family, and community. Knox is survived by his mother, Betty Shaw Weymouth P’86; and his older brother, Gene Weymouth.
FACULTY, STAFF, AND FRIENDS Mary Lee Jamieson H’52 W’52 P’79 ’81 ’87 GP’13 ’15 ’17 Mary Lee Jamieson passed away March 9, 2026. Born in Worcester, Mass., she was 89 years old. After graduating from the Bancroft School, Mary Lee earned her bachelor’s degree from Smith College. She then lived in Cambridge, Mass., and worked in the personnel department of John Hancock in Boston. Mary Lee met her husband, Thomas Crawford Jamieson Jr. ’52 P’79 ’81 ’87 GP’13 ’15 ’17, on a blind date during his third year at Harvard Law School. They married in June 1960, and after a two-month honeymoon in Europe, they settled in Lawrenceville. While they raised their four children, Mary Lee did volunteer work, including serving as a trustee of Montclair State University. At the age of 40, she began to work at Lawrenceville, holding a number of faculty positions, including director of parent programs, director of special events, and assistant to the head master. Mary Lee and Thomas especially enjoyed travel, golf, and their home in Vermont. When he became ill, she retired early from Lawrenceville. She volunteered at St. Francis Medical Center, which named its Cancer Pavilion in his memory. For 10 years she was a trustee of Stuart Country Day School, serving as co-chair of the endowment campaign. Mary Lee is survived by four children, including Crawford Jamieson ’79 P’13 ’15 ’17, of Hong Kong; Jeffrey “J.J.” Jamieson ’81, and Paul W. Jamieson ’87; and 12 grandchildren.
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At the Crossroads As the United States celebrates the semiquincentennial of its independence, we look back on the role the tiny village of Maidenhead — today’s Lawrenceville — played in the struggle. BY Jacqueline Haun H’65
British Gen. Charles Cornwallis allegedly remarked that “One day in Maidenhead was enough,” and his frustration with what is now Lawrenceville is understandable. En route from Princeton to Trenton, Cornwallis’ men were confronted with multiple skirmishes along the Maidenhead road, slowing down the advance of the British for many hours. (PHAS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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he Lawrenceville School’s founding date of 1810 precludes any direct involvement in the establishment of American independence, the 250th anniversary of which is being celebrated this year. However, the School is nestled geographically in the very heart of perhaps the most significant series of clashes in the Revolutionary War, between the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, which turned the tide for a nascent America after a year of repeated defeats. In 1776, the village of Lawrenceville was still known by the name given by the Quakers — Maidenhead Township — after the first settlers arrived around 1680. It was a sleepy little farm village, with nothing much to show outsiders beyond its Presbyterian Church, located then as now, adjacent to the School on today’s Main Street, as well as a handful of taverns, inns, and local farms. Despite its small size and lack of many amenities, Maidenhead was conveniently located on the King’s Highway, a major stagecoach and postal route between Philadelphia and New York. This would ultimately place it in the path of both British and American troops. The American Revolution had officially begun with the shots fired on April 19, 1775, in Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. By July 4, 1776, representatives from the thirteen colonies had gathered as the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia and signed an official Declaration of Independence from the mother country, marking the official start of the United States of America. However ambitious the start, the fight for American independence was struggling by December 1776. The American Continental Army had suffered many defeats over the previous year and a half of fighting, including the loss of New York to the British. The agreed-upon enlistment periods for many of the American soldiers were also soon expiring that winter, and Gen. George Washington feared that many discouraged soldiers would give up the fight as a lost cause and return home. As winter loomed, Washington and his troops had withdrawn from New Jersey, across the Delaware River into Bucks County, Pa., where they were in desperate need not only of supplies but, imperative for the sake of morale, some sort of inspirational win. The opportunity came in late December. The British were trying to prevent further American incursions into New Jersey by maintaining control of locations along the King’s Highway as a main north-south supply route. About 1,500 Hessian soldiers from Germany, hired by the British as auxiliary troops, had arrived in mid-December to set up their winter camp in Trenton, then a small but commercially vital town of about 100 households located on a bend of the Delaware River about six miles south of Maidenhead. Washington and his commanders devised a plan to attack the Trenton outpost on December 26 and seize the Hessians’ ammunition and food supplies by using a three-pronged strategy that would strike across the Delaware River from the north and the south. Although the attack did not go at all as planned — severe
weather slowed down Washington’s midnight crossing of the Delaware and impeded the other two units from mounting their supporting attacks — Washington and his troops succeeded in taking Trenton from the Hessians, who were caught off guard following their Christmas celebrations. Washington seized not only the targeted supplies but also captured approximately two-thirds of the Hessian troops, the rest having fled or been killed. Following the successful Battle of Trenton, Washington expected that the British would mount a strong counterattack. He decided to place defensive troops outside Trenton along the Assunpink Creek, which made up the southeastern border of Maidenhead before it flowed into Trenton from the north, just east of today’s Brunswick Circle on Business Route 1. On January 1, 1777, the British took control of Princeton, which was about five miles north of Maidenhead. The next day, Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis began to march down the King’s Highway toward Trenton with an additional 9,500 troops, reaching Maidenhead around noon. As the British troops entered the northern end of the village, they spied a man on horseback, local farmer Elias Hunt, who had just exited the home he and his family were temporarily abandoning to avoid the impending clash. (His home
This 1777 map shows the sites of Gen. George Washington’s battles with British troops over the “Ten Crucial Days” from December 26, 1776, and January 3, 1777. Note the key location of “Maidenhead” — today’s Lawrenceville — halfway between Trenton and Princeton.
has been identified as what became the Inn at Glencairn, just north of today’s Carter Road.) Hunt began to flee south toward the location of an American picket — a small unit of soldiers that serves as early warning of and defense against approaching attacks — stationed opposite the Presbyterian Church. He was pursued by a Hessian soldier, also on horseback, who ran far ahead of his British comrades. As the sword-waving Hessian reached the point between the church and the picket on the other side of the road, an American marksman shot him. The first shot was only a wound, but as the Hessian turned his horse to return to his fellow troops, the marksman fired again, killing both horse and rider. The American soldiers then retreated south ahead of the British to Five Mile Run, where the little Shabakunk Creek crossed the Maidenhead road, at today’s Notre Dame High School. The Hessian soldier was buried in the woods across from the church, on the property of Col. Joseph Phillips. This was only the first of multiple encounters between
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the British and the Americans in Maidenhead that day, for as Cornwallis attempted to continue the march toward Trenton, he met the troops of Col. Edward Hand, an Irishborn physician and soldier who led the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Army. Hand’s units mounted multiple skirmishes along the Maidenhead road, slowing down the advance of the British for many hours. The British made slow progress until they reached the bridge over the Assunpink into Trenton (at the current-day Mill Hill Park), over which the outnumbered Americans had retreated, but after three failed attempts to cross the bridge and with dusk falling, the British were forced to camp for the night at a nearby mill owned by John Phillips. While the British slept that night along the Assunpink, Washington and his troops, guided by local Maidenhead men, snuck around the British forces and went by back roads to Princeton to attack the British garrison, which was being led by Charles Mawhood. Despite the element of surprise, the Battle of Princeton on January 3 was not an easy one. Gen. Hugh Mercer’s American troops were overrun, and Mercer was mortally wounded. When the British demanded Mercer surrender — mistaking him for Gen. Washington — Mercer declined and was subsequently killed. With the death of their leader, Mercer’s men began to flee. Complete disaster for the Americans was averted only when Gen. Washington and additional troops arrived and encouraged the Americans to rally once again and push back against the British. Under Washington’s leadership, the American troops drove the British back until Mawhood gave the order to retreat. While many of the British attempted to flee toward Cornwallis in Trenton, others had taken shelter in Princeton’s Nassau Hall. With the surrender of those troops, the Battle of Princeton was considered at an end and a successful one for the Americans. While the Battle of Trenton, the Battle of the Assunpink, and the Battle of Princeton might be considered relatively
Gen. George Washington led his ragtag band of soldiers against Hessian troops at the Battle of Trenton, which began to turn momentum toward the American side.
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Col. Edward Hand and his 1st Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Army mounted multiple skirmishes along the Maidenhead road, slowing down the advance of the British for many hours as they tried to make their way to the Assunpink Creek in Trenton.
small battles, their success significantly turned the tide for the morale of the Americans. The British, having faced three defeats in ten days, evacuated central New Jersey, while Gen. Washington moved his troops north to Morristown for the winter. Today, Lawrence Township continues to celebrate the successful Revolutionary battles that took place as part of the “Ten Crucial Days” annual re-enactment events in Trenton that trace the footsteps of Washington, the British, and Colonel Hand each December and January. Jacqueline Haun H’65 is the senior archives librarian in the Stephan Archives in Bunn Library.
ON E MOR E T H I NG
Ready for his Closeup On June 15, in between Haiti’s two Group C matches in the World Cup, Duke Lacroix ’11 made some time for photographer Colin Lenton and his assistant in the team’s Atlantic City, N.J., hotel for this issue of The Lawrentian. Photo by Colin Lenton
The Lawrenceville School Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648
Parents of alumni: If this magazine is addressed to a son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please email us at contactupdates@lawrenceville.org with their new address. Thank you!
SAVE THE DATE! Come
Home for Hill! on Saturday, November 7, 2026 We hope you join us on campus for a day of food, fun, and friendly competition as we cheer on our Big Red athletes.
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