The Exeter Bulletin, winter 2012

PEA_Reunion Ad 2011_Final 12/21/11 4:40 PM Page 1

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EXETER REUNIONS

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See old friends—and make some new ones, too Discover how Exeter has changed and grown Argue a point with passion at the Harkness table Show your kids your favorite spots on campus Reconnect with your teachers and meet today’s students

CONNECT THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND THE POSSIBLE.

REUNIONS 2012 REUNION DATE

YEAR

CLASS

May 4–6, 2012

10th 35th 55th 60th

2002 1977 1957* 1952

May 11–13, 2012

15th 20th 25th 30th

1997 1992 1987 1982

May 18–20, 2012

5th 40th 45th 50th

2007 1972 1967 1962*

65th 70th

1947 1942

* Starts May 3

* Starts May 17 May 22–24, 2012

For more information, please visit your online class page at www.exeter.edu/alumni or call the Alumni/ae and Parent Relations Office at 800-828-4325 ext. 3264.

Around the Table NOELLE BODICK ’08

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Contents

Principal ThomasE.Hassan’56,’66,’70,’06(Hon.);P’11 Director of Communications Julie Quinn Editor Karen Ingraham Staff Writers Mike Catano, Alice Gray, Nicole Pellaton, Famebridge Witherspoon Class Notes Editor Janice M. Reiter Editorial Assistant Susan Goraczkowski Creative Director/Design David Nelson, Nelson Design Contributing Editor Edouard L. Desrochers ’45, ’62 (Hon.) Communications Advisory Committee Daniel G. Brown ’82, Robert C. Burtman ’74, Dorinda Elliott ’76, Alison Freeland ’72, Keith Johnson ’52, Yvonne M. Lopez ’93 TRUSTEES President G. Thompson Hutton ’73 Vice President Eunice Johnson Panetta ’84 David O. Beim ’58, Flobelle Burden Davis ’87, Marc C. de La Bruyère ’77, Walter C. Donovan ’81, John A. Downer ’75, Jonathan W. Galassi ’67, Thomas E. Hassan ’56, ’66, ’70, ’06 (Hon.); P’11, Jen Holleran ’86, David R. Horn ’85, Alan R. Jones ’72, Sally Jutabha Michaels ’82, William K. Rawson ’71, Dr. Nina D. Russell ’82, Robert S. Silberman ’76, J. Douglas Smith ’83, Remy White Trafelet ’88, Morrison DeSoto Webb ’65 The Exeter Bulletin (ISSN No. 01950207) is published four times each year: fall, winter, spring, and summer, by Phillips Exeter Academy, 20 Main Street, Exeter NH 03833-2460, 603-772-4311.

Periodicals postage paid at Exeter, NH, and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA by Cummings Printing.

The Exeter Bulletin is printed on recycled paper and sent free of charge to alumni/ae, parents, grandparents, friends, and educational institutions by Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH. Communications may be addressed to the editor; email bulletin@exeter.edu.

Copyright 2012 by the Trustees of Phillips Exeter Academy.

ISSN-0195-0207 Postmasters: Send address changes to: Phillips Exeter Academy, Records Office, 20 Main Street, Exeter, NH 03833-2460.

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Features 22 | 80 HARKNESS MOMENTS

Exeter’s community reflects on 80 years of collaborative learning Compiled by Karen Ingraham

32 | EXETER UNDERGROUND A look at the Academy’s hidden infrastructure Compiled by Karen Ingraham

Departments

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4 Around the Table: Principal Hassan on the art of synergy, Greek Tragedy Week, PEA’s Torahs get a home, visitors on campus, and more.

12 Table Talk with PEA’s sustainability leaders Betsy Stevens and Jill Robinson 16 Exoniana: War memorials on campus

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18 Exonians in Review: Amglish in, Like, Ten Easy Lessons by Arthur E. Rowse ’39. Reviewed by Peter Greer ’58 36 Sports: Off the Playing Fields: Two Veteran Coaches Seek Out New Learning Opportunities by Mike Catano.

Plus, fall sports roundup.

40 Sports: Homecoming 2011 coverage 42 Connections: News and Notes from the Alumni/ae Community 44 Profiles: Meir Ribalow ’66, Blair Fitzsimons ’78 and Jeremiah Pasternak ’01 112 Finis Origine Pendet: Signing Up for Another Year

by Kristen (Skedgell) DeVoe ’74

Visit Exeter on the web at www. exeter.edu / Email us at bulletin@ exeter.edu

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THE EXETER BULLETIN IS PRINTED ON PAPER WITH 10% POST-CONSUMER CONTENT, USING SOY-BASED INKS.

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A New England Winter Blue sky and an Academy lawn blanketed in white emerge after a nor’easter blew through Exeter in January 2011.

—Photo by Brian Crowley

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The View from Here

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Around the Table

What’s new and notable at the Academy

The Art of Synergy T E AC H E R S R E M A I N T H E C O N D U I T F O R H A R K N E S S

By Principal Thomas E. Hassan ’56, ’66, ’70, ’06 (Hon.); P’11

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ART DURITY

ne of the feature articles in this issue of the Bulletin commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Harkness gift and includes 80 Harkness “moments” shared by alumni/ae, current students, parents, faculty and staff. I will focus this piece on adding my own special Harkness moment to those that begin on page 22, but first I would like to digress just a bit.

When Exonians think of the gift that transformed our school, our signature way of teaching is usually the first thing that comes to mind.The Harkness gift, however, went well beyond pedagogy and included the infrastructure needed to support such a manner of education. It spawned a building boom on campus, and the feature article, “Exeter Underground,” on page 32 displays some of the less visible but long-lasting results of that work.

More noticeably, the Harkness gift supported the conversion of the Academy Building’s recitation rooms into seminar rooms. It also funded the construction of a new classroom building, Phillips Hall; four new dormitories each with a dining room (Bancroft, Langdell, Merrill and Wheelwright halls); and the renovation of eight existing dormitories.These structures and the lives and legends that comprise their history are a fascinating aspect of Exeter’s narrative.

It is in Phillips Hall where my own Harkness moment took place. In fact, I had my emblematic experience even before I came to work at Exeter. It was a snowy, cold February day in 1989. I had come to New Hampshire from Cambridge, MA, to interview for the position of director of college counseling.

February days may be short, but to a candidate at Exeter they can seem very long. The interview process, then as now, was extensive. While candidates tend to be weary at its end, many will enthusiastically report an experience similar to mine, saying, “The best part of the day was the classroom visit.”

I had the good fortune to observe a senior-level English class taught by legendary instructor Fred Tremallo ’70 (Hon.); P’74, P’78. I was eager to see him in action. You can imagine my surprise when the class began and he just sat there. Soon thereafter, Fred got up and walked out the door. What really astonished me was that the class just kept on talking, debating and pushing the discourse forward. In fact, things heated up when he left the room and stayed at an intellectual fever pitch after he returned. Of course, over the years I have observed more of Exeter’s great instructors and taught hundreds of math classes myself, but nothing can compare with the wave of understanding that broke over me that first time. So this is what they are talking about.This is Harkness.

I learned quickly that, contrary to what first meets the eye, the teacher is an integral part of the Harkness experience. This reality was borne out when I read over the submissions for the magazine piece that follows.

The anecdotes, one-liners and narratives are typically tied to a teacher; in two cases the moment is simply the teacher’s name. When it comes to Harkness teaching and learning, it isn’t just the table, or the students or the teacher. It is a synergy between all three that for 80 years has provided thousands of Exonians with Harkness moments like the ones shared on the following pages.

Faculty Wire

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fter more than 3,500 online votes were cast last fall to name

2011’s “Junior Coach of the Year” in rowing, PEA Girls Varsity Crew Coach Sally Morris P’07, P’08, P’10 took the top honor in USRowing’s inaugural “Fan’s Choice” Awards.

The award was one of seven that members of the nation’s rowing community could cast their vote for to honor “Rower of the Year” in the junior, collegiate, masters and national team categories and “Coach of the Year” in the junior, collegiate and masters categories.

Blair Baker ’11, former co-captain of the girls varsity crew team, first nominated Morris, who is also chair of the Classical Languages Department. Both Baker and current crew member Mimi Reichenbach ’12 led a campaign on Facebook to help build support for Morris’ candidacy.

In recent years, Morris has turned the girls crew program into a high school rowing powerhouse. She led Exeter to the overall points trophy at the 2011 New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Championships, winning the top-three girls eights races. Her varsity eight went on to finish fourth at the 2011 USRowing Youth National Championships.

“The ‘Fan’s Choice’ Award is a novel concept, since the coaching winners are chosen by their former athletes and their families as well as by their colleagues, unbeknownst to the potential recipient,” Morris reflects.

“I walked into Latin class one morning to hear my students congratulating me on my nomination. I was so pleased and honored to learn that I had been nominated by my rowers. …Now that I have won the award, I feel the greatest satisfaction in this outpouring of good will for my complete absorption in coaching crew over these 27 years. I absolutely love coaching and my afternoon hours on the river are among the happiest times in my work as a boarding school teacher-coach. …I want to thank all of my rowers and cox’ns, fellow coaches, and each and every person who voted for me in the polls, but particularly Blair Baker for her role in the nomination process.”

Winners were honored on November 30 during the 2011 Golden Oars Awards Dinner at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan. Morris was in Rome at the time, researching an academic program, but former PEA girls varsity crew captains Tamar Nisbett ’10 and Jocelyn Bohn ’11 went to the event and were acknowledged in her place.

The Desk Brigade

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COURTESY OF CARL STEVENS

COURTESY OF SALLY MORRIS

S A L LY M O R R I S C H O S E N A S ‘ J U N I O R C OAC H O F T H E Y E A R ’

arly last fall, a group of PEA faculty members and students worked together to package more than 300 desks from the town’s old junior high school for shipment to orphanages in Honduras, Haiti and other countries. The project, initiated by Carl Stevens P’14, husband of Sustainability Education Coordinator and Science Instructor Betsy Stevens P’14, benefited Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, a nonprofit organization that runs orphanages in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The desks were donated by a local Exeter organization that now owns the former school space, but help was needed to wrap the desks and chairs in plastic and load them onto a 53-foot tractor-trailer.

Over the course of two weeks, three groups of students, including Webster Hall residents, Exeter Social Service Organization (ESSO) club members, and junior varsity soccer team players took time off from their busy lives at the Academy to pitch in. Pictured here are varsity soccer players Tristan Cooper ’12 and Adam Brooks ’12.

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Campus Life at a Glance

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Snapshots from fall term (A) Wheelwright Hall girls celebrate Academy Life Day, a break from classes and a time to bond with fellow dorm mates. (B) Students celebrate their cultural diversity with food, native costumes and dancing during PEA’s annual International Day. (C) Parents and relatives participate in Harkness learning while attending their students’ classes during Family Weekend. (D) Dance Company students move to the beat of “Thriller” and compete for best skit during the Halloween assembly.

(E) The time capsule ceremony, where preps share written reflections of their first months at Exeter, marks the end of the fall term. (F) English Instructor Brooks Moriarty ’87 learns the basics of fly-casting from Science Instructor Erik Janicki during PEA’s second annual Saturday School for faculty and staff.

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(A) ADELA LOCSIN ’13; (B) CHRISTINE KNAPP; (C) JAY DRINKER; (D) AND (E) NICOLE PELLATON; AND (F), TERRI BURNS ’12.

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A Place to Call Home E X E T E R ’ S J E W I S H C O M M U N I T Y P U T S D OW N P E R M A N E N T RO O T S O N C A M P U S

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MIKE CATANO

or Bruce Saber ’76, part of coming to

terms with his younger brother’s death in the 9/11 terrorist attacks meant finding a proper memorial. Bruce wanted to honor Scott Saber ’82 in a way that would be as lasting as his own grief.

“We thought of several ways to memorialize him,” Saber says. “I felt I wanted to do something at Exeter, but for a while I wasn’t sure. For a couple of years, we discussed it with Ron Suduiko, [regional director of PEA’s major gifts], but nothing clicked.”

Shortly afterward Saber learned the Academy had its first rabbi and then received its first Torah, donated in 2004. “The lightbulb went off,” he says. Conversations with Suduiko ’68 and Rabbi Jennifer Marx Asch resulted in “the perfect idea” for remembering his brother, who had been working as an equities director for UBS Warburg in one of the twin towers when the planes struck.

Marx Asch says Saber was “excited to hear about all that was happening in our Exeter Jewish community and wanted to support this growth and renewal. So, I said, ‘You know, we could use an ark for our new Torah’ . . . and he answered, ‘Hineini—Here I am.’ ” The ark—designed to house the Academy’s Torahs—was dedicated last September, on the first night of Rosh Hashanah, with Saber, his family, and members of the PEA and local Jewish community in attendance.

During the service, Saber talked about Scott, how he lived his life and what it means for the ark to be given in his honor. “The ark is a lovely permanent location to honor my brother. . . . Scott’s memory will live on here at Exeter, and there can be no greater tribute to my brother,” Saber says.

Encased in the east wall (traditional positioning for prayer facing toward Jerusalem) in Phillips Church’s Stuckey Room, the ark was designed by PEA’s Lead Carpenter/Mason Matthew “Mickey” Kucharski Jr. and built by members of the carpentry shop. Standing just under 10 feet tall and 7 feet wide, the ark—cut from regionally grown white oak—has an oval arch and four doors covering large, curtained compartments.

Embellishing the holy chest, which is recessed 20 inches into the wall, are black metal handles, and curved rod iron tendrils with ruby-colored, glass-jeweled pomegranates, which is a staple fruit in the Middle East and referenced in the Bible more than two dozen times. The iron trim displays roots signifying permanency and blooms representing the future. The doors contain vertical stained glass, with pastoral scenes in muted blues, greens and whites. A small dedication plaque hangs on the wall beside the ark where Scott will be remembered in perpetuity.

“Growing up Jewish was very important to our family,” Saber says. “Most of our friends and neighbors were Jewish. We left a large Jewish ghetto on Long Island and came to a place [PEA] where Jews were scarce and unknown. We didn’t have this.” Saber gestures toward the ark, with the sacred Torahs inside and the rabbi standing nearby. “This is amazing,” he concludes.

Marx Asch adds, “Building a beautiful ark not only adds to the honor and decorum of our Jewish holiday and Shabbat services, but more importantly the ark marks a permanent home for the Jewish community, [providing] a sense of belonging and rootedness that we had not yet experienced at the Academy. The Jewish students, faculty and staff now feel acknowledged and welcomed as a valued part of our diverse Academy community.”

At the ark’s dedication, from left to right: Rabbi Jennifer Marx Asch; Bruce Saber ’76 and his wife, Lisa Sotto; their children, Arielle, Shane and Rebecca; Michael Freedman, his wife, Jennifer, and their son, Max ’13; and Rev. Robert Thompson ’72.

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Around the Table

In the Assembly Hall A S A M P L I N G O F S P E A K E R S W H O C A M E TO C A M P U S I don’t expect to collect on my bet anytime soon.”

In addition to sitting in on an Arabic class, Khoury also met with students and faculty over lunch.

September 23: Robert Mundheim ’50

Robert Mundheim gave the first assembly talk in a new speaker series he established to bring guests to PEA to discuss difficult life decisions that require choosing among differing values—whether personal, institutional or societal.

His own assembly address focused on the value of continuing education, thoughtful communication and non sibi. “Are we in danger of losing some of the important lessons of the Harkness table with so much communication from so many sources?” Mundheim asked. “Do we react rather than think things through?

Do we really listen?”

Mundheim stressed the need for students to pause regularly for times of reflection and to channel their experience at the Harkness table into a lifetime of careful thinking and collaboration. Using examples from his own career, he illustrated the importance of public service and encouraged students to spend time with their families and develop interests outside of their careers as a way to continually pursue knowledge.

October 3: The Honorable Judd Gregg ’65

NICOLE PELLATON

MAXINE WEED

Former general counsel to the U.S. Treasury Department and dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School

September 27: Philip Khoury Ford International Professor of History and associate provost, MIT

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“You have a responsibility to achieve because you have certain gifts and you have been given a gift by being here at Exeter,” said the Hon. Judd Gregg ’65 to the students gathered in the Assembly Hall.

Gregg, who served in the U.S. Senate for 18 years, the House for eight, and as governor of New Hampshire for two terms, was invited to campus recently as a Bragdon Fellow to speak about public service.

Gregg urged students to engage in their own activity of interest. For the politically oriented, he remarked that New Hampshire is a wonderful place to be during primary season. “Iowa can be dominated by very narrow interests,” explained the Republican, pulling on years of experience. “Usually New Hampshire’s role is to reduce the field to two candidates.” Gregg added with humor, “The only thing predictable about New Hampshire is that it’s unpredictable.”

Gregg later met with two history classes, held an open Q-and-A session with over 60 environmental proctors and other interested students, and met informally with students and faculty in the Phelps Academy Center Grill.

October 7: Father David McCallum

NICOLE PELLATON

MIKE CATANO

Professor Philip Khoury’s talk, facilitated

by PEA’s Middle Eastern Society, was an opportunity for students to gain insight into 2011’s Arab Spring. He began by retracing the history of the past 40 years, which had set the stage for the current political and social conditions in the region.

Khoury then presented his outlook for the region, labeling himself a “pessoptimist.” He said that he is encouraged by the courage and selfsacrifice demonstrated by ordinary citizens across the Arab world. “Underneath their culture, Arabs have these universal aspirations for dignity,” he said.

“What we have been witnessing is already changing the political culture across the Arab world in ways not seen in the last century.” He was cautious, however, given the history of revolutions in that region.

“If I were a betting man, I would bet on the shakeup doing more good than harm,” he concluded. “But

Former N.H. governor and U.S. senator and PEA Bragdon Fellow

Jesuit priest and co-founder of the Contemplative Leaders in Action Program

Fr. McCallum began his presentation by remarking on the enormous energy in Assembly Hall. He encouraged students to focus their energy “to be contemplative in the midst of action.” He referred to Steve Jobs, Apple Inc. co-founder and innovator, and asked students to consider his example: “Think of the impact

Around the Table

October 11: Will Allen

MIKE CATANO

Founder and CEO, Growing Power Inc.

“A sustainable food system is the only way to end hunger,” said Will Allen, urban farming pioneer and head of Growing Power, a 3-acre farm within Milwaukee’s city limits. The former professional basketball player and food marketing executive spoke to students about what he calls “a broken food system,” with frequent food scares and increasing incidents of illnesses, such as obesity and diabetes. Excited by his message, students gave Allen a standing ovation.

At Growing Power, Allen leads 65 employees and thousands of volunteers and partners managing more than 70 projects and outreach programs throughout the region. The farm has six greenhouses, year-round “hoop houses” with more than 20,000 plants and vegetables, thousands of tilapia and perch, chickens, goats, ducks, rabbits and bees.

November 1: Geoffrey See

MIKE CATANO

Founder and managing director, Choson Exchange

“I want to focus on understanding how we look at North Korea. We still don’t really know a lot about the country despite much having been written in the media.” With that opening, Geoffrey See, whose nonprofit focuses on providing economics, business and legal training for young North Korean government officials, began his assembly talk. By drawing on his own visits to Pyongyang over the past year, See

provided PEA students with a firsthand account of life and customs in North Korea.

November 14: Major General Charles D. Luckey ’73 Assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for reserve matters MIKE CATANO

Maj. Gen. Luckey—a high-ranking Pentagon military adviser—spoke plainly to students about how they can best observe Veterans Day, now and always.

“At the end of the day, if you want to honor the sacrifices made by everybody who has served in the armed forces, or their family members, the best thing I can tell you is to enjoy your freedom, and enjoy it responsibly and live a purposeful life,” he said. “Make it count. Earn it.”

Luckey spoke of the OODA loop, a concept used in military strategy that stands for observe, orient, decide and act. He urged students to apply this to their lives, to make something happen. “I’m not going to tell you how to make it happen,” he added.

“You’ve got to figure that out but live a purposeful life and honor those who have served with that.”

He concluded with three ideas to help in that goal, the first being to remain intellectually curious in life.

He also advocated “spiritual fitness…find something that works for you” and to stay physically fit, because life, he said, “is not a sprint; this is a long-distance run.

This is a marathon.”

November 18: Ursula Burns CEO, Xerox Corp.

Ursula Burns received a standing ovation from Exonians at the end of her straighttalking assembly presentation. The first African-American woman to lead a Fortune 500 company and the first woman to succeed another as head of a Fortune 500 company, Burns shared with students the lesson instilled in her by her mother while growing up impoverished on the Lower East Side of Manhattan: “Where you are is not who you are.” For Burns as a child, this meant getting an education and moving out of the housing projects.

Reinforcing her mother’s words, Burns said to the students, “It takes a bit more to be a good person than where you are sitting right now.”

After assembly, Burns met with more than 50 students of color for an open Q-and-A session. She then attended a combined religion class of The Ethics of the Marketplace and Global Ethics: What’s Wrong with the World?

NICOLE PELLATON

that Steve Jobs has had on each of us. How did knowing he was going to die affect his perspective on living every day? We should ask ourselves, ‘What are we living for and why?’ ” McCallum then introduced students to a form of meditation, designed for religious believers and nonbelievers, to address the uncertainty, volatility and complexity in life. Guiding the students through the 10-minute exercise, McCallum asked them to focus on their breathing and thoughts. “Even in hard times, there is fullness. Where is there fullness in your life right now?” he asked.

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Academy Library Turns 40 P I A N O C O N C E RT A N D A RT I N S TA L L AT I O N M A R K O C C A S I O N

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TOM WHARTON

t was an evening of captivating sight and sound on November 14 when the Class of 1945 Library became the framework for PEA’s first joint piano concert and art installation, an event to celebrate the building’s 40th anniversary.

Adjunct music instructors and pianists Jon Sakata and Jung Mi Lee, with Principal Tom Hassan’s support, collaborated with architects from the Wentworth Institute of Technology to present “Interventions in Memory: Exploring the Interstices of Music and Architecture.”

Reams of sheer white, semitransparent scrims—20-, 30- and 40-feet-long—hung from Rockefeller Hall’s high ceilings, elegantly encircling two black concert pianos. Each scrim was rolled out, measured, cut, stitched together and hung over the course of two days. “The process was tedious and laborious, and yet the finished product was graceful and soothing,” says Academy Librarian Gail Scanlon, who began working on this anniversary event only a few weeks after beginning her new role.

During the event, Sakata and Lee performed while four data projectors displayed shadowed images onto the layered scrims. Like memories, the closer images were clear and focused, and those farther away were blurred.

The concept behind the event was the exploration of how two different mediums begin to interact and respond to each other. “I didn’t have a clear concept of how the music and architecture would unite within the building,” Scanlon says. “After working on this event . . . I will not be able to listen to music without a sense of my surroundings.”

Sakata and Lee performed selections from Robert Cogan’s Contexts/Memories: Version C and The Art of Fugue, by Johann Sebastian Bach, as their audience milled around and through the installation on various floors of the library.

“The music was like a soundtrack for a movie and my eyes were the camera,” says Janice Ziemba, administrative manager in the Dean of Students Office. “I also enjoyed that the concert gave me permission to move and relocate to different areas of the library and bring fresh ‘cinematic’ eyes to spaces and architectural elements that I did not have time to reflect upon previously.” She recalls the scrims as mysterious, “. . . drawing [your] eyes upward to contemplate the vast height of the hall and the amazing achievement of the architecture.”

Since 2009 Sakata and Lee have collaborated with architect and Wentworth’s Graduate Studies Chair John Ellis, examining the relationship between music and architecture. Earlier this year the “Interventions in Memory” concert and exhibition, including the two pianists, toured contemporary and modernist architectural landmarks in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Germany.

Semitransparent scrims shrouded two pianos, creating an interplay of music and space during the performance.

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Affordable Housing Leader Honored M A R I A C A B I L D O ’ 8 5 P R E S E N T E D W I T H T H E J O H N P H I L L I P S AWA R D

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DAN COURTER

t a special assembly on October 28, Maria Cabildo ’85 received the 2011 John Phillips Award in recognition of her leadership in providing affordable housing opportunities and resources to low-income families in her native East Los Angeles.

As president and co-founder of the East Los Angeles Community Corporation (ELACC), Cabildo has been instrumental in the development of 360 housing units for more than 800 residents since 1995, as well as efforts to empower community members through financial education and leadership training.

In a moving acceptance speech, Cabildo spoke of her journey to Exeter from her impoverished community in the early 1980s, and how she later discerned a call to return home and dedicate her life to helping families break a cycle of poverty through education and affordable housing.

“I have such gratitude in my heart for the Academy and for the Exeter alumni/ae that make it possible for kids from East L.A. and other neighborhoods with economic and social Maria Cabildo talks challenges to come and blossom here,” Cabildo said. “That generosity changed my life forever and has enabled with students after me to improve the lives of children and families in East L.A.” the assembly.

Cabildo recalled the challenges that her parents, both immigrants from Mexico, overcame to provide shelter and education for their family.The fact that thousands of families face the same struggles today spurs her commitment to give underrepresented and underserved populations a voice in their communities Watch excerpts and the power to shape their futures. from Cabildo’s Maria Morales, a resident of the Lorena Terrace development ELACC completed five years ago, acceptance exemplifies the impact of Cabildo’s work. “The memory of the years that she was only able to provide speech at www.exeter.edu/ her children a floor to sleep on brought her to tears,” Cabildo recounted. “She said to me in her native bulletinextras.

Spanish: ‘My children had never known what it was like to sleep in a bed until we came to live here.’

Knowing that Maria’s kids have safe housing and beds to sleep in fills me with hope. It’s a happy ending to their years of living in overcrowded and dilapidated housing, and a gateway to a better life for her children.”

Cabildo concluded by encouraging students to cultivate empathy and compassion and to endeavor to improve the world, whatever career they choose.

Each year the Trustees present the John Phillips Award to an Exeter alumnus or alumna whose life demonstrates founder John Phillips’ ideal of goodness and knowledge united in character and service to mankind.

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uring the fall and winter terms, the Lamont Art Gallery hosted an exhibit depicting the works of Exeter’s Art Department faculty.

The program, entitled “Version 7,” featured pieces

by Carla Blakely, Larry Gene Howard, Steve Lewis, Rebecca Longley,Tara Misenheimer, Karen Burgess Smith, and Gallery Manager Sara Zela. One of the works from the exhibit appears here.To learn more about each of the artists and view their artworks, go to www.exeter.edu/bulletinextras.

BROOKLYN BRIDGE BY STEVE LEWIS

On Display: Exeter’s Faculty Artists

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Building a Philosophy of Sustainability TA B L E TA L K W I T H J I L L RO B I N S O N A N D B E T S Y S T E V E N S

By Matt Heid

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FRED CARLSON

liminate bottled water from campus. Compost dining hall food waste. Reduce energy use. Establish guidelines for sustainable building practices. In the near future, all of these objectives will be realized at Phillips Exeter, thanks in part to the efforts of Jill Robinson and Betsy Stevens P’14.

The duo sits in their shared office in the Phelps Academy Center, surrounded by many telltale elements of their work. A shimmering blue flag hangs on the wall, emblazoned with a picture of Earth from space. Snippets of paper rest on the windowsill, printed with messages like “Eating local means more for the local economy.” A partially erased whiteboard hangs on the opposite side of the room. Only one action item remains at the top, starred in orange dry-erase ink: “Save the World.”

To help accomplish that modest goal, Robinson and Stevens work to enhance and expand sustainability efforts across campus.They approach it, however, from two completely different angles. Stevens, a science teacher at PEA for 11 years, devotes half her time to her responsibilities as sustainability education coordinator, working to engage students and faculty in sustainability initiatives. Robinson approaches it from a position only recently established at PEA: environmental stewardship manager. In this new role, her job is to work with Facilities Management staff and oversee the administration and implementation of sustainability projects across campus.

Their collaboration represents a milestone partnership between facilities and faculty. Prior to the creation of Robinson’s position, efforts were focused through a full-time sustainability educator, who faced the challenging task of managing both the education and implementation aspects of campuswide projects.With a twoperson team now in place, Robinson and Stevens can more effectively focus on their respective roles in facilities management and education. By working together, they also achieve a cooperative, big-picture view of the many elements necessary to implement and enhance sustainability programs. “[This partnership] communicates that sustainability and minimizing environmental impact are very important here,” Robinson says, “and shows an understanding that we have to look at all the dimensions and all the people.”

Student and faculty engagement is a crucial part of the effort, Stevens notes, but “in reducing environmental impact, so much comes from operations.” She cites their current effort to eliminate bottled water from campus as an example. “My job is to educate the community and explain the science behind it,” Stevens explains, “but Jill’s role is crucial in working with our caterers and other suppliers, as well as obtaining the filtration equipment needed to provide increased access to high-quality drinking water across campus.”

Other sustainability efforts are already well established. Stevens

Around the Table

rapidly ticks off several of them. More than 60 student volunteers serve as environmental proctors and work to educate the Exeter community about environmental issues, including recycling, composting and junk mail reduction. A free film series and regular guest speakers raise student awareness of environmental and sustainability programs and challenges. The Niebling Fund—a special grant program created through an alumnus’ donation—gives students the opportunity to apply for financial support to implement their own sustainability projects.And each year the school participates in the “Green Cup Challenge,” an interscholastic competition to produce the greatest reduction in electricity use during a given time period.

On the facilities side, PEA has constructed several buildings that achieved LEED certification—a nationally recognized award given to structures that meet strict sustainability standards. These include the Phelps Academy Center and two on-campus faculty houses.

“Four houses on campus have geothermal heating, ventilation and cooling; and one has solar panels, which were a gift from the class of 2007,” Robinson notes. “Several other renovations have incorporated sustainability elements through the choice of materials, windows, insulation, energy monitoring, site design considerations, or other elements.”

For future construction, Robinson is actively developing guideTheir collaboration lines for sustainable building practices and establishing ways to measure the results of their efforts. “We need to know if what represents a milestone we’re doing represents an actual improvement,” she explains. “Our partnership between goal is to actually make a dent in a problem rather than just do things that are highly visible.” But even little things can add up to facilities and faculty. make a big difference, Robinson adds. “We purchased four bicycles for our facilities staff to use around campus. Our goal is a noticeable reduction in vehicle use as a result.”

Downstairs from their office, in the building’s large communal area, it’s Food Day.The nationwide event raises awareness about the environmental impacts of food production, as well as emphasizes sustainable solutions. Student-created tabletop displays highlight a variety of topics—factory farming, buying local, eating more vegetables—and are tangible results of Stevens’ work with the school’s student-run Environmental Action Committee.The event also offers a window into one of the team’s top priorities: Deal with dining hall food waste in a sustainable manner. “We have to get composting into the dining halls,” Stevens notes determinedly.

“Composting would provide a tremendous education opportunity,” Robinson agrees, but is quick to note the associated challenges that she’s working to overcome, including the large volume of compostable material, the facilities necessary to handle it, and the strict regulatory framework that she must operate within. Nevertheless, she remains equally determined. “Right now tons of food become waste in a landfill instead of becoming soil that’s actually useful. Finding a workable solution is simply the right thing to do.”

Both Robinson and Stevens believe that PEA is uniquely positioned to both enhance sustainability programs and provide a leading example for others to follow. “Exeter is a manageable size in terms of the number of students, faculty and staff,” Robinson explains. “We have the ability to implement a variety of pilot programs and a lot of support to do so.”

Stevens agrees, “We have the potential to make a difference and have the resources to make it happen. Our job is to set an example as one of the leading institutions in the country.”

But despite all their successes, the biggest long-term goal is something far less tangible.

“If we get students interested and engaged, they will be the ones to find solutions to these pressing environmental problems in the future,” Stevens explains. Robinson nods in agreement. “We want the philosophy of environmentalism to be a natural part of things here,” she concludes, “for sustainability to be a core value that students can take with them into the world.”

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Around the Table

Trustee Roundup

T

he Trustees of the Academy met on campus Wednesday, October 26, through Friday, October 28. On Wednesday, new Trustee Jennifer Holleran ’86; P’11 spent time on campus for a day of orientation; she was accompanied by John “Tony” Downer ’75; P’06, P’07 who, after serving as a trustee representative from the General Alumni/ae Association, returns as a trustee this fall.

The Trustees began their official meetings Thursday morning with a report from Principal Tom Hassan in which he provided an update on the budget cuts and personnel changes that have occurred since he began his tenure. He also focused on issues regarding the pace of life, which this year include fewer Saturday classes and a new daily schedule beginning this winter term. Finally, he emphasized the continued importance of transparency in decision-making and the ongoing need for connections among all members of the PEA community. The Trustees then joined other members of the community in Phillips Church to hear the meditation delivered by David Beim ’58, who will be retiring this June after 10 years of service as an Academy trustee.

The remainder of Thursday morning was devoted to a discussion of the principal’s vision for the Academy’s immediate future.

What Hassan presented to the Trustees contains elements of the work he has already begun, including community-building efforts and the support of faculty and student travel related to PEA’s “Exeter in the World” initiative, as well as suggestions for future programs and initiatives. He told the group that in the coming months, he will articulate a more refined and detailed account of this vision to the entire Academy community and ask for suggestions on how we can move these plans forward.

Following several working lunches by committee, the Trustees reconvened to hear reports from Institutional Advancement Office staff members. Director of Institutional Advancement Ted Probert P’12 reviewed the changes he made involving the structure, focus and naming of his department. It was also reported that the Annual Fund raised almost $7.6 million in 2010-11, which supports the daily operation of the Academy and helps provide the “margin of excellence” that makes an Exeter education so unique and special.

Trustee Sally Jutabha Michaels ’82; P’12, P’14 spoke of the success of the Alumni/ae Council Weekend (ACW) and the very positive connections made between members of the senior class and the alumni/ae in attendance at a special ACW dinner.

Most of Thursday afternoon included discussions about our facilities projects. Director of Facilities Management Roger Wakeman P’09, P’11 updated the Trustees on the many undertakings of last summer, including the continuation of the steam distribution system renewal, the first phase of the Phillips Hall renovation and over 100 capital renewal projects.Wakeman reminded the Trustees that in the coming weeks, the planning committee for the renovation of the existing Lamont Health and Wellness Center will begin its work.The renovation of that facility is slated for the summer of 2013. The Trustees discussed the proposed second synthetic turf

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field. This project has the support of the Physical Education Department because it would enhance playing time for our athletes during the cold and wet months of the year. No timeline has been set for construction of this field since the work depends entirely on the ability to raise funds from donors, and the Institutional Advancement staff is now focusing on this task.The new performing arts center was the final topic of discussion during the buildings and grounds portion of the meeting.With the understanding that it is far too early to make any decisions on such a project, the Trustees asked questions and offered some initial thoughts on the scope, possible location and funding realities of the venture.

Thursday night was devoted to several special dinners, and the Trustees expressed their appreciation to the catering staff for juggling the demands of those meals. Most of the trustees dined with adults of color in three separate small groups. Trustees were most interested to learn what attracted adults of color to Exeter and how the Academy can best support them in their work. Three trustees who were members of the John Phillips Award Committee dined at Saltonstall House with this year’s award recipient, Maria Cabildo ’85, who spoke the next day in assembly with the Trustees in attendance.

Members of the Education and Appointments Committee began their day on Friday by meeting with Student Council leaders, and the topics of discussion ranged from dining hall food to weekend activities. Later that morning, Chief Financial Officer Chris Wejchert reviewed the budget with the Trustees. As anticipated, increased revenues from Summer School and higher-thananticipated enrollment in the regular session positively influenced the Academy’s operating budget. Also credited were the budget reductions made by the staff and faculty in recent years. The Trustees used a portion of the positive variance in the operating budget to purchase a house on River Street that abuts the playing fields and will now be torn down. In addition, the remaining funds will be put aside and applied to future home purchases. It should be noted that in the last 10 years, 15 houses have been purchased, and half of the costs associated with these purchases were in essence borrowed from the endowment. Happily, this transfer allows the Academy to repay those loans.

Later on Friday, the Trustees heard several reports from Dean of Faculty Ron Kim, Director of Summer School Ethan Shapiro, and Director of College Counseling Betsy Dolan. A good portion of this session was devoted to technology. Director of Technology Services Diane Fandrich updated Trustees on the acceleration of the installation of wireless in several campus buildings, and History Instructor Meg Foley and English Instructor Johnny Griffith reported on their use of iPads in some of their classes this fall.

Finally, the Trustees watched the video that Director of Studies and Harlan M. Ellis Instructor in Mathematics Laura Marshall produced on her iPad, featuring faculty members talking about iPad applications in their classes.The piece ended with the faculty sending a virtual “thank you” to the Trustees for their generosity in making the iPads available.

Trustees appreciated the warm welcome they received from staff, faculty and students and look forward to returning to campus in January for their next meeting.

Around the Table

Greek Tragedy Week A C T O R S TA K E O N A N T I G O N E : TIMELESS AND MODERN

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NICOLE PELLATON

Classical Languages Department chair, mentions to Sarah Ream ’75; P’09, P’11, chair of the Theater and Dance Department, that Dr. Emily Greenwood of Yale’s Classics Department will be coming to campus in the fall. Morris had invited Greenwood to speak as part of an ongoing Visiting Scholars series, which seeks to integrate classical topics across a broad spectrum of subject areas. Greenwood’s interests include the “politics of suffering” in Greek tragedies—their impact in both ancient times and today—and the power of the spoken word.

This spring discussion helped spur November’s highly successful Greek Tragedy Week—a collaborative, campuswide effort involving performances, seminars, assembly and classroom visits. During their conversation, Morris and Ream talked about ways to increase the impact of Greenwood’s visit by underscoring themes relevant to students.The two discussed Antigone, which had been chosen by the Classical Languages Department for classes in the fall. “Antigone appealed to us because its protagonist was not only a teenager, but a teenage girl,” explains Ream. “We thought it would speak to this audience of adolescents and pose some interesting questions not only about the need to question authority, but about the role of gender in that debate: ‘Who gets to question power? How and why?’ ” Ream chose to produce Jean Anouilh’s Antigone— written during World War II as a critique of France’s Vichy government.

Ream invited Ellen McLaughlin, highly experienced with Greek tragedy as both playwright and actress, to campus for the fall, and Greek Tragedy Week—designed to “underscore the relevance of Greek tragedy to our lives today”—was formally launched.

Over the succeeding months, Morris and Ream invited colleagues to participate. By the start of Greek Tragedy Week, classes across campus were prepped for engagement.

Prep and lower English classes read various versions of Antigone—including McLaughlin’s own contemporary interpretation, entitled Kissing the Floor—and got the chance to discuss the plays with McLaughlin around the Harkness table. French classes read Anouilh’s Antigone in its original French, attended the play and wrote analyses of the production.

Greenwood visited the Advanced Greek class to assist with the translation of Sophocles’ Antigone and she discussed Catullus’ poetry with Advanced Latin.

In Speechmaking classes, Greenwood focused on the art of rhetoric in today’s speaking and gave critiques of student presentations. Both women’s visits culminated in seminars with the cast and crew of Antigone on the set.

A centerpiece of the week, attended by all students, was Greenwood’s assembly, “Making Your Words Count,” in which she focused on the importance of developing one’s own “voiceprint”—the “vocal equivalent of your signature”—and using it powerfully to express yourself and help others. She ended with a story from her own youth in East Africa, in which she drew parallels between the story of a car accident that killed a young Malawi girl and Homer’s Iliad.

TERRI BURNS

t’s early 2011. Arab Spring is breaking news. At lunch, Sally Morris,

(Top) Antigone cast members perform during a dress rehearsal. (Bottom) Dr. Emily Greenwood discusses a text with two Classical Languages students.

Morris says, “This interdisciplinary week enabled us all to consider the moral tensions that exist between doing right by the laws of the state versus right by our sense of humanity, from the ancient Greek tale [by] Sophocles, to the 20th century French version, to the relevance of the 21st century tale of the little girl and her family from Malawi.”

Greek Tragedy Week was hosted and managed by Exeter’s Classical Languages and Theater and Dance departments, with support from the Behr Fund.

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MIKE CATANO

Around the Table

B MIKE CATANO

Exoniana D O YO U R E M E M B E R ?

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PEA ARCHIVES

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B

RALPH MORANG

who received an Exeter pen.

“Photo B was taken during fall 1978. In the upper left is Bob Brownell ’79. Just to the right of the first ‘E’ of Exeter is Glenn Robinson ’79. The right-hand head below the second ‘E’ is the late, great Rich Benson ’79, a glorious winner of the Abbot 500.

Below and to the right of Rich, in a dark sweater, is Bill Fredericks ’79, a demon of a cribbage player. To his right is Pete Fattal ’79, the only Armenian doctor in the photo.

Centered behind Bill and Pete is Jennifer Middleton ’79, who is not a member of the British royal family. In front of the third ‘E,’ the right-hand head is Julia Veale ’79, who only looks short because Mac Dyke ’79 is to her right. In front of them is Mike Thomas ’80, who has done more deep-frying at the

A

PEAN

Our two randomly selected winners are: Richard H. “Rick” Gagné ’79, Clinton, MS,

Texas State Fair than anyone in the Academy’s history. To the right of Mac and Dyke, in front of the diagonal stroke of the ‘R’ is Rhod Greenhalgh ’80, the best Mormon hockey player in the photo. Below Rhod, looking down, is Joe Maruca [Cook] ’80, who knows what véhicule prioritaire means.To Joe’s left and right are two young ladies who were both preps at the time—the left-hand one might be named Martha.

To the right of Joe and Rhod, looking left, is Frank the Virginian, who is probably holding a soda can for his chewing tobacco.

To Frank’s right, all the way at the edge of the photo, that dark partial head belongs to Andy Locsin ’80, who competed as an Olympian shot-putter for the Philippines while at Exeter. Down in the bottom-left corner, the blond head with bangs is Katarina Sawtelle ’79, of Model U.N. fame. In front of Katarina is the top of Ann Pfeiffenberger [O’Neill]’s head. Below and to the left of the exact center of the photo, the somber face looking straight forward under the mushroom cap of hair is Geoffrey Ames ’79, if it isn’t his brother. To his left is the more smiley Bill Balcke ’79. Commanding the bottom of the photo, just to the right of center, is Toya Patton ’79. Low to her right, with big glasses, is her friend Lemelia Johnson [Bonner] ’79. Above Lemelia and below Joe (looking down in a striped shirt) is Randy Knight ’79, looking to the right in a

PEA ARCHIVES

G

o Big Red! The rivalry between Exeter and Andover is alive and well after more than a century of gridiron contests, and Exonians can still recall the playby-play details of games and pajama parades, as well as their classmates and coaches. Alums even helped us correct a mislabeled photo in our digital archives, identifying the pajama parade photo (A) as being from a game against Tilton, rather than Andover. Thank you for your help and responses!

C JOHN BURNS

December 7, 2011, marked the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, memorialized by Presi- A dent Franklin D. Roosevelt as a “date which will live in infamy.” We would like to recognize not only the brave Exonians who fought in World War II but also those who have served during other wars.

The photographs depict war memorials on campus. Can you identify where each is located? Please share reflections about your own involvement in the military during wartime, or any memories of classmates, friends or family members who served after attending Exeter.

Email us at Exoniana@exeter.edu. Or, send your responses to Exoniana, c/o The Exeter Bulletin, Phillips Exeter Academy, Communications Office, 20 Main Street, Exeter, NH 03833-2460. Entries may be edited for length and clarity.

D

Around the Table dark round do. In this group, he is currently the only Floridian doctor to practice in New Hampshire. What fun.

Lawrence H. “Larry” Coburn ’52, Weston, MA, who received an Exeter pen.

“[In] picture A, [t]he writer of this email is at the left in the red-and-white wool cap and EXETER banner apron. Reading left to right from there are: Tim Childs ’53 in the striped pajamas,Ward Paine ’52 in white sweater and necklace, George Wright ’52 in the checked shirt, (next to George) Milt Barrett ’52 in the white pants with writing, (out front) Harry Randall ’52 in the lightcolored sports jacket with the horn, Charlie Moore ’52 in knickers with white shoes, John D’Arms ’52 with horn in striped pants with EXETER banner, Jim Rassweiler ’52 holding the bamboo pole, and (far right) Slade Mills ’52 in white sweater. In the ‘maybe’ column is Pete Ladd ’52 holding the pole for the ‘Tilt’ banner. The ‘Tilt’ banner derived from the popular hangout Bill’s Spa, which was on the little rise at the end of ‘Easy Street,’ i.e., up behind where the bookstore was in my day. Bill always had a couple of pinball machines which were active much of each day—they were very popular (addictive). Tilt, of course, is what happens when the player shakes the machine too much, and is thus terminated from play. The class of ’52 was a great class and I am looking forward to seeing many classmates at our 60th reunion next May.” Lost Tradition

With reference to Exoniana on page 16 of the fall 2011 issue of The Exeter Bulletin, the years represented by the four photographs were after my time at Exeter, which was from 1937–40.

I would like to respond to your request to share my memories of Exeter/Andover football games and particularly what took place immediately before those games. By way of illustration, I will use the earliest such game in my time, that being the football game which took place at Exeter on the second Saturday in November of 1937 when I was a recently entered lower middler.To begin with, the Exeter student body and its band and cheerleaders lined up along the library side of Front Street to await the ar r ival of the counter part Andover groups, which marched up the

street from the Boston and Maine railroad station with their band leading the way behind a large royal blue-and-white Andover banner. After their arrival on the other side of the street, they faced those on the Exeter side and gave a cheer for Exeter. The Exeter student body responded accordingly with a cheer for Andover.

Then each side in turn cheered for its own team. Finally, the visiting Andover group proceeded to the football stadium followed by the host Exeter group.

Many years later, I learned that the foregoing procedure had been discontinued. I was shocked and indeed disappointed that this sportsmanlike and courteous custom was no longer being used by the two best college preparatory schools in the United States.

I continue to hope that it will be resumed someday, but the four photographs tell me that such is not likely to happen.

Col. Beverly C. Snow Jr. ’40 Mt. Pleasant, SC Tilton, not Andover

First, the occasion: it was not an Andover game but an early season game against Tilton Academy in the fall of 1951.The banner that says “TILT” had dual meaning—a reference to the opponent of the day and to the pinball game at Bill’s Spa, a favorite hangout for many located on Williams Street (perhaps explaining the reference to the Williams House Dance), featuring hot dogs and Nesbitt’s orange soda. Overly aggressive “manhandling” of the pinball machine in an attempt to score points caused it to “Tilt” and the game was over.

I believe the participants are (L-R): Larry Coburn ’52, Tim Childs ’53, Ward Paine ’52 (my roommate with the cider barrel that I think we owned jointly), Bill Stephens ’52, George (C.L.) Wright ’52, Chris Crowley ’53, Harry Randall ’52, Charlie Moore ’52, John D’Arms ’52, Jim Rassweiler ’52 and Nick Spofford ’52. I believe I have these identified correctly with the possible exception of Chris Crowley whose face was partially obscured.

James R. “Jim” Monahan ’52 Hendersonville, NC Memorable Season

ans in the picture: Bob Brownell ’79, Glenn Robinson ’79, Fain Hackney ’79, Matt Kennedy ’80, Jenny Middleton ’79, Julia Veale ’79, Mac Dyke ’79, Nick Knobil ’79, George Burwell ’79, and that’s just the top row! It was unseasonably warm that November day which explains why so many jackets were unzipped or not being worn. We beat a talented but outmanned Andover team 14-8 in a game that was not as close as the score indicates. We were winning 14-0 in the second half, thanks to touchdowns by Peter Lavery ’79 on a nice pass from Jack Riordan ’79, and by Mike Ernst ’79, our MVP. Andover scored on a long bomb in the fourth quarter to make the score 14-8, but we had the ball on the Andover goal line when time expired. As a PG it was my first and last football game vs. Andover, but I went on to play with and against a number of the guys on both the Exeter and Andover teams in college. I remember that game vs. Andover and the entire season very fondly, and count many of my teammates and coaches from that Exeter team as good friends to this day. We were coached by Alan Estey, John Fraser and current Head Coach Bill Glennon, who was in his first year at PEA. John I. Snow III ’79 Winchester, MA Unseen Cheerleaders

Photograph A is from the 1951–52 school year, but I don’t think this parade was associated with an Exeter/Andover game; it was sui generis. Some of the people are (from left): Lar ry Cobur n ’52, with ukulele; Tim Childs ’53, with overstuffed pajamas and pipe; David Whitney ’52, holding staff of banner; Harry Randall ’52, tooting horn with face partially hidden; John D’Arms ’52, wearing Exeter pennant as breechclout; Slade Mills ’52, far right.

An uncropped print of this scene would show Lindsay Fischer ’52, at far left, and Tim Cogan and Ted Bilkey, both ’52, wearing cheerleader sweaters and carrying megaphones at far right. I hope my classmates can correct and amplify my own recollections.

The Rev. Hoyt Winslett Jr. ’52 Tuscaloosa, AL

Picture B is from the 1978 game at Andover. I recognize many of the ExoniWINTER 2012

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Exonians in Review

Our Changing Vocabulary A M G L I S H I N, L I K E , T E N E A S Y L E S S O N S : A C E L E B R AT I O N O F T H E N E W W O R L D L I N G O , B Y A RT H U R E . ROW S E ’ 3 9 A review by Peter C. Greer ’58

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n the preface of Amglish in, Like,Ten Easy Lessons, Arthur Rowse

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COURTESY OF ARTHUR ROWSE

Arthur Rowse, a former journalist for The Washington Post, USNews and other publications, also wrote the book Drive-By Journalism: The Assault on Your Need to Know.

’39 tells the charming story of what brought him to journalism and his interest in language and its evolutionary changes. He then begins his study of recent such changes with a focus on Sarah Palin’s renowned Tweet: “Peaceful Muslims, pls refudiate.” I was prepared to add my voice to what I assumed would be his outrage at her mistake, but I was stopped in my English-teacher tracks by Rowse’s take on the matter: “Write on, Sarah. It’s time to celebrate the new lingo that is sweeping around the world. All nitpickers should put their picks away. Let’s face it: Formal English is dying.”

As an inveterate nitpicker, what I almost put away was the book itself, but I stuck with it. And I’m glad that I did. It wasn’t long before I realized the complexity of Rowse’s view of what is without doubt the case: that formal English is losing the evolutionary battle with Amglish, the definition of which is given in a sidebar, in the casual manner of the text.

“It’s informal American English, the first truly international tongue, the lingua franca for communicating between countries with native languages other than English,” Rowse writes. “It’s also a tossed salad of new words, slang terms, tech talk, song lyrics, black talk, Valley girl-isms, hippie speak, and hip-hop terms.”

I have to say first that my appetite for this salad is not great. And the nitpicker in me was ready to place (sic) after “between” in the first sentence. But had I done so, I would simply have confirmed membership in the group that Rowse sees as led

by Lynne Truss, the “nitpicking British schoolmarm” who is the author of the “runaway best seller Eats, Shoots & Leaves.” But even Truss, he points out, has come to think that punctuation is going out of style. Rowse is more definitive in the matter: “A new less formal language is taking over this country and the world,” he says. “And it’s time to welcome it with open arms. In fact, there’s no way to stop it.”

Well, maybe I should consider Nitpickers Anonymous, because Rowse is right.

Emailing, IM’ing, texting, Tweeting, Facebooking: All these activities that didn’t exist only a few years ago are changing the nature of our language. I may agree with a paraphrased Wordsworth that they are too much with us, but I cannot deny that they are here to stay. Then there’s like and you know, those oral ticks that mottle the language of so many, Caroline Kennedy included, as Rowse points out. And then the neologisms, exemplified by Palin’s “squirmish,” the word she suggested as one way of describing the role of the U.S. in the ouster of Libyan leader Qaddafi.

In a section entitled “Neologisms Are Us,” Rowse holds up that portmanteau as an indication that the United States has become “entranced with the idea of making up words and phrases, as well as playing loose with grammar and syntax.” And he characterizes Emailing, IM’ing, texting, Palin’s contribution (along with “refudiate”) as reflective of “her explosive genius for mixTweeting, Facebooking: ing and matching words.”

All these activities...are “All this, and so much more,” as Prufrock would have said. changing the nature of At this point, still early in the book, I was our language. trying to keep the jury out of the room of my mind. And then I came to the section entitled: “2B or Not 2B.” Positing that all the irregular and illogical forms of the verb to be are a dilemma, Rowse brings in Shakespeare for support, claiming that “when [Shakespeare] had Hamlet say, ‘To be or not to be; that is the question,’ [h]e was obviously asking why the simple verb be cannot be used instead of all the irregular forms that complicate the verb so completely.” Hmmm, I thought, Arthur Rowse is a very smart and well-educated man who in his career in journalism wrote for The Washington Post, among other notable publications, and was so successful as a journalist that The National Press Club has created an award in his name for excellence in criticism of the news media. Rowse is not going to make the above claim about Hamlet’s famous words without his tongue being securely placed in his cheek. And then I thought: Have I been missing his tone all along? “Write on, Sarah” suddenly read a bit differently. And I was able to relax at the section that referred to Palin and George W. Bush as “language leaders” and “selfless pioneers.”

And I was able to smile when Rowse wonders if “He told Bob and I” was written that way because of the “dignity factor” in the pronoun I. And I was able even to chuckle when he suggests that maybe the sentence “Me and Bob will be going” ends up as it does because “ ‘Bob and I’ sounds stuffy.”

So, now relaxed, I began Chapter Two, entitled “Teachers and Other Pioneers.”

And immediately I was faced with the declaration made in 1974 by the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), an organization made up mostly of college English teachers: “We affirm the students’ right to their own patterns and varieties of language.” “In other words,” writes Rowse, “what could be called a mistake in formal English could mean a dialect that needs protection and not correction.” He concludes, no doubt correctly, that “the cause of promoting less formal English has benefitted” from that declaration. The Conference goes on to say: “If we can convince our students that spelling, punctuation and usage are less important than content, we have removed a major obstacle in their developing the ability to write.” Rowse comes to my rescue by not letting WINTER 2012

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the Conference off the hook: “But what is ‘content’?” he asks. “The vagueness of such a key term is another sign that educators are doing their part to encourage more informal English.” So, my own colleagues are helping move us as a culture in a direction that I am unhappy about.They are “pioneers” as much as are P. Diddy and Stephen Colbert, as much as was the American Tobacco Company, which came up with the solecistic slogan: “Us Tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch!” Rowse sums up the situation in the following way: “Grammar is coming down to being a matter of personal choice.”

In Chapter Three, “The New World Lingo,” Rowse presents a comprehensive if a bit scattered view of how Amglish has influenced the rest of the world.

Titles of some sections suggest the case that he builds: “International Biz English,” “Building Marketing Mojo,” “The Key Role of MTV,” “Amglish as a Bridge,” ...his take on this “World Conference Lingo,” “Aussies Get a evolution is more Gutful,” and so on. And “Blame the Yanks” introduces the reality that the Am of Amerrealistic and, yes, ica has trumped the Eng of Great Britain. decidedly more youthful The title of Chapter Four, “From Revolution to Tsunami,” suggests what happens than my own. next: Amglish fairly floods the shores of the world’s languages. Examples both stunning and amusing populate this chapter:The Italian word fastforwardare is a telling example. At the same time fewer American students are studying foreign languages, “The U.S. is said to be the only major country,” Rowse reports, “where a student can complete high school or college without studying any foreign language.” Chapter Five is a lively romp through all the –ishes spawned by this tsunami of Amglish, from the relatively familiar Spanglish to the newly minted Arablish, from the obscure Hinglish to its echo Singlish. And finally, in Chapter Six, Rowse offers “Ten Easy Lessons” to help the novice navigate the unmarked channels of Amglish, all of which, except the 10th, should, he writes, “be taken with one grain of salt, followed by a suitable chaser.” And what is that 10th lesson? “Learn to Code-Switch.” “In today’s world of information technology (IT), people who can’t handle both formal and informal language will sooner or later lose their way,” Rowse concludes.

Arthur Rowse is a member of the PEA class of ’39; I am a member of the PEA class of ’58. But his take on this evolution is more realistic and, yes, decidedly more youthful than my own. He looked hard at what is happening and “chose the positive approach.” And he enlivens that approach with humor, which, along with amusing illustrations by “the world’s greatest caricaturist,” John G. Doherty, makes for an entertaining read. So it is that I say that I’m glad I stuck with the book. In a way its style, a mix of the formal and the informal, and its somewhat fractured structure are its own message: Don’t take yourself too seriously, find pleasure in the new lingo even as you keep control of the old, learn to accept if not embrace this “English in blue jeans,” and . . . have a good day. By the end perhaps the most telling thing I can say is: “Us nitpickers shld better switch than fight.”

Peter Greer ’58; ’71, ’81, ’83, ’97, ’00 (Hon.); P’81, P’83, P’94 is PEA’s emeritus Cowles Professor of Humanities, Bates/Russell Distinguished Faculty Professor and chair of the Department of English.

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Exonians in Review

Alumni/ae are urged to advise the Exonians in Review editor of their own publications, recordings, films, etc., in any field, and those of classmates. Whenever possible, authors and composers are encouraged to send one copy of their books and original copies of articles to Edouard Desrochers ’45, ’62 (Hon.), the editor of Exonians in Review, Phillips Exeter Academy, 20 Main Street, Exeter, NH 03833.

ALUMNI/AE 1944—Edward M. Lamont. Ned Miner and His

Pioneering Forebears. (University of Rochester Press/Meliora Press, 2010)

1976—Thomas Borstelmann. The 1970s: A New

Global History from Civil Rights to Economic Inequality.

(Princeton University Press, 2011)

1966—Meir Z. Ribalow.

Chasing Ghosts: Poems.

(NeoPoiesis Press, 2011) —Peanuts and Crackerjacks: A Baseball Novel. (McFarland & Company, 2011) 1973—Michael H. Hoffheimer. Examples &

Explanations: Conflict of Laws.

(Aspen Publishers, 2009)

1975—Brooks D. Simpson,

co-editor, and others. The Civil War:The First Year Told by Those Who Lived It. (Library of America, 2011)

1973—Michael H. Hoffheimer. “Conflicting

1983—Michael A. Griffith.

Trophy: A Novel. (Triquarterly Books, 2011) 1984—Christopher P. Atamian, translator, and

Marc Nichanian, introduction. The Bois de Vincennes [by Nigoghos Sarafian, translated from Western Armenian by Atamian].

(Wayne State University Press, 2011)

—and Anne Quinney. “Fatal Duality: Alexandre Dumas on Garibaldi, Cavour, and the Myth of the Risorgimento.” IN Clio. (v. 39, no. 2, spring 2009)

—Political Animal: An Essay on the Character of Shakespeare’s Henry V. (Resource Publications, 2011)

Broken Plate. (Ball State University, 2011) —“There is a Diamond Horsehead on the Chessboard of the Sky” and “Listening for Earthquakes in a Shadow Zone.” IN Handsome. (v. 3, no. 1; Black Ocean, 2011)

BRIEFLY NOTED 1956—Phil Harvey.

The Land of Later On: A Novel. (AmazonEncore, 2011)

— “Family Welfare.” [short story] IN The MacGuffin. (v. 28, no.1, fall 2011)

Embraceable Me [play].

(Samuel French, 2010)

L. Todd Hearon.

“Mnemosyne” [poem].

IN Cincinnati Review. (winter 2011) Michael H. McLaughlin.

“Using Dropbox as a course management tool.” (eSchool News, October 2011) Amy D. Schwartz. “Thinking About Progress: Teaching a High School Environmental History Seminar.” IN Organization of American Historians Magazine of History. (v. 25, no. 4, October 2011)

Calling all reviewers!

A Five-Year Odyssey of Coming of Age at Sea. (iUniverse.com, 2011)

1975—Anthony Weller.

island ways.” IN Ocean Navigator. (no. 197, October 2011) FACULTY/ FORMER FACULTY Victor L. Cahn.

STUDENT 2012—Alexander C. Ellison. A Star to Sail Her By:

“Devotional.” [short story] IN The Erotic Review. (issue 118, February 2011)

2004—Ellen C. Massey Leonard. “Learning the

Rules of Interpretation and Construction in Multi-Jurisdictional Disputes.” IN Rutgers Law Review. (v. 63, no. 2, winter 2011)

1996—Jasmine Dreame Wagner. “1998.” IN The

1975—Neil L. Harvey [Producer]. Bioneers: Revo-

lution From the Heart of Nature [radio program].

(Collective Heritage Institute, 2011)

— “Muskrat.” [short story] IN Vermont Literary Review.

(2011)

—“There is no part of the body that hasn’t been pierced.” IN New American Writing. (no. 29; OINK! Press, 2011)

If you are a book, music or film buff interested in the latest works by fellow Exonians, then consider becoming a reviewer for the Bulletin.You can pick the genre and medium to review. Email edesrochers@exeter.edu for more information.

WINTER 2012

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21

Edward Harkness

T

80

o celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Harkness gift, we asked for a dialogue, for you to share your opinions and ideas with our community in order to commemorate the philosophy that changed the course of education at the Academy.

In true Exeter fashion, you came to the table and spawned a virtual interchange of ideas on what Harkness means to you, to the school, and to those who’ve never even set foot on campus.

More than 200 responses flooded the Bulletin’s inbox—each entry enriching our own concept of what Harkness is by affording us new insights and reaffirming long-held beliefs. Eighty “moments” appear on the following pages (in no particular order), chosen to be representative of the diversity in age and experience that makes PEA’s community so special. Thank you to everyone who thoughtfully took the time to write something. Every submission will remain part of the Harkness story and part of Exeter’s history.

The following moments may have been edited for grammar and clarity. Longer entries may also have been edited for length, to ensure we could give adequate space to all 80 submissions.

—Editor

To read about the history of Edward Harkness’ gift to PEA, go to www.exeter.edu/ bulletinextras.

“...experiencing

perfect teamwork”

1

To Edward Stephen Harkness: A great benefactor of university and secondary education in America, whose munificent generosity at Exeter has added beauty to our surroundings and effectiveness to our teaching. To his wise and continued interest is due much of the success of the Harkness plan.

—1936 PEAN dedication

2

For me, Harkness was about discovering the joy of meaningful interactions. In the two years I rowed [for crew], we had one clearly outstanding race in which every

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stroke was pretty darned close to perfect. We were racing St. Paul’s, who were our fiercest rivals that year. Because of our great teamwork and performance we upset them by a second or two. The joy and satisfaction of experiencing “perfect teamwork” just once in my high school career made a lasting impression.

—Melissa Orlov ’77; P’09, former PEA trustee

3

Whenever I think of the Harkness table, I

think of the phrase “there’s no place to hide.” That’s certainly true, but at Exeter, I never felt I wanted to!

—Emma Wynn ’01

0

Harkness moments Exeter’s community reflects on 80 years of collaborative learning

Compiled by Karen Ingraham

4

I am grateful to Exeter and the

Harkness method for giving me my “Harkness Warrior” side. This side appears when I need to speak up for myself or for others. It could be at the workplace where I have a new big idea to present; because of Harkness I am not afraid to share my opinion to my peers or superiors. It could be in a social setting when I need to question a stranger or even a friend on a controversial comment; because of Harkness I know myself and what I stand for. Learning and discussing around that large table has taught me to be a better person and to believe in the benefit of discourse. I truly believe our world would be a better place if all leaders experienced Harkness.

—Caitlin Church Kiley ’00

5

So the food was not so great, but I promise

that there are still atmospheric disturbances caused by the battles we fought over dinner.

What is art? When does life begin? Can war be good?

(Perhaps, too, whether there are hobbits and are the Stones just too damn old to tour?) Hash browns were thrown. Slander and the show of disgust were art forms. Many meals ended with one or more of us stalking out, lobbing our parting remarks over the cubbies like—we hoped—grenades. How much fun was that? Thank you, Harkness! —Denise Bricker ’81

6

I came to Exeter for a postgraduate year, after first participating in an Exeter summer program between my junior and senior years in high school in Charlotte, NC. I came from a racially segregated school system and had never attended a

“...first exposure to

equality

class with a white student or one taught by a white teacher.

I came from a poor family; none of my ancestors had attended college.

So it was both foreign and exhilarating to be in an English class with [Dwight] “Dave” Eisenhower ’66, in which he wrote about experiences with his grandfather, [President Eisenhower], and I wrote about experiences in a small overgrown green area in my poor neighborhood through which a small stream ran.The class took turns discussing our papers, as well as those written by others reflecting more common experiences. It was my first exposure to equality in education. —Jim Coleman ’66

in education...”

7

The Harkness experience grounded me in a

propensity to appreciate and assess different perspectives from well-meaning and talented people with whom I did not necessarily agree. My Exeter-born perspective, tolerance and respect for others in spite of professional disagreement or potentially competing interests gave me a huge advantage in working with my Iraqi counterparts in the government of Iraq and the Iraqi security forces. —Maj. Gen. Charles D. Luckey ’73 (pictured on the left standing with Maj. Gen. Luckey in Iraq.

Iraq’s secretary general on the right) WINTER 2012

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23

ing an articulate, astute point about Rockefeller or Hemingway and soundly defending it from differing opinions at the table. However, the best days were the collaborative ones. Someone puts forward a theory (mathematical or literary), another student agrees and takes it a step further, and before you know it you’ve mastered the formula for angular acceleration or “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.” Those Nadeau (far left) days of collaboration were probably my most valuable lesson at the The Harkness table for me means Harkness table.

—Nick Devonshire ’07 Darcy Curwen towering over the table, fear and panic. [The] photo My first class at PEA was is of Mr. Curwen in a familiar pose with Latin I with Norman Hatch, David Rintels ’55 and me, side by side, in first classroom on the right as our most attentive state. We spent one day you enter the Academy Building. I had every week waiting to see who would never seen a classroom with a big oval receive the dreaded red shovel at our place table. I thought it strange, but after a few for the weekend’s worst essay. The result days was amazed at how effective it was. of all this, of course, is lifelong reverence There was no going to class unprepared. I for the experience. can still hear Mr. Hatch saying, almost —Joe Nadeau ’55; P’98 shouting, “Next man” when a classmate didn’t know the answer to his question. It It was only 53 years ago, yesterday it seems. The class was convened by then dean of the Chapel, the Rev. Robert Wicks. It was advertised for “atheists only.” Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Dawkins had not yet come into the world, but Ayn Rand and Bertrand Russell were household names. I applied for the course, as did [Robert] “Bob” Thurman ’58. Once may well have been because it was diffiadmitted, we sat around the famous Hark- cult to understand what he was saying, but ness table. We debated ideas of God we quickly learned.The first unannounced and justice as evident in literature. Too Late exam started with his famous instruction, the Phalarope by Alan Paton was one of “Assume the position.” It was difficult not those texts. It seared our minds, and [to] lose focus on the exam while he was pierced our hearts. Not the cosmic deity cheerfully drawing intricate “ostrich but the still small voice of God began to traps” on the blackboard. He was a wonspeak, and still speaks, to me. derful teacher who knew how to make the —Bruce Lawrence ’58 most out of the Harkness plan.

—Dan Beresford ’55 The table, both spiritually and literally, is that which Prep year as one of nine carries the class, enabling us, girls I remember [English the daily participants, to move as a whole.

Instructor] B. Rodney Mar—Joe Wolfson ’96 (Hon.); P’02, instructor in riott to dapper Mr. [Edward] Echols, mathematics [Classics Department chair], “Out of the dimness, opposite equals advance”; and Many of us focused on our Harkness was broad enough to encom“Harkness Warrior” skills at pass both.

Exeter. A good day was craft—Carla Schell Rice ’78

8

12

9

“...listening,

guiding encouraging”

10

13

11

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14

It was a beautiful sunny day; we were in English class discussing Hemingway’s short story “Hills Like White Elephants.” I thought it was a pretty boring, pointless story—thankfully short. Then a girl in the class said, “He’s trying to convince her to have an abortion.” I was astounded. I didn’t see that. I went back to my room, read and re-read the story. Read it again…nothing.

Twenty years later, I picked up the book and re-read the story. There it was. I was astounded again. “Wow! She was right!”

Harkness moments don’t just occur in the class; they stay with you forever.

—Gene Towle ’78

15

In June 2008 I was part of a g roup of Exonians who took part in the Callan, Ireland service project with our host, Patrick Lydon ’68. We had an amazing week doing a variety of tasks to clean out Callan’s historic famine-era workhouse. …Each night we would gather for dinner and to recap the day. On our last night we naturally gravitated to one large table knowing it was likely the last time we would all be together. Around the table we had Exonians from the class of 1953 [up] through current students. Talk turned to future plans for the workhouse, ideas of how to get Exeter more involved in the Callan community and Patrick’s overall plans. Patrick had taken the faculty spot at the table: listening, guiding and encouraging participation from each member. Of course, it all seemed so natural since we had each spent so much time around the tables at Exeter. It was an Irish Harkness moment!

—Jon Kiger ’81; P’14

16

A few years ago, my daugh-

ter, then in the sixth grade at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools in Chicago, came home from school one day and excitedly told me they were trying a new thing in her humanities class called Harkness. She explained they all sat around a big table and had a discussion about a book they were reading. Two of her classmates participated by noting how many times each student spoke and how many different ideas were discussed. Her teacher explained that she had spent part of her summer at a school called Exeter in New Hampshire and that is where she learned

about Harkness. Exeter’s reach and influence is farreaching, to say the least.

—Emily Barr ’76

17

The Harkness table has had a remarkable

influence on education, in my own experience at Exeter [and] Princeton, and [with] the teaching systems I use at Columbia Medical School.

Woodrow Wilson was very influential to the introduction of the preceptor system at Princeton.While I am not historian enough to trace back the crosstalk between the Wilson and Harkness influences, in the era when my great-uncle, Norman Thomas, attended and then taught at Princeton between 1904 and 1908, he participated…in the enrichment [of] the “let every student’s voice be heard” guideline for pressing all students to speak up in class.

I have followed this guideline in my own teaching of medical students at Columbia, from 1965 to the present. The “Harkness table,” with pullout writing boards and just 12 student seats, has been an important influence on my teaching career.

—Richard N. Pierson Jr. ’47; P’75

18

I arrived at Exeter in the fall just at the end of the Hurricane of ’38. I was one of the few students that got through the hurricane’s [mess] at the time that the school opened. As a new student right out of a junior high school in Princeton, NJ, and being away from home for the first time, I found myself feeling very lonely.

Fortunately for me, the teachers were very understanding, both in the dormitory and in the classrooms. After a few months, I began to feel quite at home and was able to fall into the routine almost naturally. I credit the Harkness system for this. The teachers guided me along the Exeter path, and many of them became good friends with whom I associated long after I graduated. Their advice and support helped me graduate in fine form and I was even able to “win” a high honor at graduation—not bad for a hick from New Jersey!

—Reeves Hicks ’42

19

For me the Harkness gift brought an

amazing faculty to Exeter. …My fondest memory is of Bob Bates [’29], who I never had as an instructor but he taught me to ski, was faculty adviser for the Ski Club, and introduced me to a sport that I have actively enjoyed until several years ago.

—Allen F. “Al” Hodges ’41

20

In 1964 or 1965, I was in my English

class which was being taught that term

by Mr. [Robert Hicks] Bates. He was talking to us that day about the beauty of the English language itself and how beautiful certain words could sound regardless of their actual meaning. It was a gorgeous day outside filled with sunshine and blue skies,

which only added more magic to the moment. Mr. Bates had already used several words to make his point. I can’t remember what those were. Then he leaned toward my side of the Harkness table, looked right at me and whispered “cellar door.” To this day, the beautiful sound of those two words is as clear to me as the moment when he said them. “Cellar door,” indeed. What a wonderful lesson to learn… and such a wonderful man to teach it.

—Mark D. Johnson ’67

21 22

Map Submitted

by Deanna Havey ’14 A cornerstone of a Harkness educa-

tion is vulnerability. There is no retreat for the unprepared, no escape for the uninspired—teacher or student. It is the understanding and appreciation of that vulnerability that separates adequate teachers from great teachers. The adequate use the vulnerability of students as a mere motivator, or perhaps even a means of discipline. The great teachers use the inherent intimacy that accompanies vulnerability to establish a particular connection with each student.They may even create a subtle, silent link between their students’ vulnerability and their own. Or, like [the Rev.] Frederick Buechner did in the mind of at least one 16-year-old, create an awareness that vulnerability was a facet of the human condition worthy of further study and exploration—an exploration that has continued, albeit somewhat fitfully, for almost 50 years.

Inclusive.”

—James Holtz ’64

“Involved.

Engaged.

23 24 25

Involved. Engaged. Inclusive. All the

things we try to instill in our students.

—Winthrop B. Dyer ’82 Harkness is . . . realizing that I don’t

hate math after all. —Adria Gulizia ’04

I’ve taught freshman composition for several years at a local university, attempting to coax students into seeing the value of academic writing, the importance of joining the “conversation.” After mixed success, i.e. the kids in the two first rows seeming more engaged than their back-row classmates, I thought, “Why not Harkness?” So, this fall, right from day one, I asked 20 college freshmen to circle up the wagons, thus elimiWINTER 2012

The Exeter Bulletin

25

nating the back of the classroom.

What a difference! I had doubts we could pull it off, what with double the students in classrooms at Exeter, adults not kids, [and] public setting not private. But guess what? The Harkness table works. It serves to create responsibility, fosters the spirit of inquiry and fuels the academic conversation. I will never teach to rows again, grateful for the impact the Harkness table had on me so many years ago.

—Holly B. Rawlings ’88

“...fosters the

spirit

of

inquiry”

26

My Harkness moment lives in our senior prank, when our class [of ’06] organized over 20 day student cars to arrive on campus outside of Phillips Hall, the Academy Building and the science building while hundreds of us left our dorms at 5:00 a.m. sharp to rush inside the classrooms and collect all the chairs. We relocated all the classes to different sites on campus and arranged the chairs in the shape of the Harkness table.

The theory behind our prank was that while the Harkness table is world renowned, it is the discussions that float through the air above [it] that create the magic, and this magic exists far outside the walls of the Academy.

We left notes on the doors of every classroom that read, [for example], “English 101 will be held in the far end zone of the football field.” Some teachers embraced the prank; others, infuriated, ordered their class to move the chairs back indoors to the table.

—Julia Ritchie ’06

27

In 2004 my husband, Tim, and I joined

other Exeter alums for the first-ever ski weekend in Utah. The highlight of our trip was the “Harkness session” with Dan Brown ’82 discussing his book The Da Vinci Code. Our group of over 20 people sat in a circle and spent several fascinating hours talking with Dan and his wife, Blythe. As my husband and I returned to our hotel room, Tim said, “Now I know where you learned to interrupt conversations.” I just had to laugh.

—Susan Cullivan Daily ’84

28

From time to time I recall French 4 and 5 in my upper middle and senior years. DeVaux DeLancey was the teacher. He’d enter the classroom carrying a batch of paperback books in French by the leading French writers of the day. Each class was conducted mostly in French, and, as you can imagine, talking with each other around the table made our conversations natural. No surprise: We mastered the language and could talk like French citizens. The results: I got an 800 on 26

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the College Boards in French [and] didn’t have to take a language class at Harvard.Twenty-six years later when we visited Paris, my command of French came back and made it easy to talk with taxi drivers, concierges and clerks.

—Justin Fishbein ’45; P’76

29

My first experience with Harkness was as a parent during Parents’ Weekend 2001. My husband Dan [Lasley] ’78 was intimately familiar with Harkness, but the concept was theoretical to me. We were in my son’s prep math class, taught by Tom Hassan. I was amazed at how the students were so comfortable writing their problems on the board, discussing the solutions and having Tom facilitate the other students in that discussion. Parents were welcome to participate, which was pretty exciting. I wasn’t sure that Harkness would lend itself to math and science; I was pleasantly surprised. As I went through the rest of the day, I felt more engaged in learning than I had in the traditional classroom setting. If I could [go] back to high school, it would be at Exeter!

—Laura Kwaan Lasley ’78 (Hon.); P’05, P’10

30

I remember my first English class with George Mangan. I was a new senior and had never before learned in a Harkness model. It was our second class, and we had been asked to read the first 60 pages of William Faulkner’s Light in August in preparation.We sat down around that big wooden table, and Mr. Mangan entered the room. Silence. Then, he said one word to us: “Begin.” Exhilarated and terrified, I knew this was the beginning of my Harkness education.

—Megan Quinn ’93

31 32

Exposure: terrifying

Equality: inspiring Engagement: transforming —Jane Erwin Hammett ’74 I came to Exeter having grown up in

Yellowstone and Theodore Roosevelt National Parks and Pipestone National Monument. I came on a full scholarship, having been recruited through [Director of Scholarships] Hammy Bissell’s work on behalf of boys in the National Park Service.

At the end of my first marking period at Exeter I had “earned” four E’s and one D. A big change from nearly straight A’s in grade school. I was barely 14 when the grades appeared. I was scared I would lose the greatest opportunity I had ever been given in my life.

I went to Hammy ’29. I asked him what my grades needed to be to retain my scholarship.

His reply stunned me.

He said that while I needed to be passing everything, retention of my scholarship and the opportu-

nity to continue at Exeter would then be based on whether or not the faculty thought I was working up to my personal potential.

My scholastic life had always been all about grades. Here was a new expectation, a new way of looking at people. Nothing could have motivated me more. I had the chance to be judged on my own self, not on a set of numbers. Harder, perhaps, but far fairer.

It was a lesson I have never forgotten. It is one I used throughout my professional career. Sometime I think that one brief conversation did more for me than all the schooling I ever had.

If Exeter keeps and expresses that attitude toward people, [those] who are afforded the opportunity will leave as far better people than if they had just received a scholastic education.

—John Reynolds ’60

never said a word, yet he masterfully opened us up to depths of thinking and feeling not just about literature but about its essential subject: life. He often said almost nothing at all, yet he was our Svengali, the impresario who got us to be open, inquisitive, expansive and generous with each other. We all adored him and still do, no doubt, more than 40 years later.

No other educational experience has touched me as deeply. —Jonathan Galassi ’67, current PEA trustee

35

The Harkness table was

one of the first forms of civic engagement that I experienced as a teenager. …I used [that] experience to shape a 12-week teen mentor training program that I developed in Gloucester, MA. Once trained, the teen volunteers were matched with younger children between the ages of 5-12 for weekly visits of friendship and support.

The curriculum included sociocultural analysis and discussion. Unlike [in] most of their high school academic classes, I encouraged the participants to share what they thought rather than what they thought I wanted to hear. The oval conference table we sat around each week always reminded me of the Harkness tables of my teenage years.

—Stacy Randell ’82

36

33 34

Artwork by Noelle Bodick

’08. Submitted by Dirk De Roo P’08, director of administration for human resources My greatest classroom

experience at Exeter was in Fred Tremallo’s 12th-grade English class. We were a rowdy, opinionated, passionate bunch of kids who thought we knew much more than we did and who gabbed, shouted, argued and communed about everything under the sun for that last golden year. Fred seemingly

I was on the girls crosscountry team; I show[ed] up to practice one afternoon during my first term at Exeter and somehow it came out that it was my birthday. Immediately my entire team—all 40 of them—turned to face me and serenaded me with “Happy Birthday,” singing and smiling at me. It felt like the biggest hug in the world.

—Vanessa Ring Jette ’98

37

I can’t remember whether

it was a Parents’ Weekend or Experience Exeter, but somehow I confused the starting time of my math class and was casually walking back toward the Academy Building when I suddenly realized that I was 10 or 15 minutes late for class. Horrified, I ran to the door, which was locked and I had no key. So I had to knock, and when a student came to open the door I could see 10 or 12 parents sitting around the room, the

boards filled with mathematics, and a student standing at the board explaining a problem. The student who opened the door simply said, “It seemed like a good idea to just start.”

In that moment, I was filled with such love and admiration for those students.

Later in class, after I had collected myself, I made it clear to the parents gathered there that what had just happened was very special and partly what makes Exeter, its students and its pedagogy so distinctive.

—Joyce Kemp ’89 (Hon.); P’88, P’90, instructor in mathematics

38

I would describe the Harkness table as being the clashing of minds in order to develop a higher sense of self-awareness in the world.

—Zachary Hodges ’11

“...the

clashing of minds”

39

My Harkness moment

occur red ever y day in Laura Marshall’s Math 230 and Statistics classes. Ms Marshall’s effective integration of technology into her teaching while preserving collaborative learning of mathematics; her hands-on approach to understanding through practical application and experimenting; and her perfect balance of student input and teacher guidance define what Harkness should be in any class. Thank you Ms. Marshall, for proving me wrong when I thought I could never do math and showing me that Harkness learning is truly effective in any field. —Tinley Melvin ’11

40

One day at a Harkness

table during a blue book exam, I went completely brain-dead. I was visibly suffering. I felt a hand on my shoulder and [Histor y Instructor] Colin F. N. Irving [’41] whispered in my ear, “Leave now and see me later to write the exam.”

I shall never forget that experience.

—Frederic S. Sater ’52; P’80 WINTER 2012

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41

Over March break in 2008, the Exeter Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir toured the coast of California. We played in UC Berkeley’s concert hall, attended a performance of the Bach Mass in B Minor at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and met an array of accomplished musicians and local Exonians.

One of our events was a performance at an elementary school in Los Angeles.

This school, histor ically under performed and underfunded, [was] characterized by high levels of illiteracy and violence. This was my first contact with extreme poverty and the brokenness of the public education system. This experience of civic engagement planted seeds that eventually led to me devoting my life to public service through music. My time at Exeter [was] filled with moments like this.

—Cayla Mackey ’08

42

My most vivid Harkness

moment occurred in 1992 when I was invited to teach a course in actuarial science, a branch of applied mathematics, to about 20 master’s degree students at Nankai University in Tianjin, China. I started

43

It was a cold winter’s day outside Mr. [John] Mayer’s classroom as he sternly expounded on the difference between the use of punitive and prohibitive taxes in 19th

“The Harkness table

changed my life.” century Anglo-American trade, tapping the chalkboard with his trusted wooden pointer. I had rolled up a kneaded eraser into a tiny soccer ball and was subtly “kicking” it with my fingers against the spine of my history book. As one does to aid concentration. An injudicious flick cleared the book and bounced the rubber ball into the center of the ovular table where it traced a lazy circle and stopped. The lecture ceased as all eyes riveted [on] the singular orb and rose slowly to our instructor, whose eyebrows had arched above his glasses and we re descending into an owlish frown.

After a pause, he leaned into the center of

Bartlett, his wife, Catharine, and some of his students.

back to the lab for observation and identification. In order to make it easier for classmates to learn [about] them at the end of the observation period, a student, Geena Kandel ’12, photographed the organisms and sent the [images] to the rest of her classmates. I thought this was a wonderful example of a Harkness moment and non sibi, which, in my opinion, go hand in hand. —Rich Aaronian ’76, ’97 (Hon.); P’94, P’97, instructor in science

45

The

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the table with his stick, poked the eraser and asked gravely, “Will it explode?”

—Rick Heinrichs ’72

44

A Harkness/non sibi moment occurred this fall in my 40th year of teaching at Exeter, in one of my Marine Biology classes. We had taken a field trip to Odiorne Point in Rye, NH, to collect rocky intertidal organisms, which were brought

table

46

On reflection, I can still

feel the bigness and immenseness of the Harkness table. It made me feel older. It gave me the understanding of the importance of weight and stability. I probably turned into an adult sometime around the Harkness table.

—Peter Liu ’71

47

My Harkness moment is a recur r ing one in busy meetings with smart and opinionated colleagues. I remind myself to really listen to and respect the various opinions and to be brave about lending my voice to the conversation. It is a reminder to be open-minded and always participate.

—Kerry Landreth ’91

48

out lecturing, showing the development of the formulae. I quickly realized from their bored expressions that what they hungered for was a two-way discussion of the differing social, economic and political systems of our countries driving the differing operations of our insurance industries. So I switched to those subjects and real learning began, both on the part of my students and myself.

—Dwight K. Bartlett III ’49

Harkness

changed my life. By teaching me the power of thinking and learning, the rigor of analysis, and the joy of scholarship, it gave me the capacity and vision to achieve everything that I have done since then.

—Peter Barton Hutt ’52

I did, indeed, have a sort of Harkness moment, soon after reading a Bulletin article about the original gift.

I have always disliked Harvard’s lecturing. Exeter set a standard of class discussion that college could not match. I teach at Harvard and try not to lecture, but after reading the article I had to notice that, after 25 years of grumbling, I was still standing at a blackboard, sometimes obliged to turn my back on the students.

That seemed wrong.

So, I shopped for a Harkness table. The real ones cost too much, but in a warehouse I found seven discarded dining hall tables, which a carpenter cut into a huge Harkness table. (It seats about 22 max.) We

now sit at the table and don’t need a blackboard because I can write on a video-projected piece of paper.

It’s not as good as Exeter’s tiny classes—largely because we’re learning electronics, which doesn’t permit wide debate—but it helps. —Tom Hayes ’61

others through our deeds.

McGuinn demonstrated [that] a Harkness table was a place we could learn to be our best selves.

—Steve Jaffe ’91

49 50

Mr. [James] Valhouli. As a PG, I only had one year at Exeter, but the one teacher I had every single term was Mr. Valhouli. I was amazed the very first time I walked into his [English] class and saw him sitting at the table with the students: book in hand, flipping to the page he had marked, reading a line he wanted us to discuss—just like he was part of the conversation. A gentle guide rather than instructor. Later in the year, I did an independent study class with him and one other student. But, even though we were only three, we still sat at the Harkness table. Having a conversation.

—Heather Bender Baker ’89

Mr. [Jack] Herney, [emeritus history instructor]. —Kristin Eberhart ’06

There were many special moments that

occurred in my probability classes, but a special one also took place in a calculus class. One day I announced that we were heading to the high point of the course, which provided a famous relationship between the special numbers “e,” “i” and π.

52

When I think of Harkness I think of

53

As a result of the Harkness experience,

I have on several occasions put together regular luncheon groups just for the fun of discussing subjects. Everyone has to participate, no one can hide, and everyone likes it.

—Robert C. McCoy ’54

The next class, two of the students arrived with a large handout depiction of the equation on pink paper along with a birthday cake for [Theadora] “Teddy” Tolkin’s birthday.

Many thanks to Teddy Tolkin ’00 and Sarah Laszlo ’00 for their efforts to make an enjoyable class. It was worth returning from retirement for such nice occasions. —C. Robert Clements ’31, ’72 (Hon.); P’71, P’75, emeritus chair of the Mathematics Department

51

One afternoon, as snow descended

somnolently, English teacher Rex McGuinn paused, stood, and looked around the classroom.

At the Harkness table, 11 fellow students and I looked back, wearing winter’s fatigue on our faces.

Deliberately, Mr. McGuinn stepped up onto his chair; then he stepped onto the Harkness table itself. We students looked up in shock.

McGuinn stepped gingerly around the table, beaming before us. He said nothing for a moment. [He then] talked about awareness, about alighting to every moment. McGuinn talked with radiance about writing, waving his hands emphatically.

Standing on the Harkness table that day, Rex McGuinn showed us it is the writer’s task to transmute power and energy to the reader through prose or verse. And it is our task to transmit our light to

54

As a four-year Exonian of the class of 1946, I had little with which to compare the Harkness plan. My realization of its virtues came more after graduation, when at reunions I attended classes and also when I sat in with my daughters in their classes at Exeter. I watched with fascination as the faculty member started the class and then encouraged the students to carry on.When a dead end was reached in a discussion, the teacher would start moving the ball again and then step back to let discussion reign. The subject matter for the class always had to be addressed, but students were able to attack it from their own perspectives. As students ourselves, we were less aware of the technique and the challenges it presented to teachers in having to know when to hold back and when to intervene.

—James M. “Jim” Rose ’46; P’81, P’84

“...let

discussion reign.”

55

Mathematics does not often make a

lively topic for dialogue, especially amongst teenagers. Mr. [Rick] Parris’ solution was one of the finest expressions of the Harkness principles that I have encountered. He had a talent for creating problems that the class could solve collaboratively. Some we solved in minutes. One WINTER 2012

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problem took several weeks. Twenty years later, I can still recall one or two of the problems in detail. His demonstration that complicated, technical problems can be approached in a congenial and collaborative way sticks with me to this day. —Tor Lundgren ’92

56 “...gives people courage.” 57

Ms. [Becky] Moore, [English instructor].

—Wyatt Himmer ’15 Harkness gives people courage. It

has given me the courage to say anything without being afraid of what other people will say. Harkness has [given] me courage to speak more often and to be the best that I can be.

—Philip Wu ’13

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It wasn’t the Harkness table, only

support them. Therefore, I have a better understanding of who I am. As a matter of fact, the world is not the same after having a Harkness experience. —Allan Michel Jales Coutinho, 2011 Summer School student

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In many ways Harkness is the founda-

tion of my life and learning, but the most memorable moment came during my 25th reunion in 1998. After some persuading, the entire nuclear family agreed to spend the weekend in Exeter. It was a spectacular spring weekend, and our three boys (seventh, fourth and first grade at the time) soaked up the outdoor splendor of the Academy grounds. The oldest, Tony, got [it] in his head that he’d like to attend a prep English class, and he did, solo. It turned out that he had read the novel under discussion, and that, by the end of the class, he was as engaged in the discussion as any of the (paying) students. He emerged saying, “Dad, that was really sick—I’m pretty sure I’d like to go to Exeter.” He was the first of three offspring to be lucky enough to gain an Exeter education.

—Sam Maruca ’73; P’04, P’07, P’10

lunch at my grandfather’s club, but for both of us Exeter was there. Papa graduated four years before the Harkness gift, two years before the Depression hit his family. Exeter had My husband and I [recently] went to instilled discipline and curiosity; not only could he see two Dramat plays. Each play was soon offer my grandmother a home, but his was a life written, cast, directed, acted, produced, of constant learning and adapting to a changing and managed by students. Aside from a couple of parworld. Papa wrote letters to me at Exeter; my replies ents and two teachers who were not from the English were never much more than, “I’m enjoying Cicero.” or Theater departments, the audiences Friday, SaturIt was not until my upper year that day and Sunday (yes, we Foster and Kiger we talked about the school. “You’ve went to all three performlearned to think critically around ances that weekend) were the Harkness tables,” he said. “I fellow students. What an think Exeter hasn’t changed in funextraordinary school where damentals: Harkness is just a better students this age are so highway to learn what I learned.” I functioning, independent, finally understood what Exeter was responsible, and driven to to him: the same thing it was for me. come together in Harkness A few days later, he died. style and produce two origi—Ellen Massey Leonard ’04 nal, amazing plays as an extracurricular event. And It was fun to have Mr. despite busy schedules and [Don] Foster for challenging weather, peers spring term of prep turned out to support and celebrate their friends’ creyear, his last term of teaching. My dad, Jon Kiger ’81, also had Mr. Foster for history at ations. A fine example of PEA students learning from —Lois Graham P’13, Advancement the Academy over 30 years ago. All three of us each other. call/called Cilley Hall home.

—David Kiger ’14 Operations researcher

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I am a student from Brazil and I took part in your summer program. I believe that I had never witnessed such a transformative way of teaching. By the time I learned about the Harkness table, I didn’t realize how powerful the experience of learning and leading the classes with my peers would be. I am able to listen to other people, discuss my opinions and, most importantly, 30

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I was struck by the decision to include Harkness tables in the design of the Harris Family Children’s Center. The tables have adjustable legs to suit the stature of the little people who use them, and they bring the school’s philosophy right into the world of the toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners who call the HFCC their home.

—Eimer Page, instructor in English

64

ed her through an open window and sat her on his lap. She quieted immediately and absorbed the class with wide eyes until her mother arrived from Langdell to claim her. The teacher I knew only in the classroom, who could grow exasperated at times, also had a family that he tended to lovPianka in Cambodia ingly, a valuable Harkness lesson. —David L. Farren ’68; P’01

A photograph of an Eng-

lish class I conducted as part of a local NGO centered on youth education in rural Cambodia this summer. —Kurt Pianka ’13 (seated, wearing a white T-shirt)

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Like so m a n y other

65 66 67

Harkness is proving the

teacher wrong.

Fujimori ’12

—Caleb

Harkness is the ultimate dinner party. —Elena Gosàlvez-Blanco, instructor in modern languages When I was in Junior Stud-

ies, Ms. [Tiffany] Trotter made us stand on the Harkness table and read our poems. I was dizzy and unsteady on my feet at first, but as I read through my poem with 11 other preps tilting their heads up and looking at me attentively, I got steadier and even began to gain a conscious presence of myself. In this very same way, Harkness has helped me find myself not only at the table but also in my life. —Jiapei Chen ’13

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Donald Cole taught my

lower-year World Civilizations course in a corner, first-floor classroom of Phillips Hall. A veteran of the Pacific theater in World War II, at one point he had leapt onto the Harkness table to demonstrate hara-kiri, vividly, in response to our mild descriptions. My most vivid memory of his class, however, was the afternoon we heard a young girl crying on the quad. Seeing that it was his own daughter who had scraped her knee and was inconsolable, he collect-

Exeter graduates, I have found that the biggest payoff of all from the Exeter exper ience comes from the Harkness table: I have never felt at a loss in a boardroom or when addressing an audience, however large or small.

This confidence is a direct result of the close collaboration and the communication skills promoted by the Harkness plan.

—Martin H. “Hop” Potter ’60

70

As a young Socratically unsophisticated instructor [in religion], I was socked in the stomach in a Harkness moment [while] reading written, unsigned student evaluations I [had] asked for at the end of my course: “When you walked into the room I knew this class was going to be a disaster; clearly you cared only about the bright students, and it was obvious you hated me”—which was signed, boldly.

Her Harkness realization was that she had learned how to fight unfair obstacles, establish her own values and excel under adverse academic expectations. My Harkness realization was in being willing to accept other students’ evaluations, which were more merciful and enabled me to carry on. —Christopher M. Brookfield ’72 (Hon.)

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I recall taking history with Ted Bedford [’48], I think it was prep-year Russian History. Somewhere during the discussion a word came up that was unfamiliar to us. Instead of the librarian preaching on the resourcefulness of the dictionary, Mr. Bedford climbed up on the table, marched

across it to the dictionary on the far side of the table, squatted down and looked up the term. Thanks Mr. Bedford for making your actions speak louder than words. I may not remember all that Russian history, but I use a dictionary regularly and I’m not afraid to stand on tables! —Nancy (Wellman) Wason ’77

72

In spite of a summer of dili-

gent preparation, I was illprepared for my first classes in Western Civilization. Neither my confidence nor my control of material was great as I faced a class including a rather disagreeable prep who was unfazed by Exeter or by me. During our consideration of ancient Athens, that lad offered a clarifying remark that seemed to me more insightful than much of the scholarship encountered in my preparation. The observation not only made that class, but it shaped my subsequent 35 years in classrooms. As an abstract principle, I had acknowledged the role of collaborative learning and the contributions of students.

But I also inflated my own role in the process.That incident taught me to loosen control of a class and to restrain my impulse to tell rather than listen. The spirit of Harkness joined that class that morning, and, I hope, all those thereafter.

—Henry “Ted” Bedford ’48; ’67 (Hon.); P’72, P’74, P’76, emer itus Academy librarian

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No one special event comes

to mind when the Harkness method is mentioned, but when I am asked about what makes Exeter such a special school, I immediate-

“...not afraid

to stand on tables!”

ly describe how students take responsibility for their lives, in particular for their education, as well as for that of others.

Over more than 60 years I have seen this increase, especially in the academic class(continued on page 111) WINTER 2012

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NANCY SHIPLEY

To facilitate the geothermal well field installation this summer and the continued renewal of the steam distribution system, 14 trees from around the Academy Building were dug up and relocated over the course of two days in late November.

The largest tree removed was a sweetgum, roughly 30 feet tall and 25 years old. Most of the trees were relocated to the Court Street/Marston Street area by Love Gymnasium.

Wells After peeling back several feet of topsoil, engineers will lay down a manifold of pipe with seven circuits that connect back to an underground vault. On each circuit, seven wells will be dug 400 feet deep, for a total of 49 wells.

IPL EY NA NC Y SH

Expansion The Academy lawn can ultimately support a field of nearly 100 wells.The installation of more wells is planned to coincide with renovations to the Academy Building, which will then be able to utilize geothermal energy efficiently.

AN ITA BA ILE Y

One source of mystery for students is the brick alcove near Fisher Theater that sits tucked behind some shrubbery (right).

What’s behind the locked door, however, falls short of legendary.

A room sits largely empty save for the steam pipes that extend and disappear into tunnels on either side (below).

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PEA ARCHIVES

Dining Services staff enjoy their own repast in the tunnel between Bancroft and Webster halls.The picture is not dated but would have been taken prior to 1970.The tunnel is now used for data equipment and utility runs.

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Geothermal Installation Overview In mid-June, work will begin on the Academy’s first large-scale geothermal well field under the Academy Building lawn.The closed-loop pump system will provide heating and cooling to Phillips Hall and will be online by the start of the fall term.

Delivery A glycol solution will travel throughout the system, which is controlled by pumps that reside in the Academy Building. A pipeline leading from the building’s mechanical room and traveling underground will connect with the well field. In the winter, the solution will be pumped through the well system and warmed by the earth’s temperature and returned to the Academy building, where it will be regulated and distributed to Phillips Hall.

Grounds The Academy lawn, a visual centerpiece for PEA, will undergo significant aesthetic changes during construction. Care is being taken, however, to ensure existing trees and shrubbery are protected or relocated. When school resumes, the lawn will have been restored and new trees planted where existing ones were disrupted.

Sustainability The geothermal system is expected to be as much as 30 percent more efficient in energy use than conventional heating and cooling. It also doesn’t require the burning of fossil fuels, so air pollution is not an issue.

The new well field will not be the first use of geothermal energy on campus. Four faculty houses each have a geothermal heat pump system that provides heating and air conditioning. Three of those residences, built in 2007 and 2008, were awarded a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

ILLUSTRATION BY ROB KEMP

In September 2010, a geothermal well was dug in the Academy lawn to test whether or not the site would be adequate for a large well field.View video footage of the well being dug at www.exeter.edu/bulletinextras.

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Sports

Off the Playing Fields T WO V E T E R A N C OAC H E S S E E K O U T N E W L E A R N I N G O P P O RT U N I T I E S

By Mike Catano

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MIKE CATANO

Girls Soccer Coach Hilary Coder talks strategy with her team.

fter having coached hundreds of students during her 29 years at PEA, Hilary Coder P’04, P’08, chair of the Physical Education Department, understands the value of introducing new training techniques to her athletes.The coach of track and field and girls soccer recently looked to yoga as an aid for physical recovery and regeneration.

“The whole idea of training an athlete hard is how quickly they can recover so they can train hard again,” says Coder. As a result, she began experimenting with yoga in her track and soccer workouts and soon realized her sessions would benefit from professional training. “I thought it was really important to make sure what I was doing was appropriate and as valuable and efficient as it could be,” says Coder. Thanks to an Academy-supported grant, she traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia, last summer to attend the Prana Yoga Teacher College, where she received instruction on how to formally teach yoga.

The monthlong program was challenging for Coder, despite her many years training students and athletes. “The biggest piece for me was it put me back into the place of a first-year teacher,” she says. “It was humbling and rewarding, and pointed out many things that I needed to work on. It allowed me to step back and get in touch with how far I’ve come and how much I can continue to grow.”

Back at PEA, Coder knows exactly how she will use her new skills. “I have 125 kids in front of me every day, especially during track season, who can benefit from this,” she says. “I’ll have track in the winter and spring where regeneration is a huge part, and almost every day there will be some yoga-inspired activity.” Coder believes Exeter athletes have a greater need for recovery techniques because of their heavy workloads and many interests. “Running is very linear, so yoga is a way to create balance and movement throughout the planes. It lets our athletes move beyond just front and back exercise so they can develop the muscles and the strength they need to keep their bodies healthy.Yoga also helps with injury prevention—for example, with some of the younger boys whose [muscles] are very tight having just gone through a growth spurt.”

Coder also expects that yoga will help her soccer athletes with recovery after games, and she anticipates using yoga for warm-ups during light practice workouts. Due to growing demand by the general student body, Coder will also teach a credited yoga class during the winter term.

Along with the physical payoff, yoga has provided an unanticipated psychological boost as well. “We are always looking for ways in track and field to erase the lines that naturally occur with event groups,” Coder explains. “It’s very important that we make sure we have that big team feel, and yoga gives us a chance to do that. All the event groups can benefit while they do a yoga warm-up or cooldown together, or a yoga strength or balance or recovery session.”

MIKE CATANO

Last spring yoga breathing techniques provided an unexpected advantage to one young track athlete during the New England Championship meet. Coder recalls, “One girl in particular had to dart from one event to another. Going from semis to finals, the pressure was starting to build and she was starting to ramp up emotionally.

We were able to say, ‘Use this skill you learned from yoga to steady yourself.’ She told us she felt so much calmer and was back down to where she needed to be to perform. She ended [up] doing very, very well in her events. It’s like yoga has spokes into almost everything that we do.”

Dave Hudson, Coder’s predeces-

sor as chair of the Physical Education Department and current varsity wrestling coach and assistant football coach, took his first sabbatical in 30 years during the 2010–11 academic year.That fall, Hudson studied college football programs around New England, primarily in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), where the athletic programs are frequent destinations for PEA students.

“The NESCAC schools are comparable to PEA in terms of academic demands and a balanced emphasis on sports,” Hudson says. “Sports are a part of the day, but not the only part.”

Hudson visited several schools, including Wesleyan, Amherst, Bowdoin, the University of New Hampshire, Trinity College, and Williams. “To be able to see their programs operate as a whole gives you a different perspective for gauging how our kids can play at that level and fit into their school life,” he says. At Williams, for example, Hudson visited with Eb Gyasi ’09 and Alex Scyocurka ’10 to get their perspective on the college program and campus life. Both alums were key members of Exeter’s varsity football program.

Hudson’s college visits may bear fruit for PEA athletic programs and athletes in other ways. “Networking was one of the most valuable parts of my sabbatical,” he says. “I was very well received wherever I went in part because I was taking the time to be at a practice and talk over a program with the staff.”

College coaches use video as a large piece of their player evaluation, but when they need additional input, they are more likely to contact high school coaches whom they know and trust. “We deal with these coaches a great deal so it was [good] to put a face to a name and to spend time with them in ways we are unable to do when working,” Hudson says.

Hudson’s ability to observe college football teams on the field has impacted his coaching in other ways. “In almost 30 years in athletics, I’ve rarely had an opportunity during the week to watch another practice,” he explains.

“I got more out of one day at one of these colleges—in terms of [watching] practice drills and weekly game planning—than I got out of any clinic or conference I [have gone] to.The sabbatical visits gave me the time to observe a program in a completely different way. It is like a classroom teacher sitting in on a class with a respected teacher— not talking with them about the class but spending two or three days just watching and seeing how it’s done. I was able to pull a lot more away from that experience than from a structured professional development opportunity.”

Hudson already has ideas for his next sabbatical, which may include observing how colleges work with freshmen in the football preseason. “The experience of my first sabbatical was so rewarding and fulfilling that I would use my next as soon as I can,” he concludes.

Assistant Football Coach Dave Hudson on the field during the 2011 Homecoming Weekend.

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Sports

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Fall Sports

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(A) Boys Cross-Country Record: 5-0 1st place at Interschols; New England Champions

(E) Boys Soccer Record: 18-2 Qualified for NEPSAC semifinals

Head Coach: Nick Unger ’90 Assistant Coaches: Bill Jordan, Brandon Newbould Captains: Caleb Fujimori ’12, Liam Kinney ’12, Maxwell Payson ’12 MVP: Kieran Scannell ’13

Head Coach: A.J. Cosgrove Assistant Coaches: John Hutchins, Mike Wilson Captain: Brian Hart ’12 MVPs:Trent Elmore ’12, Brian Hart

(B) Girls Cross-Country Record: 4-1 4th place at Interschols

(F) Girls Soccer Record: 15-4 Qualified for NEPSAC semifinals

Head Coach: Gwyn Coogan ’83 Assistant Coaches: Dale Braile, Dan King Captains: Rachel Brookshire ’12, Jennifer Liu ’12 MVP: Christine McEvoy ’12

Head Coach: Hilary Coder Assistant Coach: Hannah Byrne ’00 Captains: Martha Griffin ’12, Naomi Richardson ’12 MVP: Darby Henry ’13

(C) Field Hockey Record: 7-8-1

(G) Volleyball Record: 9-9 Qualified for NEPSAC quarterfinals

Head Coach: Mercy Carbonell Assistant Coach: Eve Goldenberg Captains: Campbell Probert ’12, Mary Reichenbach ’12, Hope Wilson ’12 MVPs:Team Moxie 2011, led by its captains

G

(D) Football Record: 3-5

Head Coach: Bill Glennon Assistant Coaches:Tyren Bynum, Ted Davis, Dick Eustis ’57, Dave Hudson, Idris McClain ’03, Matt Miller Captains: Max Eberhart ’12, Charles Gill ’12, Matthew Whitcomb ’12 MVPs: Max Eberhart, Cameron Shorey ’12

Head Coach: Bruce Shang Assistant Coach: Joanna Ro Captains: Catherine Closmore ’12, Shinri Kamei ’12, Lauren Lee ’12 MVP: Lauren Lee (H) Water Polo Record: 15-3 3rd place at Interschols

Head Coach: Don Mills Assistant Coach: Kelly Widman Captains: Avery Reavill ’12, Brooks Reavill ’12 MVP: Brooks Reavill

H ALL PHOTOS BY MIKE CATANO EXCEPT (D) BY DAN COURTER

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Sports

Homecoming 2011 COMPETITION AND CAMARADERIE M A R K T H E DAY

A B

A

sea of maroon and red swept the campus on November 12 as hundreds of students, parents, alumni/ae, faculty and staff members turned out to watch PEA’s fall sports teams engage their rivals.

For many sports fans, the highlight of the weekend was Big Red football’s crushing defeat of Andover.With a final score of 39-6, Exeter logged a fourth consecutive win against Big Blue in an annual matchup that dates back to 1878.The PEA football program’s last “four-peat” streak was 1963–66.

Fans also turned out in force to support the other Big Red teams as they fought hard battles against their opponents. School spirit was loud and visible all day, as were the numerous reunions that occurred amongst alumni/ae and faculty.

To view a Homecoming Weekend slideshow or watch a video recording of the football game, go to www.exeter.edu/bulletinextras.

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G (A) Andreas Robinson ’13 evades his opponents. The running back ran for a total of 156 yards and scored three touchdowns. (B) Big Red fans Maddie Toole, Ed Toole ’80, Bob Thibodeau ’80, Chuck Goss ’80 and Goss’ nephew, Will Goss ’12. (C) The Academy’s new student dance club, Exeter Poms, performs at halftime.

(D) Principal Tom Hassan and Andover’s outgoing Head of School Barbara Landis Chase greet each other during halftime. (E) Alumni/ae, students and parents crowded together in Phelps Stadium to cheer on the football team.

(F) Music Instructor Ryan Turner leads a rehearsal of the Concert Choir, featuring current students and young alums.The group performed the national anthem at the football game.

(G) John Leslie ’52 and Peter Leslie ’54 in the Cage.They are the sons of John Leslie ’22 and parents to four Exonians. (H) Varsity Volleyball Co-Captain Catherine Closmore ’12 huddles with her team during a tough match against Andover. (I) Members of the boys soccer team embrace a group of elated fans after beating Andover 3-1. (J) The Red Bandits drum up enthusiasm before one of the soccer matches.

(K) Quarterback Kane Haffey ’12 tries to dodge the defense. He scored PEA’s first touchdown early in the first quarter.

H

I

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Homecoming Weekend Team Results Exeter/Andover Matchups

Results

Girls Varsity Field Hockey Boys Varsity Football Boys Varsity Soccer Girls Varsity Soccer Girls Varsity Volleyball

1-1 tie 39-6 win 3-1 win 0-3 loss 1-3 loss

Interschols Competition

Results

Boys Varsity Cross-Country Girls Varsity Cross-Country Boys Varsity Water Polo

1st place 4th place 10-11 loss to Deerfield 13-10 win over Suffield

K ALL PHOTOS BY DAN COURTER

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All Hands On Deck Members of the class of ’06 gathered aboard the M/V Thomas Laighton for a tour around Portsmouth Harbor and the Isles of Shoals during their fifth reunion last May.

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Connections

Connections News & Notes from the Alumni/ae Community

Embracing Our History R E U N I O N S A R E C E L E B R AT I O N S O F O U R C O M M O N RO O T S

M

y Exeter student experience lasted one summer and 18 months.

JAY DRINKER

My first roommate, John Gleason, and I both entered as mid-year uppers. Could a black kid from South Central Los Angeles happily coexist in a small room with a white kid from Westchester County, NY? Well…yes! And, we would soon realize that we had a common heritage from uncommon roots.We joined forces and have been “brothers from another mother” ever since.

In our youth, John and I would joke about the senior alums who, when at their reunions, would cautiously make it up the stairs to assembly or who would wear those funny hats and badges. Rarely would we miss an opportunity to re-enact a scene of two fictitious classmates meeting after many years apart. We would hug each other, feigning a memorable reunion.

Wow, how things have changed! Now when I see John; Rev. Bob Thompson ’72; ’71, ’89, ’95 (Hon.), Phelps Minister at Phillips Church; my other classmates; and former instructors and coaches, I cherish being part of a community of friends who can embrace their history of learning together, playing together, dining together and truly living together. Our collective life experiences have taught us that non sibi is more than just a slogan and that knowledge and goodness make a truly powerful combination.

In a few months, the great class of 1972 will mark its 40th reunion.

As we meet, we will jealously admire those alumni/ae celebrating their 60th and 70th reunions and will gaze in amazement at how dedicated they are to Exeter. The English cleric Charles Caleb Colton once said that “imitation is the sincerest of flattery.” I only hope that John, my other wonderful classmates and I will experience being imitated in 30 years.

CHARLOTTE FIORITO

By Alan R. Jones ’72

Our life experiences have taught us that non sibi is more than a slogan.

Alan R. Jones is a member of the Exeter Trustees.

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EXONIAN PROFILE

M E I R R I B A L OW ’ 6 6

Renaissance Man of the Arts

M

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International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. “I was fortunate,” says Ribalow, “to grow up in a household in which making a lot of money was a perfectly respectable thing to do if you had no real talent.”

One of Ribalow’s gifts is to never settle on one style or subject matter—to see potential for a novel about a pitching coach and simultaneously fall for sonnets.

Among his many sources of inspiration is Exeter, the setting for the start of his newest novel. And its students provide fodder for his creativity as well: One PEA graduate’s African experiences led to a poem he wrote for Chasing Ghosts.

“I write about almost everything,” adds Ribalow.

“I love playing with form.

When you’re a writer, you can experience intergalactic travel.”

He shares his enthusiasm for creative exploration with others. As founding artistic director of New River Dramatists, he runs intimate workshops for selected writers seeking feedback on works in progress. Actors gather to read new plays by gifted writers, and the creative artists in the group provide developmental feedback, giving the featured author a wealth of input.

“I formulated the idea based on the Harkness table,” Ribalow says. “The only thing missing is the actual table.”

The process succeeds. Almost half of the 400 pieces developed at New River have been produced or optioned worldwide; the National Book Award is among its participants’ many honors. New River now features a publishing imprint, an online radio show and a thriving reading series.

“Remarkable new work needs to be known and encouraged and nurtured,” says Ribalow. “I love talent, in performing and in writing.”

He pauses, thinking about the one missing ingredient: the table. “Is there one around?”

—Leah Williams

MASHIE NIBLET PHOTOGRAPHY

eir Ribalow ’66 could have penned the motto “follow your bliss.” Most of his jobs didn’t exist before he conceived them, and he doesn’t think small. “Start at the top,” Ribalow advises aspiring writers, “and work your way down.”

Ribalow himself is arguably at the top right now with three publications in 2011: a novel, Peanuts and Crackerjacks; a book of poems, Chasing Ghosts; and a play, Masterpiece. Another prize-winning novel, Redheaded Blues, will be published this year. It is a highlight in a career of highlights: An artist in residence at Fordham University, film and sports historian, website director and author, Ribalow has published 24 plays, with 180 performances worldwide. Being co-founder of The Creative Coalition, a group of activist performing artists, led to his role as international arts coordinator of The Global Forum, representing the arts at a Kyoto conference with Mikhail Gorbachev and appearing on a panel in Rio with the Dalai Lama.

His big break after college—becoming the production associate for Joseph Papp, the legendary founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival—transpired because Ribalow walked in the wrong door of The Public Theater and met a young boy. After an engaging conversation, the boy barged into a meeting and introduced Ribalow to his father, Papp, who on a whim agreed to give the intruder a job.

Most would call this incident a stroke of luck. But Ribalow has always created his own, as when he sought funding for his congressional internship from PEA’s Student Council, a request that became the genesis of the Washington Intern Program.This same man, after years of directing and producing plays, would obtain permission for an American company to perform in England—and then create one.

“Using resources and imagination to create opportunities becomes a way of life,” says Ribalow. “I don’t mind failing.

I mind not trying.”

And so Ribalow, a modern-day Renaissance man, has tried, and succeeded, at nearly every genre of writing, taking a turn at children’s books, plays, screenplays, poetry, fiction and nonfiction. “I come from a family of writers,” he explains. His father’s books on Jewish athletes earned him a place in the

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EXONIAN PROFILE

BLAIR FITZSIMONS ’78

A Steward of the Land JOHN DYER PHOTOGRAPHY

A

n unyielding love of her native Texas coupled with a determination for preserving the state’s 144 million acres of farms and ranches drives Blair (Calvert) Fitzsimons ’78 in her work as executive director of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT).

In the four years since its inception, TALT has conserved close to 100,000 acres of cattle ranch, farm and prairie land. With the group’s mission to protect agricultural lands, native wildlife habitats and natural resources, Fitzsimons has gently prodded land and business owners into protecting more land from development through conservation easements.

“This is not a government program, nor an avenue for government takeover of private lands,” she says.

“The landowner retains title to the land and continues doing what they were doing. They just can’t develop the property.”

TALT also works with families who want to lower estate taxes by putting a conservation easement on their property, which reduces the property’s value but keeps the parcel intact. “Our program is for people who want to pass land down to the next generation,” Fitzsimons says.

With studies showing more than 1,000 people moving to Texas each day, Fitzsimons is concerned about the growth’s impact on land use. A greater concern is fragmentation, the breaking up of property into smaller pieces.

“After several generations, the once-2,000-acre ranch is now 500 acres and worth much less and not big enough to support anything,” she says. “Fragmentation also creates less land to grow beef.We lose land that provides clean air and carbon sequestration and native wildlife habitats.This is a serious problem.”

Fitzsimons hopes to protect 1 million acres in the next decade to offset the 2 million acres a 2009 American Farmland Trust study estimated will be lost to development and other uses. Instead of limiting growth in Texas, she argues there is a need for policy to require better utilization of urban space. “I’m not a believer in regulation and zoning outside of city areas, but I’d like to see more policies that encourage density within our cities instead of sprawl,” she says. “The conservation easement is a great free market tool. . . . We don’t want to take away anyone’s rights, just give landowners another choice.”

TALT is the latest education and natural resource effort Fitzsimons has overseen. In 2003, she spent a year working for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation design-

ing an education reform project for Texas high schools.

Prior to that, she led Gov. Rick Perry’s Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board, a $1.5 billion fund to deploy technology to Texas’ rural and inner-city communities.

Fitzsimons’ love of the land took root during her childhood: “I grew up in San Antonio, being outdoors, going to the family ranch with my father, [Jonathan C. Calvert ’49,] and grandfather,” she says. “My father taught me and my two sisters to hunt at a very early age, and we did a lot of camping and hiking.”

Fitzsimons and her husband, Joseph, operated his family’s 45,000-acre cattle ranch from 1989 to 2003 near the Mexican border, with more than 1,000 cattle at the time and several dozen horses. There, she found a true passion in “working and living on the land.” In 2009, after years of earning local and regional recognition, the ranch received the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Environmental Stewardship Award, and in 2010 Fitzsimons was named “Woman of the Land” by the Texas Wildlife Association Foundation.

“I absolutely loved being on the ranch every day,” she says. “It’s a much gentler rhythm—you’re in tune with nature and with the seasons. And it was a family-oriented enterprise.” Today, the ranch remains the family’s primary business, but Fitzsimons spends much of her time on conservation efforts. “I’ve got all I can say grace over,” she concludes.

—Famebridge Witherspoon

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EXONIAN PROFILE

J E R E M I A H PA S T E R N A K ’ 0 1

A New Face on Reality TV

J

eremiah Pasternak ’01 really is a “born dealer.” One of his earliest memories is as a toddler being pulled through antique shows and flea markets in a Radio Flyer wagon.At 5, the budding wheeler-dealer made some of his first purchases and trades for vintage action figures. By the age of 10 or 11, he had talked his father, Jerry, into the first of many joint ventures.

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COURTESY OF PLANET GREEN

on the show and traveling together amplifies our differences. Our dynamic is very much an old school versus new school type of deal.”

Pasternak does most of his business on the Internet.

His father, on the other hand, likes to visit shops in the hopes of stumbling across a gem, one that his own customers will eventually discover in the Rockland warehouse and fall in love with, as he did. The son, however, goes for the quick turnaround sale.

Pasternak began using this approach while a student at Exeter: “I would buy hard-to-find collectible sneakers in New England that everyone in New York and L.A. wanted and resell them on eBay, trying to always double up.” Pasternak credits his time at Exeter and around the Harkness table as giving him the attitude that is needed in his kind of sales. “I learned early on that there were more intelligent and more athletic students at Exeter, but through the Harkness method I developed a sense of confidence that has driven me to become the best at what I do. I’m thankful every day,” he says.

It was that confidence that led him to pitch his “Born Dealers” story to TV execJeremiah Pasternak utives. And they bit hard. “I contacted a and his father, Jerry. well-known production company that had had success in the antiquing genre, and “In a booth at one show, I found a $5 bill signed by within a couple of hours I got a return call,” he says.

Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig,” Pasternak says. “I talked my “Within a week they were shooting test footage, and less dad into buying it and that began what has been a long than two years later we’ve got a show on national televipartnership.” Now the dealing duo, owners of Pasternak sion.” Pasternak believes that it is the family dynamic Antiques & Modern Design, have their own reality show combined with the eclectic collection of their merchancalled “Born Dealers.” The first 60-minute episodes dise—from his father’s more traditional antiques to aired last fall on Planet Green, a subnetwork of the Dis- Pasternak’s modern, midcentury pieces—that is the covery Channel. The show focuses on the father and son appeal of “Born Dealers.” as they hunt for treasures during the winter months at He tells the story of one of their more interesting flea markets, antique shops, and on sites like Craigslist finds. It involves a 20-foot, oval, stained glass lobster winand eBay before spending the summer at their Rockland, dow from a Chicago restaurant. “My father tried to buy ME, warehouse trying to “sell high” what they have that window six years back but couldn’t come to an “bought low.” The offerings can include anything from a agreement on [the] price with the owner,” Pasternak 1920 morgue table and antique stained glass windows to recalls. “A few months ago, the owner saw one of my Americana, pop-culture curiosities and midcentury furwanted ads on Craigslist . . . he didn’t know who I was . . . niture. and dropped me an email to see if I’d be interested in the The interest, humor and tension of “Born Dealers” window. We made a deal on the show and now it’s ours. stem from the divergent and individual approaches That’s a great example of how things come full circle father and son take to the adventure of antique dealing. from both sides of our business.”

“My father and I have always been close, but he has his —Julie Quinn way and I have mine,” Pasternak says. “Being together

Connections

VOLUNTEER PROFILE

DA N PA N S H I N ’ 5 6

Connecting Across the Generations

DAN COURTER

W

hen people think of Exeter, they often picture a Harkness table. For Dan Panshin ’56, an additional table comes to mind—the one he shared with six members of the class of 2011 during Alumni/ae Council Weekend in the fall of 2010.

“We had a wonderful conversation,” Panshin recalls. Hoping to continue it, he exchanged email addresses with the students and, in the months that followed, kept up with them, asking about their experiences and plans for the future. When he returned to campus last spring for his 55th reunion, Panshin invited the students to join him and his wife for dinner. But the students had already made other plans:They wanted to take him and his wife out instead.

“Young people are bright. They’re very supportive of each other. It’s infectious,” he says. “By connecting with them, I get a fresh way of looking at things.”

During his reunion, Panshin formed more connections with young Exonians. Early Sunday morning, he and three other oarsmen awoke eager to row on the Squamscott River. (“For those who have rowed,” he explains, “going back to a reunion is magical.”) But they were missing a coxswain.The team was out of luck until T.J. Hodges ’14 volunteered. “He couldn’t have been more cheerful and competent. I hope to stay in touch with him,” Panshin says.

Panshin also contacted Evan Strouss ’11, a leader of the PEADQUACS, and invited the a cappella group to join the class of ’56 for one of its reunion meals. The PEADQUACS sang and stayed for dinner, forging new bonds across the generations.

“Dan is very young at heart,” says Wayne Loosigian ’41, ’45, ’51 (Hon.); P’99, P’01, P’05, director of annual giving. His energy is evident in his efforts on behalf of Exeter and his class: A longstanding volunteer, he has served as class agent, vice president and president; he is currently the planned giving chair.

But he wasn’t always so outgoing. Raised in a small, rural community in Michigan, Panshin felt out of place at Exeter. While he enjoyed the school’s sports and academics, he felt uneasy with his peers. “Socially, my classmates seemed so sophisticated,” he says.

“I didn’t want to stand out from the crowd.”

It was long after his graduation from Exeter, at regional alumni/ae gatherings, that Panshin began to discover that his experience was commonplace. “I am struck in conversations, that even those I thought sophisticated had a tough time,” he says.

Now retired, Panshin is grateful for the confidence and opportunities his Exeter education afforded him and especially values how questions and inclusion are central to the Harkness table.This background has been fundamental to a career featuring leadership roles in the military, government and higher education. It has been equally important to his community service work with Episcopal Homes, a nonprofit dedicated to providing housing for senior citizens. “When you’re part of a group, asking the right questions is so important,” he says.

The questions Dan has posed to Exeter students have revealed to him that the Academy is “a much warmer environment than it was. Kids helping kids.” That realization, he says, has deepened his commitment to the Academy and to ensuring outstanding experiences for students like those he has come to know so well.

—Leah Williams

During his 55th reunion last spring, Dan Panshin and his wife, Pat, gathered with class of 2011 friends (left to right) Claire Zarakas, Lindsey Palmer, Summer Morrill, Evan Strouss, Hope Winburn and Emma Carey.

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PHILANTHROPY

Within Walking Distance A THRIVING RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY DEPENDS O N T H E P ROX I M I T Y O F T E AC H E R S T O C A M P U S

SAM O'NEILL

“My students know I’m just around the corner.”

—Sally Morris, chair of the Classical Languages Department and coach of the girls varsity crew team

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ometimes, a house is more than a home, particularly when it’s an Exeter faculty home. .

Take 76 Front Street. Located a half-block from campus, the handsomely restored Colonial is home to Sally Morris P’07, P’08, P’10, chair of the Classical Languages Department and coach of the girls varsity crew team. Morris and her family moved in just before Thanksgiving 2010. A month later, they celebrated their first Christmas in a house five decades older than the Academy.

Soon 76 Front Street took on a range of supporting roles: gathering place for departmental dinners and receptions, guest room for commuting colleagues stranded by snowstorms, and home base for visiting alumni/ae. For one memorable night last spring, the classics teacher’s home became a Roman banquet hall, bedecked with classical artifacts and filled with more than 30 students clad in traditional Roman dress, reciting Latin and Greek passages from memory.

Above all, 76 Front Street has become an unofficial clubhouse for Morris’ advisees and rowers, a place where they come to share or make a meal or simply unwind. “While the food cooks, they share stories and laugh, and I find it helps us get to know each other better,” Morris says. “They know I am just around the corner, too, if something comes up that they prefer to share with me in private.”

In a residential school—where education happens everywhere, at all hours of the day—faculty housing is essential. “It encourages connections between students and the adult community that are essential to PEA’s success,” says Hobart Hardej P’01, chair of the Mathematics Department, who lives at 76 Court Street, a softball’s throw from Love Gymnasium. “Our students know we are available and interested in being involved in their lives, and there are countless opportunities to connect.”

Russell Weatherspoon ’01, ’03, ’08 (Hon.); P’92, P’95, P’97, P’01, instructor in religion and former dean of

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residential life, chose to teach in a boarding school for just these kinds of opportunities. “I wanted to be close enough to students over a longer period of the day and evening to know them and be known by them,” says Weatherspoon, who lives in O’Neil Court, next to the tennis courts. “That remains my central interest. Adolescents need the support and assurance that springs from seeing adults choose to be available to them.”

‘A Tangible and Fitting Tribute’ To ensure close ties between senior faculty memBruce Dennen ’52 (1933–2000) was a man who believed in connections. bers and students—and the school’s continued ability “My strongest memory of Bruce is of his kindness,” says Brian Davis ’52. As to attract first-rate teachers—Exeter made post-dora student leader and a three-sport varsity athlete, “Bruce took time to visit mitory housing a key component of The Exeter Iniwith, and listen to, everyone in our class,” Davis says. “I think our class had tiatives campaign (2004–09). Designated gifts to the great respect for him.” campaign helped underwrite the construction of As an alumnus, Dennen maintained his strong connections to both his O’Neil Court and the purchase and renovation of sevclassmates and to Exeter, serveral houses near campus. ing as a president of the General In response to the ongoing need for post-dormitoAlumni/ae Association and an ry housing, Academy officials have continually moniAcademy trustee, as well as a tored the local housing market. As suitable houses class officer. Then, less than 18 have become available, donors have stepped in to months before his 50th reunion, underwrite costs related to the purchase of those Dennen collapsed and died while homes and to establish permanent endowments for playing paddleball. their upkeep. In recent years, philanthropic support It was at Dennen’s funeral, has enabled the Academy to acquire a number of says Davis, then class president, nearby houses, including Dennen House (see sidebar). “that several of us began to talk Four Hilliard Circle is home to Ryan Turner, a about establishing a memorial music instructor who directs the Concert Choir and to Bruce as part of our 50th other ensembles. According to Turner, location is reunion gift.” Members of the everything for music faculty members, whose evenings are spent at rehearsals, concerts and recitals. “Knowing I can be home with my family for dinner and then within five minutes be back at school makes a huge difference when it comes to accessibility and quality of life,” he says.

Ultimately, a faculty house improves the quality of life not only for its residents, but also, in small but real ways, for the entire Exeter community. Hardej was reminded of that last year when he and his wife, Linda, hosted the annual holiday dinner for Gould House, where he is the faculty dorm affiliate.

“The Gould House girls migrated over to our house during Sunday afternoon, where they finished their food preparation, worked on homework, enjoyed time together in our home, and then sat down for dinner. It was a huge hit, and it is fast becoming a dorm tradition.”

A home-cooked meal shared with friends: These are things that make a house a home, and a school a family.

For more information about faculty house giving and naming opportunities, please contact Will Davison, director of major gifts, at wdavison@exeter.edu or 603777-3681.

—Beth Brosnan

Academy’s Institutional Advancement Office suggested they consider underwriting the purchase of a faculty house and naming it for Dennen—a gift that would help strengthen connections within the Exeter community, in honor of a man who had such a knack for them.

For Dennen House, the class settled on 66-68 Front Street, an 1828 Federal-style house divided into two residential units. Davis appreciated the fact that the Academy had already bought and restored the house, “so we knew exactly what we were paying for and what we were getting: a classic historic home, in absolutely great shape. Also, the Academy allocated part of our gift as an endowed maintenance fund for the house. That way, they wouldn’t have to come back to us for additional funds to maintain the house.”

In May 2002, scores of Dennen’s classmates and family members turned out for the dedication of Dennen House, which over the past decade has been home to two faculty members, including Kathleen Curwen P’99, P’03, dean of faculty from 2006 to 2011. Says Davis: “It’s a tangible and fitting tribute to a classmate and friend who was such a shining symbol of the Exeter experience.”

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80 Harkness Moments (continued from page 31) room. Leadership, concern for others, respect for their ideas—all these have also increased in the dormitory and in athletic and extracurricular activities; these are classrooms, too. Over the years, instructors have given less and less direction; students have become more quick to pick up the ball. In mathematics it is now the students who write problem solutions on the board and explain their thinking to classmates. When someone does not understand, others are patient while one or more students help make the problem clear. Mistakes are expected; everyone makes them. Everyone’s ideas are respected. The hardest part of my own job has been to sit quietly and let the students discover patterns, find connections and work out solutions. In this way they develop not only a sense of ownership of the mathematical ideas, but also a respect for the collaborative process and for each other. —Frank T. Gutmann ’52; ’65 (Hon.); P’85, P’87, emeritus chair of the Mathematics Department

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My

most

memorable

Harkness moment occurred during the early spring of 1958 at the table in George Bennett’s English 4 class. Because our focus was on poetry for that term, Mr. Bennett [’23] invited none other than Robert Frost to join us.

We discussed and read several of his poems, and at some point my classmate David Livingston ’58 had a brief discussion with Mr. Frost, which went something like this: DL: Mr. Frost, what did you mean by that passage? RF: Well, young man, that is really not important, is it? DL: I would think it is; why do you say that? RF: What that passage meant to me when I wrote it years ago, or even what it means to me today, is not important. What is important is what it means to you, the reader. The Class: (Silently and collectively) WOW!!!

To think this legendary American poet believed that the meaning to him of a significant passage was unimportant when compared to [what it meant to] one of us was mind-boggling. Of course, Mr. Bennett seized the moment and asked each of us in turn to interpret the passage, setting off a vigorous discussion in the best Harkness tradition, with Robert Frost as a

patient, attentive observer. He never did give his interpretation, but that wasn’t the point, was it? —John W. “Jack” Bissell ’58; P’95

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One of the joys of working

with Exonians around the Harkness table, something I have done for 40 years now, is the diversity of backgrounds and ideas which students bring to the conversation. And it is often their questions which spark interesting exchanges. The single most unusual, not necessarily profound but unusual, question I ever heard around my table in Academy 204 was the day a few years

“respect for the

their own hands. So they worked together to figure out what question I would have asked them, wrote the question on the blackboard, and then all wrote their essays.

One of them collected the papers, put them in front of where I always sat, and left me a note explaining what had happened.

I was thrilled! What an example of students taking charge and being responsible.

True Harkness students! —Betsey Farnham ’46 (Hon.); P’92, emerita instructor in religion

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Openness, understanding and acceptance: I remember how Ms. [Christine] Robinson’s introduction of LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] literature to our lower-year English class at the Harkness table opened lively conversations on topics we ordinarily would not have discussed, which helped many of us understand and accept LGBT individuals.

—Dave Tsai ’93

collaborative process” ago when a student blurted out in the middle of some discussion, “Mr.V., what is the difference between Jesus and Wednesday?” Now, I am not usually at a loss for words, but as all the faces in the room turned to me to see how I was going to handle this totally serious question, another student, always brighter than their Exeter teachers, said without any pause, “Well, Wednesdays come more often.” (It turned out that the original questioner was from a different culture and had not, in fact, ever heard of Jesus.) You have to love the wonderful students this school continues to attract.

—Peter Vorkink P’95, instructor in religion

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Years ago, I had a class of

preps and lowers in Religion 110, an introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. They were a good Harkness class and always came prepared and ready to talk about the material we were covering. I had to miss class one day, but I told them somebody else would take my place for the day.They were to write an in-class essay answering a question the substitute would give them.

Well, the substitute forgot the class.The class waited for about 10 minutes, [then] decided they needed to take things into

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As coaches, we ask the players what “they” think, what they know is happening in the midst of a game; and they speak, they listen, they own the game in those ways; at halftime, in small timeouts. And when they gather together to “huddle,” they are forming a circle, if only for a moment. And when they run out before the game, they have invented a ritual in which they run onto the pitch and they split and break the two lines they have formed, and they pass their hands in the air and they create, from those two lines, a circle.

—Mercy Carbonell ’96 (Hon.), instructor in English, girls varsity field hockey coach

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What I remember most clearly is sitting at the Harkness table with Mr. Adkins (I think), the teacher of the advanced English section in my senior year, going over a paper I had submitted. He liked it but pointed out where I used “purple” prose that detracted from it. I took the lesson to heart!

—Dean Boorman ’45

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Harkness learning helped me to become a communicator, which supports every personal and professional success in my life.

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Finis Origine Pendet

Signing Up for Another Year

By Kristen (Skedgell) DeVoe ’74

Y

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FRED CARLSON

esterday was my 55th birthday and I’m signing up for another year. When I was back at Exeter, about to graduate, I could never conceive of being this old. I was 17 and walking up the steps of the Academy Building when I first contemplated actually taking my own life. One world was coming to an end and the other loomed out before me ominously. I wondered what it would be like to simply sneak up to the tower and jump off the top, freezing myself in time like Phineas from A Separate Peace. It was more than just a passing thought. I tried several times. But the door was always locked.

Recently, a friend from church committed suicide and it rocked the whole congregation and community. He was an accomplished man and a loving father. But he was in a bad depression. Some people were not surprised. I was.We were comrades in the fight against mental illness, both living with the label of “bipolar disorder.” I thought I knew what he was going through. But then when can we really know what another person is going through?

I work in a maximum-security prison with suicidal inmates. Correctional facilities have filled the void left by the closing of state mental hospitals. Now the largest psychiatric facilities in the country are Rikers Island and the L.A. County jail. I hear about the prisoners’ despair every day. I listen to them, talk with them, sometimes I cry with them. When I’m totally at a loss, I quote Hamlet and Sartre to them.

Last year, an inmate hanged himself in his cell. I did not know this man but it shook me right to the core.

Whenever someone takes his own life, there are reverberations in the community. We are social animals. We affect one another.This may sound obvious to most people but when you suffer from depression, the internal glue of social connections is the first to go.You think your life doesn’t matter to anyone.

You think your family and friends would be better off without you because you’re such a despicable human being. Suicide can be as real and mundane a choice as today’s cereal or tomorrow’s stock option.

Let’s see, shall I live or shall I die? It’s the universal question.

There are a lot of judgments about whether suicide is OK or not. I’m not here to judge another person’s suffering. Psychological pain can be as horrible as physical pain, if not worse, because at least if you have a physical illness, you look like something is wrong. People who are depressed or suicidal often can look OK, but inside, they’re screaming. Let me speak for myself. When I’ve thought about suicide, I’ve taken even my own husband by surprise. “But you look OK,” he says with a hurt expression on his face.

And why wouldn’t he be hurt? Suicide is the ultimate abandonment, far worse than a divorce.

I’ve always held suicide up as my ace in the hole, my escape hatch for when times really got tough. I had a professor in social work school who once said that, “Children never recover from the suicide of a parent.” I was a very depressed single mother of two young children and contemplating the unthinkable. It seemed reasonable at the time but when he said that, it was as if he threw cold water on my face.

I realized how my act would affect my children because no one acts alone in this world. I learned that my life does not belong to me.

Recently I was running a therapy group for patients in the infirmary of the prison. One depressed older man who’s been in and out of the system all his life was speaking to a younger suicidal prisoner.

He put it simply: “My life revolves around the earth.The earth doesn’t revolve around me.There’s always something new to learn.” Those words caught me by surprise because sometimes I forget my place in the whole scheme of things. I get to thinking my suffering is all there is and I forget about “the big world out there.”

Good words. But there’s my friend who took his life and I think, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” I’m glad I’ve made it to 55. But it’s more than just being in a new age bracket or qualifying for the senior discount at Denny’s, a fast-food restaurant.There’s always more to learn and many more connections to make and keep. So, I’m signing up for another year on earth. And it’s not just me. A lot of people are doing it.Trusting gravity and holding on for dear life. One year at a time.

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Come Spend a Week at theTable: Summer Programs for Secondary School Teachers June 24-June 29, 2012 Phillips Exeter Academy The Anja S. Greer Conference on Mathematics, Science and Technology Exploring the mathematics and science curricula of today and tomorrow with a special focus on the impact and applications of technology in the classroom. Now in its 28th year.

The Biology Institute at Exeter This one-week conference is geared toward secondary school biology/life science and environmental science teachers. Spend a week immersed in biology and enjoy learning the latest biology teaching techniques.

The Exeter Humanities Institute A working conference for English and history teachers, exploring the use of student-centered, discussion-based learning. This year’s theme:“Occupation” The Rex A. McGuinn Conference on Shakespeare Explore the many ways King Lear can be taught in the classroom and give your students the skills they need to enjoy and understand Shakespeare for life.

The Writers’ Workshop: Finding Voice and Form A creative writing workshop for teachers. Discover and hone your skills as a writer, explore the different ways to use writing with your students, and learn how to make writing part of your everyday life.

All conferences are open to both novice and veteran teachers from public, private and parochial schools. For more information, including registration forms, go to www.exeter.edu and click on Summer Programs, or call (603) 777-4471.

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Phillips Exeter Academy 20 Main Street Exeter, New Hampshire 03833-2460 Parents of Alumni/ae: If this magazine is addressed to a son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please email us (records@exeter.edu) with his or her new address. Thank you!

Phillips Exeter Academy Summer School Five weeks of academic exploration and discovery at one of America’s outstanding independent schools July 1-August 4, 2012 The UPPER SCHOOL—Comprised of students who have completed grades nine, ten, eleven, or twelve—enrolls some 450 students who come to us from more than 40 states, Puerto Rico, Washington, D.C., and several dozen foreign nations.

ACCESS EXETER—Open to students who have completed grades seven or eight—provides a challenging academic program for approximately 250 students.

Together, these students embody a rich diversity of language, culture, religion and race.

Tel 603.777.3488 summer@exeter.edu www.facebook.com/ExeterSummerSchool To learn more, please visit our website: www.exeter.edu/summer