REVEILLE FALL 2011
REVEILLE FALL 2011
WHERE DID THE ALUMNI & DEVELOPMENT TEAM VISIT IN 2011?
While friends are always important, the older we become the more important are our friendships. Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote, “a friend is a gift you give yourself.” If this is true, then there was a tremendous amount of gift-giving going on during last year’s regional alumni gatherings. The Alumni & Development team touched the following cities during the brief span of the school year but sparked innumerable renewed friendships and new acquaintances. While we can email, Skype and Facetime, there is nothing like an outstretched hand and a hearty embrace.
2011 ALUMNI EVENT RECAP
TOUR OF CALIFORNIA By David Lipsky ‘75N
Live without regret, get reconnected! 727-343-3678 or alumni@farragut.org.
Coach Stan Slaby stands with Bryant Crouse ‘63N Lorenzo Lamas ‘75N, and Rob Pfeille ‘76N at our Los Angeles Alumni Gathering.
Headmaster, Robert J. Fine, Jr. with Chad Schwarm ‘92S & and his wife Erica.
March of this year, AFA Headmaster Robert J. Fine, Jr. and Alumni & Development Director, Robb Resler headed west for the opportunity to meet Farragut alumni up and down the California Coast. First stop was San Diego on March 24th, followed by Los Angeles on March 25th and then San Francisco on March 26th. This was the first time in as long as anyone could remember that Farragut organized a roundup of alumni out west. Each event had a Volunteer Alumni Host to help coordinate efforts in the three cities. Classmates Art Diaz, Lorenzo Lamas and I each took the lead in our respective cities supporting the alumni office with venue selection and engaging alumni participation.
Boca Raton, FL Coral Gables, FL Los Angeles, CA Nantucket, MA Naples, FL New York City, NY New Bern, NC Phoenix, AZ
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Philadelphia, PA (Army/Navy Game) Pine Beach, NJ San Antonio, TX San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Washington DC
For me, the experience turned out to be an enjoyable one. At first, I thought this would be a painstaking chore, pleading with people to please come, especially since most of us did not know one another. On the contrary, it turned out to be an opportunity to meet a broad span of Farragut Brothers (regardless of campus affiliation) with a passion for Farragut and how the experience positively influenced their lives.
Jamieson ’62 (Burlingame, CA), unable to make the Saturday night dinner got up early Sunday morning specifically to see their Coach (Stan Slaby who traveled all the way from New Jersey) and meet the school’s administration for breakfast. In total, 18 alumni attended the San Francisco event, and most brought their spouse or a guest. Some schoolmates had not seen each other since graduation! Senior classmen in attendance were John Blake ‘38 and Allen Breed ‘39. These two men attended the Pine Beach School together some 72 years earlier. Their joy in participating speaks volumes to the Farragut Experience. Another highlight was listening to each alumnus share a Farragut story or two. What we all heard was – Farragut held a special place in their hearts and truly made a difference in their lives. Headmaster Fine and Alumni Director Resler concluded the evening by bringing the group up to speed on the Farragut Today and its plans for the future. Discussions are now underway with the alumni office to keep the momentum going by having another California gathering sometime in the early part of 2012. Stay tuned.
San Francisco had a great turnout. Some traveled hours to make it. Dave Robinson ‘59N (Las Vegas, NV) and Allen 31