Emeritus Ceremony & Meeting for Worship Saturday, May 15, 2021 1:00–2:30 PM, Virtual Meetinghouse Welcome Annah Heckman ’15, Director of Alumni Relations Emeritus Ceremony The faculty and staff of Friends Seminary are our single most valuable resource. We believe that the depth and breadth of their service should be noted and recognized. Faculty and staff who have served the School for 12 years, roughly a Friends generation, are eligible to be recognized as Emeritus/a. Principal Bo Lauder Christel Johnson honors Emeritus Thomas Radigan Will Hopkins honors Emerita Gloria Foti Bob Rosen honors Emerita Rochelle Itzen Maria Fahey Honors Emerita Phyllis Trout Ashley Shaw honors Emerita Robin Hoffmann Deanna Yuchuk honors Emeritus Jack Phelan Courtney Retzler honors Emerita Linda Chu Emeritus Circle Click here to view the full list of those being recognized as Emerita/ Emeritus. Meeting for Worship Friends may wish to hold in the Light members of our community lost over time. Click here to view a list of those who have passed since May 15, 2019.
Minute of Appreciation
Thomas Radigan Faculty Emeritus Friends Seminary is grateful for Tom Radigan’s work as a French teacher and Language Department Chair at a moment when the School’s embrace of world languages was on the ascendant. As chair, he helped usher in our unique Arabic language and culture program. His energy helped grow the department into a more organized, professional and influential component of the Friends program. In his role as a French teacher, he inspired students to immerse themselves in the French language and in Francophone cultures. During his sabbatical, he developed a pedagogical guide to teaching Rhinocéros by Ionnescu, a work that has continued to inform and enhance the learning experience for his students. Teaching works created for the stage were his true passion. Tom appreciated the diversity of his experiences at Friends—in the classroom and outside. He recalls the occasional snowball fights between teachers and students, the end-of-the-year Middle School water balloon dodgeball games among students and MS Head Pam Wood, and primal scream therapy with his department colleagues on The Cyclone at Coney Island. Tom created countless memories during his tenure at Friends that have made an impact on hundreds of alumni. We express deepest gratitude for the breadth and depth of service Tom has given to Friends Seminary and are proud to honor him as Faculty Emeritus.
Minute of Appreciation
Gloria Foti
Administrative Staff Emerita Friends Seminary is deeply appreciative of the many contributions that Gloria Foti has made to Friends Seminary. She has worked in the Main Office as an Administrative Assistant, the Admissions Office as an Administrative Assistant, as Registrar and as Executive Assistant to the Deans. In her various roles, she has become instrumental to Friends Seminary’s day-to-day operations, and Principal Bo Lauder notes that she has been one of his most dependable and selfless administrative staff members. During her tenure, Gloria has had a hand in every aspect of the Friends experience. When she worked in the Admissions Office for Harriet Burnett, she physically entered more than 1,000 admissions applications into a database each year until eventually the School moved to an online application process. She has led school tours, volunteered to coordinate Lower School Halloween parties alongside Robin Hoffmann and Bonnie Gold, coordinated faculty and staff orientation, and overseen the administration of professional development and summer faculty grant applications. Her work expanded beyond the walls of her office several times. She created the Lower School Small Mall and “La Marqueta” fundraiser for hurricane victims in Puerto Rico as well as organized various beginning and end of school events and holiday parties. She also has created countless letters for the Benefit’s Alphabet Project. Even with such a long list of amazing and meaningful contributions to the School, when asked what meaningful accomplishments have meant the most to her, she shared that she was proud of her sons Joseph Foti ’12 and Anthony Foti ’15 and her niece and nephew, Crystal Colon ’03 and Josh Russi ’18. Friends Seminary will remember her passion for students and for her community. We express deepest gratitude for the breadth and depth of service Gloria has given to Friends Seminary and are proud to honor her as Administrative Staff Emerita.
Minute of Appreciation
Rochelle Itzen Faculty Emerita
Friends Seminary is deeply appreciative of the contributions that Rochelle Itzen has made to the Performing Arts Department since arriving at Friends during the 1981-1982 school year. As a performing arts teacher, teaching music in three divisions, she established the orchestra program in the Upper School, bringing chamber and orchestral music to the Friends community. Her work as a teacher has centered on encouraging students and giving them the opportunity to showcase their talents, even at their earliest stages of development. She has developed and organized the annual recital night for the Upper School and has arranged for students to perform at assemblies, meetings and other school events as soloists and in chamber groups. Some of her most memorable performances include, the sixth graders performing “I’m a Believer” with students wearing Shrek costumes and a collaboration of the Upper School Orchestra and Chorus performing the entire “Gloria” by Antonin Vivaldi. She recently founded the Ukulele program, whose delightful renditions of music like “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” put smiles on the audience member’s faces. Her influence on the Performing Arts Department, her kindness to her students, her gentle voice and her understanding that making music is a journey, will be felt for generations to come. We express deepest gratitude for the breadth and depth of service Rochelle has given to Friends Seminary and are proud to honor her as Faculty Emerita.
Minute of Appreciation
Phyllis Trout Faculty Emerita
Friends Seminary is deeply appreciative of the many contributions that Phyllis Trout has made to Friends Seminary. As an art teacher, Phyllis has inspired generations of Friends students and alumni to find their creative selves. Phyllis has been a part of the Friends Seminary community since September 1989. One of the many ways that Phyllis engaged and uplifted students is by integrating the practice of silence into every class. She even became a certified mindfulness instructor in 2017 and offered classes for colleagues after school. A highlight of her teaching career at Friends has been collaborating with Melissa Soto and Isabel Dominguez. Together, Phyllis helped to coordinate Melissa’s Lower School class to join the Upper School ceramic class. Together, they studied ancient Central American ceramics at the National Museum of the American Indian. The students then created objects in the studio based on their museum research. These beautiful objects were then given to cafeteria staff, Eva Townes, and others who can go unrecognized for their service to the Friends community. Phyllis’s classes continually brought together different members of the Friends community to make art and to connect. This is but one story that could be told about Phylis. Another is her many years of organizing students to volunteer at the Foundling Hospital in Chelsea, recognizing that service is a critical component of the Friends program. We express deepest gratitude for the breadth and depth of service Phyllis has given to Friends Seminary and are proud to honor her as Faculty Emerita.
Minute of Appreciation
Robin Hoffmann Administrative Staff Emerita Where to begin a minute of appreciation for Robin Hoffman, whose 31 years of work at Friends has been not just work but a passion? Perhaps, we should start at the beginning. Robin began working at Friends in 1990, initially as a media specialist. She spent time with Elaine Warner in the then-minuscule, 1980’s forest green library, handling equipment that current students have probably never even heard of: overhead projectors, slide carousels, perhaps even mimeograph machines! Her gifts, talents and creativity were soon evident, and that little library couldn’t contain them. She found her place at the School as Director of Extended Programs in 1994 when she made F.A.T. (Friends After Three) a household word, and FATMAN a legendary icon She created and implemented the comprehensive after school and extended day programs for Lower and Middle School students that we have today. She made it fun for the kids, and parents could rest assured their children were in caring (but firm) hands, enjoying themselves as they continued to learn. She introduced hundreds of families and children to the Friends Seminary community through the creation and implementation of an expansive Summer Program (Summer Friends). This program introduces pre-school age children to Friends and provides summer camp for school-age children. Among her many contributions, Robin is famed for her highly acclaimed admissions tours of the School. She brought Friends Seminary alive in countless ways, hosting many events and concerts and collaborating with the Parents Association to create the FAT/PA sponsored free events. As a result, she was and is one of the most recognized personalities at the School. We won’t soon forget Lower School and All-School sing-alongs (especially her rendition of “Oh Hanukkah!”), taking celebrities on admissions tours and never flinching, hosting Lower School end-ofyear concerts and emceeing the 2019 Benefit Auction. She worked to help make Friends Seminary not only a kind place to be, but a fun
place to be! We will miss her presence at My Big F.A.T. Sleepovers and Friday Night Pajama Parties (perhaps we can coax her into a visiting role!). We are grateful for all of Robin Hoffman’s contributions to Friends Seminary over these 31 years. We express deepest gratitude for the breadth and depth of service Robin has given to Friends Seminary and are proud to honor her as Administrative Staff Emerita.
Minute of Appreciation
Jack Phelan Faculty Emeritus
Friends Seminary is deeply appreciative of the many contributions that Jack Phelan has made to Friends Seminary. Jack served as a Teacher of Experiential Education and as Department Chair of Experiential Education. Beginning at Friends in September 1989, Jack has seen the growth of the Experiential Education department. It will be hard to imagine a Friends Seminary without him. During his tenure at Friends, Jack oversaw the implementation of additional programming in the Experiential Education Department including telemark skiing, sea kayaking, and an expanded wilderness program. The Wilderness Program elective for Grades 11 and 12 has provided more opportunities for students to connect with the outdoors. He developed the Friends Outdoor Program Intensives for tenth graders, which provided more time spent outside in nature experiencing natural areas in New York State. Jack’s programming has taken the Friends community from 16th Street out into the world. The skills taught in his classes provided students and alumni with a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors as well as a baseline of knowledge about how to engage with the world around them, thus helping them to make it a better place for all. We express deepest gratitude for the breadth and depth of service Jack has given to Friends Seminary and are proud to honor him as Faculty Emeritus.
Minute of Appreciation
Linda Chu Faculty Emerita
Celebrating her 51st year at Friends Seminary, Linda Chu is the school’s longest serving teacher—ever. She has been a part of the Friends Seminary community since September 1970, and retires at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year. During these years, she has taught 3rd, 2nd and 1st grades. In these roles, Linda has left a lasting impact on generations of students, having taught more than 1,000 Friends Seminary students over the years. Linda’s classroom was always a lively place, and she literally brought it alive with its menagerie. Caring for class pets was an expected responsibility for her students. The annual hatch of ducklings or chicks was a moment of interest for the entire community. Many waited anxiously for the word to go out that the eggs had “pipped.” In addition, rabbits, guinea pigs, and of course, Molasses, the beloved turtle, have been favorites of generations of students. Molasses has been with Linda her entire career at Friends and was even featured in New York Magazine with a two-page spread. Linda has brought various initiatives to the Friends campus, including composting, weaving, pen-pals with 50th reunion alumni, class trips, and an integrated curriculum. Notably, she has overseen countless overnight class trips to the Poconos Environmental Center, Frost Valley and Nature’s Classroom. She was a founding member of the FS Teachers Association, in the 1970s. She has served the School as a member of the School Committee and has been a stalwart steward of the School’s values. Linda’s presence on campus will be missed. She brings creativity and care to her classroom and has left a lasting impression on more than 50 years of Friends Seminary alumni. She is one of several school historians and has consulted with too many Principals to count on various happenings and events of the past. When school was preparing to reopen each fall, she was always the first to arrive to ready her room, as regular as the swallows of Capistrano! We express our deepest gratitude for the breadth, depth and length of service Linda has given to Friends Seminary and are proud to honor her as Faculty Emerita.
Below is a list, to the best of our knowledge, of those who have passed since May 15, 2019. Please join us in holding them in the Light.
Charmian Campbell Trundle ’34
Edith Brown ’53
Quentin Deming ’37
Margaret Donner ’54
Marie Borroff ’39
Diana Turner ’55
Reta Davidson ’41
Stephen Mittenthal ’55
Barbara Herne ’41
William Engler ’56
Edith Borroff ’42
David Wartels ’57
Margaret McCormick ’42
Jaffray Cuyler ’60
Richard Cooley ’42
Lawrence Pratt ’60
Jordan Jablons ’43
Jonathan Small ’60
Rachel Ross Parmenter ’43
Joseph Porrino ’62
Roger Hirson ’43
Arthur Fink ’64
Alison Hannan ’43
Harlan Hurwitz ’65
Mary Ann Logue ’44
Tina Vartanian ’70
Janet Caulkins ’44
Robert Cohen ’70
Hope Ligori ’44
Diane Beaucage ’71
Robert Wilber ’45
Steve Nellissen ’71
Mary Rhoades ’45
Daniel Green ’72
Virginia Otto ’46
Robin DeSilva ’75
Robert DeMaine ’46
Nate Ranger ’76
Joan Miller ’47
Adam Driks ’79
Jean Kroeber ’47
Mary Ford ’84
Peter Austin-Small ’48
Nicholas Morehead ’92
Francis Valente ’49
Emily Specker ’95
Barbara Franzman ’50
Rosita Delgado ’96
Stephen Chinlund ’51
Sean Mair ’04
Jeffrey Barach ’52
Isaac Rauch ’08