News From Friends | Spring 2016

n f f THE MUSIC ISSUE

NEWS FROM FRIENDS WINTER/SPRING 2016

[

s p ot l i g h t o n s t u d e n t a rt

]

Senior Scott Leff has an eye for performance photography. During his time at Friends, he has photographed his classmates performing in plays, musicals and concerts. To view more of Scott’s work, visit: http://scottleff.myportfolio.com.

Clockwise, from top left: Sam Edison '16 and Anya Bernstein '16 perform in Blood Brothers at the Vineyard Theatre on December 11, 2015; Charlie Robson '16 sings during the annual MLK Jazz Concert on January 22, 2015 in the Meetinghouse; a curtain call at the Vineyard Theatre for the cast of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee — the spring musical on April 17, 2015; Olivia Boreham-Wing '16 as Juliet in the Upper School rendition of Romeo and Juliet on December 12, 2014 at the Vineyard Theatre.

departments

features 9

| Reimagining This Place Called School

11 | Class of 2015 Commencement 19 | Charting Our Own Course 23 | Music at Friends

1

| Mission Statement

2

| A Message from the Principal

3

| Opening Shots

10 | Notes on Silence 41 | Class Notes

37 | Reunion 2015

59 | Tributes 69 | Back in the Day

News from Friends is published by the Communications Office at Friends Seminary for alumni, parents, grandparents and friends of the School. The mission of News from Friends is to feature the accomplishments of alumni, while capturing the School’s remarkable history, values and culture. Each issue will have an underlying theme, such as (but not limited to) the sciences, the arts, athletics, history, literature and service. Additionally, the magazine gives insight into recent events at Friends Seminary.

Editor John Galayda Graphic Design Anna Pipes Contributors Wendy Joan Biddlecombe Eli Burakian/Dartmouth College Ned Gerard Kate Lamb Lara Zarum

Principal Robert “Bo” Lauder Director of Institutional Advancement Katherine Precht Director of Alumni Relations Katherine Farrell Director of Communications John Galayda Communications Coordinator Shea Furey-King Communications Associate Collin Kather

our mission Friends Seminary educates students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, adhering to the values of the Religious Society of Friends. We strive to build a diverse school where students exercise their curiosity and imagination as they develop as scholars, artists and athletes. In a community that cultivates the practices of keen observation, unhurried reflection, critical thinking, and coherent expression, we listen for the single voice as we seek unity. The disciplines of silence, study, and service provide the matrix for growth: silence opens us to change; study helps us to know the world; service challenges us to put our values into practice. At Friends Seminary, education is rooted in the Quaker belief in the Inner Light – that of God in every person.

Guided by the testimonies of integrity, peace, equality, and simplicity, we prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be.

Adopted December 2015

* This last sentence is adapted from Faith and Practice: The Book of Discipline of the New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (1974).

1 | nff

a message from the principal

Dear Friends, I am especially excited about this issue of the magazine. Music has always been prominent at Friends, and no more so than at the present.

Several choruses, a chamber ensemble, jazz at every level and a classroom curriculum K-8 ensure that all students who graduate from Friends have at least a basic, if not advanced, level of musical literacy.

In addition, music continues to play an important role in our gatherings as a k-12 community, all 770 students and some 170 faculty and staff. We still have our traditional Thanksgiving assembly, and we sing our hearts out at the winter assembly, especially The Twelve Days of Christmas, with each grade taking a verse.

In middle and high school, my favorite and most influential teacher was Mrs. Corbitt, my piano teacher. She was a local who had gone away for graduate school, not just any school, but the Juilliard School of Music in New York City! Not only was she my teacher, but she showed that the geographical boundaries that seem so permanent when one is young can be transcended. From the beginning of my studies with Mrs. Corbitt, I knew I would live in New York eventually.

And here I am.

Principal Bo Lauder conducts the Friends Seminary Orchestra during a concert at the Vineyard Theatre in 2011. Bo earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Auburn University and a Master of Art in Musicology from UNC at Chapel Hill.

This spring, I traveled home to attend Mrs. Corbitt's funeral. At 87, still playing the organ for several churches in town, she died not of old age, but in a car accident. She was buried with a copy of Bach's Preludes and Fugues. I am not a crier, but saying goodbye to her, listening to the glorious music she had taught me so many years ago, I couldn't help it.

That's what music does.

Best wishes to all,

Bo Lauder Principal

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 2

Members of the Friends Seminary Varsity Volleyball team prepare to block a shot during a match at home this past fall.

3 | nff

opening shots

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 4

To help mark the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, the UN organized Turn the World UN Blue Day on October 24, 2015. Illuminated in blue, the historic Fifteenth Street Meetinghouse and Friends' Hunter Hall joined iconic monuments, buildings, landscapes, museums, bridges, and other landmarks across the globe in celebrating UN Day. 5 | nff

opening shots

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 6

The Friends Seminary Campus Redevelopment Project is underway! Pictured below is a model representing what the campus will look like along 16th Street when the construction is completed in the Fall of 2019.

The renovation will: add two stories to Hunter Hall, including a new rooftop play structure; restore facades of the three townhouses; combine and renovate the interiors of Hunter Hall and the townhouses, align and connect the floors of the buildings and add a new elevator to achieve full ADA accessibility; create new programmatic opportunities for students and teachers, such as a greenhouse classroom, makerspaces, and a home for the Center for Peace, Equity and Justice — just to name a few. Please note that the Old School Building and the Meetinghouse will be untouched during this renovation.

The Project, which received the backing of Community Board 6 and the City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, will significantly enhance the learning environment for our students and also remove barriers for those with disabilities.

7 | nff

opening shots

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 8

Friends Launches Bold Strategic Plan W W W. R E I M A G I N E . S C H O O L

When the doors of Hunter Hall opened to welcome back students on September September 9, 2015, Friends Seminary's 230th session was underway. The opening was all the more monumental as the day coincided with the launch and celebration of the School's new strategic plan, Reimagining This Place Called School.

A Strategic Plan committee, led by Leitzel Schoen, Dean of Co-Curricular Programs, engaged in close consultation with School Committee members, administrators, faculty, staff, parents, students, alumni and members of the Quaker community via expansive surveys, small group discussions and

9 | nff

focused working groups. The outcome of these collaborations, while reflecting a broad range of community priorities, has reaffirmed a commitment to the School's mission and Quaker values, and led the committee to three strategic focuses: our educational program, our teaching practice and the student experience.

We invite you to view the Plan at www.reimagine.school.

The Plan mindfully integrates core competencies that the Friends community, as well as The National Association of Independent Schools, has identified as essential for students' success in education,

in the global economy, and in life.

The core competencies — critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, character, and crosscultural competency —align well with the long-held Quaker values at the heart of Friends Seminary.

These competencies will factor into the development and evaluation of all Friends programs to consistently prepare students to be ethical contributors in an increasingly complex and interdependent world.

Responsible planning and strong leadership in past years have bolstered the School's financial health and educational position, allowing the School the freedom and license to think boldly about the future and assume a proactive stance that will place the School among the nation's best.

Implementing this Strategic Plan— with its focus on further strengthening the School's educational program, teaching practice and the student experience—will involve everyone in the Friends community.

"And even as we work toward achieving these strategic priorities and subsequent goals, we know that the Plan itself will evolve," the Committee wrote.

"Our thinking and vision work will now be followed by ongoing conversations with community members, serving in various roles, whose expertise and input will help us craft key objectives, create timelines, and determine financial implications. The broad strokes this Plan outlines calls on strategic leaders within our School Committee, administration, faculty, student and parent body to help us execute and incorporate the School's vision."

Notes on Silence

Silence Within Them

by JESSICA DECOUX

A

s a parent of two children at Friends, I have had the opportunity to attend many lower school meetings for worship over the years. These meetings are chances to hear insight from the head of the lower school or from teachers, to share a smile, a wave, or even a rushed kiss with my children, and to take a few brief moments out of a day full of appointments and obligations to rest, think, and center myself.

I admit, though, that I have sometimes harbored doubts about what real effect these moments of silence have. Yes, the children, like us, get a moment of calm at the beginning of their busy days, but how much does it really help them? In these moments of doubt I have glanced around the meeting house at a sea of twitchy, itchy, glassy-eyed (and, during flu season, continually coughing) children, and wondered how many of them see this time merely as an interlude of boredom that must be endured.

At my worst moments, I have felt a nagging impulse to tap my own child on the arm and whisper, “Sit still and pay attention! You’re supposed to be listening to the voice of God!” I suspect that this impulse is founded on my underlying belief that as a parent, my job is to ply my children with good advice and encouragement to help mold them into good, happy, well-adjusted people.

Somehow, I think, if I just drop the right pearl of wisdom in their ears at the right moment, I can guide them along the proper path.

However, Quaker thinking tells us that the most important moments for our children, as for us, are those without words, that the most meaningful inspiration and realization take place in a space of spiritual (if not actual) solitude, away from the exhortations of teachers, parents, or others. Central to Quaker belief is a profound faith that whatever one needs to hear can best be found within one’s own self.

This takes me back to the same place of worry. How will my children find spiritual inspiration from their inner voices if they’re not listening? It strikes me, though, that the Quaker belief in the value of silence doesn’t just rest on the faith that one’s inner voice exists. It also rests on the faith that the mechanisms for learning to listen to that voice also exist within us all, that the voice urging us to “sit still and pay attention” is already there. This means that my children, and all those other ones fidgeting their ways through meeting for worship, already have within them everything they need to learn to listen to the silence within them.

I feel a profound sense of both fear and relief when I consider that my children’s spiritual lives are in some way

self-enclosed, that in the end, despite the love and guidance that I and all of the other wonderful family members, friends, teachers and mentors in their lives can give them, the most significant teachers they’ll ever have will be themselves. I feel fear because I know that this means that their moments not only of boredom or impatience, but also of terror, doubt, or grief are, at the most profound level, theirs alone to bear in a place beyond my reach. I feel relief, though, because this means that all of these frustrating or even terrible moments are not an impediment to their growth and happiness; they are in fact necessary elements in lives that contain growth and happiness, as well as strength, love, joy, and contentment.

The itching, twitching, and coughing do not keep them from hearing, in the words of the lower school meeting song, the “music” with their “inside ear[s]”; those things are actually notes in that music. My job as a parent is to see the beauty in that music—a fact of which I remind myself during my own moments of silence.

Jessica DeCoux is the mother of Helena ’25 and Lorelei ’22.

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 1 0

2015 Congratulations to the Class of

11 | n f f

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 1 2

Class of 2015

Faculty commencement Address

The Power of Listening Jason Craige Harris A writer, minister, and social justice educator, Jason Craige Harris is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Friends Seminary. He has a BA in religion and African-American studies from Wesleyan University and a MA in religion, ethics, and cultural studies from Yale University Divinity School.

C

lass of 2015, their friends and families, alumni, faculty and staff colleagues, Wendy, and Bo, I am honored to have been invited to share a few words with you all. Although I have been at Friends for only two years, and therefore have not had the privilege of accompanying our soon-to-be graduates for the length of their upper school experience, I have had the daily pleasure of listening to them and of them listening to me. I am grateful that they have elected to listen to me one more time.

That listening is integral to this graduation ceremony affords us the opportunity to reflect on listening itself.

At first blush, such a focus on listening appears to be counter-intuitive. It feels less logical than a speech that is about, well, the power of speaking. One might, quite reasonably, have expected me to encourage these soon-to-be graduates to go out into the world beyond Friends and speak their truths boldly, exercising their linguistic mastery and oratorical

13 | n f f

skill in service of humanity. But to focus on the power of listening, to encourage these soon-to-be graduates to listen capaciously, constantly, compassionately, and critically is not to undermine the value of speaking, but to contextualize and ground it. What is there to say or do if we have not first listened? And what is worth hearing if it has not first been incubated in a soul attuned to the voices, and therefore the needs, of the world? Listening is how we enter, embrace, and continue the human story. Even here and now, listening speaks to our deepest human needs and desires--to understand and be understood. It is a way of being human and of humanizing each other and therefore has moral value; on it hinges our best principles--community, equality, justice, and peace. To listen is to call forth the world that ought to be, to embody in embryonic form our highest ideals and best selves. Listening, my friends, is both means and ends-the way we bring that world about,

and, ultimately, what characterizes that world. A world in which status and privilege no longer determine, as they do now, who is heard. A world no longer marred by the refusal to listen to each other and the injustices that such refusal so often engenders. Listening should be our primary disposition toward the world. Listening forms us-how we listen and to whom we listen shape who we become.

It is this act of listening that is at the core of a Quaker education, performed at Friends in myriad ways, from advisory to Powell House, from classrooms to Meeting for Worship, from the Vineyard Theatre to this graduation ceremony. Friends Seminary forms students who listen, deeply, who value each other’s voices, each other’s stories, and, by extension, the multifaceted world that those voices and stories represent. Listening is what we do and who we are, and for good reason. If, as Quaker tenets teach us, there is that of God in each of us,

is listening not a way to apprehend it? When we gather in Meeting for Worship, we do so in earnest expectation that in the midst of the silence, we will hear in our own soul or in another’s voice some kernel of truth that will awaken us. Shouldn’t we carry the principles of Meeting for Worship with us, in us, between us? Shouldn’t we make the very basis of our living and relating silence that fosters listening?

Shouldn’t we approach the broader world in a humble posture of listening, awaiting sounds that may disturb us, challenge us, comfort us, even transform us?

In this community, it is not uncommon for us to contemplate, in some way or another, that transcendent force that connects us all, that draws us out of ourselves. That force, however named, is often imaged as Light, as something perceived by sight. Growing up Pentecostal, I’ve always associated light with sound. The most celebrated Holy Day in my tradition is the Day of Pentecost in which the Spirit of God is said to have descended like a “mighty rushing wind” on a group of devotees with “tongues of fire,” what in the Greek is translated as glossolalia, speaking in languages unknown by the speaker, but not necessarily unknown by the hearer.

While I won’t parse the particulars of tongues speaking or religious experience more broadly, I think this example is instructive. Here, light is accompanied by sound; this light can be heard.

When we listen to one another, we can hear the Light in each other’s voices and stories. We accept the possibility that the other’s words may spark in us self-reflection, self-revelation, and, what is more, self-revision. Listening

thus construed presumes an equality of persons, that each of us has something to give and something to receive. In listening, we acknowledge our shared humanity, what philosopher Judith Butler calls the fundamental condition of human life--vulnerability, reciprocity, interdependence. In listening, we acknowledge that we need each other and each other’s truths. We recognize that truth itself is partial, contingent, ever forming, that none of us has a monopoly on it, but each of us has a piece. Listening, in this framework, is

both gift and responsibility.

Clearly listening is more than mere auditory perception. If we fall into the trap of narrow conceptualization, we may mistake the word for the thing itself, as if hearing is the same as understanding, sound the same as apprehension. On the one hand, such equivalences deny the reality of misunderstanding and misperception, of hearing, but not hearing. On the other hand, such equivalences deny the work it takes to understand others’ stories, as if such understanding is as automatic as neurotransmission.

What we are after, I think, is the ability to perceive, engage, and incorporate others’ stories. For this reason and others, listening can be difficult. Neither easy nor casual, listening requires discipline, full-bodied commitment, preparation, and mindfulness--the quieting of one’s whole being to attend to the voice, story, and light of another.

But when we endeavor to listen, we are immediately faced with two dilemmas: to whom do we listen and at what cost? For so much of modern history, humans have answered the first question with “as few people as possible.” Here, my own story is implicated. I was raised in a conservative religious community that produced both the high school and church I attended. Socialized to believe in the myth of heteronormativity, I had been unable to listen to the voices and stories of LGBTQ people, unable even to reject the stifling confines of dominant masculinity. In my youth, LGBTQ persons were only legible to me as religious projects, visible enough only to become objects of fervent proselytization, as if they needed to be “saved” from themselves.

Deep inside I intuited that something was wrong. I had fallen victim to restrictive listening, listening only to a narrow range of voices and excluding the possibility that anyone outside that range had something to teach me. In listening to so few sources, I became complicit in a system of violence that dehumanized LGBTQ persons. It wasn’t until college that I was able and perhaps prepared to expand my auditory horizons. I began listening intently to the voices and stories of LGBTQ persons I met and began hearing the suffering my religious community had inflicted on them. I unraveled at the seams, my religious scaffolding undone. I

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 1 4

Class of 2015 dumped my heterosexist theologies and embraced sexual diversity as reflective of cosmic beauty. In unlearning my restrictive listening, I became a more expansive listener, realizing that I had neglected so many voices and had therefore perpetuated unjust silencing.

Without legitimate cause I had deemed some people unworthy of my time and recognition. Listening to their light became an act of solidarity, of allyship--subversive yet risky. To listen in this way is to become vulnerable, is to be open to the possibility that one’s worldview will be shattered, that one’s preconceived notions and received truths will be rendered illegitimate. Listening takes courage, often costing us our sense of certainty, but always giving us in return humanity.

True listening always contains the seeds of self-transformation and therefore of remaking the world.

Expanding the voices to which I had been listening enabled me, in turn, to re-approach the religious community of my youth with a deeper skepticism.

I listened to them with more critical and discerning ears. To listen in this way means that one cuts through propaganda, that one hears the story behind the story or, as Judith Butler puts it in Precarious Life, “hearing beyond what we are able to hear.” One not only registers information, but also evaluates it. One listens attentively and analytically, hearing not only what is said, but what remains unsaid or simply unheard. Such listening exposes what dominant ideologies must conceal and who they must render invisible to present false information as coherent and not suspect, as the only story in town. Deep listening produces deep questioning. In her TED talk, Chimamanda Adichie reminds

us of “the dangers of a single story.”

She urges us to broaden our horizons, not to restrict to one group those to whom we listen, those whose books we read and whose stories we amplify.

Restrictive listening is perilous, at worst self-deceptive and at best myopic. It is more about comfort than compassion, and here again, my story appears in the rearview mirror.

Having recently arrived in a middle class bubble from adolescent days spent on welfare, I cringe every time Mom describes her continuing saga on the lower rungs of our capitalist

liberates me from complacency and makes her feel heard, as she is so often not in a world unkind to poor, black women.

To listen to others, to the world, means that we will not always be certain of what we will hear or what it will beckon us to do. If we listen carefully, we are likely to hear suffering, exploitation, oppression, and struggle, even in unexpected places. Such listening may frighten us, may confront us with a sense of impotence, reminding us that we are not in control. We may find ourselves wanting to retreat to the safety of restrictive listening, to prisons of privilege, but if we habituate such retreat, we will lose the opportunity for self-transformation and meaningful impact.

We may wonder if listening is enough. I would say, no, ultimately not, but it’s a start, indeed the only logical one, the very foundation of thoughtful social and political action.

Soon-to-be graduates, you have worked hard to become good listeners. You are well equipped to embrace the ethical labor to which expansive listening invites you. You are brave and empathic, courageous and compassionate, qualities that are indispensable to the work of listening to the world. I have the highest hopes that you will take these qualities with you beyond the walls of Friends, into your continued studies and service.

May you always listen to the voices of those victimized by imperialism, jingoism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, ableism, religious bigotry, and environmental degradation. May you never retreat from what you hear, resisting the luxury of comfort. May you discover again and again the power of listening. And may your listening heal the world.

“Listening is how we enter, embrace, and continue the human story.”

15 | n f f

economy. My heart breaks each time she narrates yet another humiliating encounter with her welfare caseworker, another dip in her wages, or her latest paralytic episode at the hands of debilitating fibromyalgia, unhelped by inconsistent and anemic health insurance. Heartbreak is the cost of listening to suffering. An immigrant from Jamaica who dropped out of high school at 16 to raise my then-newborn brother, Mom immigrated to the U.S. in her 20s in search of a better life, which thus far has been circumscribed by the politics of gender, race, education, and class. Acutely feeling the ceiling above her head, Mom’s highest hopes is to win the lotto. Mom’s stories unsettle me, imposing on me my past, destabilizing my sense of security, and making uneasy my class assimilation. Although I don’t always know what to do or say, listening to Mom heals us both; it

College Destinations 59 seniors applied to college...

101

Tulane & Wesleyan

95%

received the most applications—10 each and the most Friends students—10 to Tulane and 9 to Wesleyan accepted

Where in the world did they go?

different colleges accepted them

were admitted to their first, second or third choice college

14

25% 27 stayed in New York State

47%

of the class received merit scholarships ranging from $500 to total cost of attendance

went to headed New to the England West Coast

attended college in the Mid Atlantic

56%

4

headed off to college with at least one Friends peer to

{

27

8

attended went college in down the Mid- South Atlantic

American University, Bard College, Bowdoin College, Carnegie Mellon University, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, Oberlin College, Rice University, University of Richmond, University of Southern California, Syracuse University, Tulane University, Wesleyan University, and Yale University

and

the most Friends students—4 in total enrolled

1

  student is attending a men’s college

2

students are attending a women's college

3 5

students are pursuing majors in engineering

students are pursuing degrees in the performing and visual arts (including architecture)

5

students were recruited athletes at the Division III level

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 1 6

Class of 2015

Timothy Bajno University of Southern California Franscis Balken American University Samantha Barkan Macalester College Callum Bayle-Spence Sarah Lawrence College Kyra Benforte University of Richmond Julian Berard Bucknell University Mathieu Bialosky Bowdoin College Malik Bunton Morehouse College Tyler Chonoles Bowdoin College Daniel Cooper Northwestern University Lia DeFranco Hamilton College Scout Eisenberg Tulane University Miranda Evans Middlebury College Luke Fairbairn Tulane University Shiraz Fazli Bard College Kira Felsenfeld Oberlin College Jamaal Fisher State University of New York at Albany Cyrus Glanzer Yale University Andrew Hampton Franklin and Marshall College Samuel Harris Wesleyan University Annah Heckman Bard College Jessica Huang Syracuse University

17 | n f f

Alessandra Lampietti Wesleyan University Sinead Larkin Oberlin College Michael Litke Brandeis University Lauren Lord University of Virginia

Michael Lowe Tulane University Jacob Lowenherz University of Rochester Catherine Lucey Vassar College Ian Magowan Amherst College

Maghnus Mareneck University of Pennsylvania Emma Meyerkopf Tulane University Erika Mills Cornell University Booker Mitchell Bennington College

Sophia Moody Swarthmore College Philippe Noisy Mount Saint Mary College Chuma Osse New York University Abigail Panitz Rice University

Nina Patricof Emory University David Perry Carnegie Mellon University Jonah Philips University of Richmond Jacob Plottel Kenyon College Remy Porsella University of Southern California Dylan Pryor Dickinson College Martin Rather Rice University Nicholas Resnicow Syracuse University Julia Rosenbaum Hamilton College Livia Ryan Wesleyan University Annabelle Sadoff Scripps College Annie Saenger Yale University Kathryn Samuels Brown University Damian Standen Bard College Jack Thorman American University Joseph Wang Carnegie Mellon University Elinor Weissberg Wesleyan University Riley Woollen Reed College Samuel Zieve-Cohen Middlebury College Johanna Zwirner Barnard College

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 1 8

19 | n f f

Charting Our Own Course New York Quarterly Meeting and Friends Seminary Agree to Incorporate Separately

The New York Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends reached an historic decision on December 6, 2015 to approve the separate incorporation of Friends Seminary.

“I couldn’t be any more excited for our School and the Quarterly Meeting,” Friends Seminary Principal Robert “Bo” Lauder said following the decision. “This is a great new chapter in the School’s 230-year history!”

Ann Kjellberg, clerk of the Trustees of the New York Quarterly Meeting, added, “We welcome this opportunity to usher the School we have nourished so long into the twenty-first century in this way. Separate incorporation will allow Friends Seminary to thrive and develop as its own institution and make an outward-looking home for Friends’ values in the modern city.”

Although most Friends’ schools have in recent generations separately incorporated, Friends Seminary and its adjoining meeting, the Fifteenth Street Monthly Meeting, have been so closely entwined that arriving at separate incorporation through this process took many years. Brooklyn Friends School was incorporated separately from the New York Quarterly Meeting in 2010.

Friends Seminary is the last Quaker school of its size and complexity to take this step, according to the Friends Council on Education.

The terms of the separate incorporation will allow Friends Seminary to undertake an ambitious campus redevelopment project, slated to break ground in June 2016.

“We will remain a school deeply rooted in Quaker testimonies,” Lauder said, “Just as we have for the last

230 years, and we will continue to work closely with the Quarter and Monthly Meeting for Quaker guidance. This agreement will allow the school’s board and administration to chart its course over the next century.”

A document called “Essential Principles, Practices and Procedures” was also approved during the December 6 meeting. The Essential Principles will be included in the by-laws of the newly incorporated School, ensuring that Friends Seminary continues to operate as a Friends school into the future. The document calls for the creation of an independent governing board, one half of whose members are appointed by the New York Quarterly Meeting. This new relationship will provide an exceptional opportunity for continued deepening of the School’s commitment to a rigorous, experiential academic program grounded in Quaker testimonies.

“Friends Seminary has long lived together with —indeed shared space with— the Fifteenth Street Monthly Meeting, one of the active Meetings for Worship that make up the New York Quarterly Meeting,” the preface of the Essential Principles document reads. “This intimacy has always been part of the School’s identity, a source of strength, and an ongoing challenge to both Meeting and School.”

“We feel as a Society that the call for equality, peace, simplicity, and integrity has never been more urgent.

We are very grateful to the generations of teachers, administrators, students, and parents of Friends Seminary who have taken this message out into the world. Releasing Friends Seminary to its own destiny allows our meetings to redouble their commitment to witness for these values and to cultivation of the light within,” Kjellberg said.

 Read about this historic news in the Wall Street Journal: http://bit.ly/wallstreetjournal120716

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 2 0

In 1786, Robert Murray, a prominent Quaker shipping merchant, left

a bequest which provided a building and financial resources for the School that would become Friends Seminary. During subsequent decades, Friends Seminary has held steady to its course, offering an exemplary education within the context of Quaker values. Following Robert Murray’s example, other generous donors have made planned gifts, thereby providing current and deferred contributions to the School. Many planned gifts offer significant tax or income benefits to the donor. Friends Seminary planned giving donors are members of Friends for the Future, a group who have chosen to express their appreciation for Friends Seminary through a charitable gift in their estate plan.

A Great Sense of Gratitude: A Reflection by Elizabeth Lyons Stone '60

Elizabeth Lyons Stone '60 with her pen pal, Sophie Nardi-Bart, at Stone's 50th reunion celebration in 2010.

21 | n f f

Contemplating my precious years at Friends Seminary, from over half a century ago, fills me with a great sense of gratitude.

Gratitude for sparking a lifetime Contemplating my precious years at Friends Seminary, from over half a century ago, fills me with a great sense of gratitude.

Gratitude for sparking a lifetime love of learning; for developing my sense of the world and my place within it; for lasting friendships that have defied both time and distance.

It is in this spirit of gratitude and hope for the future that I have decided to give something back to the place that has given me and others so much. I have made a provision for Friends Seminary in my Will. This gift enables me to plan for my own financial wellbeing and to make a meaningful gift to the School

at the same time.

Following the advice of my lawyer and accountant, I have put plans in place that maximize the after-tax proceeds of my estate for the benefit of Friends Seminary and other beneficiaries. Friends Seminary, as a qualified nonprofit, will receive a percentage of the balance of my IRA, tax free. If I were to give this to a family member it would be taxed at 39.6%. (I am aware that estates subjected to the full tax rate can result in a tax rate as high as 60%.) This gift has the added benefit of reducing the taxable portion of my overall estate.

I realize everyone’s financial situation is different but I hope this brief missive inspires many in our ranks to do as I have done.

Friends Seminary receives the largest bequest in its 230-year history

Wendy Weil ’57

In 2012, loyal alumna Wendy Weil ’57 passed away. Wendy had remained connected to Friends throughout her life, serving as Clerk of the Alumni Council between 2001 and 2007, as a Class Secretary and

as a Reunion Chair. She hosted numerous student interns from Friends in her literary agency and strongly believed that alumni should be the “custodians” of the education had they received so others could enjoy it as well.

After graduating from Friends, Wendy attended Wellesley College. She worked in publishing for 50 years, starting in the training program at Doubleday, then becoming a literary agent and eventually founding The Wendy Weil Agency in 1986.

Among her books were Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, Mark Helprin’s Winter’s Tale and Andrea Barrett’s Ship-Fever, a 1996 story collection that was dedicated to Wendy and won the National Book Award.

Among her authors were Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award winners, New York

Times bestsellers, authors of literary and commercial fiction, memoirists, journalists, health care experts and groundbreaking social activists.

In Wendy’s Will, she directed that the residual of her estate be given to Friends Seminary’s unrestricted endowment after her husband’s death.

The School was honored to receive more than $600,000.

In perpetuity, Friends Seminary students and faculty will benefit from her legacy which will support the mission of the School.

Wendy was a loyal donor to Friends whose contributions began with small gifts to the Annual Fund. Her bequest is a meaningful legacy and honors the education she received at Friends.

To learn how you can help support Friends, contact: Rebecca Holmes, Director of Major Gifts and Planned Gifts rholmes@friendsseminary.org or 212.979.5058 sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 2 2

MUSIC at Friends

23 | n f f

m u s i c at f r i e n d s

Octaves loop around the curved soundboard at the front of the room. A group of notes reflects off the forward facing benches. Bass notes vibrate along the tall glass windows facing Fifteenth Street. And, swirls of guitar tremolo pang along the series of white pillars below the balcony.

**********************************

To the students at Friends, the Meetinghouse — the spiritual center of campus — is a house of duality: a space for contemplative silence during Meeting and a performance space for students to practice, to learn, to play, to listen and to rock out!

These days, you’ll see music teacher Bob Rosen in his element, eyes closed, head bobbing to the tantalizing beat of the drum kit. His eyes open and he quickly lifts his left arm to tell the horn section they need to enter this song, right now.

The next class period, you may see teacher Rochelle Itzen with a baton in hand elegantly signal to her chamber players that this is the part she warned them of — the place where Chopin drastically changed the tempo.

Another period, you may catch teacher Marty Bound working tirelessly with the Middle School Jazz Ensemble until they get that piece by Duke Ellington just right.

And then, during an assembly, you may hear the voices of students guided by teachers Kristen Marchilena or Joanna Pickett.

Thanks to these teachers, the music program at Friends is as alive as the electric guitar and robust as an 18-piece Jazz ensemble.

In the following pages, you’ll read about alumni who pursued careers in the field of music following their education at Friends.

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 2 4

John Sebastian Class of 1962 Growing up in Greenwich Village in the 1950s and ’60s, John Sebastian, ’62, knew he was in the midst of something special.

“It did begin to dawn on me by the time I was maybe eight that my parents had more fun than a lot of people,” the founder of The Lovin’ Spoonful recalls. Despite growing up in a musical household, Sebastian says, “I never knew that I was going to be a musician. I backed into it. I just thought I was going to be a bad student my whole life.”

Sebastian’s father was a classical harmonica player, and his mother wrote radio plays. The Sebastian home would host visiting folk musicians like Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie. “This was a fairly pink diaper, raucous part of the Village,” Sebastian says. When he enrolled in Friends Seminary in first grade, he was pleased to find that the school’s ethos—“An open-minded attitude about everything from race to gender to aptitude,” in Sebastian’s words—neatly fit his parents’ values.

By age 16, Sebastian was working for the legendary country blues singer Lightnin’ Hopkins, carrying his guitar when he played gigs in New York City.

It was around this time that he started to realize how lucky he was to attend a school with such an inclusionary spirit.

“I think it was a tremendous advantage to have an open mind about people who didn’t look like you,” he says.

Sebastian dove headfirst into the city’s burgeoning folk revival scene. “While

25 | n f f

I was at Friends, that’s really where I encountered the first instruments that I felt I could handle,” he says. At 12, a friend’s sister lent him her guitar, which he took home for a weekend. “By the time the weekend was over, I thought I had invented D minor.”

He can still remember the first time he was introduced to jug band music, an early form of the blues that made a comeback in New York City in the late 1950s. After a summer spent as a camp counselor, Sebastian came back to the city. “I had a call waiting for me from Stefan Grossman, who lived right nearby Friends, who said, ‘You’re going to come over to this place on 14th Street, we’re starting a jug band and you’re in it.’ And I said, ‘What’s jug band music?’”

Sebastian learned quickly. As a teenager, he cut his teeth playing alongside Judy Collins, Mississippi John Hurt, and even Bob Dylan, who introduced him to the town he would eventually call home. In 1962, he spent a couple weeks in Woodstock with Dylan, who was looking to put a band together.

Soon after, Sebastian decided to start his own group—The Lovin’ Spoonful, which took its name from the lyrics of a John Hurt song called “Coffee Blues.”

The Spoonful hit its peak with a string of hits—like “Daydream,” “Do You Believe in Magic,” and “Summer in the City”—in the mid-1960s. By the late 1960s, the group had disbanded and Sebastian was playing coffeehouses on

his own. His solo career took off after an unplanned set at a concert that would soon take its place in rock n’ roll history: Woodstock.

Sebastian arrived at Woodstock in 1969 as a mere spectator, but the organizers needed an acoustic performer to step in and fill time. He borrowed a guitar and obliged with a five-song set. “I think I had one thumb pick,” he recalls.

“If that thumb pick had fallen into the audience, that would have been the end of my set!”

The surprise set garnered Sebastian invitations to play more outdoor festivals, including the Isle of Wight festival in 1970. He began to do more session work, sitting in with Crosby, Stills, & Nash, The Doors, and Keith Moon. Throughout the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, he also wrote music for television and film, including Woody Allen’s first feature, What’s Up, Tiger Lily—for which The Lovin’ Spoonful wrote the soundtrack—and the theme song to the popular 1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter.

Today, Sebastian lives in the Woodstock house he bought in 1976, and continues to tour and play live. He turned down the opportunity to reunite with The Lovin’ Spoonful in the 1990s; he was ready to move on. Still, when he thinks back on the bustling music scene in which he grew up, he doesn’t dismiss it as a nostalgia trap. “It was that good,” he says. “Yeah. It was that good.”

m u s i c at f r i e n d s

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 2 6

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

27 | n f f

m u s i c at f r i e n d s

**********************************

Aimee Saiger Russell Class of 1988 When Aimee Saiger Russell ’88 thinks of her years at Friends, one of the first things that comes to mind is riding the train, the Beastie Boys “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)” playing on her Walkman.

“There’s definitely a soundtrack to my life and it started when I was at Friends, when I started to develop a taste for music,” Saiger Russell said. “Music is everything to me.”

Saiger Russell, who lives in Atlanta, is Director of Singles, Analytics and Promotion at Hollywood Records/ The Disney Music Group. She joined the label nine years ago, and spends 10 weeks on the road a year, promoting artists in four states, making sure their songs are played on the radio and keeping the momentum going.

Though the industry has drastically changed over the past decade—to people streaming instead of buying music—Saiger Russell says radio play is still the best way to introduce listeners to new music, and reaches 245 million people a week. Her career also includes an analytical component, looking at airplay, sales and data on the competition.

Saiger Russell started at Friends in third grade. Though she admits she “didn’t do anything musical,” she was always making mixtapes, and her friends knew she was destined for the music business in some capacity.

“Music was like my best friend. It was always there for me. If something good happened, I had a song. If something bad happened, I had a song. If nothing

happened, I had a song—it was both a form of entertainment but was also a very personal thing for me. Music reminds me of certain teachers, classes, things I went through at Friends,” Saiger Russell said.

After Friends, Saiger Russell went to Colgate University, where she studied anthropology and sociology—which would come in handy later as she negotiated the different personalities that she encounters in the music business.

Saiger Russell was on the air on WRCU all four years at Colgate, playing modern rock during the 3-5 a.m.

Monday morning shift (followed by a full day of class starting at 9 a.m.), and eventually served as program director.

Nirvana broke during those years, and Saiger Russell remembers what an “exciting time” it was to be in college radio.

After graduating, Saiger Russell knew she wanted to stay in the radio field but not necessarily on air. She liked introducing people to new music, and found she could do that on the label side. In 1993, she started in the Top 40 department at Epic Records in New York. Since then, she’s moved up the ranks at several labels, and has worked with artists such as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Radiohead, Foo Fighters and The White Stripes.

“I love where I am now at Disney, because my department is like a second family, and at Friends you were going to school, but it was really like you were with a big family,” Saiger Russell said.

“Growing up in New York City, which is humongous, and going to a small private school just gives you confidence, and a lot of nurturing. The music business is big; I’ve been at Hollywood Records for nine years now and I don’t really want to go anywhere else because it feels like that community Friends had.”

Saiger Russell has lived in Atlanta since 2003. Her husband, Toby Russell, is the vice president of Top 40 promotion at Republic Records. They have two daughters: Olivia, 10, and Lucy, 3.

“They both love music, and Olivia plays the violin,” Saiger Russell said.

“We’ve definitely kept music in our family.”

Saiger Russell says she carries Friends with her throughout the music business, and lessons she’s learned keeps her anchored, even when she’s dealing with difficult personalities, around-the-clock obligations and a “lot of people who tell you ‘no’ all the time.”

“I think being grounded in the music industry is important, we’ve seen what happens to people when they’re not. I think that learning style that Friends taught you as a community just made you a very grounded person. The teachers were personal and taught you to be yourself. They gave me the knowledge and the confidence I needed to move on, to empower me to do what I wanted to do, to set goals and achieve them.”

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 2 8

Georgia Hubley Class of 1978

In 1975, when Georgia Hubley, ’78, was a tenth grader at Friends Seminary, John Lennon came to the school to speak. The drummer and vocalist for the indie rock institution Yo La Tengo remembers the whole school gathering in the meetinghouse for a questionand-answer session.

“It seemed a bit unclear to everyone, including John, what he was doing there and why,” Hubley recalls.

“Questions were asked covering topics ranging from recent drug busts, to ‘What movies have you seen lately?’

Unfortunately, I don’t remember much else. I was a smug tenth grader. A nice person, but a little snobby.”

It would make for a nice story to say that this early brush with a musical legend inspired Hubley to join a band and the rest is history. But it was only after high school that Hubley began to entertain the idea of being a musician.

The daughter of two professional animators, Hubley grew up thinking she would become a painter. “I am one of those people who took a circuitous route to what I do,” she says. Although she sang in a chorus during her junior high school years, by high school, she was more interested in visual art than music. As a senior, she took an art class with the head of the Art Department, Ed Kerns. “I remember him as the first teacher in high school to really interact

29 | n f f

with his students as adults, especially those really interested in art. It was profoundly useful to me as I navigated my way into the world after high school.”

When she graduated from Friends, Hubley enrolled in the Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore. After a year, she returned to New York and spent exactly three weeks studying at the Parsons School of Design. She eventually landed at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture.

By this time, Hubley had begun to immerse herself in New York City’s boisterous punk and new wave scene, going out to see bands like Television, the Heartbreakers, and Mission of Burma. She had also started to play herself, taking inspiration from a school friend, Laura Davis-Chanin ’79, who played drums in a band called the Student Teachers. “I think I found painting too lonely,” she says, “and once I started playing music with other people the collaboration and camaraderie was exhilarating.”

It was around this time that she met her future bandmate and husband, Ira Kaplan, who was a fixture at the clubs and record stores that Hubley would frequent. In 1984, the pair formed Yo La Tengo, which took its name from Hubley and Kaplan’s mutual love of

the New York Mets: During the 1962 season, center fielder Richie Ashburn kept colliding with shortstop Elio Chacón, who was from Venezuela and spoke little English. It was decided that instead of yelling, “I got it!” when running for a catch, Ashburn would call out the phrase in Spanish: “¡Yo la tengo!”

Thirty-one years later, the band is still going strong. In August, they released their fourteenth full-length album, Stuff Like That There, and continue to perform live, take part in charity events, and produce music for films and television shows. As to how the band—Hubley, Kaplan, and bassist James McNew—has managed to stay together and productive for so many years, Hubley says, “At the core there is a lot in common taste-wise, and most significantly, mutual admiration and respect.”

Although music won out over visual art, Hubley is thankful to her artist parents for raising her in a creative environment. “Ann Sullivan, another one of my favorite teachers, bet me that I would go into animation,” Hubley recalls. “I was adamant that I would not. Many years later I reminded her of the bet, of which she had no recollection. She still owes me!”

m u s i c at f r i e n d s

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 3 0

Alumni Mixtape We asked alumni in the music industry to share their work. They shared some of their own personal favorites, together forming a menagerie of genres and styles. From Broadway musical compositions to urban-influenced punk to catchy pop tunes, here’s a small mixtape of the music created by alumni of Friends Seminary.

You can visit the complete playlist online at << www.bit.ly/ FriendsMixTape >> to discover the musical talents of fellow alumni and listen to their tracks . If you wrote, recorded or produced a song that should be included in this list, let us know at communications@ friendsseminary.org.

31 | n f f

1. “Airways”, Hayes Peebles '10 2. “Same Thing”, EMEFE (Miles Arntzen '09) 3. “Strange Children”, Rose Hips & Ships (Danny Fisher-Lochhead '06 on Saxophone) 4. “Norma Jean”, Art Sorority for Girls (Daoud Tyler-Ameen '02) 5. “Let's Make a Deal”, Dangerman (Chris Scianni '88) 6. “Ghosts”, Hayes Peebles '10 7. “Big Fine Thing”, Darlahood (Dave Sellar '91 on Bass) 8. “A Drift of Swine”, Per Bloland '87 9. “Dig Absolutely”, (Chris Fisher-Lochhead '02) 10. “Not the Place I Used to Know”, Written by Joe Church '74 11. “Rainin' Rubber Bullets”, The Howlin' Volts (Chris Scianni '88) 12. “Blooming”, Danny Fisher-Lochhead '06 13. “Cecil B. DeMille, Pt. 3”, Art Sorority for Girls (Daoud Tyler-Ameen '02) 14. “Let my People Go”, Huey and the New Yorkers (Chris Scianni '88) 15. “Old Songs”, Written by Joe Church '74 16.

“The Bright Sun Brings It To Light”, Chris Fisher-Lochhead '02 17. “Lynda, Art Sorority for Girls” (Daoud Tyler-Ameen '02) 18. “Pest Control”, Joe Church '74 19.

“Solisv, Per Bloland '87

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 3 2

m u s i c at f r i e n d s

**********************************

********************************** 33 | n f f

Christian wolff Class of 1951

When the composer Christian Wolff ’51, attended Friends Seminary, the school didn’t have a proper music program. But that didn’t stop him and his friend David Lewin ’50, from showing up every morning before classes began to play the upright piano that stood in the corner of the school’s small gymnasium. He calls their early-morning jam sessions his “first interactive musical activity.” It would hardly be his last.

By the age of 16, Wolff had already begun what would become a long and fruitful career as a composer of experimental music. It was then, in 1950, that Wolff met the avantgarde composer John Cage, who was impressed with the young man’s precocious ideas. That fateful meeting at Cage’s Lower East Side tenement would lead to Wolff ’s inclusion in the New York School of composers, a legendary group that was inextricably linked to—and influenced by—the innovative writers, painters, dancers, and poets that contributed to New York City’s flourishing midcentury art scene.

Wolff was a new arrival to the United States when he began his studies at Friends. His parents, Kurt and Helen Wolff, who founded the highly regarded Pantheon Books, published classic and modern literature in their native Germany.

(Their clients included Franz Kafka, Anton Chekhov, Sinclair Lewis, and Günter Grass.) Foreseeing the danger

of Hitler’s Germany, the couple left the country in 1933 and moved to Nice, France, where Christian was born the following year. Eventually, the family managed to secure passage to New York City in the spring of 1941, settling in an apartment on Washington Square.

Young Christian immersed himself into his adopted homeland’s cultural scene, attending plays and concerts with his parents, whose circle of friends included artists, musicians, and writers.

By the age of 11 or 12, Wolff knew music would play a major role in his life. “I was surrounded by the stuff,” he says.

What he heard on the radio—Frank Sinatra, The Andrews Sisters—didn’t much interest him. “It seemed very schlocky to me,” he says. “I really didn’t connect to it.” By the time he was in high school, he and his school friends would make regular weekend visits to one of two bars in the East Village that hosted Dixieland jazz bands, where Wolff was impressed by the virtuosity of the players and the spontaneous energy of improvised music. “It was one or two dollars to get in,” he recalls, “and they didn’t mind serving you beer.”

When he graduated from Friends, Wolff considered enrolling in a music conservatory. But by then, he was already steeped in the world of avantgarde music, which bore little relation to what one might learn in a conventional music school. He ended up at Harvard, where he quickly ruled out the idea of studying music. “The music department at Harvard was terribly hopeless for

me,” Wolff says. “They weren’t doing anything that had the slightest interest for me.”

On the recommendation of Lewin, who was also at Harvard, Wolff took a Latin class. He had already studied the language for four years at Friends, under the tutelage of Ms. Hermine Ehlers, who also taught German. Eventually he joined the classics department, earning a PhD and teaching at Harvard for a short time. In 1971, he joined the faculty at Dartmouth, where he taught in both the classics and the music departments until his retirement in 1999.

Although Wolff ’s musical education took place largely outside the halls of Friends Seminary, he credits the school’s small class sizes with his lifelong interest in chamber music— classical music composed for small groups of instruments. “Having been at school in a situation in which you were in classes of at most 23, 24 people, and you knew everybody—I think the sociability of that situation might have had some affect on my interest in chamber music.”

While Wolff continued to compose throughout his tenure as a professor, since his retirement, he has focused primarily on music. “Finally,” he says, “towards the end of my life, I got to be a full-time musician, which is what I wanted to do from the start.”

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 3 4

**********************************

35 | n f f

m u s i c at f r i e n d s

Christopher gibbs Class of 1976 If Christopher Gibbs ’76 never took Latin or Greek, he might be better known today for his photography than his expertise on Franz Schubert and classical music.

“After class, I’d be talking to Donald Wilson about some rock group I liked, and he said, maybe you’d like this, and gave me a set of Beethoven symphonies to listen to,” Gibbs recalled of his 9th grade teacher.

An accomplished photographer by his early teens, Gibbs spent his summers shooting for The Chautauquan Daily newspaper in Western New York. He remembers at first doing anything he could as a child to skip summer concerts at the Chautauqua Institution, where his father served as chairman of the board of trustees. But as his interest in photography grew, he found the subjects he most enjoyed capturing were the opera, ballet, and orchestra.

“Photography merged with the musical passions that were becoming more and more consuming,” said Gibbs, who returned to Friends to teach for three years after he graduated from Haverford College. “Even when I was teaching photography here and spending a lot of time in the darkroom, I was playing Beethoven string quartets, probably boring my poor students, talking just

as much about the music I was playing as how to use a stop bath.”

Gibbs left a photographic mark on Friends before he put down his camera for good. He snapped John Lennon’s photo when he came to an assembly in 1976; his portrait of Principal Earle Hunter hangs along the spiral staircase inside the 212 townhouse, and he was the first person to climb a ladder and shoot the whole schools’ photo.

[He had many ties to Friends, were he was a lifer as was his sister Nancy.

His mother, Janet, taught for more than two decades here and served as head of guidance. Eventually Gibbs was married in the Meeting House and still lives in the neighborhood, so passes by the school frequently.]

Gibbs—who did not start reading music or playing the piano until he was in 11th grade—knew he wasn’t destined to be a performer. Early in his career, as he worked through his master’s and doctoral degree at Columbia University, he tried out three career paths: a music critic, arts administrator, and teacher.

“I believe in testing things in the area where you want to spend your life, exploring your passion,” Gibbs said. He recalls being “pretty shameless” about writing to the chief music critic of The New Yorker or going up to Leonard Bernstein after he conducted and asking questions about the score.

“You probably could not do that with Beyonce, but I wasn’t doing this to say I met a star, I wasn’t asking for a job, I was asking for advice. I was asking genuine questions to see what these people were like.”

Today, Gibbs has three careers rolled into one. He is the James H. Ottaway Jr. Professor of Music at Bard College, where he has taught students of varying musical backgrounds since 2002, and just wrapped up his 13th season as codirector of the Bard Music Festival.

He has written the program notes for the Philadelphia Orchestra for the last 15 years, and previously was program director for the last three years of the Schubertiade at the 92nd Street Y, and advised when Carnegie Hall held the Schubert bicentennial.

He remains as well a committed scholar and has written or edited books on Schubert and Franz Liszt.

His most recent publication was the The Oxford History of Western Music: College Edition. Gibbs reworked multiple existing volumes by Richard Taruskin into one textbook. He hopes it becomes the textbook of reference for undergraduate music students.

“In all of this my goal has been to turn other people on to and give them more tools to listen and appreciate music, that really began here with Donald Wilson.”

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 3 6

Come together!

Reunion 2015 Alfredo Marcellino ’24, Judy Adams Anderson ’66, Nico Marcellino ’90, Isabella Marcellino ’21

Reunion 2015 was a weekend to remember!

Alumni spanning eight decades returned to Friends May 15 through 17 to catch up with classmates, visit with their favorite teachers, learn about the School today, and meet fellow alumni.

Alumni stepped back into the classroom during seminars led by John Byrne, Judy Adams Anderson ’66, Ben Frisch and Jamie Lieberman and they helped honor Ed Randolph and the late Hermine Ehlers as they were named emeritus in the Meetinghouse.

Class of 1995

Class of 2000: Lisa Hofstetter Frank, Jenny Rothchild Rittberg, Morgan Kaschak, Fred Isquith 37 | n f f

Peter Linden ’60, Jenny Roper ’60 and Joseph Moore

Class of 2010

Littleton Gunn ’60, Jane Lawrence-Gunn, Jackson Bryer ’55, Elizabeth Stearns ’55

Class of 2010: Michael Dean Cooney, Leo Singer, Angelica Tsakas, Cyrus Kuschner, Nick Evert, Leah Allen

Cynthia Fissel ’72, Former Faculty Paul Supton, Laura Levine ’72

Class of 1980: Raphiel Hampton, Thomas Law, Nina Wolff Feld, Samuel Laufer

Sarah Derbew ’05

John Byrne leads a seminar sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 3 8

50 Years for the Class of 1965!

Reunion 2015 The Class of 1965 celebrated their 50th Reunion on May 15, 2015. After a private luncheon in the Alumni Room, they met their Grade 4 Pen Pals, with whom they had been corresponding by letter during the spring. Students showed alumni their favorite spaces at Friends and learned about what the school and New York City were like fifty years ago. After a campus tour, the Class of 1965 was joined by members of the Class of 2015 for a roundtable discussion.Â

39 | n f f

Faculty & Staff Emeritus Minutes of Appreciation

B. Hermine Ehlers Faculty Emerita

Friends Seminary is deeply grateful to Hermine Ehlers, for her 52 years of service to our School during which she was a teacher of Latin and German and Director of Girls Physical Education.

Miss Ehlers, as she was known by her pupils, spent more than half of her lifetime teaching at Friends. She maintained correspondence with many of her former students well beyond her retirement in 1956, until her death in 1981 at the age of 99.

If Friends Seminary had a historian for the early 20th century, it would be Miss Ehlers. Her memoirs, Memories of a Half Century: 1904-1956, written in 1979, document her time at the School and add immeasurable depth to our understanding of Friends’ history, particularly for the years before the first yearbook was published in 1940.

Her memoirs remind us of the values and spirit of Friends Seminary that have endured.

A native of Philadelphia, Miss Ehlers came to Friends to learn as well as to teach. Through two World Wars and despite her family’s urging to return home to Pennsylvania, she made a home for herself at our School and “became a part of Friends Seminary as it became a part of [her].” In her memoir she described her relationship to the School as a “long love-affair.”

Throughout her life, her students remained with her. “Some are no longer with us, some are aging, but all are alive in my memory.”

Friends alumni remember her as a person who embodied a delightful blend of seriousness and humor. She conducted her classes with pointed inquiry and subsequently documented each student’s response in her grade book. Her demand for rigorous study and high standards left those yet to

experience her teaching in a state of trepidation. Over time and contact, this sentiment was gradually but firmly replaced with an appreciation for her compassion towards, and support of, her pupils.

One former student distinctly recalls this shift in perception. Following an attempt to become invisible in Miss Ehlers’ Latin class, William Tandler ’58, then a new ninth grade student, was asked to stay after class. Bill recollects Miss Ehlers said, “Dear Bill, I must inform you that, contrary to your own opinions, you are going to be my best student. You are going to sit at the head of the table to my right and will shortly throw up your hand every time I ask someone else a question, because you won’t be able to stand just sitting there. This will be fun for both of us!” Bill did as he was asked and writes, “Miss Ehlers’ gift was not that I became an expert in Latin. Her gift was that, instead of ignoring me or criticizing me, she encouraged me…

It was her pleasure to see her students in love with what she had to teach, not simply bearing with it. She was the first person I remember in my life who took the course of shaking hands rather than fists, who encouraged rather than criticized, who looked upon teaching as a joy and an art, rather than as a job.”

Hermine Ehlers wrote, “I am certain, had I not had the opportunity to play with our pupils, old and young, my fifty years would not have been so enjoyable and mutually helpful.”

We express heartfelt gratitude for the breadth and depth of service Miss Ehlers has given to Friends Seminary and are proud to honor her, posthumously, as Faculty Emerita.

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 4 0

Faculty & Staff Emeritus Minutes of Appreciation

Friends Seminary is deeply grateful to Ed Randolph for his 18 years of service to our school. Ed began his long tenure at Friends in 1977 when he was employed as a receptionist. He quickly became the School’s guardian, and the shepherd of the community, as he kept watch over the comings and goings on East 16th Street. This highly visible role meant that he knew all students, their families and employees. He was the first Friends face they saw in the morning and the last in the evening. Within each day, Ed played many roles:

Ed Randolph Staff Emeritus

Ed “The Enforcer” “You didn’t mess with Ed,” Tracy Carroll Meisinger ’82 says. “He was too cool to find yourself on the wrong side of.

You wanted to be someone he could respect.” Willie Perdomo ’85 adds, “He always wore dark glasses, but he saw everything.”

Ed “The Mentor” “Ed was always concerned, involved and caring. I could talk to him about almost anything,” Natasha Norman Encarnacion ’93 recalls. “The respect and love I have for Ed is unmatched.

He is a jewel to everyone who has ever come in contact with his spirit!” she continues.

41 | n f f

Ed “The School’s Poet Laureate” Ed is a poet and read his poetry at two Friends Seminary graduations, as well as on many other occasions.

He took countless students under his wing, including acclaimed poet Willie Perdomo ’85 whom he guided in the craft of writing. “I became a sort of apprentice,” Willie says. “Ed was my first mentor.”

Ed was also the School’s Diversity Coordinator, launching the Cultural Awareness Reaching Everyone (CARE) initiative with Upper School students.

This student organization thrives to this day. Ed’s impact with students he knew at Friends is deep and clear; his legacy continues beyond his time at Friends.

We express heartfelt gratitude for the breadth and depth of service Ed has given to Friends Seminary and are proud to honor him as Staff Emeritus.

connecting ALUMNI Connect with Fellow Alumni!

The Friends Seminary alumni networks on Facebook and LinkedIn are growing! Connect with fellow alumni, near and far, by joining the "Friends Seminary Alumni" group on Facebook and "Friends Seminary Alumni Network" on LinkedIn today. Share a job lead, wax nostalgic or start a conversation.

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 4 2

class notes know your reps cs

Class Secretary collects Class Notesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;send your news to this rep!

ca

Class Agent fundraises for the Annual Fund

rc

Reunion Chair coordinates Reunion

ac

Alumni Council Member provides strategic direction for alumni program

volunteer today Please contact Katherine Farrell at kfarrell@friendsseminary.org or at 646.979.5035 ext 106.

41 | n f f

1935 Richard Hanau CS CA 300 W Farm Pond Rd Apt 230 Framingham, MA 01702-6248 rlhanau@gmail.com

1937 Please see tribute to E. Grant Hesser on page 59.

1938 Alexander Watson CS 80 Loeffler Road, #G209 Bloomfield, CT 06002 ampwwatson@comcast.net

1939 Please see tribute to Nathalie Weaver Hope on page 59.

1941 Barbara Kugel Herne CS c/o Mary Herne 16650 Calle Haleigh Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 Please see tribute to Elisabeth Miller Burger on page 59.

1942 Margaret Dorkey McCormick CA 18 Still Street Brookline, MA 02446-7044 mdmtjm@comcast.net Richard Scully CS 2021 Tunlaw Road NW Washington, DC 20007-2220 Dear friends Richard Cooley and Richard Scully spent time together this past spring.

1943 Genie Grey Laidler CS 45 Whitney Gln, Unit 000103 Westport, CT 06880-3701 Please see tributes to John Sherman Estey and Marjorie Lehmann Moats on page 60.

1944 Hope Franz Ligori CS 32-27 Murray Lane Flushing, NY 11354-3217

Richard Cooley ’42 and Richard Scully ’42 pose with their yearbook.

Hope Franz Ligori reports, “Adele Kostellow-Morrill still lives on Greene Street in Manhattan. I also talked to Joan Hitchcock Rich's daughter, Ann; Joan is doing well. Janet Davidson Caulkins, Mary Ann Willson Logue and Teddy Oakes O’Hara were glad to hear from me. I was not able to reach Arline Cinamon Mirantz, Madge Morse Muckenhaupt, or Jean Haney Hoagland but I will keep trying.”

Maiden Run, as well as her collection of short stories, Peripheral Vision and book of poetry, My Mind is Made of Crumbs.

1945 Marion Hausner Pauck CS 141 Del Medio Avenue, #206 Mountain View, CA 94040-1053 Marion1426@att.net

1946 Stuart Robinson CS 3635 7th Avenue, #1E San Diego, CA 92103-4343 trauts2new@gmail.com Congratulatons to Joan Maitland LaPrade Cannon on her two novels, Settling and

Please see tribute to Harvey Folks Zimand on page 61.

1947 Jean T. Taylor Kroeber CS 226 St. John's Place Brooklyn, NY 11217-3406 jeantkroeber@gmail.com

1948 Anne Codding Tonachel CS 26 Bethune Street New York, NY 10014 ahtonachel@aol.com

1949 Congratulations to Edes Powell Gilbert who helped create the Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls in St. Louis - the first public girls school in Missouri. 128 girls will study at this new school during 2015-2016. To learn more about the school, visit: www.hawthornschool.org.

Please see tribute to Mary Burdell Keane on page 59.

1951 Stephen J. Chinlund CS RC 445 West 19th Street, PH.D. New York, NY 10011-3844 stephenchinlund@ verizon.net Congratulations to Steve Chinlund for his musical, Brush Strokes, being selected for the THESPIS Theater Festival; three shows ran in September.

1952 Martha Manheim Green CS 2 Montague Terrace Brooklyn, NY 11201-4105 marthamgreen@gmail.com

1953 Nora Palen Jackson CS 4185 70th Street Circle East Palmetto, FL 34221 mom.nanny20@gmail.com Nora Palen Roberts-Jackson reports that she celebrated her 80th birthday on July

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 4 2

9th surrounded by 27 family members, and missing another 19. The festivities were hosted by her eldest daughter in Indiana. Nora recently heard from Jeffrey Nugent who is still out on the west coast; she very much enjoyed catching up with Jeff.

Nora asks classmates to keep the vibrant Edith Chinlund Brown and Nancy Dry Sumner in their thoughts. She is sorry to report the passing of classmate Jebba Mortellito Handley.

Please see tributes to Jebba Mortellito Handley on page 62.

1954 Constance Black Engle CS 244 Englewood Drive Hendersonville, NC 28739-7429 connie.engle@gmail.com Judith Owen Bates Lopez CS 5630 Spring Watch San Antonio, TX 78247 retiredinsa@sbcglobal.net

1955 Jackson R. Bryer CS CA 4205 Glenridge Street Kensington, MD 20895 jbryer@umd.edu Gail Richards Tirana CS 203 West 81st Street, #6B New York, NY 10024-5802 gtirana@gmail.com Gail Richards Tirana reports, “We had a 60th reunion dinner with Julie Rona Baker, Jackson Bryer, Tony Manheim, Diana Crafts Turner, Ellen Friendly Simon, Liz Stearns and Gail Richards Tirana.

43 | n f f

We laughed, teared up a bit, and toasted all 55ers.”

Please see tribute to George Edward French III and Sara Lyons O’Neill on pages 62 and 63.

1956 Edward G. Carroll, Jr. RC 1427 Calle Monclova Rio Rico, AZ 85648-2618 edwardcarroll@mac.com Gretchen Walther Dumler RC 100 West 57th St New York, NY 10019-3327 EgonDumler@aol.com Peter Filene CS RC 215 Markham Drive Chapel Hill, NC 27514 filene@email.unc.edu

1957 Stephen G. Rostand CA 3078 Overhill Road Birmingham, AL 35223-1246 srostand@uab.edu John Schwartz CS 126 East 16th Street, #4A New York, NY 10003-3501 john.schwartz@ag.ny.gov David E. Wartels CS 186 Jerry Brown Road Unit 6314 Mystic, CT 06355 John M. Schwartz reports, “Steve Rostand writes that he and Kathy "spent a misty, mystical, maddeningly wet and cold week along with 60 other people on a small boat exploring the fjiords, glaciers, whales and bears in the inner passage of South East Alaska. At least we escaped the blistering heat of the

Deep South." Hopefully a bit warmer, Mike Bourdrez and Diana Fries Bourdrez are enjoying life in New Mexico where they have lived since retiring from their jobs in Washington in 2008. Mike is still consulting for the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), including part-time management of the Canberra Accord signed by the architectural education accrediting agencies of Australia, Canada, China, Korea, Mexico, USA and the Commonwealth Association of Architects (Hong Kong, Spain, South Africa and Japan are provisional members). Their son Josh is a special education teacher in Shaker Heights, Ohio, where his wife Mary is a clinical social worker at University Hospital in Cleveland and their girl and boy are, respectively, 11 and 10.

Son Christiaan runs a bike shop in Seattle and his wife, Hillary, is an engineer with an environmental consulting firm. Mike and Di try to see everyone at least twice a year. Meanwhile, Suzy Dry Boynton and husband Charlie are enjoying dividing their time between New Jersey and Colorado, with granddaughters in both places. Steamboat Springs has lots to offer, Suzy writes, from hikes to music, museums and libraries to good food, and she recently read Anthony Doerr's book, All the Light We Cannot See, which is dedicated to the late Wendy Weil. Speaking of books, Joanie Wheeler Morgan worked with the author, Michael Gillen, on Merchant Marine Survivors of World War II (McFarland & Co.), a collection of

WWII merchant mariner oral histories, including one

by Joanie's late husband, Harry. John Schwartz is still handling lawsuits at the New York Attorney General's Office, while his wife Sandy is featured in dance, singing and acting performances at local senior centers, and Karen Jackson Williams reports that all is well in Athens, Ohio! Some sad news: David Wartels' wife, Penelope, whom many of us knew well, passed away this year, as did Liz Lynes Hollander and her brother, George Platt Lynes II, a good friend to our class."

A tribute to Liz will appear in the coming issue of News From Friends.”

1958 Nicholas D. Etcheverry CS 95 Conant Street West Concord, MA 02154 braamore466@aol.com Thomas Munnell CS P.O. Box 1217 Marion, MA 02738 tcmunnell@gmail.com

1959 Frederic J. Buse CA 3 North Lane Loudonville, NY 12211-1629 fbuse@shggroup.com Helen Davis Chaitman CS 115 Fairview Road Frenchtown, NJ 08825-9740 hchaitman@bplegal.com Helen Davis Chaitman coauthored a book, JPMadoff: The Unholy Alliance Between America's Biggest Bank and America's Biggest Crook, and published a chapter a month (à la Dickens) on

her own website: jpmadoff. com.

1960 Peter Linden AC 1 Sutton Place South, #9A New York, NY 10022-2471 pjlmd@lindenohana.com Catherine Munnell-Smith CS CA 23 Meeting Street Charleston, SC 29401 smith7cm@gmail.com Derek Van Hoorn CS 1741 Arlington Boulevard El Cerrito, CA 94530-2005 dvanhoorn24@yahoo.com

Catherine Munnell-Smith writes: Our class had a wonderful 55th reunion this past May. A joyous, affectionate group of classmates (see photo), joined by some brave spouses and significant others met at an Italian restaurant in Chinatown for a great evening. Attending were Liz Peale Allen, Maxine Arnstein, John and Dianne Avlon, Sally Taylor Brewster, Bronwen Cunningham and Bob Booth, Stephen and Kayvan Freeman, Litt and Jane Gunn, Barney Hodes, Peter and Faith Linden, Neil Mitchell, Larry and Abigail Pratt, Jeanette Roper and Joe Moore, Jane Edelstein and Arthur Rosenbloom, Jon Small, Cathie Munnell Smith and Liz Lyons Stone. The food and wine were good, but the best, most wonderful part of the evening was the company. It was so lovely to see each other. We missed those of you who could not come and thought of you. As

for class memories of music at Friends, Jane Edelstein Rosenbloom writes "the thing I remember most vividly was Mrs. Winterbottom and her arthritic hands. How she ever played so well was and is beyond me. I enjoyed classes with her although I couldn't sing. I also remember she gave Lizzie Peale the part of the Virgin Mary." Susie Kintner remembers "Lizzie Peale singing the solo" and the Hallelujah Chorus which Susie loves to this day. Bronwen Cunningham remembers singing Silent Night in German and Minuit Chretiens in French. One final note concerning our class artist, Barney Hodes who writes that August is when he and other sculptors share space with a herd of cows in Garrison, NY. Barney had three of his scuptures (very large heads) on display this year. His work was written up in the New York Times in May.

1961 Barbara Hertz Burr CS 55 Hemenway Drive Canton, MA 02021 wburr6@verizon.net

1962 Steve Lipmann CA AC 201 East 17th Street, #23B New York, NY 10003-3680 shlipmann@gmail.com

1963 David Lowry CS 6501 City Place Edgewater, NJ 07020 davilowry@gmail.com

The Class of 1960 at their 55th reunion.

1964 Barbara Carey CS 166 East 96th Street, #8-A New York, NY 10128 careybarbaraj@gmail.com Jonathan Y. Nareff AC 39 Penn Ave Portland, ME 04103 jnareff@gmail.com Barbara Carey writes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wrote to the group with my news, that Tim's and my daughter Alexandra got married in May to her long-time boyfriend, Egbert Stolk, whom she met in Holland through one of her friends at the United Nations International School here in NYC. He's an historic preservationist at the Landmarks Preservation Commission and she is a third year med student at UVM, currently doing rotations in Vermont, Connecticut, and, next month, Florida! While she moves around, Egbert and Stroopwafel the Cat are living with us. Fortunately we all like each other and we

also like Egbert's cooking! (In fact he and his guy friends and brother who came over from Holland for the wedding cooked the dinner for the reception party!) In response to my news, Mark Deyrup wrote: We don't expect any of our 3 children will ever come live with us, as there are few exciting careers in Lake Placid, Florida. We will be visiting them more when I retire, but we just got a 3-yr. grant to put online the biological information in our 120,000 specimen insect collection here at the Archbold Biological Station, so that won't be for a few years. Nancy is still working with me as a volunteer in the bug lab, spending a lot of time scanning my drawings of ants for an upcoming publication. I am attaching one of these drawings so you can see one way I spend my time. Like many whose children have moved out, we have become more dependent on our pets for company. They are all rescue dogs; the latest was supposed to be a lab cross when we adopted him as a fuzzy little

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 4 4

puppy, but he looked more and more unusual as he grew, so we had him genetically tested. He is mostly a German shepherd-basset hound cross, which makes sense with his length, huge paws and weight (about 90 lbs). No lab in him. Very rainy summer; I have to wade through a series of seasonal ponds as I jog in to work. No hurricanes yet, however.

Also heard from Bob Rostand: I retired in 2013 and had enough time to lose 25lbs and get into better shape- finally doing all the things my doc had been telling me for the past 30+ years! I've always thought that working was not healthy but I never found a corporate sponsor to support me!! I also kept busy and volunteered at the local community clinic for indigent patients two mornings a week and have been playing the piano in earnest - I have a very Russian teacher whose highest accolade is "not bad!"

But I love her and she has taught me a lot. I have also finished my Proust project but I do not think that it will ever see the light of day… my wife is adamant that I get it out having spent so many years on it. My daughter still lives in New Mexico and has been bugging us to move there. It's a nice place to visit but as far as I am concerned it is the end of the earth!! WE like it green and moist not brown and dry. Starting in March my old company asked me to work 2 days a week as they were short staffed and I have been loving it. Whenever I get down in the dumps, I go and work in my garden and am visited by the local cats who must think I'm one of them as they seem to gravitate to my garden. Gardening is better than psychotherapy but certainly not cheaper. As for moving elsewhere, after staying put in one place for so many years, I would be lost… and then you have to

Insect drawing by Mark Deyrup ‘64; this drawing part of his current project at the Archbold Biological Station.

45 | n f f

clean house and get rid of an entire lifetime of belongings.

I am going to let my daughter deal with that… she can do whatever she likes with the stuff I leave her. I have not been up to NYC in a long time… I feel like a visitor now and feel out of place there, everything has changed so much!! Last year we went to DC and hooked up with Louise Walsh and Charlie, but might see them again if we go up there again this fall.

That's all the news that fit to print. And Susie Localio wrote: I had two trips east this summer, one to drop my nephew, Donald, at Treetops for his 5th summer, the second to return to Treetops for Friends Weekend and two memorial services. I saw men now grown with kids of their own who I had as campers when they were ten. Makes the age thing quite real. It was also lovely to spend time with brother Bill [Localio].

Donald had a wonderful summer culminating in a 43 mile day canoe trip. By the time this is published in the alum news, Daniel and I will have gone and returned from our five day backpack in Olympic National Park and the newest attempt at making packs lighter (dehydrating beans and rice and peppers and salsa) will or will not have been edible when rehydrated and we will or will not have gotten cold and wet. We shall see. The grandkids are grand. I keep discovering great kid books because of them. (Poppy series by Avi- wonderful to read aloud if you like to do voices.) Daniel has had a bumper garden year and we feast. Christine Hehmeyer Rosso also had an interna-

tional wedding to report: David's and my daughter, Christine, a lawyer, is getting married in October, so it's been a busy summer for me.

Her fiance is from Dublin, but he works for Accenture and is based in Chicago.

Thank goodness she's not moving to Ireland! And we like him very much. At the moment, I feel like I am running a kennel. My son is in Peru for a wedding, so I have his Samoyed puppy; my daughter is in Ireland, so I have her Cavalier; and then there is my Golden Retriever.

It's exhausting! As for me, Barbara, since retiring almost two years ago, I have been learning that it is not so easy to confront the fact that there is a limited time left, that there are many things I want to do, that there are many things I still have to do to catch up from all those long work hours, and that's it's no easier to sit down and write or draw than it ever was. Catching up on my Robert Parker reading, though, and I also recommend this year the wonderful All the Light We Cannot See. I did another poetry seminar at the Y and got a poem published in the 92nd Street Y's online journal, Podium, which is really exciting for me. Tim and I have been spending more time in Sag Harbor although we are too much urban dwellers to move there full-time. This summer has been gorgeous. From Susan Localio: Someone has got to write about the time we appeared on stage at Carnegie Hall (under the direction then of Leonard Pelletier, I think) and played our recorders. Was this when

Mrs. Winterbottom was still there? Val [Hertz Kass] has the recording. It is awful. One of the pieces was savagely hard with runs that challenged our little fingers. I [Barbara Carey] write in response: Part of our 50th Reunion celebration was an agonizing airing of this very piece. From Jonathan Cerf: I feel I owe Mr. Van Grove (I wonder if I'm spelling his name right- I've never tried to write it before) a few words of gratitude. During my time at Friends, I tended to underestimate how good a job he was doing, because back then I wrongly thought that all great teachers were either charismatic and inspirational or else they needed to be particularly gifted explicators. I now see things differently. I now think a teacher's job is to create an environment in which learning takes place, and it turns out there are many non-flashy ways to do this. Mr. Van Grove's "method" was to provide us with a series of challenging and mind-expanding experiences that greatly increased our understanding and appreciation of music.

So few school assignments or school experiences in any field of study prove transformative or even memorable, and yet so many of Mr. Van Grove's lessons have stayed with me for decades. He taught us gorgeous multipart harmonies for Handel's "Messiah" (a lot of the music he taught us for the annual Christmas pageants was both wonderful and unforgettable). I bet I'm not the only one who remembers the music from several plays we performed at his direction

(though I'll admit I might be the only one who remembers any portion of the "Brooklyn Baseball Cantata"). At the time, I thought I enjoyed Mr. Van Grove's classes because music happened to be one of my favorite subjects.

Now I think that music was one of my favorite subjects because Mr. Van Grove was so good. From Barbara Carey: I and other classmates I know are still singing the show tunes we learned with Mr. Van Grove, as well as the Messiah excerpts. And I've been listening for years, with the greatest pleasure, to music recorded by Class of 1962's Peter K. Siegel, including The Real Bahamas, Volumes 1 and 2, and Kneelin' Down Inside the Gate, as well as his output, as a producer, of music played by Dave Ray of Koerner, Ray and Glover (Fine Soft Land - exceptionally good!), Sisi Chen, and other of his Henry Street Folklore productions. And of course Peter's own terrific banjo playing in Twelve Tunes for Two Banjos and The Union Makes Us Strong.

Whether or how Friends contributed to all this I have no idea, but the music is wonderful.” Arthur Fink writes: I am still living on an island off the coast of Portland Maine, photographing dance as it is created, as dancers are trained, and as it is performed, and telling other visual stories. My daughter had a surprise wedding on a boat—invited family for a sail, disappeared for a while below, and then popped out of a hatch in a wedding dress. I continue to

Members of the class of 1964 performing on their recorders at Carnegie Hall. bottom Yearbook photo of Peter K. Siegel ‘62, shared by Barbara Carey ‘64 top

be active with Portland Friends Meeting, and am glad to welcome Friends visitors.

1966

1965

Anne Shapero Adler CS RC 938 Lake Avenue Greenwich, CT 06831-3032 anneadler11.11@gmail.com

Scott Garren CS 135 Spring Lake Road Cuttingsville, VT 05738 scott@garrenshay.com

Judith Adams Anderson RC 34 Byrd Ave Bloomfield, NJ 07003-4405 judy@emailtheandersons.com Patricia L. Rosenfield RC 45 Gramercy Park N Apt 3A New York, NY 10010-6308 plr4560@gmail.com

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 4 6

Anne Shapero Adler writes: This spring marks our 50th reunion at Friends (May 13-15, 2016). I hope to see as many of you there as possible! Please save the date and consider sharing some news of what you've been up to for the past 50 years in the next bulletin. It would be wonderful to have a robust column of notes in honor of this milestone. Please email any news to me at anneadler11.11@gmail.com.

Please see tribute to Bob Overton Day on page 64.

1967 Pierre Lehu CS 153 78th Street Brooklyn, NY 11209-2913 pierre@pierrelehu.com Peter Michaelson CA 1520 Spruce Street, #500 Philadelphia, PA 19102 pa1104@gonavis.com Pierre A. Lehu writes: Emily Kaufman Gallo reports the publishing of her novels, Venice Beach and The Columbarium this fall. And the Lehu-Seminaras and Dodge-Moos plan on meeting in Budapest followed by an exploration of Croatia.

There's talk of a possible cruise down the Mississippi from Minneapolis to New Orleans next year which all are invited to join.

1968 Sandy Baum CA 161 East Chicago Avenue, #45C Chicago, IL 60611-6679 sbaum@skidmore.edu

47 | n f f

Penny Craven CS 1550 York Avenue, #7B New York, NY 10028-5972 penny@cravenfilms.com

Laura Ward CS RC AC 510 East 23 Street, #5F New York, NY 10010 laura.a.ward@gmail.com

Barbara Kates-Garnick CA 289 Marlborough Street, #2 Boston, MA 02116 bkatesgarnick@gmail.com

Laura Ward writes: May 2016 will be forty-five (45) years since our graduation. Where has the time gone? Life for me continues to thrive. Work remains challenging and full-filling. My family is all happy and healthy. I enjoy spending time with my sixyear old grand-daughter, Emerson, and see both my stepchildren and their spouses regularly. My sister, Carolyn '74, and I continue to travel.

Mindy Fisher is back from a year studying in Israel and on track to become a Rabbi.

Her son is a sophomore at Yale. David Medine became Chairman of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board four days before the Snowden leak began. The Board is an independent agency whose mission is to ensure that the federal government's efforts to prevent terrorism are balanced with the need for privacy and civil liberties. Timing is everything - so needless to say David has been busy.

Laura Klann Heid, and her husband, Mike, attended a family wedding, where they were able to catch up with Laura's brother, Fritz Klann '73, and sister Susan Klann Glenn '76, and hike around Pikes Peak and Colorado Springs. Laura, who lives in Washington DC, is preparing to retire from her OB/GYN practice and wrote "in the words of Monty Python, on to 'something new and completely different.'" Christine DeFrancesco Brinker's son is a now teenager. Christine and her family live in

Penny Craven writes: Patsy Myers, her husband Ed Hayes, my husband Ernest Barbieri and I just returned from our annual baseball and wine tasting trip. This year we went on a long road trip, seeing games in Cleveland, Toledo (remember Jamie Farr from M*A*S*H in his Mud Hens uniform?) and Detroit, and drove back through Ontario. We've been doing this for years, starting in the Finger Lakes where Patsy and Ed live, and branching out as far as Washington state, British Columbia and Southern California. We always have a great time together, and we brought back some really good wine which we're going to get together and drink sometime soon.

1969 Michael Beckerman CS 24 Waverly Place Room 268 New York, NY 10003 michael.beckerman@ nyu.edu

1971 Mindy Fischer CS 275 West 96 Street, #26B New City, NY 10025 Yehudamom@yahoo.com Laurence Seegers CS 25 Parkway Katonah, NY 10536 jemskatonah@optimum.net

Manhattan, but when they are able they spend weekends at the Jersey Shore. Christine ran into John Kastan on the street the same day a friend told her that the friend had met Andrew Listfield's niece at a Dartmouth graduation.

There really is less than six degrees of separation. Andrew Listfield wrote that following three years of graduate school in Quebec he became fluent in French. Over the years he has become friendly with many people in the arts, in France.

In March, Andrew returned to Paris to visit. He saw four plays, including one play by someone he knew. He enjoyed the delicious food of Paris and is willing to share the name of the best place to buy chocolates in Paris. Andrew is on staff at radio station WFMU. Playlists of some of his shows may be found at http://www. wfmu.org/playlists/AL. Andrew found himself thinking of Bill Elliott when Andrew attended a bluegrass festival where Bill Monroe performed.

Andrew remembered, in 11th grade when Bill Elliott was our chemistry teacher, lending him one of Bill Monroe's albums and when Bill Elliott returned the album he gifted Andrew a solo album of Kenny Baker, Monroe's fiddler at the time.

1972 Emily Medine CS 1800 Beechwood Boulevard Pittsburgh, PA 15217-1703 emilymedine@aol.com Pamela Perkins CS 340 East 51st Street, #7K New York, NY 10022-7819 pamelaperkinsny@gmail.com

Ronni Gordon writes: Shoutout to classmate Dan Green for designing a beautiful website for my writing and editing business, Ronnigordon.com, and for being understanding about my technical difficulties in putting my writing samples up. I had a great time this summer seeing Dan and his wife, Sabrina Hamilton '73, at her adventurous and wonderful Ko Festival of Performance in Amherst. It is so nice to get together with friends from Friends without missing a beat and especially to live near these two in Western Massachusetts. After joining the unfortunately growing number of laid-off newspaper reporters and suffering through and recovering from a major illness, I have found a decent amount of freelance work (but could always use more). I have also raised three fabulous children, welcomed a granddaughter, tutored adults in ESL and worked on my tennis game.

Included here is my most recent author photo.

Ronni Gordon’s ’72 latest author headshot.

1973 Barbara Michelson CS 89 Steele Road Peterborough, NH 03458 highlylikely@gmail.com Lisa Ernest Mierop CS 120 Walnut Street Montclair, NJ 07042 ljmierop@yahoo.com Congratulations to Webb Keane, whose new book, Ethical Life: Its Natural and Social Histories, will be released this fall.

1974 Norman Feit CA AC Goldman, Sachs & Co. 200 West Street New York, NY 10282-2198 norman.feit@gs.com Kenneth Grossman CS 18 Norfolk Road Great Neck, NY 11020-1716 kensgrossman@gmail.com Ivy Baer Sherman CS 45 Park Avenue, #301 New York, NY 10016 ivybaer@vintagezine.com Ivy Baer Sherman writes: The call for Class of 1974 news e'er elicits reports of distinguished career moves and accomplishments. Thus effusive congratulations are in order this round for: Jonathan Kaufman on his appointment as Director of Northeastern University's School of Journalism. Formerly Bloomberg News Executive Editor, his approach to the new position quoted in Northeastern's announcement, "I am thrilled to be joining Northeastern to help shape the next generation

of journalists in the U.S. and globally, expand new media and digital innovation, and reflect and speak out about the challenges and opportunities journalism faces in the 21st century." For Deirdre Donchian who "now officially (has) a Masters Degree in Social Work. I start working this fall under supervision as licensing is a two part process. However I can still coach clients with a focus on ADD/ADHD. My byline being "Helping individuals develop focus and productivity." Deirdre, proud parent, announced that her daughter, Linden, is attending Savannah College of Art and Design, and son, Trenor, is finishing up an associates degree and then completing the rest of his studies. And as for the artfull Deirdre we all remember, “I am still making jewelry and exhibit at a number of shows throughout the year."

For author Keith Korman, whose new book, End Time, was released on August 25th.

For Joe Church, whose brimful schedule at the time of this writing has him as music director of Broadway's Amazing Grace, newly published author of the acclaimed, Music Direction for the Stage, A View From the Podium, in addition to other projects.

Bravo one and all! All roads lead to FS friends: Carolyn Ward and her sister, Laura '71, took a trip to Savannah "because of the kindness of Peter Hardin '70 and his family. Tim Hardin, Peter's son, is a student at SCAD (the Savannah School of Art and Design) and before his academic school year started, he allowed us to use his studio apartment as our base of

operations while in the city.

We had a great time exploring Savannah sights and food options. Given their visits to the city, Peter and his wife Karen shared all kinds of tips with us which fueled our interest in spending time there." As for news from Ivy (Baer Sherman), I am working on a special music issue of Vintage Magazine, due out in 2016, presenting music in true Vintage fashion....

1975 Francesca Bruno CS 37 Thoroughbred Dr Saratoga Springs, NY 12866-5000 Franbruno1017@icloud.com Cella Irvine CS 257 West 17th Street, #3D New York, NY 10011-5364 cella@cellairvine.com Please note, the following correction to the Spring 2015 issue of NFF: Robin DeSilva's grandson is not the godchild of Derrick ’72 and Susan Gibbs. Her daughter, Risa, is. Sara Johns Griffen writes: Wonderful 40th reunion for our class of '75 this past weekend. Here's at least one shot of a pre-gathering at the new Whitney on Saturday afternoon - with Barbery Byfield, Rhonda Orin, Sara Johns Griffen, Paul Supton and Jonathan Raffes.

1976 Suzanne Telsey CS RC 400 East 85th Street, #18B New York, NY 10028 suzanne.telsey@ mheducation.com

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 4 8

Robin Tunnicliff Reid CA 121 West Lake Avenue Baltimore, MD 21210-1305 rstreid@comcast.net

Barbery Byfield ‘75, Rhonda Orin ’75, Sara Johns Griffen ’75, Paul Supton and Jonathan Raffes ’75 gather at the new Whitney during Reunion weekend.

William Webb CS RC P. O. Box 420 Old Saybrook, CT 06475-0420 bill@billwebb.net

1977 David Greenbaum CS 644 San Fernando Avenue Berkeley, CA 94707-1650 dag@berkeley.edu Peter Moulton CS 140 Riverside Drive, #PH-C New York, NY 10024 petermoulton@prodigy.net Please see tributes to Deirdre Murphy Bader and Barbara Dreyfus on pages XX and ZZ.

1978 Andrew Owen AC 257 Castro Street San Francisco, CA 94114 drewster.owen@gmail.com Antonia Torres-Ramos CS 1484 Evans Farm Drive McLean, VA 22101 tonietal@yahoo.com

49 | n f f

1979 Darcy Vassiliadis Flanders CS 2617 Farsund Drive Yorktown Heights, NY 10598-3341 darcy@baselinedesign.com Victoria Wightman Pierce CS 163 West 18 Street, #4B New York, NY 10011-4144 victoria.pierce.186@facebook.com

1980 Karen Fittinghoff CS 473 West End Avenue, #8B New York, NY 10024 karenfittinghoff@gmail.com Michael Golden CS 65 Springbrook Road Springfield, NJ 07081 mgolden65@comcast.net Sarah Edmunds Goodwin CS 1500 Twiford Place Charlotte, NC 28207 scegoodwin@mac.com

Robin Tunnicliff Reid writes: A great group of us class of 1980ers gathered in Gotham Town for Reunion weekend: Eileen Pereira Arndt, Onita Connington, Nina Wolff Feld, Raphiel Hampton, Tom Law, Sam Laufer, Brian Delacey, Craig Walker, and me, Robin Tunnicliff Reid. We ate, laughed, and meditated quietly in a row together during Quaker meeting. It was as though 35 years slipped away, and we were kids again. As Tom put it, "There is an amazing bond between us, and we genuinely care for each other." Onita and Eileen got to expand on that during a StoryCorps interview in the library. I eavesdropped a little and heard lots of laughing. Can't wait to hear that episode! Here's a little bit about what we're up to these days. Onita lives in Norwich, VT, where she takes care of family, does a variety of volunteer work in the community, seems to cook for many people and has fun with friends and family. Tom wrote, "I started my business in 1988 selling office supplies and added graphic design and commercial printing. All along I have been using competitive basketball as a way to work with youth in the Chinese-American communities in NYC; my Web site is www.sabresfalcons.org. The inspiration to teach the game came from my JV coach at Friends." Raphiel visited from Baltimore and runs a property management/development company in DC. He's also the father of two very

adorable little boys. Nina's compelling book, Someday You Will Understand: My Father's Private WWII, is nominated for the American Library in Paris Award, and she just gave a pitch to the Jewish Book Council to promote the book throughout the country to Jewish organizations. Brian teaches art at the Cathedral School at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine here in New York.

Eileen lives near Stratford, CT, where she runs Eileen's Exclusive Florals (www. exclsuiveflorals.com). In addition to creating elegant floral designs, she's busy with three children. Craig is moving and shaking in Atlanta, where he is vice president of I.F.S Securities. He manages to spend some time back in Illinois. And I still live in Baltimore and work as a writer/editor for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Washington, D.C., in the huge building anyone who watches "House of Cards" sees in the opening credits. Anyone in the area is welcome to visit!

1981 Rachel Jones CS 5048 West 95th Street Inglewood, CA 90301 drrachel@sbcglobal.net Rachel Dorin Jones writes: Dear Class of '81, This year we celebrate music. Plato proclaimed "music as a moral law…giving soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and charm and gaiety to life and to everything." Friends has embraced music over the years and Friends has

The class of 1981 remembers the late Donald Bender, pictured here with his Chamber Players in 1980-1981.

been music for us in some regards: Over the years at Friends, the school has been its own Universe to most of us… it shaped our minds to soar above most and think for ourselves. Friends trusted us and gave us the freedom to develop into the people we were meant to be. It allowed us to be creative and imaginative…bringing into each of us our own communal charm and gaiety. Whatever the challenge, the support we were offered as the Class of '81 has released each of us into this big world to make our own music. As I connected with some of you in our class I found many remembering some musical moment at Friends. One is that of Donald Bender, a beloved music teacher at Friends who was very loved and so influenced many of us. I am sure many remembered the passion that Mr. Bender had for his craft. His impact was huge and he left his musical mark on many. Then there was the concert in the cafeteria, when Harry Chapin came and played for our class. Thank

you so much Holly Sklar.

Yes it was Holly's dad who encouraged so many musical acts to donate their time for the Friends Fair. And some may recall Alice Cooper as an emcee. He was quite a showman. Holly recalls: "My dad really enjoyed being a showman and putting these events together for the school".

Holly is still working hard at her second home of Warner Brothers. Like all of us, she loves what she does but makes time to spend quality moments with her family. She is out here in LA with many of us… slowly but surely we are gaining a strong LA hub of Friends alumni. Adina Sandman also remembers the grand private concert in the cafeteria. Adina admits, much like myself that she is as musically inclined as I am despite my strong genes from my musical dad, Quincy. She continues to reside in Narberth, PA where she enjoys her cats and her Phillies.

David Bell has been enjoying himself this year and was able to escape with friends and family to the Dominican Republic. And what a

wonderful place that is where music is concerned… much merengue and salsa music to enjoy there and lift your spirits high like music does. As for me, Rachel Dorin Jones, (drrachel@sbcglobal.net) My music is my animals.

I stay very busy running my multimodality holistic practice in Los Angeles/ LAX Area (www.marinavet. com). I look forward to new projects for next year when I plan to open a healing retreat for both pets and people in the Joshua Tree (High Desert) Area. And with that… "Where words fail, music speaks" -HC Anderson.

I hope these pics I gathered speak to you and that each of you e-mail me so we can speak to each other and have more updates for our next issue. Until next time, enjoy the rest of the year and see you in 2016.

1982 Elizabeth Baer CS 32 Hubbard Street Lenox, MA 01240-2330 lizajane@gmail.com Sarah Halley Finn CS 2437 Moreno Drive Los Angeles, CA 90039 sarahfinn@earthlink.net Marc Rachman CA AC 150 West 26th Street, #603 New York, NY 10001 marc.rachman@gmail.com

1983 Jason Ablin CA 8832 Pickford Street Los Angeles, CA 90035 jablin45@gmail.com

Martha Ehrenfeld CS 1379 Sixth Avenue San Francisco, CA 94122-2503 MarMac@aol.com Keith Smith CS 8 Harris Street Cambridge, MA 02140 keith.smith@aya.yale.edu Martha Ehrenfeld writes: Every Monday, in 7th and 8th grade we would help Mr. Bender move the benches in the front of the Meetinghouse so we could set up for band. Then later in high school, it was Chamber Players. The group was much bigger and my standmate was a girl, one year older than me.

She would talk to me about her life. I think it was one of my few classes during the day that was not segregated by grade. OK, so they aren't really music memories in the purest sense, but they are strong. I asked all of you for your music memories from Friends or how music is part of your life now. Keith Smith writes this past August, "The only musical tie-in I can think of is that we should have a group sing-along of "Happy Birthday To You" in celebration of our 50th birthdays. I survived the big 5-0 about two weeks back, here on Fire Island where I'm vacationing with the family.

I ran into Julia Bates ’83 on the beach and got the update on her twin boys who are at Friends. A few months back, I had a small reunion brunch with Jim Infantino and Steve Lowen '80 and their families.

Between us, we have five daughters ranging from 2 to 17 years old. The 17 year-old is my daughter, Maddie, who is entering her senior year of high school this fall.

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 5 0

So she's getting ready for all the fun of college applications. The songs that Karen Wilson taught us in the Lower School still come back to me when I least expect them, writes Camilla Townsend, and bring me joy. And for me, the holidays are never really upon us until we've been to a school concert that reminds me of the ones we used to have at Friends every December.

Nick Bruel remembers, in third grade, while waiting on line to go to music class, Julia Bates without provocation once clocked me in the back of the head with her textbook and then looked at me like I was the one who had done something wrong.

Does that count as a music memory? I say, "Yes Nick!" I would add that I had lunch with Julia last fall and she was very well behaved.

Callum Benepe remembers Donald Bender fondly for his kindness and support of student musicians. After a few years of struggle, emptying trash cans and mowing lawns in California, due to my bright decision of leaving Friends before graduation, I found myself working with Seth Green as his "drummer" (on-camera mime) on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and touring Japan every year with Screaming Mad George (The Mad) in the mid 1990s. Since moving back to up-state New York in 2000, things have become much quieter and I play out with different bands more as a way to get out of the house and give my wife and kid a break from me. But it's been amazing to see our 6 year old Grace take on her own love of art and music, lean-

51 | n f f

ing towards classical and jazz.

I recently had a Deep Purple song playing, and she said, "That guy's not singing, he's just screaming." Susan Lowen Maniatis also remembers Mr. Bender. I have nothing but good memories of music at Friends. I had Mr. Bender for a teacher from 6th grade through 12th. It was by far my favorite part of my day.

I loved his kindness and encouragement. Even though I played the clarinet for 6 years I didn't get very good, but he always celebrated my small accomplishments. He was a wonderful person and teacher and I still miss him.

As for me, I can't believe our daughter, Daphne, is starting Upper School this year!

It seems crazy that I have a child old enough for Upper School, though it also seems impossible that I turned 50 this year! She is continuing at Sidwell Friends School (she started in PK) and I joined the Board of Trustees there last year. This summer we took our yearly trip to Greece and enjoyed visiting my husband Alexis' family. We live just outside of DC and would love visitors if anyone is coming this way! (susan.maniatis@gmail.com) Sitting in our living room right now listening to Bowie and Crowded House feeling grateful, Deirdre Weaver sets the music stage. My experience with music at Friends had a huge influence on me.

In 3rd grade, Mrs. Pillsbury brought the whole class to her daughter Susan's first record which we could buy for $1.00 as I remember. I still listen to that from time to time.

It influenced my writing, and the music I have listened to ever since. Coincidentally, I

just found her on LinkedIn! Jim Infantino upates us, I have 2 girls now, Zoe and Astrid, 2 and 4. Zoe starts kindergarden this year, I am still running my web design business Slabmedia, Catherine is rowing in the Head of Charles this year, as she has for the past 14 years. I have a very brief appearance in a documentary called Call Me Lucky about my friend Barry Crimmins directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, in theaters now.

Wow Jim, I heard Bobcat being interviewed about the project, I will definitely check it out. I live in Sag Harbor by the ocean with my husband, 3 children, 2 dogs and 2 cats toots in Laura Auerbach.

My 10 year old twins play clarinet and flute. My twin daughter plays on the same sterling silver Avery flute I used when I was in middle school at Friends and Donald Bender conducted all of us in the serenity of the Meetinghouse. He then convinced me to switch to the oboe, his instrument, which I proudly did and played with him for many years. But I kept my old flute and it's a pleasure to see my daughter Toby learning the joy of music on it now. I do not have much in way of music memories other than I gained appreciation for choral singing at Friends, but am still very poor at it. (Don't be too hard on yourself, Julia Bates. I am glad someone wrote about chorus! ) My sons Will and James are taking an instrument (saxophone) as part of requirement and learning more than I did about reading music at Friends. The only bad part is lugging it back and forth to school. September is off and running at a

rapid pace. The boys started 6th grade and we are easing back into hockey schedule, mainly with practices at this point and the first game in a couple of weeks. My 50th birthday will be spent at a hockey tournament in Rochester, NY. Can you believe it?! What is wrong with this picture?? My husband Peter is trying to make it fun with stop in Ithaca at a nice inn and chance for boys to see Cornell and Lake Cayuga.

We had a wonderful summer with trip to Italy (Capri and Naples - fantastico!!), Adirondacks for boys to go to hockey camp and we did some camping in high peaks area around July 4th, Fire Island and also visiting a ranch in Montana (good fishing. Only bad part was smoke from forest fires...life in west these days, as you know).

In between all that I tried to get a lot of work done at the office. My new role at JP Morgan as head of Control & Oversight for the Commercial a Banking business is going well and I really like it. On other happy news from near and far, Paula McKeever writes that she is one-year post breast cancer surgery and is well. Amanda Gilbert writes from London, her second home: I am about to buy a condo in Yardley, PA and I still love traveling the world as a "stewardess"! My body never allowed me to have kids but that's ok. I have two awesome cats to take care of. If you are ever in Philadelphia or London let me know! "Hello to all of you" Glenna Cole Alee writing from Louisiana, of all places.

I became a multi-disciplinary artist (sometimes teaching photography though recently

not as much). Have my first museum show opening this past September, in Alexandria, LA, but I am based in San Francisco. My good thoughts to all of you! I invite you all to get in touch, if you venture to San Francisco.

Susan Carmody wrties she is taking some time off between jobs as her son Cole started at a K through 8 school near Columbia University last year. The kid has already stated his intention to go to Friends for high school. In the meantime, the family is frequent attenders of the Morningside Meeting. "All is good in my life” reports Susan Bronzaft Santoro. I took the summer off so I could enjoy some R & R. It has been nice spending time with my hubby and family. I am a little freaked, my daughter is a junior this year and about to begin the college process.

My son is going in to 5th grade and will then enter middle school next year. I am still working part time as, an Administrative Judge. Time is just flying! "Hi Everyone!"

Toby Shaw chimes in on Facebook, I am still living in South East Asia in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I continue with my lifelong pursuit of language learning; I am currently learning Mandarin and Burmese and when I have time I have been writing a Turkish-Thai dictionary. I am a teacher and live happily with my Thai family. Chiang Mai is simply an amazing place to live; though the country is under martial law and although stable, the country is in the midst of a decades long unresolved political crisis. I spent many years traveling the world and have lived in six countries

and visited 38. I am more sedentary now but still love to travel when I get a chance.

In closing, I confess to indulging in '80s bands concerts.

This winter, I saw "ABC" in a small club in San Francisco.

If only I had known when I was 18 that if I waited more than thirty years, that I would be so much easier to get a ticket and the venue so much smaller, I could have saved a lot of time standing in line.

Thanks again everyone for all the musical notes. All those Mr. Bender memories are especially wonderful.

On January 15, 2015, Anthony Shore was featured in the New York Times Magazine in an article on the science of naming products. Congratulations to Fred Abrahams for the release of his book, Modern Albania and to Rebecca Wolf for the release of her collection, One Morning.

1984

Rachel Shapiro Axinn CA AC RC 420 12th Street, #F1R Brooklyn, NY 11215-5188 rachelaxinn@att.net

Suzanne Gottlieb Calleja CS 5450 SW 58th Avenue Miami, FL 33155 scalleja@palmertrinity.org Alexandra D. Levinsohn CS 53 Greenwich Avenue, #1 New York, NY 10014 adl@core.com Rebecca Moore CS 2710 Downing Street, SE Huntsville, AL 35801-2247 edna.freefall@gmail.com

1985 Nina Christopher CA 7 East 85th Street, #9D New York, NY 10028 ninachristopher@gmail.com Anne E. Kner CS 201 Clinton Avenue, #15G Brooklyn, NY 11205-3564 akner@mindspring.com Robert Longley CS 407 Norwood Road Staunton, VA 24401-1849 roblongley1@gmail.com

1986 Schuyler Allen-Kalb CS CA RC 169 Engert Avenue, #1 Brooklyn, NY 11222 skylarock68@gmail.com

Nat Caldwell CS 35 1/2 Convent Square Burlington, VT 05401 nat_caldwell@yahoo.com Larissa Thomson RC 51 Warren Street, #4W New York, NY 10007 Larissa.thomson@gmail.com Congratulations to Heather Cross '86 for the release of her novel, Wilberforce.

1987 Ellen Deutsch Diamond CS 31 Hope Street Rumford, RI 02916 ellen_diamond@me.com Josh Isay AC 789 West End Avenue, #8C New York, NY 10025-5431 joshisay@gmail.com

Robin Weiswasser Markus CS 60 East 8th Street, #21E New York, NY 10003 robinjmarkus@gmail.com Leslie Werthamer Rottenberg CS 144 West 11th Street, #2 New York, NY 10011 LesRotten@gmail.com

1988 Cory Diamond CA 266 President Avenue Providence, RI 02906 corydiamond@gmail.com Alexander Kriney CS 640 Clayton Street San Francisco, CA 94117-2927 akriney@gmail.com Wyeth McAdam CS 1340 Pearl Street Alameda, CA 94501-4768 wyethmc@gmail.com Alexandra Mairs Tart CA 317 Degraw Street Brooklyn, NY 11231 atart@nyc.rr.com Congratulations to Kim Azzarelli for the release of her book, Fast Forward: How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose, co-authored by her Seneca Women co-founder, Ambassador Melanee Verveer with a foreword by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Shauna Burke's beautiful jewelry designs appeared at CraftBrooklyn in December.

1989 Bess Abrahams CS 401 10th Street, #2 Brooklyn, NY 11215 bessabrahams@mac.com

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 5 2

Kim Azzarelli’s ‘88 recently released book, Fast Forward: How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose

Weston Konishi CA AC 2905 North Calvert Street Baltimore, MD 21218 wkonishi@gmail.com Indira Wiegand CS 524 East 13 Street, #E2 New York, NY 10009-3510 indinyc222@verizon.net

1990 Nico Marcellino CS 333 East 30th Street, #16-J New York, NY 10016 nico@adlubow.com Belkis Rodriguez Talarico CS 1 Greene Street, #112 Jersey City, NJ 07302 beltala@hotmail.com Belkis Rodriguez Talarico and Nico Marcellino write: Hello all! We hope this issue of News from Friends finds you and your loved ones happy and healthy. Thank you to all who made it to our class reunion this past May. We had a pretty good turn out and think a good time

53 | n f f

was had by all. Classmates showed up for the school sponsored events and an intimate gathering at a bar in the LES. We hope the next reunion, the big 3-0, will be bigger and better. For your viewing pleasure we have included a few shots of some familiar faces. Our apologies and congratulations to Nicole Davis. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were not able share news in the last issue of NFF, or the issue prior to that, of Nicole's then recent birth. As is very old news by now, Nicole, her partner Colleen, and daughter Leila welcomed two new additions to their family on May 29, 2014; Wyland Bennett and Francesca Angelou. Happy Belated Birthday! Also, in what would have been more good news in the last issue of NFF was Meredith Evans Raiford's announcement that she accepted a position at Washington University, St. Louis, as an Associate University Librarian. Her main respon-

sibility is managing Special Collections (http://library. wustl.edu/units/spec/) and one of her projects is to assist with documenting Ferguson (http://digital.wustl.edu/ ferguson/). Thank you for all of your hard work, Meredith.

This project is invaluable as the events which continue to unfurl in Ferguson, Missouri, will have ramifications beyond our lifetimes and therefore need to be preserved for future generations. We hope you all have a wonderful fall and look forward to our thirtieth reunion in Spring 2020.

Till next season, Bel and Nico. A notable update: Since her appointment to Washington University in St. Louis, Meredith Evans Raiford was named the new Director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, effective November 29, 2015.

1991 Joy Rivera AC 222 East 93 Street, #20B New York, NY 10128-3757 joyusrivera@gmail.com Nicholas Testa CS 1424 North Ogden Drive Los Angeles, CA 90046 nicholas.testa@gmail.com Andrew J. Chen writes: I just returned from a deployment as the Deputy Officer-inCharge of the fourth and final team of U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers sent to Liberia as part of the U.S. Government's Ebola response plan. We were there from mid-March through the end of April, and staffed a U.S. military field hospital that

was set up as an Ebola treatment unit for healthcare workers.

1992 Michael Bachrach AC 720 Ft. Washington Avenue, #6J New York, NY 10040 mbach2000@gmail.com Jessica Wapner CS 434 7th Street, #4 Brooklyn, NY 11215-3655 jwapner@gmail.com Alexandra Zissu CS 152 Butterville Road New Paltz, NY 12561 az@alexandrazissu.com Jessica Wapner writes: After a few years of finding a place where they feel at home, Anna Crafton Walker moved back to Boulder, Colorado, after a stint in northern Westchester County, and they are, "very happy to be back," enjoying lots of outdoor time with her husband, Chad, and their two children, Wyatt, 7, and Juniper, 2. Anna has loads of musical memories from Friends, including Godspell with the "amazingeven-then" Jeff Mandelbaum '91 and singing “By My Side.” from that musical, with Abbe Egan Nabors at graduation.

She also recalls some spontaneous renditions of “Tainted Love” in the Meetinghouse and is putting together a Spotify soundtrack from the Italy trip during senior year.

Cara Cibener is still living in Park Slope and was getting ready to start teaching again when this update was written. She was also preparing for her autumn wedding in the Hudson Valley to

Rich Chapple, and looking forward to celebrating with some friends from Friends.

She remembered listening to the jazz band in the Meetinghouse and "always being wowed by their talent.” Daisy Ho is pregnant with her second child, who her son happily refers to as Little Shrimp so that he doesn't have to be called Little Shrimp anymore. If you've been following along with these alumni updates, you know about THATLou, Daisy's Paris-based museum treasure hunt company.

THATLou is now expanding to London under the name THATMuse (Treasure Hunt at the Museum). She hosted a hunt at the British Museum called "The Art of Play: A Treasure Hunt Challenge" in September.

As for music memories, she has this to say: "I would say I'm sorry if I thought that it would change your mind.

But I know that this time I have said too much, been too unkind." You know the rest. Vanessa Primack still remembers singing “The Rainbow Connection” at fourth-grade graduation. "A big thank you to Linda Monson for making us sing that song," she says. "It felt really special at the time and still does when I think about it."

Still in NYC, Jessica Rovello and her husband, Kenny, have three sons—Marco (8), Dean (6), and Reed (3)—who are enjoying the British International School. This past summer involved lots of time renovating their house upstate. Twisty Hollow, a game from their company, Arkadium, was featured by Apple a few months ago.

At the time this update was

written, Arthur Dobelis was wondering what to do with his backyard bumper crop of tomatoes and zucchinis, grown in the garden of his home in Brooklyn Heights.

We will find out what happened with them in the next alumni update. Arthur is working in web development for a media company "like it's 1999 again. But better!"

Jonathan Jacoby was preparing for a major move all the way to the sixth floor of the building he, his wife, and their twin sons (Max and Sam) already lived in. This past summer he served as a judge at Nathan's 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest and took Max and Sam to their first baseball game. If you're in downtown Brooklyn, you may want to check out Lloyd Sherman's new restaurant Myrtle & Gold, at the corner of, well, Myrtle Avenue and Gold Street. It's a great place.

As for your updater, I am still writing for magazines about science, health and medicine.

My children are six and nine years old now, and we are enjoying getting settled in our new place in Brooklyn.

And I have many heartwarming memories of music in the Meetinghouse. Sending best wishes to all.

1993 Sandra Jelin Plouffe CS AC 112 East 19th Street, #9F New York, NY 10003 sandra.jelin.plouffe@ gmail.com Helen Rhim CS 1623 3rd Avenue, #8J New York, NY 10128 helen_rhim@yahoo.com

1994 Jodyann Blagrove CS 5303 Avenue J Houston, TX 77011 jodyb30@gmail.com Samantha Liebman Elbaum CA 350 East 62nd Street, #4E New York, NY 10065 samantha.liebman@ gmail.com Stephanie Davis Hazelkorn CS CA 239 East 79th Street, #7N New York, NY 10075 shazelkorn@gmail.com Stephanie Davis Hazelkorn writes: After living and working in Washington, DC, Jodyann Blagrove recently moved back to New Jersey to take a job as Procurement Manager at Becton Dickinson. She is very excited to be back in the NYC area.

1995 Benjamin Ensminger-Law CS 111 Wooster St Apt 6C New York, NY 10012 ben77el@gmail.com Seth Goldberger CA 285 Riverside Drive, #12D New York, NY 10025 goldberger@gmail.com Sarah Greenbaum Menaul CS 4333 SW Mills Street Seattle, WA 98136-1746 sarahgreenbaum@ hotmail.com

The Class of 1990 gathered in May for their 25th reunion. Pictured are: Nicolo Marcellino and Jennie Vang, Nicole Davis and Irving Santana, and Meredith Evans Raiford and Belkis Talarico.

Bonnie Bucknell Morris CS 316 Bohemia Ave Chesapeake City, MD 21915 bbucknell@hotmail.com

1996 Sarah L. Cox CS RC 10286 East 31st Avenue Denver, CO 80238 sarilc@hotmail.com

1997 Brian Davis CS 199 State Street, #2A Brooklyn, NY 11201 brian.davis25@gmail.com

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 5 4

2001 Ashley Herriman CS 33 Spruce Street Great Neck, NY 11021 aherriman@gmail.com Joey Shapiro CS 110 East 13th Street, #5B New York, NY 10003 joanna.shapiro@gmail.com

Brent Chapman â&#x20AC;&#x2122;01 and his son, Jason (4 months old at the time this photo was taken).

Janelle Garrett CS 3340 Toledo Terrace, #581 Hyattsville, MD 20782 janellegarrett@yahoo.com

1998

Adam J. Honig CS 1234 Knickerbocker Avenue Mamaroneck, NY 10543 adam.honig@gmail.com

Samuel Blake Hofstetter CS 11 Fifth Avenue, #2T New York, NY 10003 thisissam@gmail.com

Andrew M. Laird CS 22 Florence Avenue Milford, CT 06460 andrewmlaird@gmail.com

Robin McKinney CA 19 Holly St Providence, RI 02906 robin.mckinney@gmail.com

2000

Lee Rothchild CS 30 Waterside Plaza, #7E New York, NY 10010 leerothchild@gmail.com Robin McKinney recently moved to Providence, RI where he has started a new job as an assistant professor of Pediatrics at Brown and physician at Hasbro Children's Hospital in the pediatric intensive care unit.

He and his wife just celebrated their daughter's first birthday.

55 | n f f

1999

Lisa Hofstetter Frank CS 308 E 38th St New York, NY 10016 lisabrettfrank@gmail.com David Gilbert CS 843 Tipton Terr Los Angeles, CA 90042 davidwgilbert@gmail.com Fred T. Isquith, Jr. CS 103 East 84th Street, #2C New York, NY 10028 freddy.isquith@gmail.com Russell Labiner CS 430 West 24 Street, #12F New York, NY 10011-1339 rustyscott@gmail.com

Captain Brent Chapman welcomed a son, Jason, to his family. Brent visited Friends in May and October 2015 to speak to students about cyber warfare and computer science.Â

2002 Alex Agnant CA 45 West 132nd Street, #7K New York, NY 10037 alexagnant@gmail.com Joanna Hunter August CS AC 127 E 30th St Apt 4B New York, NY 10016 joanna.h.august@gmail.com Richard Barbieri CS CA 1588 First Ave New York, NY 10028 richard13@aol.com Nicolaas van der Meer CS 3865 Revere Ave Los Angeles, CA 90039-1634 nic.vandermeer@gmail.com

2003 Hallie Davison CS AC 68 Peacock Lane Locust Valley, NY 11560 hallie.davison@gmail.com

Eric Obenzinger CA 235 West 102nd Street, #10G New York, NY 10025 obenzinger@gmail.com Danny Willner CS 75 Saint Alphonsus Street, #1911 Boston, MA 02120 dawillner@gmail.com

2004 Mary Gaynin Agnant CA 45 West 132nd Street, #7K New York, NY 10037 mary.agnant@gmail.com Jennifer Conrad CS 145 East 15th Street, #16U New York, NY 10003 jennyconrad1@gmail.com Legacy Russell CS 167A Powerscroft Road London E5 0PR United Kingdom LegacyRussell@gmail.com James Sumers CS 7 Soldiers Field Park, #7D Boston, MA 02163 james.sumers@gmail.com

2005 Cole Blumstein CS 55 East 11 Street New York, NY 10003 coleblumstein@gmail.com Nusrat Chowdhury Khan CS 2566 Woodhull Avenue Bronx, NY 10469 nuspurple@aol.com Sam Rabinowitz CS 1550 Bay St Apt 304 San Francisco, CA 94123 samuel.rabinowitz@ gmail.com

Samuel Freund writes: In February 2015 I left the video production company BigStar Motion Design where I edited video for television and managed equipment to join MTV as an editor/producer and Media Encoder, responsible for preparing most of the shows and videos that appear on MTV.com and it's social platforms.

2006 Aaron Bloch CS 266 East Broadway, #B906 New York, NY 10002 amb3kb@virginia.edu Nailah Cummings CA RC 11712 224th St Cambria Heights, NY 11411-1704 nai.cummings@gmail.com Zuzanna Drozdz CS RC 2390 Amherst Street Palo Alto, CA 94306 zuz.drozdz@gmail.com Juliet Kaye RC 2 Fifth Avenue, #9T New York, NY 10011-8837 jkaye3@gmail.com Cory Lopez CS 202 Rivington Street, #3A New York, NY 10002-2536 cory.levine.lopez@gmail.com Cameron McCully CS RC 33 Sleeper St #504 Boston, MA 02111 ckm32@cornell.edu Naledi Sean Semela CA RC AC 2160 East Tremont Ave Apt 3B Bronx, NY 10462 nellysemela@gmail.com

Congratulations to Dylan Marron for his Drama Desk Award nomination for his play The Human Symphony and for the success of his Every Single Word project (http://everysinglewordspoken.tumblr.com/).

2007 Rachel Colberg-Parseghian CS 1596 Ashland Ave Apt 2 St. Paul, MN 55104 cprachel88@gmail.com Ian Harris CA 294 Carlton Ave Brooklyn, NY 11205 ian_harris@ alumni.brown.edu

David Tucker ’04, Daniel Hunter ’05, Miles Bukiet ’06 and Cameron Deamer-Phillips ’07 celebrate the 35th anniversary of Friends Seminary’s Experiential Education program with Ex Ed faculty Deanna Yurchuk and Jack Phelan in Colorado in December of 2014.

Taylor Owens CS 440 West 21st Street New York, NY 10011 tro2102@gmail.com

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 5 6

Molly Seegers CS 222 Park Avenue South, #9A New York, NY 10003 jem.seegers@gmail.com

2008 Lena Bell CA 315 E 70th St Apt 2F New York, NY 10021 lenafbell@gmail.com Hayden A. M. Hatch CA 151 West 25th Street, #8F New York, NY 10001 hamhatch@gmail.com Jackson Sinder CS 844 South Curson Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90036 jacksonsinder@gmail.com Alex Winter CS 111 Lexington Ave Apt 2 New York, NY 10016 awinter@forosgroup.com

2009 Francesca Acocella AC 631 Bloomfield St Hoboken, NJ 07030-4912 fracocella@gmail.com Claire Brennan CS 449 East 14th Street, #8D New York, NY 10009-2735 cbren3591@gmail.com Tory Brewster CA 345 West 13th Street, #3D New York, NY 10014 vcbrewster@gmail.com Lauren Chin CS 100 Beekman St Apt 23C New York, NY 10038-1817 laurenchin212@gmail.com Allison Hartel CS 1725 York Avenue, #18E New York, NY 10128 ah492@cornell.edu

57 | n f f

Claire Brennan writes: Francesca Accocella is in her last year of law school at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she focuses on the intersection of LGBT rights with reproductive justice and with criminal justice. After she graduates, she will clerk for a judge in Newark, New Jersey. Francesca serves on the Friends Alumni Council. Claire Brennan is gearing up for another year as the Service Learning Coordinator at Friends. She is excited to be a part of the new Middle School "goLEAD" curriculum as a teacher in the 5th–7th grades. Claire still lives on the Upper East Side with Nicki Zenker. Harper GanyBeitler recently moved into an apartment in Brooklyn.

After having worked as an office production assistant and writers assistant at Law and Order: SVU, Allison Hartel is getting her MFA at UCLA's School of Theater, Film, & Television - Producers Program. Alix Eve Schram also re-located back to New York City from Washington DC in July. After spending all of 2014 in Bogotá, Colombia, Sarah Vogelman is back in New York and just began her MA in Art History at the Institute of Fine Arts NYU. She looks forward to seeing more of Desiree Mitton now that they are classmates again!

Emma Weinstein is gearing up for another year as the assistant director at Dillon Gallery and enjoys balancing her work schedule by going upstate to horseback ride whenever she can. Nicki Zenker enjoys hearing about Friends through her roommate Claire Brennan. Nicki

works at Horizon Media as a strategist on the Burger King team #chickenfriesareback.

2010 Alexander Shepherd CS 390 First Ave Apt 11B New York, NY 10010 xander.shepherd@ redscout.com

2011 Myles Davis CS RC 738 E 22nd St Brooklyn, NY 11210-1120 modavis@ students.colgate.edu Andrew Hinkle RC 218 Hudson Street Hoboken, NJ 07030 fillion.andrew@me.com Hugo Fausto Torres-Fetsco RC 626 Riverside Dr, Apt 11H New York, NY 10031-7215 htorresfetsco@gmail.com Alison Weiss CS RC 60 E 8th St Apt 8K New York, NY 10003-6538 alisonjweiss@aol.com Afi Yellow-Duke RC 995 Eastern Parkway, #4P Brooklyn, NY 11213 ayellowduke@gmail.com Harry Zieve-Cohen RC 234 Dean Street Brooklyn, NY 11217 hzc234@gmail.com

2012 Tamar Davis CA 404 East 16th Street Brooklyn, NY 11226 tamar.sarai@gmail.com

Simon Pritchard CA 400 Riverside Dr Apt 3B New York, NY 10025-1851 spritchard527@gmail.com Patrick Smith CS 315 West 23 Street, #8B New York, NY 10011 pshizzle1284@gmail.com Sarah Tisch CA 895 Park Avenue New York, NY 10075 Stisch@skidmore.edu Lizzy Weiss CS 205 W 89th St Apt 8H New York, NY 10024-1835 eweiss@middlebury.edu

2013 Audrey Rosegg Engelman CS 4830 Campus Box Elon, NC 27244 audreyrengelman@ gmail.com Christian Hoyos CA 1262 Paresky Center Williamstown, MA 01267 hoyos.christian.hoyos gmail.com Jordan R. Kasarjian CS 111 West 28th Street, #3A New York, NY 10001 Jkasarjian1@gmail.com Shivanii Manglani CA 605 Asbury Circle PO Box 124278 Atlanta, GA 30322 shivanii.manglani@ gmail.com Dyulani Thomas CA 1596 E115th Street, #202D Cleveland, OH 44106 akolebi@gmail.com

Audrey Engelman reports: Olivia Creamer is a junior at NYU and president of the Queer Union. She spent her summer working at Rooftop Films and doing freelance writing. Sophie Kasakove reports, "I am a rising junior at Brown University, concentrating in Middle East studies with a possible double concentration in urban studies. Right now, I'm taking the semester off from school to travel, study Arabic, and intern at two non-profit organizations in Israel. I'm excited to have this time to get some work experience and live abroad. When I go back to school for the spring semester, I'm looking forward to resuming my position as an editor for Brown's weekly paper, The College Hill Independent, and to continuing to make music!" Isadora Schappell- Spillman reports, "I'm going in my junior year at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. I'm majoring in Comparative Government and Sociology and minoring in International Relations.

I'm very excited about starting Taiko drumming lessons in the fall!" This year, I'm continuing my work with Elon Local News as the PR Director. I am also working with our student run communications firm leading a team and doing communications for our client - a local barbecue restaurant. I'm so excited to study abroad in London next semester!

2014 Abigail Johnson CA Smith College 1 Chapin Way, #7763 Northampton, MA 01063 awjohnson@smith.edu Amanda Shepherd CS Village C West RHO Georgetown University 3700 O Street Washington, DC 20057 ais40@georgetown.edu Alessandro Viviano CA Box #2517 University of Hartford 200 Bloomfield Avenue West Hartford, CT 06117-1599 avivmaster25@gmail.com Matthew Winter CS Box #403 Bates College Lewiston, ME 04240-6094 mwinter@bates.edu

2015 Scout Eisenberg CA Tulane University 31 McAlister Dr #2414 New Orleans, LA 70118 scouteisenberg1996@ gmail.com Luke Fairbairn CS Tulane University 31 McAlister Dr #5205 New Orleans, LA 70118 Sam Harris CA 45 Wyllys Avenue WesBox 90251 Middletown, CT 06459 scharris@wesleyan.edu Julia Rosenbaum CS Arcadia University 16-17 Southampton Place London, WC1A 2AJ United Kingdom julia.rosenbaum@gmail.com

Class of 2015 representatives, Luke Fairbairn, Julia Rosenbaum, Scout Eisenberg and Sam Harris pose with Alumni Director, Katherine Farrell, on graduation day.

Luke Fairbairn writes: Hello Class of 2015! There are some exciting updates to share as we enter our first year of college. In sports news, Sam Harris has overcome his hip injuries and has had a successful pre-season with the Wesleyan Soccer team.

Sammie Barkan is on the varsity softball team! They are both playing at the collegiate level so the quality will be extremely high. As

for music, Andrew Hampton brought his awesome musical skills to the test and auditioned for the male a cappella club called The Chessmen!

And Chuma Osse played his music so loud in his NYU 5th floor dorm that they could hear it from the lobby! Joseph Wang is joining a team for buggy races! Let's hope we have a great first year filled with more new experiences!

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 5 8

tributes E. Grant Hesser ’37, who was an icon in the construction industry in Cincinnati, Ohio, died Dec. 26, 2014 in Palm City, Florida, at the age of 94. He was the husband of Joan S. Hesser and the late Betty (Maescher) Hesser. He was born in Bowling Green, Ohio, on Jan. 11, 1919 to George Ernest and Ethel Martin Hesser and grew up in Cincinnati. He attended Friends for his senior year of high school when his family moved to New York City. He graduated from Dartmouth College, and attended the U.S. Naval Academy. He served in the U.S. Navy in World War II and achieved the rank of lieutenant commander. He met his first wife, Betty, in the Les Cheneaux Islands, Michigan, in 1938 and they were married in 1944. After the war, they moved back to Cincinnati and raised three sons. He worked at Maescher Industries, Inc. (the former Chas.

V. Maescher & Co., Inc.) for 50 years in the general construction industry and served as president until 1983, when he moved to Stuart, Florida, and chairman until 1996. He was highly respected in the construction industry. A few of his contributions included: founder and past president of the American Council of Construction Education and the Associated General Contractors of Ohio chapter; past president of the Allied Construction Industries in Cincinnati and the American Institute of Constructors; life director of the Associated General Contractors of America. He was honored in Cincinnati with the 2010 Spirit of Construction Award for his years of service to the industry. Some of his memorable construction projects of note are: Kings Island, The Christ Hospital and other hospitals, The Kroger Co., P&G, Cincinnati Milacron and many area shopping centers. He was a life member and past president of both the University Club and the Gyro Club of Cincinnati, a past board member of

59 | n f f

the Cincinnati Country Club, member of The Cincinnatus Association, past president of the Cincinnati Dartmouth Club, and also served on many nonprofit boards. He was an Eagle Scout and a Silver Beaver Award recipient. He was an accomplished sailor at his summer home in the Les Cheneaux Islands, Michigan, for 61 years, as well as an avid woodworker. He had a great sense of humor and was often heard humming and always had a smile and a hearty “hello” for everyone he met. Surviving are his sons, Grant (Carol), Peter (Nancy), John (Tina); grandchildren Torie (Stefan) Schellhas, James, Peter Jr., Lesley (Curtis) Bowling, J.Whitney, Kristin (Blake) Horsburgh, Grant; great-grandchildren Heidi, Greyson, Elle, Liam, Brie; a nephew and two stepdaughters. A memorial service was held at Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church.

[The Cincinnati Enquirer] Nathalie Weaver Hope ’39, passed away on Dec. 4, 2014, at the Abington of Glenview, Illinois. Nathalie was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, on June 19, 1921 and educated at Friends Seminary in New York City and Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There she met her future husband, Quentin Manning Hope, in the Harvard Glee Club, and the two were married on May 22, 1944. They lived in Boston, New York City and Middletown, Connecticut, until moving to Bloomington, Indiana, in 1956 where Quentin was professor of French. Nathalie and Quentin enjoyed an active social life in Bloomington, especially the abundant musical performances, dinner parties with friends — most of whom were gourmet cooks — and the occasional trips to Paris and other regions of France for more food and drink. She spent summers with her family in their cottage on the coast of Maine entertaining siblings and other

guests, and also enjoying the coastal solitude when the others were out on the water. She loved jazz, had a keen appreciation of poetry and the arts and crafts and devoted much of her time to the cause of Planned Parenthood.

Upon the death of Quentin in 2005, she moved to Rockland, Maine, returning to her beloved New England. In 2013, she moved to Illinois to be closer to family.

She is survived by her twin sons, Kenneth and Geoffrey; her daughter Persis; two grandsons, Nathaniel and Trevor (Kenneth); and four great-grandchildren, Greta and Mirra (Nathaniel) and Logan and Lyla (Trevor). She is predeceased by her husband Quentin, her brother James Weaver, and her sisters Persis Fitzpatrick and Ann Caufield. [http://www.hopeandlawrence.com/ Family/Memorials/2014NathalieHope/ index.html] Elisabeth Miller Burger ’41, died peacefully at home on Dec. 22, 2013.

She will always be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She could always be counted on for wise counsel, emotional support, wonderful meals and a place to stay in New York. She was joined in these activities by her second husband, Chester Burger, who passed away in March 2011. Elisabeth was an avid reader and traveler, having been to every continent. She was an elegant woman with a great sense of humor, and especially good at making puns!

She was a wonderful hostess, and was gracious to all around her to the day she died. She graduated from Vassar, and trained as an economist early in her professional career. After World War II she joined the staff of the International Labor Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, where she met and later married Arthur David Kemp Owen, with whom she had two sons, Michael and Hugh.

Elisabeth Miller Burger ’41, John Sherman Estey ’43 , Harvey Folks Zimand ’46

He was assistant-secretary general for economic affairs at the United Nations, and later co-founded the United Nations Development Program. After retiring from the U.N. in 1969, Owen was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and she became Lady Owen. After Sir David’s death in 1970, she later married Chester Burger, a New York management consultant. Mrs. Burger continued to work as a consultant to state, national and international organizations and served in the United Nations Secretariat for International Women’s Year in 1975.

She was a member of the board of directors of Planned Parenthood in New York and a long-time member of the Cosmopolitan Club. She is survived by her two sons, Michael David Owen of New York City, and Hugh Miller Owen of Mount Jackson, Virginia; 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren; as well as five stepchildren, nine stepgrandchildren, eight step-great-grandchildren and three grand-nieces.

[The New York Times] John Sherman Estey ’43, former managing partner of the Philadelphia law firm

Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads LLP, passed away on July 7, 2015 in Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania with his wife, Alix, at his side. He was 89. John was born in New York City on April 11, 1926, the son of the late Laurence Wilkie Estey and Caroline Grabill Eshleman Estey. He graduated from Friends Seminary in New York City. He entered Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania, and joined the U.S. Navy. He participated in a navy officer training program that sent him to Swarthmore College and then to Harvard University.

He graduated in 1947 from Haverford College where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated from Yale Law School in 1950. John practiced corporate and bankruptcy law for over three decades at Montgomery McCracken. He retired as managing partner of the firm in 1996. During his career he held numerous committee positions with the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania bar associations. John’s legal career was long and distinguished. One of his most significant achievements occurred in the fall of 1990 when the City of Philadelphia faced a $206 million cash short-

age and was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Without access to the bond market, and with no single financial institution willing to lend, John, through sheer force of will and keen legal acumen, assembled and convinced a consortium of banks, led by his client CoreStates, to step into the breach so that the city’s finances could be stabilized and a meltdown avoided. John married the former Margaret Harper Glenn who predeceased him in 1984. He married the former Alexandra Montgomery Dial in 1986. John spent 50 summers with his family in Eagles Mere. An avid golfer and accomplished bridge player, he was a member and past president of the Eagles Mere Country Club and the Dushore Lions Club. Following retirement, John and his wife maintained their residence in Vero Beach, Florida. Friends and family gathered for a celebration of John's life on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015 at The Racquet Club in Philadelphia.

Marjorie Lehmann Moats ’43 was born on Jan. 10, 1926, and passed away on Dec. 13, 2013. Marjorie was a resident of Hanover, New Hampshire.

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 6 0

Mary Burdell Keane ’49

Harvey Folks Zimand ’46, passed away peacefully on Nov. 10, 2014 at his home in New York City. He was 86. He was born in New York City and attended Friends Seminary, graduated from Colgate University, received a master’s degree in political science at the University of Chicago and his law degree from Yale University. After law school, he joined Kelley Drye & Warren where he became a partner and specialized as a trusts and estates attorney for over 50 years. He was selected as one of The Best Lawyers in America in the trusts and estates and litigation for over 20 years. He was a lifelong resident of New York City and spent many summers with his family in Randolph, New Hampshire, where he loved to hike and was a member of the Randolph Hiking Club. Mr. Zimand is survived by his two daughters, Patty Carpenter and Stephanie Plexico, his four grandchildren, and his stepsons Chris Manfre and Mark Manfre and their two sons. A funeral service was held at the Frank E. Campbell funeral chapel.

[The New York Times] Mary Burdell Keane ’49, born June 1, 1931 in Columbus, Ohio, longtime resident of Gramercy Park. Died March 3,

61 | n f f

2015, after a long illness, bravely fought.

Deeply mourned by husband, Ted, children, Webb, Jennie and Metthea, and eight grandchildren and one greatgrandchild.

Submitted by Webb Keane ’73: Mary Burdell Keane ’49 died on March 3, 2015, at the age of 83. Mary grew up on Gramercy Park, and attended Friends from elementary school through her high school graduation. Receiving her bachelor degree of arts from Vassar and master’s degree in social work from Simmons, she resumed her ties to Friends as the mother of three students (Webb ’73, Jennie ’75 and Metthea ’78), and as a social studies teacher for two decades until multiple sclerosis made it impossible for her to continue. She leaves her husband of 60 years, Edward W. Keane.

A memorial service was held to honor Mary at Grace Church on June 13, 2015.

Edes Powell Gilbert ’49 remembered Mary at the service with the following remarks: Winter 1942, Mary greeted me as a new girl to the fifth grade at Friends Seminary. She was wearing a pink linen suit and a ruffly white blouse, vivid memories to this day. With her dark wavy hair and welcoming smile, I was dazzled, and grateful that she was there to guide me through the halls and up the stairs to the fifth grade classroom where Miss Mercer, the homeroom teacher, was reading aloud from “The Oregon Trail.” We became Girl Scouts in grade six and felt very important in our green uniforms, green berets and yellow scarves. The troop met in Calvary Church on Gramercy Park, a block from 60 Gramercy Park where the Burdells lived. We spent many late afternoons doing homework and talking about school and our classmates in her pretty bedroom. Then, to spring 1945 at the end of our eighth grade year, Mary took me to my first opera, “The Marriage of Figaro.” We bought standing room tickets for $3 for a matinee on a Saturday af-

ternoon at the old Met. I was enthralled, by the music, the singers and the sense of event that opera has been for me ever since. Following the opera, we went to see Frank Sinatra at the Paramount. To me, Frankie was a scrawny guy with a big voice. To Mary, he was a wonder and she was transported along with the crowd of teenage girls around us. It was a day we both remembered for many years. Only in New York would eighth graders go from opera to a pop singer in one afternoon! And without Mary, I would never have gone to either. And then, we both went to Vassar, where we did not room together and our academic and social lives separated except for her introducing me to the glamor of weekends at West Point and an occasional movie or visit with her and her roommates. However, we came together again when we married within a month of each other and had three children, born within months of each other. One of the great gifts Mary and Ted gave me was to invite me to be Jennie’s godmother. She is an abiding joy in my life and is a reminder of Mary, while being a lovely woman and good friend in her own right. When our children were toddlers and infants, we spent some time vacationing in Connecticut while our husbands toiled at their jobs at home.

The children shared playpens (now out of style but we found them very helpful) and slept in cribs side by side after hot afternoons crawling through rubber swimming pools and hose sprays. We traded thoughts on being mothers, being tired much of the time and missing some aspects of our single lives. Both of us were happy with our choices of husbands, and believed our children to be extraordinarily promising. With these vignettes, you can see that Mary was a thread of fun, variety and glamor in my life. She was one of the popular girls in our class and I admired her social skills enormously. She knew intuitively how

to have a good time with boys who were not the mystery to her that they were to me. Wherever there was a group of girls and boys laughing and enjoying each other, you would find Mary, in their midst. At the same time, Mary was serious and reflective, positing interesting questions in Mr. Wilcox’s English class or Dr. Hunter’s history class, often challenging classmates and engaging in complicated discussions with the teachers. Like most young people, we discussed the meaning of life and God, how would we know when we were really in love, what would it be like to be married. She read books that seemed impressive to me including “Anna Karenina.” When I think about my growing up years, I think of Mary — we came of age together and separately. We were friends as only girls in tween and teen years can be. Through the years, our lives have converged, then separated, then converged in a constant pattern throughout the years. For me, Mary will always be the bright eyed, enormously pretty, energetic girl ready to initiate a bit of an adventure, always bringing a spark of fun and joy into our rather serious lives during and after the war. When she fell in love with Ted, she was fully committed, deeply devoted and shared her worries about him when he was overseas during the Korean War. The arrival of his letters was her day of happiness. They shared a life of deep devotion and profound connection from the beginning. Mary was “the gladdest thing under the sun” to me. I am grateful to her. I rejoice in the lasting gifts she gave me and I admire beyond words the essential spirit and determination that sustained her through the years.

Jebba Mortellito Handley ’53, died after a long battle with breast cancer. She is survived by her husband Lawrence M. Handley; sister Nina Mortellito; her daughters, Vail Maes, Kyra Kuhn, Tracy

Maes; stepchildren Lucy Handley, Tad Graham-Handley, Elizabeth Keithline, Anne Handley Sisco; and 12 grandchildren. Jebba was born in New York City.

She lived in Japan, California, Greece, and Connecticut, settling on the Cape in 1992. She studied art in New York City at the National Academy of Design and was an artist, musician and fabric designer. She owned several successful businesses, including nationally-franchised Jebba Needlepoint, Jebba Party Design and Scarecrow Productions. She was a volunteer designer for the Cape and Island Chamber Music Festival.

Jebba was a writer, essayist, poet and biweekly columnist for the Cape Codder, writing on food, wine and the joys of entertaining at home. Jebba was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. One of the principal pleasures of her life was to gather friends and family around her table for a meal. She had many friends on Cape Cod and around the world. She is profoundly missed by all.

Submitted by Gail Richards Tirana ’55: George Edward French III ’55, of Andover Township, died Monday, Feb. 16, 2015, at Barn Hill Care Center in Newton. He was 77. Born and raised in Jersey City, Mr. French also lived in Harrison before moving to Sussex County 10 years ago. He was a courier for Impulse in Franklin Lakes. A U.S. Army veteran, Mr. French served in the Vietnam War. The son of the late George E. French Jr., and Ethel (Johnston) French, Mr. French is survived by his wife, Dorothy Truesdell; three stepchildren, Mark Truesdell of Andover Township, Sean Truesdel of Fredon and Kimberly Ball of Charlotte, North Carolina; and three grandchildren.

[New Jersey Herald] Paul: You always made us laugh George. Rest In Peace Soldier you.

Jackson: Reconnecting with George at our 55th Reunion was one of the great —

George Edward French III ’55

and unexpected — pleasures of that evening. I don’t think any of us, except maybe Paul and Art, had seen George since we graduated, but it was as if the years had never intervened. George had obviously had some major health issues, but just as obviously he had had some pretty exciting life experiences. As we listened to him, I think it occurred to several of us that at least some of what he had done was probably not for publication, there was a strong possibility I think that he was an undercover agent of some sort, perhaps for the CIA. But George was gracious and soft-spoken about his experiences, the same sort of “gentle big man” I remember from high school — and “the guy who lived in Jersey City.” All of us at that 55th Reunion were extremely pleased to reacquaint ourselves with him.

Anne: I remember my delight (and relief ) when, at our reunion, I discovered that George and I had both been married more than once (I won’t go into details) but we were obviously talking very personally, and our respective marital exploits united us for a few hours.

Art: I knew George mainly as a classmate at Friends, from 1951 to graduation in 1955. Except for a brief encounter around 1980, I didn’t see George again

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 6 2

Sara Lyons O’Neill ’55,

until he contacted me on Facebook in 2009. We began a series of phone conversations, and then I talked him into attending our 55th Reunion at Gail’s — in spite of his fear that no one would care to talk to him after so long an absence. Our classmates, who had also lost track of George, were delighted to see him. He retained his lively wit and friendly repartee in spite of the physical effects of aging. In August of 2010, Paul and his wife Isa hosted a party commemorating that Paul, George and I had been the Three Kings in the 1954 Christmas Pageant — and Isa served king crab claws. We kings met again, with Isa and my wife Louise, at the Delaware Water Gap in September 2011. George was in his fourth marriage, but Paul and I never met his wife. After 2011, my contacts with George were by phone or his emails, either jokes about aging or inspirational messages. It is hard to write about a man whom I knew especially well in ninth and 10th grades, when we sat in desks next to each other, but didn’t see for so long after 1955. I think he started college at Texas A&M University, then transferred to Michigan State. He told me several times that he played varsity football, about which I am incredulous since Friends

63 | n f f

had no tackle football program (he was manager of the boy’s varsity basketball team, coached junior varsity, and was also in the current events club and the choral group). I think he first came to Friends in sixth grade, and he once described the buses, trolleys and ferries he rode each day to get to and from school.

He couldn’t have had much time to hang around after 3 p.m., but I recall accompanying him to a bowling alley on 14th Street; he bowled and I kept score.

He later introduced me to the roller derby. (Does anyone else remember Mr. Wilcox’s crush on a player named Mary Lou Palermo?) I also went to a Yankees game with George one summer night.

He had a tendency to play class clown, but he was so bright and articulate. In our class song, to the tune of “Wonderful Town,” there is a line about “Steve and his stagecoach, George in the back row, his comments endure.” George was also quite the gentleman. He was very polite to Louise when he met her at the reunion and insisted on driving us back to our hotel. Writing about George’s death saddens me, but thinking about him has also revived some surprisingly positive memories about Friends.

Paul Allersmeyer, Jackson Bryer, Anne Carriere and Arthur Goldschmidt contributed to the tribute above.

Submitted by Gail Richards Tirana ’55: It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Sara Lyons O’Neill ’55, on April 28, 2015. She was 77 years old. She was the daughter of the late Jeremiah P. Lyons and late Isabel Delehanty Lyons. A lifelong resident of Manhattan and Spring Lake, New Jersey, she graduated from Hunter College Elementary School, Friends Seminary and Mount Holyoke College, Class of 1959.

The beloved wife of Paul J. O’Neill, Jr., to whom she was married for 54 years, she was the mother of Christopher, Bradley and Hilary, and the grandmother of Brendan, Meghan, Katharine and Emily.

During her career, she served as the director of finance and business operations for several New York area independent schools, including Woodmere Academy, The Hewitt School and Packer Collegiate Institute. A woman of intelligence, grace and great integrity, she will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

[The New York Times] Jackson: I remember Sara at Friends as a wonderful classmate — reserved but friendly and a wonderful writer. She went to Mount Holyoke College and I to neighboring Amherst College. When I got to Amherst in the fall of 1955, I literally knew no one at either school, except Sara, and for the first month of school Amherst was under quarantine because one of my classmates had contracted polio and we could not leave the campus. Needless to say, when the quarantine ended, my classmates and I were anxious to meet our counterparts at Mount Holyoke. I got in touch with Sara and, as a result, my social life was launched. Although we saw each other relatively infrequently during our college years, whenever we did we were extremely glad to see each other. The party she and Paul gave on the Friday night of our 50th Reunion weekend was a highlight of the event.

Anne: Sara reminded me of a little bird, in her movements and her quickness. We met for lunch with Ellen a few times in the past, and her wit and her political perceptions were delightful.

Peter: I remember Sara well and that she was a wonderful person. I cannot think of Cicero without thinking of Sara as she, I, and a third classmate, Susan Mok, took third year Latin together three times a week (“O Tempora, O Mores” is how Cicero’s attack on Cataline begins as I still recall), and also often prepared for class together for that whole year. And I would often meet Sara going to high school. Several Friends people took the Third Avenue El (which conveniently didn’t stop run-

ning until near our graduation), getting on at various stops — Sara and her sister Bradley at 76th Street — and we all often met on the same train in “our” certain car. Sara was always very friendly and always correct in her dealings with others. For every other member of our class I can recall some outburst of anger or stupidity or a nasty comment critical of another classmate or a bad joke or a little fight over something, etc. But Sara was the only person in the class who never lost her cool and never said anything memorably stupid. She wrote well and was the editor of the literary magazine The Stove.

Ellen: Over the years, Sara and I met for dinner on occasion, and talked mostly about personal issues, politics, books, family and our discontent with the world. Sara read political views contrary to her own to better understand the opposing arguments. She had a sharp mind, a dry sense of humor and was thoroughly unpretentious. Sara was the oldest of three girls who also went to Friends (Bradley ’58 and Cornelia ’64). Sara had an encyclopedic memory of school days, events, classmates. She was editor of our literary magazine, and had a lifelong joy of reading. She was also on the yearbook and Oblivion committees, in the Cercle Français and on the basketball team. She loved work as an administrator in a private school, adored her family and with them spent all or part of every summer since childhood in Spring Lake. It was there, when she was 12, that she first met Paul.

Jackson Bryer, Anne Carriere, Peter Schrag and Ellen Friendly Simon contributed to the tribute above.

It is with great sadness that we report the loss of Bob Overton Day '66, who was born in 1948 and died March 24, 2015. Bob was a resident of Southold, New York.

Deirdre Murphy Bader ’77, (nee Mur-

Bob Overton Day ’66, Barbara Dreyfus ’77 phy), beloved wife of Lawrence S. Bader, adoring mother of Ethan Russell Bader, cherished daughter of Daniel Murphy and Sally Kandle, passed away peacefully on Nov. 11, 2014 at the Calvary Hospital in the Bronx. Deirdre was the executive director of Star Track, a cycling charity for New York City children between the ages of 7 and 14. Using the city’s outdoor velodrome in Kessina Park, Queens, Deirdre founded the charity in connection with New York’s bid for the 2012 Olympic games and led Star Track’s growth over the past 12 years to the point where, in 2014, 300 children were enrolled in Star Track, with a long waiting list. Star Track is a free program that teaches children how to ride specialized bicycles designed for competition on banked tracks called velodromes. It was Deirdre’s hope that by learning to ride on a velodrome, the children could develop fitness, self-esteem and teamwork. Deirdre’s involvement in competitive cycling began when she was 32 years old, and she retired at the age of 41, having just competed for Ireland in the women’s road race in the Sydney Olympics. Deirdre was born and raised in New York City, and while in high school, obtained Irish citizenship at the urging of her father. Years later, representing Ireland,

Deirdre raced against international competition in Montevideo, Uruguay, in a qualifying race to determine which countries could send their road cycling competitors to the 2000 Olympics. By finishing fourth in that race, Deirdre qualified Ireland to send its first woman road cyclist ever to the Olympics. Deirdre was also the Women’s World Masters champion in 1997 for all women over 30 years old, earning her the coveted “rainbow jersey” worn by the reigning world champion in one of cycling’s disciplines — in her case, the road race. In her career, she won 81 races. Deirdre married her husband, Lawrence, in 2002 and gave birth to their son, Ethan, in 2007. Deirdre was an extraordinarily beautiful woman who embodied generosity of spirit, warmth, loyalty, competitiveness and intelligence. She will be missed terribly by all who knew her. A funeral service was held at The Brick Presbyterian Church on Nov. 15, 2014.

[The New York Times]

Barbara Dreyfus ’77, a veteran agent who joined filmmaker Will Packer as head of motion pictures for his production company, has died, the company confirmed. At Will Packer Productions, Dreyfus was responsible for developing

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 6 4

Virginia Donchian Murray, George Orio comedy and drama projects through the company’s first-look deal with Universal Pictures. She was hired in January 2014.

“Barbara had an amazing spirit and passion for her family and her career,” said Packer, who produced the 2014 Kevin Hart and Ice Cube comedy “Ride Along,” in a statement. “She will be missed for her creativity and fearlessness as an executive, but more importantly for her incredibly giving nature as a person.” Earlier, Dreyfus spent 13 years at UTA, starting at the agency in 2001 and most recently serving as a senior agent in the motion picture literary department. “Barbara Dreyfus was a tremendous colleague, agent and friend,” UTA said in a statement. “We were lucky to have her as part of the UTA family for so many years. Her passionate representation, warm heart and infectious laughter filled the halls here and made every day a bit more enjoyable. She will be missed by us all.” Dreyfus started out in the agency business with a job in the legal department at William Morris, then moved to InterTalent, where she trained under Bill Block.

Her next eight years were spent at ICM. Raised in New York City, Dreyfus earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern’s

65 | n f f

undergraduate film school. Survivors include her two children.

[The Hollywood Reporter] Alvin Mack ’77: I’ve been in love with Barbara’s spirit since second grade at Friends Seminary. Learning of her passing shattered my heart into a million pieces; it will not heal until I’m with her again, laughing with our hearts like kids, running in the play yard in front of the Meetinghouse. After learning of her untimely death, I returned to Friends to hold Barbara in the light at Meeting for Worship on 15th Street. We love you, Barbara Dreyfus. Thank you for blessing us all with your wonderfully kind presence and that megawatt smile. Thank you and rest in peace, dear friend.

The Friends Seminary community notes with deep sorrow the passing of Gertrude G. “G.G.” Michelson, parent of alumni, honorary chair of the Lift Every Voice Capital Campaign, abiding friend and advisor. G.G. set an example for many, living the values of service and equality associated with the School where she and her husband, Horace, chose to educate their two daughters, Martha ’71 and Barbara ’73. We extend our condolences to her family and

thank them for sharing G.G. with us for so many decades. We shall miss her.

Gertrude G. “G.G.” Michelson, who rose from humble origins to become a trail-blazing executive and an influential presence at the highest levels of American business, academia, philanthropy and public service, died peacefully at her Greenwich Village home. Born in 1925 in Jamestown, New York, G.G. graduated from Penn State University and from Columbia Law School, where she was one of six women in the class of 1947. At Columbia Law, she met and married Horace Michelson, a classmate whose quiet brilliance perfectly complemented G.G.’s sparkling extroversion. He introduced her to another great love, the New York Yankees, for whom she developed an “unswerving devotion.” After law school, G.G. joined the executive training squad at R.H. Macy & Co., the retailer, where she would continue to work, in a series of increasingly senior positions in labor relations, human resources and external affairs, until her 1992 retirement. (She remained a senior advisor and director until the company’s merger with Federated Department Stores, at which point she joined that company’s board.) With

each appointment, to vice president in 1963, then to senior vice president for labor and consumer relations in 1970 and to Macy’s New York executive committee and board of directors that same year, G.G. was almost invariably the first female to have risen so high. But she quickly won over those unaccustomed to dealing with women in managerial roles, establishing a reputation as a firm but fair-minded labor negotiator. She was responsible for collective bargaining with the Teamsters and 14 union locals, representing a total of 20,000 employees, and helped Macy’s successfully navigate the workforce challenges associated with the legal and social upheavals of the 1960s and the consumer movement of the 1970s. In 1971, G.G. was named to the Board of Directors of the Quaker Oats Corporation and over the course of the next three decades she served as director of numerous important American corporations, including General Electric, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, the Stanley Works, Chubb Insurance, Irving Trust and Harper & Row; and as president of the board of overseers of TIAA-CREF; a member of the executive board of the American Arbitration Association and a governor of the American Stock Exchange. When these responsibilities took G.G. to board meetings and similar events, Horace, by then a high-powered partner at a New York law firm but an ever-stalwart booster of his spouse’s career, played his assigned role, taking his place at luncheons and garden tours organized for the “wives” of the corporations’ directors. G.G’s commitments and leadership roles extended beyond corporate boardrooms. She served on the boards of Spellman College and of the RAND Corporation, whose graduate school awarded her an honorary Ph.D. in 2002. In 1980, she was named to the board of trustees of Columbia University and was elected chair in 1989

— the first woman to lead the overseers of an Ivy League institution. It was during her tenure on the board that the university decided to admit women to Columbia College, after 229 years as a male-only institution. She was named to the National Commission on the Public Service; served as deputy chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; was a long-serving director of the New York City Partnership and a director of the Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York; served on the Emergency Financial Control Board, the state entity established in the wake of the New York City fiscal crisis of the 1970s; and was appointed to numerous commissions by Mayors Koch, Dinkins and Bloomberg.

In these many roles, G.G. endeared herself to colleagues through her sharp intelligence, geniality and commitment to hard work. She approached board appointments as work, not honors, and discharged her responsibilities diligently. Surrounded by other powerful leaders accustomed to having their own way, G.G., true to her background in progressive labor relations and consumer affairs, earned a reputation as a conciliator par excellence though not, as a colleague emphasized, one of the “peace at any price” stripe. An enduring aspect of G.G.’s professional legacy stems from her role, spanning decades, as a mentor and friend to newly-minted Macy’s executives and to a much broader circle of younger people who sought her out for advice and support as they began to make their way in the business, philanthropic and academic worlds. Seeing these people advance to positions of leadership was a source of particular pride for G.G., and they —and the hundreds of rank-and-file Macy’s employees whom she had come to know and help in myriad ways repaid her generosity with warm friendship and steadfast loyalty. G.G. was a devoted mother and grandmother and a doting

Larry Wilson

great-grandmother and a central, beloved figure in two unusually close-knit extended families, her own and her husband’s. She is survived by her sister, Mildred Terr, of Las Vegas, New Mexico; her daughter, Barbara Michelson and son-in-law Jim Heffron; her three granddaughters, Phoebe, Sarah and Claude; and four great-grandchildren, as well as a legion of friends, admirers and others whose lives she enriched. Her husband Horace and her daughter Martha predeceased her.

[The New York Times] Virginia Donchian Murray, May 5, 1922–November 28, 2014. Gina was born in Pasadena, California to Bessie Gertmenian Donchian and Paul Dikran Donchian. Gina was raised a Quaker with her brother Dikran in New York City and educated at Riverdale Country School, Swarthmore and Barnard (1943). She was a member of the Society of Friends, an educator with a passion for theater, the symphony and world travel. Gina and her husband, the artist Jack Murray, raised five children — Margaret, Kathryn, Nicholas, Peter and Paul — at the Groton School in Massachusetts, where her husband set up the

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 6 6

arts program under the Reverend Jack Crocker. Gina continued in theater and education after Jack’s death teaching at Friends Seminary as a drama teacher and later serving as college counselor.

She resided at 2501 Palisades Ave. in Riverdale and later at Thornton Oaks in Brunswick, Maine, and summered on Matinicus, Gotts and Great Cranberry Islands, where Jack painted until his death in 1969. Gina enjoyed, entertained and hosted friends and acquaintances spanning generations, cultures and continents. She leaves eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

She was a life-enhancing and wise, iconic presence in many lives.

[The New York Times] George Orio, former Director of Technology at Friends from 2005 - 2014, passed away suddenly in February, 2015, while on vacation in Puerto Rico with his family. George left his wife Dina Gabriel and three children, Andrea, Daniel and Matthew. A memorial service was held on April 11, 2015 at Convent of the Sacred Heart, where George taught prior to joining our family at Friends.

Tim Cooper, former technology faculty at Friends, writes: “George was one of the most influential people in my life and one of my best friends. He was an amazing mentor, boss, colleague, neighbor and most importantly, friend. He was such a character, always playing the clown, while secretly the smartest guy in the room. He could talk to anyone and would if the opportunity presented itself. He had no airs or condescension; on occasion he might have a hint cynicism or righteous indignation.

Although he hammered you mercilessly with his points, he would always be open to changing his mind if you made a good case. I learned so much from him. He taught me so much about people and looking at technology as a tool for empowerment rather than a service. We didn’t give people technology, we empowered them to do stuff that

67 | n f f

mattered to them with whatever tools we could find. Simple tools were better than fancy ones. Finding opportunities to let people play with tools, helping them to feel comfortable and skillful and setting up a reliable environment to use those tools was our job in the gospel according to Orio. George knew how to get the most out of people. He would make it clear that he cared about you as a person. He wanted to know why you felt down. He really wanted to know what you thought and would let you try stuff out even if he was not convinced it was the best idea. George was one of the hardest working people I know, but always found time to see his son’s basketball game or lots of other family stuff. To you, George Orio, you will be sorely missed. We are all so much better off for knowing you.” Other memories of George are shared on his memorial page: celebratinggeorgeorio.tumblr. com.

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Larry Wilson, after a long battle with cancer, on September 20. Larry worked as a crossing guard, receptionist, and after-school supervisor at Friends for 14 years. His bond with students, and alumni, was deep.

Gordon Hulse writes: Larry has left a big hole in the heart of Friends Seminary.

I first met Larry in 2001 when he was hired by our evening supervisor, James Gales. Larry was an outstanding worker and soon was transferred to the Annex security team. This position required constant vigilance and interaction with the whole school community, and Larry excelled. In recent years, Larry served as the Annex receptionist, and everyone agrees that his warm greetings and personable manner made passing through the entry each day a true pleasure. Larry had genuine interest in the school, kids, and teachers. He was always ready with a tidbit of information or a story. No one was surprised when the head of the Middle School proposed that

Larry be appointed a recess supervisor.

His security schedule was adjusted to make it possible, and recess supervisor became the job he really loved. He could easily get the kids to laugh, and also to understand the importance of playing by the rules. Not only did he supervise, Larry also offered life lessons as he was helping them learn to play fair. Teachers valued the insights that he shared about students’ social behavior, often so different in the playground than in the classroom. I asked several people in the school for reflections about Larry, and I want to share some of them with you. Said one person – “The children in Middle School loved Larry.

Even in Larry's absence, the kids know how to line up and call the rules, and it's done without discussion or disagreement. They always ask substitute referees to ‘be like Larry’.” Said another person – “The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Larry were his wonderful quirks-- his love of movies, classic Turner in particular, the garden gnome, which mysteriously appeared all over the school, his Elmo shirt, and his love of college calendars and more than anything, though, it was his gentle spirit, his friendly and caring approach to everyone... Students, parents and faculty/staff alike. He had a way with people of all ages; he made you feel important, cared for, looked after. He always had a ready smile and a piece of news or trivia to share. My days will never be the same without seeing him each morning and evening. He gave so much to all of us and fought a valiant battle to the end. I miss him.” We all agree with that. Larry will be sorely missed by all of us. He was one of those rare human beings who made everyone better just by being there.

Dr. Hunter, Mr. Wilcox, Mme. Carmen put the bit in my teeth. Thanks to them, I “got” education... and am an avid learner to this day. The proud delights of having my son Matt ’93 attend Friends hooked me all over again. I'm impressed that the school continues to be excellent... so, I guess I’m a “lifer”.

Gretchen Walther Dumler ’56, parent of Matt Dumler ’93

The Cornerstone Society honors donors who have supported Friends Seminary for 25 or more years. This society recognizes, with gratitude, the loyalty and philanthropy which sustains Friends students and faculty who strive “to bring about a world that ought to be.”

• Because of generous donors, students at Friends Seminary benefit from abundant opportunities to learn, grow and excel. All those who support Friends make a difference in the lives of the School, helping to provide outstanding academic, artistic and athletic programs, financial aid, resources and opportunities for teachers.

sp r in g 2 0 1 6 | 6 8

back in the day

Where Abbey Road Meets Rutherford Place: John Lennon's Visit to Friends SUZANNE TELSEY BENNETT '76 remembers crowding into the Meetinghouse for an informal chat with John Lennon.

Christopher Gibbs ’76, who is featured on page 33 of this issue, shot the portraits of Lennon during his visit to the Meetinghouse.

The following is an excerpt from a StoryCorp interview with Suzanne Telsey Bennett ’76 who recalls Lennon’s visit in a conversation with her daughter, Danielle Bennett ’11.

One particularly incredible and profound moment was in 1974. One of my classmates, Scott Sklar, who I'm still close to — his father was a major record DJ, and radio station executive. He was able to get incredible acts to perform at school for our everyday functions.

Like, at the time, Patti LaBelle or Frankie Valli.

But, perhaps the most amazing one was John Lennon, and he actually came to the school. And, not only did he come to the school, but a in a typical Friends way, it was a very laid back

69 | n f f

informal event.

It was the fall of probably '74 and I was sitting outside on the step, which looks pretty much exactly as the step looked then. It was a warm fall day and up pulls a big limo, which actually is kind of an unusual occurrence for the school. People didn't tend to want to drive up in limos. A guy jumps out accompanied by an Asian woman, and walks up to my friends and I. We know immediately it's John Lennon. Our mouths open up and drop, and we are staring at this guy, and he walks up.

He goes, in his lovely English accent of course, "Excuse me. Which way is the Meetinghouse?” We all went “uhbiduh, uhbiduh, uhbiduh, that way,” and pointed to the back of the school. He

walked in, and then sat in the middle of the Meetinghouse, which looks, again, exactly as it did then. The whole school was crowded into the Meetinghouse — on the balconies and everywhere.

For an hour or so, we asked John Lennon questions. That's what we did — questions about everything and anything. I think he sang a few pieces, acapella. You know, a few pieces. It wasn't really a prepared thing, but it was incredible. Then, he left. So, I met and talked to John Lennon. That was amazing. And, in a very, you know, relaxed way, and we probably had a silent meeting at the end.  Listen to the complete StoryCorp in-

terview at: http://bit.ly/Bennett-StoryCorp

FRIENDS SEMINARY 222 EAST 16 TH STREET NEW YORK, NY 10003